2023 (23) GWM Funky Cat Hatchback 126kW First Edition 48kWh 5dr Auto

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

Funky Cat. Strange name. Remarkably appealing car. This trendy little Chinese EV arrived from freshly created Great Wall Motors brand Ora in 2022 and aimed to offer people seeking a small, fashionable all-electric hatch a refreshingly different option.

History

Would you choose a car called the 'Funky Cat'? Stay with us a little before you make up your mind. You might well change it. This was a small EV from Chinese maker Great Wall Motors, who sold the cheap but uncompetitive Steed pick-up here between 2012 and 2016. They returned in late 2022 with this 'Funky Cat', a much more credible offering sold under a newly created sub-brand called Ora, which had the ambitious goal of selling up to 50,000 versions of this car a year in the UK, using a combination of selected dealers, shopping centre outlets and online selling. Initially, it's hard to get past that name isn't it? The same car was known as the 'Cat 01' or the 'Good Cat' in China. Where it was also joined in the showroom by three other variants - the 'Pink Cat', the 'White Cat' and the 'Black Cat'. Yes really. The Funky Cat sold in its initial form until the end of 2023. For 2024, GW Ora changed the name to the Ora 03 and added a further bigger 63kWh battery option into the range. It's the earlier 48kWh Funky Cat model we look at here.

What You Get

There's a lot that's interesting about the Funky Cat's retro-stylised looks. MINI-like headlights sprout out of Porsche 911-style winged bulges that flank a twin-ridged bonnet you'll never open. Actually, it if you're looking at this Ora model as an alternative to an EV MINI, as many customers presumably will be, you need to know that it's slightly larger than one of those - measuring in at 4,235mm long and 1,825mm wide, these dimensions being more akin to a Volkswagen ID.3. And of course, it looks trendy. There are big 18-inch wheels and most early models came with two-tone paint - either 'Aurora Green with a Moonlight White' roof or 'Mars Red with a Starry Black' roof. Funky or what? It's trendy at the back too, apparently lacking rear lights, which turn out to be mounted low and come supplemented by a higher light bar at the base of the rear window. Under the skin sits Great Wall's dedicated electric vehicle platform, which goes under the unfortunate acronym of 'LEMON'. Perhaps it means something different in Chinese. Inside, where you're faced with a pair of seamlessly-joined twin screens, there are clear MINI influences - the central silver toggle switches and the steering wheel. But the Ora sub-brand also wanted to imbue its own minimalist vibe, one that's pleasantly odd, incorporating materials that are surprisingly plush in places - though a little less so in others. Choose a car featuring the extra-cost two-tone interior (which ideally you'll want to do because the alternative is boring black) and the 'funky' theme is catered for by either a green and black or red and beige colour scheme; even the stitched two-spoke steering wheel is two-tone. Areas with the lighter colour tone get a rather nice-feeling stitched microsuede finish, with quilting on the door panels. That's matched by leatherette-faced seats that come with power operation as standard. The MINI-like silver toggle switch panel in the centre of the dash we mentioned earlier deals with various climate functions, though unfortunately not the temperature control you'll most frequently want. For that, you'll need to tap rather small icons on the right hand shortcut panel of the 10.25-inch centre screen. As is the fashion, the home screen displays in widget sections - usually your audio selection accompanied either by a navigation map or media options. This screen's certainly very media-savvy, connecting you into useful apps like Deezer or Internet Radio: early cars though, were missing 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring mirroring, later added with an over-the-air update. The centre monitor has far too many tiny screen buttons, many of which (those for temperature functions for instance) are almost impossible to safely activate while driving. The right hand shortcut panel we mentioned earlier includes a little 'windows'-style short-cut menu button, a tap on which connects you into various vehicle settings, a 'Power Assisted' EV menu and a rather curious 'Skill Tree' screen, which appears to be a chemical-like diagram of all the various functions. These include a six-speaker DAB audio system, Bluetooth and a voice recognition system activated by the command “Hello Ora”. Anything else you'll need will be found on the instrument screen, also 10.25-inches in size, which like the centre screen includes rather too many small little graphics. Everything you need to know lies either to the left or the right of a Tesla-like central drive assist graphic that warns you if you're drifting out of lane. To the left of this is a digital speedo, traffic sign recognition and a battery indicator. To the right of the screen lies a section with info you can select via the touch-sensitive button on this right hand steering wheel spoke - power consumption in kW, trip data, tyre pressures, what's called 'Economical Driving Guidance' and an Energy Monitor. It's in the back that you'll notice the difference between this car and other small fashionista EVs. A relatively long wheelbase of 2,650mm means even a couple of six-footers could sit reasonably comfortably, with 720mm of legroom. Where you suffer a bit for that though, is when it comes to boot room; there's just 228-litres of it. Total capacity in the seats-folded format is 858-litres. The Funky Cat doesn't provide any additional 'frunk' space beneath the bonnet up-front.

