Brand New OMODA 9 1.5T SHS Noble 5dr 3DHT

The Omoda 9 is a fitting flagship for this aspirational Chinese brand. A larger plush SUV with sophisticated PHEV tech. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review

Chinese brand Omoda aims to really shake up the establishment with this flagship model, the Omoda 9. It's a large luxury SUV with premium aspirations. And is a PHEV that offers more power and EV driving range than any of its rivals, yet at a lower price.

Background

So the strategy of Chinese auto maker world dominance is revealed. Offer stylised, competitive products. Then price them a segment below the one they aim to compete in. Not all Oriental makers subscribe to this approach, but Chery Group brand Omoda certainly does and you can see the outworking of this approach most clearly with this car, the Omoda 9. This large luxury SUV is the company's flagship and is offered here only with a potent AWD Plug-in Hybrid petrol powertrain. In size and plush appointment, it's very much in the league of products like the Lexus RX and the Volkswagen Touareg. But is offered at the kind of money that would only get you a decently specified Volkswagen Tiguan or Lexus NX (with 2WD and much less power). Omoda also wants to snare folk who might once have chosen a Jaguar F-PACE or Range Rover Velar. Is this Omoda 9 good enough to fulfil these aspirations? Let's find out.

Engines and Tech Spec

For our market, the Omoda 9 comes only with a petrol Plug-in Hybrid powertrain. And it's a headline-grabbing one, its 93 mile EV range figure better than any other PHEV you can currently choose. That's mainly because of a drive battery that, at 34.5kWh in size, is absolutely huge by Plug-in Hybrid standards. To give you some perspective, Volkswagen's Tayron eHybrid (which is similarly sized and priced) has a 19.7kWh battery offering a 70 mile EV range. That Tayron (like most other mid-sized SUV PHEV rivals at this price point) is front-driven and modestly powered (with a maximum of 268bhp). The Omoda 9 in contrast, is in another league of sophistication and power. That huge battery is linked to a 1.5-litre TGDI turbo petrol powerplant mated to a three-speed Hybrid transmission and two electric motors (one on each axle) for four wheel drive. Total output is 443bhp and 700Nm of torque, which means 62mph from rest takes just 4.9s en route to 121mph. There are six drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sport, Mud, Snow and Off-road). And the 9 rides on magnetorheological adaptive dampers. Huge efforts have gone into optimising refinement, the brand installing double-glazed windows and fitting acoustically optimised Michelin tyres. A more conventional 2.0-litre turbo petrol powertrain is offered in other markets, but we won't get that here.

Design and Build

The Omoda 9 has a brand-specific nose that draws on the quite striking themes we just saw with the Omoda 5. Including a front light bar and a diamond front grille pattern. Which is just as well because from the side, you might mistake this car for several other larger luxury SUVs, principally perhaps those from Lexis and JLR. The 4,775mm body length pitches it size-wise against cars like the Kia Sorrento, the Hyundai Santa Fe and Volkswagen's Tayron - all seven-seaters; this Omoda has only two seating rows. At the rear, the tail lamps are connected by a full-width light bar and there are four tail pipes, hinting at the potent powertrain. Inside, the interior is based on 'space, sophistication and seamless integration', according to Omoda. There's the expected tech fest, dominated by a high-definition 24.6-inch curved display combining the digital instrument cluster with the central infotainment screen. You might find the shiny finishing a bit chintzy, but there's no arguing with the standard kit tally. It includes a huge 1.3m-long panoramic glass roof, double-glazed windows and a 14-speaker high-end Sony audio system incorporated into the headrests. Omoda has learnt that European customers like physical switchgear for regularly-used functions like climate control - they're provided here. And all four main seats get heating and climate control. Out back there's a big 660-litre boot. That can be extended to 1,783-litres with everything folded flat.

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 9 (which comes only in PHEV form) is priced at around £45,000 - so no more than around £1,000 or so above a basic Volkswagen Tayron. Yet it comes absolutely stuffed with standard kit, including a huge 1.3m panoramic glass roof, a 540-degree panoramic view camera set-up, six drive modes and a 14-speaker Sony stereo system with headrest speakers. There's also a companion ownership app, powerful LED headlights, dynamic LED signature tail lamps, cooled wireless 'phone charging and heated and ventilated seats front and rear. As you'd want, there's a full suite of intelligent ADAS systems for driver assistance - 20 in total. The portfolio includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping and automatic low/high beam switching. There's a choice of five colours, 'Andesite Grey', 'Quartz White', 'Hawk's Eye Grey', 'Onyx Black' and 'Peridot Green'. You might expect a new largely-EV brand to be selling online, with agency models and subscription services. But no: Omoda is selling its cars here via traditional dealerships, with 60 open at the time of our review and 100 UK outlets expected to be in place by 2026. They cover most major UK centres and you can find your nearest one by going to omodauk.com. The brand 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, the Discovery Sport and Jaguar's XF and XE models for that Far Eastern market.

Cost of Ownership

Omoda describes this as 'a car that drives like an EV and thinks like a hybrid'. And, sure enough, the Omoda 9 delivers an expected combined range of over 700 miles, with 93 miles of EV range and just 40g/km CO2. Charging can be done at up to 70kW and can be completed in around 30 minutes. 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. And an eight year battery warranty. 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 much more serious kind of Omoda than the curiosity that was the little Omoda 5. And if you want a big luxury SUV with PHEV Tech, 4WD and over 400bhp, it's difficult to see where else you could go to get it. The Omoda 9's status at launch as the longest-ranging PHEV on the market is also opportune, given the currently-faltering market for EVs. You're probably going to be disappointed if you expect the drive dynamics to match those of products from more established premium brands. And the same could probably be said of the shiny digitalised cabin. But the gap to the establishment is closing in both these areas, as the Omoda 9 demonstrates. 'Value in everything' is the brand's mantra. This car delivers on that.