Chinese brands seem to be enjoying a fast growing product and dealer portfolio of late. Brands that were snubbed at just a few years ago are now in high demand. There is a Chinese SUV for any occasion and
Chery has just introduced a new brand under its banner,
Omoda and with it the
C5. I got behind the wheel for a quick introduction.
What is it?
So what is the
Omoda I hear you ask? Well what’s in a name? According to
Chery, ‘O’ is derived from oxygen - indicating new life, and ‘MODA’ comes from ‘Modern’ which signifies the brand’s focus on a modern and fashionable lifestyle.
Cool Design
From a design perspective one can tell that this vehicle has been designed with a more futuristic theme. Standouts for me start with the front and the integrated star diamond grille that is truly unique. The T-Shape LED daytime running lights and
OMODA lettering on the bonnet add further appeal to the front design.
The rear is also equally as appealing thanks to strong character lines, sharp angles and multi-dimensional rear lights. I also like the dual stacked roof spoiler. Finishing off the package are a set of either 17 inch or 18 inch rims, the latter found on my launch vehicle.
What’s it like inside?
Open the door and that modern theme continues with a minimalistic facia. As is the case these days you can expect to find a screen so big that the SABC might ask you to present your TV license to make use of it. In this case it’s an impressive high resolution 10.25” digital display that is highly customisable.
These touch-sensitive screens (digital instrument cluster included) allows for multiple ways of displaying vehicle, safety and entertainment information. It also includes, among many other items, a wireless interface with mobile phones, using either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
The seats offer a neat ‘sports car’ design which is a nice touch and rear legroom is decent. Finish is ok, I did find that the centre console looks and feels a bit cheap and not as appealing as that of the rest of the facia. Perhaps some more piano black and less matte black plastic would remedy this but that’s my personal opinion.
Further interests apply to the ambient lighting which has an option of 64 colours and can be linked to the Sony Sound System for added ambiance at night.
What about the drive?
On the road the Omoda offers a relatively decent ride quality. Under the bonnet is a turbocharged 1.5-litre motor that develops 115kW and 230Nm. Chery claims 6.9l/100 but that is worth seeing as my launch route served up around 8.7l/100km.
There are different driving modes which include eco and sport respectively. Power is sent to the front wheels via a CVT transmission. Is the ride special? Not particularly but then again I suspect this car is all about the style and the technology.
Omoda does however offer a lot of driver assistance features on the
C5 which is always nice. One thing you need to check though is the sensitivity of each feature as some can be relatively aggressive, like the lane-keep system. Other systems include active cruise control and it also benefits from a five-star safety rating from the strict NCAP crash-test authorities.
Final thoughts
Overall the
Omoda is a worthy option within the ever growing Chinese
SUV product line-up. Is it vastly different from its counterparts in the way in which it behaves on the road? No, not really. What about looks? It does look good but it’s not unique as the Beijing X55 features similar styling.
What the
Omoda does benefit from though is the vast
Chery dealer network and impressive service and warranty offering. It is also worth mentioning that it garnered a lot of attention from onlookers, all keen to know what it’s all about. Should it be on your list? Absolutely. Should it be at the top? Let’s get it on test for more seat time to answer that question.
Credit: Justin Jacobs