What to Look For

We came across various issues in our ownership survey. Some customers have had problems with the head unit. Others claim the build quality isn't competitive, with flimsy chrome toggles that can break. Some of also complained that the EV range indicator shows only a mileage read out and doesn't update when drive mode, speed or air conditioning are changed. You will quickly be irritated by the intrusive driver assist features that are constantly nagging at you for various things and can be awkward to turn off. Make sure that all the screen features work as they should. Look out for scratches on the alloy wheels and for evidence of child damage inside. And of course make sure you get a fully stamped up service history. The drive battery in used Funky Cat models should have quite a bit of life in it, unless you happen to be looking at one of the very earliest '22-plate versions. When the battery is on its way out, you'll obviously find that it won't go as far on each charge - and when it starts to run low on charge, you'll find that the car will particularly start to struggle going uphill. When it gets old, the lithium-ion battery used here can suffer from the ionised liquid in the battery freezing certain cells; those cells are then unable to receive charge. Before going to all that trouble though, make sure the issue really is the battery. If the car won't charge, it could be a problem with your home electrics (or those at the public charge point you're using). Check the charge light to make sure that electricity really is going through the charge port. And make sure there really is charge in the socket you're using to power from - plug something else into it to see - say, your 'phone. If that charges OK, it could be that your charging cable is demanding too much power, so try another power source. Another problem could be that the circuit may have tripped due to a circuit overload. Or perhaps there could be a problem with the charge cable: this needs to be cared for properly. Repeatedly driving over it (as previous owners may conceivably have done) will damage it eventually. Make sure you do a charge-up before signing for the car you're looking at. When you do this, make sure that when you plug in to start the charge cycle you hear the charge port and the cable locking and engaging as they should; that's all part of the charger basically confirming with the car's onboard computer that everything's good to go before releasing power. But if the charging cable fails to lock as it should, then that won't happen. If there is a failure to lock, the issue could be actuator failure, caused by a blown fuse.

Replacement Parts

You are going to find it difficult to get servicing and maintenance anywhere other than GWM Ora dealer. Spare parts are difficult to source, even from major suppliers. Fortunately the pricing for consumables for this Chinese brand isn't too onerous.

On the Road

You should find the Funky Cat to be a perky little thing. Power is sent to a 169bhp motor on the front axle with 250Nm of torque, which is powered by a 48kWh battery. There's the usual single-speed auto gearbox. And the sprint to 30mph is dispatched in just 3.8s and 62mph in 8.3s, en route to a limited top speed of 99mph. What's on offer is just about enough for the car to feel eager - though that's not the same as it being satisfying to drive: if you want kart-like handling, you'll prefer a MINI Electric. For Funky Cat folk, a 'Sport' drive mode is provided, but you won't ever feel much like using it; this isn't really that kind of car. The other modes are 'Normal', 'Eco' and 'Auto', each setting accompanied by its own specific chime as you select it - 'Sport' by what sounds like some sort of thunderclap. Body roll is evident at speed in tighter corners, the weird Giti GitiComfort tyres aren't especially grippy and the light steering gives very little feedback, even if you select the heaviest of the three available settings ('Sport'). Drive with less abandon and you might get somewhere close to the claimed 193 mile EV range. To aid your driving efficiency, a display to the right of the instrument cluster screen waves up and down in shades of green, turquoise and red, but all it actually does (apart from making you feel queasy if you look at it for too long) is tell you what you already know (how hard your foot's on the throttle). A better tool for properly maximising drive range lies with all the various provided braking reg settings. There are three ('light', 'normal' and 'strong'), plus a dedicated 'one-pedal' mode which, if engaged, basically means you'll hardly ever have to use the actual brake except when coming to a complete stop. It's great around town, which of course is where that light steering comes into its own. And where you'll notice that the ride's quite supple and effective at dealing with potholes and speed humps. It's a different world from driving a bumpy, unyielding MINI Electric. The Funky Cat charges with Type 2, 6.6kW single-phase AC and 11kW three-phase AC charging and comes equipped with a CCS socket as standard. The maximum charge speed - just 64kW - is distinctly on the modest side though; most rivals - an MG4 for instance, can charge at 100kW or more. With this 48kWh version, 7.4kW home charging will take users around 5 hours 24 minutes based on a 15%-80% charge status. This time is cut drastically when moving up to 11kW three-phase supply charging (the sort of thing you might have at your office), which takes 3 hours 12 minutes. Public DC rapid charging will take 42 minutes (from 15-80%). You can of course set charging times via the centre screen or the provided 'GWM Ora' app. A bigger battery 63kWh Funky Cat model was launched later in 2023 but sold in tiny numbers.

Overall

If you can get over the name, there's a lot to like here. Provided you don't mind trying something different and you happen to dig the retro-futuristic styling. If you've looked at fashionista small EVs like the MINI Electric, the Honda e and the Mazda MX-30 and, understandably, been put off by cramped interiors and pathetic driving range figures, then the Funky Cat could well be your car. It's priced well, doesn't feel too cheap, has a bit of character, gives you a decent distance between charges, offers a proper back seat and comes with a long warranty. True, there are a few quirky touches. The charging speed should be faster. It's not as fun to drive as the styling suggests it might be. And you might be disappointed at the size of the boot. Otherwise though, there's quite a lot to like here.