Chinese brand Omoda has already improved its C-segment crossover contender, the Omoda 5. Jonathan Crouch takes a closer look.
Ten Second Review
The Omoda 5, here usefully improved, aims to offer something just a little different for customers seeking a compact family hatch or smaller crossover SUV. There's a choice of combustion or EV powertrains, striking design and a strong value proposition. If you like the looks, it might be tempting.
Background
The Chery Group clearly listens to feedback. Just 18 months after launching this Omoda 5 model in both combustion and E5 electric form in the UK, the updated version of this car that we're looking at here was introduced, with mechanical and handling upgrades, extra equipment and cabin improvements. The Chinese move fast.
So many new Oriental brands have been launched here in the last year or so that you might have forgotten about the Omoda 5, which has sold quite well in the Uk since its early 2024 introduction, despite less than glowing initial reviews. A quick reminder then: Omoda is part of the Chery group, probably the biggest Chinese automotive player you've never heard of. Chery is China's biggest car exporter, which is quite an achievement when you consider the other heavyweight manufacturers based there - names you might be more familiar with like BYD, the SAIC corporation's MG marque, GWM Ora and Nio.
Omoda is a name derived from two sources; 'O' is for 'oxygen' (supposed to give an enviro-vibe) and 'moda' denotes fashion, apparently keynote for a marque that aims to focus on trendiness. As before, in both its firms the Omoda 5 is a car sized and pitched to appeal to customers of both family hatchbacks and light compact crossovers. So is it now worth taking a chance on this Oriental newcomer?
Driving Experience
There are quite a few mechanical updates to this improved Omoda 5, some useful, some not. The petrol Omoda 5 has had its previous 190PS output cut to 147PS in an effort to improve frugality and emissions. Which haven't actually been improved much at all. Which is disappointing because thanks to that downgrade, the 0-62mph time has fallen from 7.8s to 10.1s, even though this power unit's 275Nm torque figure has remained the same. There's better news for folk interested in the E5 electric variant, which keeps the same single front-mounted 204PS motor, but now pairs it with a new 61kWh CATL battery offering a 267 mile range figure (10 miles more than before). And a heat pump is now standard-fit in order to preserve range during colder months.
Hopefully more successful are the dynamic engineering changes. Both variants get revised front suspension geometry and a new electric steering set-up to improve handling. Plus new front wheel hubs and bearings feature and the brake linings have been 'refreshed'. We look forward to trying these changes but through the turns, we don't expect them to make an awful lot of difference to the business of propelling along nearly one and a half tonnes of Oriental metalwork - more of course with the EV.
As before, the petrol unit comes as standard paired with a Getrag-sourced 7-speed dual clutch auto gearbox, though on the road (as before), you'll find that this transmission's indecisiveness sometimes hurts the drivetrain's general driveability and it tends to hunt around its ratios. There are various drive modes provided: obviously, to get anywhere near to the quoted efficiency stats, you'll need to spend most of your time in the 'Eco' setting. A four-wheel-drive version of the combustion Omoda 5 is offered in other markets but there's no sign yet of that being available here.
Design and Build
Nothing's changed visually as part of this update so, as before, fashionable design remains a major selling point and you'd be unlikely to mistake the Omoda 5 for anything else. Certainly not the two cars this 4-metre-long compact family crossover is primarily pitched against in Europe, the Nissan Qashqai (which is slightly longer) and the Hyundai Kona (which is a little shorter). The 5 certainly visually stands apart from rivals like those, with its rakish profile and blanked-out C-pillar. The silhouette's quite slippery too, with a drag factor of 0.281Cd. With the combustion version of this car, the main visual talking point is its huge, strikingly intricate grille, which disappointingly gets replaced by a rather boring bluff front end in the EV version incorporating a wide flap that rises to reveal the charging point.
Inside, the cabin of the combustion model has been brought up to date with that of the electric E5 version, which means that both variants now get the same twin 12.25-inch screens.
There's also a revised steering wheel design and better seats with extra adjustment. plus the gear selector and the wireless charging pad have been repositioned to make them easier to access on the move. As before, you're going to need to like smudge-worthy gloss black-trimmed panelling, but everything is decently screwed together and the things you interact with regularly are soft to the touch. Plus there's adjustable ambient lighting that varies itself with the selected drive mode.
