First Drive: Omoda flexes muscles with new 7 SUV

What is it?

You can’t blame Omoda for sticking with what it knows best. The brand, which is part of Chinese powerhouse Chery and sister to Jaecoo, saw an almighty 447 per cent increase in car sales in the last year, having just the Omoda 5 and 9 SUV models at its disposal.

So, meet the 7, another high-rider from Omoda that’s focused on offering outstanding value for money for customers.

What’s new?

Well, firstly, there’s nothing surprising about where it sits in Omoda’s burgeoning model range – yes, you guessed it, between the 5 and 9. While the 5 is more aimed at smaller crossovers like the Ford Puma, the 7 has its sights on the mighty Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai.

It’s the same battleground that its sister, the more premium-positioned Jaecoo 7, finds itself in. That car was the second best-selling car in the UK in January, so parent firm Chery has high hopes for this Omoda 7.

What’s under the bonnet?

The Omoda 7 essentially uses the same underpinnings as the Jaecoo 7, and the same goes for what it’s powered by. There’s an entry-level 1.6-litre petrol with 145bhp mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, plus a plug-in hybrid. This, which is grandly called ‘Super Hybrid System’, pairs a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor and an 18.3kWh battery pack, to give 201bhp and up to 56 miles of pure-electric driving.

That’s actually pretty impressive, as more expensive rivals like the Kia Sportage PHEV are around 10 miles down on the Omoda 7. Also, Omoda claims an eye-opening 403mpg fuel economy, but you’ll have to drive purely on EV power to get anywhere near this.

What’s it like to drive?

Despite sharing the same basic mechanicals as the Jaecoo 7, the Omoda 7 feels a bit more refined and nicer to drive – but only just. The petrol-electric powertrain gives the Omoda 7 a fair turn of speed, especially at low speeds where the car is primarily running on electric power; in ‘Sport’ mode, the 7 is positively lightning fast, and I found that ‘Eco’ mode gave the smoothest power delivery.

The ride is quite firm at low speeds and then softens to give quite wallowy handling on a fast, twisting B-road – European, Korean and Japanese rivals give a better blend of ride comfort and handling. But, I would guess that for most buyers who will have the Omoda 7 on their shortlist, they won’t be too bothered about this. The fact that it’s comfortable for most of the time, has light steering and is generally very easy to drive is good enough.

How does it look?

Compared to the Omoda 5 and 9 SUVs, the 7 has quite a dramatic look. The bodywork is covered in strong lines and creases that all blend well together, and the design hints at future models to come from Omoda, such as the 4 compact SUV. The most striking elements of the 7’s look are the grille that consists of hexagons that gently ‘blend’ into the bumper, and the rear lights that have a very distinctive zig-zag design – Omoda says this stylistic flourish is like an ‘autograph’ .

There are only five colours to choose from – white is free of charge, with black, silver, green, and grey each costing £600. They’ve been named after natural crystals and minerals, by the way

What’s it like inside?

Again, just like on the outside, the interior has a very different look from the other Omoda models in the UK. While the 5 and 9 have a large screen that gently curves across the dash, neatly integrating the driver’s display and central touchscreen, the 5 adopts a more generic look as seen in a whole number of recent Chinese cars.

The dashboard has a very horizontal design, with a large 15.6-inch touchscreen attached to it, a smaller display ahead of the steering wheel, and a high centre console that is home to plenty of storage places along with a pair of phone holders, one of which can wirelessly charge your phone. Thankfully, the infotainment system seems easier to use than in earlier Omoda and Jaecoos, and the advanced safety systems are slightly less intrusive; turning off features like lane-keep assist and speed warning seems easier than before, too.

But, while the design is kind of conventional, the quality is typically Omoda – and by that I mean the interior seems to be solidly put together, and there are plenty of soft-touch materials everywhere. It’s a spacious car, too; three can fit in the back despite the bench seats being deliberately designed to look like two individual seats with a perch in the middle, and the boot, at 590 litres (639 litres for the petrol), is big for the class.

What’s the spec like?

Again, there are no surprises here. Omoda, and its sister Jaecoo and mothership Chery brands, have shown that buyers aren’t left short-changed when it comes to spec.

The Omoda 7 comes in two trims, Knight and Noble, with the former getting 19-inch alloys, synthetic leather seats, a six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, wireless and cooled phone charging, and a 540-degree camera with under-car view. Noble adds features such as 20-inch wheels, an electric panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, heated and ventilated front seats, a Sony 12-speaker audio system, a powered tailgate, and ‘headlight ceremony display’. The Noble also gets an air conditioning fragrance system.

The plug-in hybrid is priced at £32,000 for the Knight and £35,000 for the Noble – the latter is just £165 cheaper than the supposedly more premium Jaecoo 7 and yet the Omoda 7 feels just as plush. The petrol version only comes in Knight trim and comes in at £29,915; it’ll be arriving later this year.

Verdict

While the Omoda 7 might not be the sharpest or most competent car in the class to drive, it’s hard to ignore the car’s overall packaging.

It offers a high level of standard equipment, strong interior fit-and-finish and space, and the potential for some seriously low running costs, all at very competitive prices – it’s a recipe we’ve seen Chery and Jaecoo deploy so successfully. The Jaecoo 7 has clearly struck a chord with UK buyers, and it’s fair to assume that its Omoda 7 sister will follow.