Why do owners love the Omoda 9? I’m living with one for six months to find out

This is my new Omoda 9, a big and posh-looking Chinese SUV which I’ll be living with for a while. Omoda is one of the fastest-growing Chinese brands in the UK right now. It sold almost 20,000 cars last year, more than double what Fiat managed to shift.

The Omoda 9 caught my eye because, in theory, it’s a very compelling alternative to cars like the Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLE. It offers blistering performance, loads of luxury features and a posh-looking cabin for a lot less cash than the premium brands.

Omoda 9 owners also seem to love their cars, because I’ve seen loads of posts on forums from people raving about them. I’m excited to find out what all the fuss is about over the next six months; here’s a rundown of the spec on my car.

Living with an Omoda 9: an introduction to my new car

Speccing my Omoda 9 wasn’t very difficult, because there are no options to choose from.

Noble is the only trim level on offer, and it comes absolutely loaded with posh features. You get the usual big touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, a surround-view camera and a head-up display, but there are also things which you’d expect to pay thousands of pounds for on other cars.

Things like heated and ventilated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, self-parking, adaptive cruise control, a full panoramic glass roof and a 14-speaker Sony sound system are all included – I was shocked by just how much you get for your money.

The only option you can pick is the colour, which in the case of my car is Onyx Black. It’s a £750 paint job, bringing the total cost of this car to £45,740.

That makes it over £7,000 cheaper than a basic Audi Q5, and around £8,000 less than a BMW X3, while offering way more kit as standard. It’s no wonder people are tempted towards these cars.

Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre petrol-electric plug-in hybrid system with a whopping 450hp, meaning this massive SUV can do 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds. That’s more than 2.0 seconds quicker than a basic Audi Q5.

So it’s fast, well-equipped and the interior is also really nice. The materials all feel soft and premium and build quality is excellent as well.

What are the owners saying?

So first impressions are good, but what do owners think of the Omoda 9? I checked out some forums to get a feel for it.

One owner complimented the rear legroom, saying it’s far more spacious than their old Jaguar F-Pace. Another said they were impressed how comfortable the car is to drive.

Another common theme is people swapping their cars from established premium brands. One user commented: “I changed from a Volvo XC90 and [have] no regrets at all. So much car for the list price.”

The most common bit of praise people have for the Omoda 9 is the amount of kit you get for the money, but there are also quite a few people talking about issues with the DAB radio not being very good.

I’ve been driving my Omoda 9 for a few weeks now, and on first impressions it’s pretty impressive. Beyond the pace, I’ve found the hybrid system to be really good. It offers all the benefits of an EV – instant throttle response and smooth acceleration – without the range anxiety.

I’ll be settling into life with my Omoda 9 over the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for updates on my time with this car.

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