Despite the gently sloping rear roofline, there's plenty of headroom in the back, even with a sunroof fitted. And decent leg room for six-footers too. Out back, Omoda has improved boot space, but only by unfortunately deleting the full-sized spare wheel that we complimented the brand for fitting to the original model. As a result of this, luggage capacity rises from 372-litres to 430-litres, but that won't be much compensation if you find yourself stranded with a puncture and the fiddly inflation kit you now have to have instead.
The trunk area lacks bag hooks but gets a low loading lip, so it's easier to slide heavy items in.
Market and Model
Unlike its Chinese counterpart BYD, Omoda isn't immediately trying to match prices against the established players in this segment. The Omoda 5 petrol model in base 'Knight' form costs from just under £24,000, with a further £3,500 required for the plusher 'Noble' version. Expect the E5 EV variant to start at around £33,000 with base 'Knight' spec, with 'Noble' trim another £1,500.
You might expect a new largely-EV brand to be selling online, with agency models and subscription services. But no: Omoda will be selling its cars here via traditional dealerships, with over 75 open at the time of this test. They cover most major UK centres and you can find your nearest one by going to omodauk.com. The brand has lent heavily on advice from its partner Jaguar Land Rover for its launch into the UK; Omoda parent company Chery handles local Chinese production of the Evoque and the Discovery Sport for that Far Eastern market.
As you'd hope, there's lots of equipment included as standard. Like powerful LED headlights with T-shaped daytime running lights. And matrix taillights with 3D-effect illumination. Inside, the sporty front seats can be heated and ventilated and feature a variety of electrical adjustments. As you'd want, there's a full suite of intelligent ADAS systems for driver assistance. The portfolio includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping and automatic low/high beam switching. Stretching to plusher 'Noble' trim also gets you a powered sunroof, a 360-degree Surround View Camera system, passenger seat 4-way electrical adjustment and an air purifier.
Cost of Ownership
Despite the combustion engine improvement made here, you shouldn't have particularly high expectations for efficiency when it comes to the base 1.6-litre petrol turbo Omoda 5. This four-cylinder engine is something of a stop gap (and will probably be eventually replaced by a Hybrid). It manages very unremarkable figures which are very little different from those of the original model; 31.1mpg on the combined cycle and 170g/km CO2. Which might encourage you to find the extra the brand wants for the EV version. This uses a new 61kWh CATL battery with a claimed range of 267 miles (10 miles more than before). It now charges at up to 130kW (up from 90kWh before) and will now replenish itself from a DC public charger from 30 to 80% in 28 minutes (12 minutes quicker than before). The AC charging rate has been improved too - to 10.3kW, though that hasn't changed AC timings much. If you're AC charging from home using a conventional 7.4kW garage wallbox, a full charge from empty will require around 11 hours. When charging via an 11kW wallbox from a three-phase supply, the charging time will improve to around 8 hours.
Most new brands offer comprehensive warranties and this one is no different. Omoda includes a 7 year/100,000 mile warranty with all its cars. Servicing needs are quite frequent; for both powertrains, garage visits are needed every year or 10,000 miles, whichever comes first. Affordable servicing plans are available though, at point of purchase and servicing turnround times will be aided by a UK parts warehouse established in cooperation with DHL. There's 24/7 RAC roadside assistance too, which renews with each service up to the end of the warranty.
Summary
This is a Chinese idea of what an aspirational compact family hatch should be, rather than a European one. Nevertheless, if you're up for trying an unknown manufacturer and don't mind the slightly chintzy interior finishing, there's quite an interesting proposition on offer here. And it certainly looks like the brand will look after you. Chinese owners are often referred to as 'Omoders' and get access to a special 'O-Club', a social platform for 'brand experiences' that will be replicated in Europe.
Perhaps for potential customers, this kind of ownership tinsel and this car's rather striking looks will compensate for the largely unremarkable underpinnings and powerplants it's based around. Apparently, over a third of Omoda's Chery Group parent company's 80,000-strong workforce is devoted to research and development, but there's not too much sign of that when you get down to the basic engineering here.
Still, if you're after something that's just a little bit different from the Qashqai or Kona-class compact family SUV that everyone else in your street has; and all you really want is a fully equipped, well-warrantied, decently built and metronomically reliable little family second car, we can see why you might consider one of these, were you to be acquainted with the fact that it existed in the first place. The E5 version's clearly a better product than its petrol-powered counterpart, but the much greater affordability of the combustion version might sway you back to green pump motoring. Either way, there are clearly more polished products out there in this segment. But arguably, not too many more interesting ones.
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