Living with an Omoda 9: hugely impressive in some ways, infuriating in others
Car changing is a big deal
Social content producer Tommy Allen has been living with an Omoda 9 for around a month now, and after 1,500 miles behind the wheel here are his first impressions of this posh hybrid SUV.
It’s been about a month since I took delivery of my Omoda 9, and in that time it’s proven to be quite an impressive daily driver. I’ve used it for everything from long-distance commutes to shoot videos to short bursts around town, and 1,500 miles later I’ve started to gel with it.
You can skip down to the first report to find out more about the spec, but here are some initial thoughts after my first few weeks with the Omoda 9.
Omoda 9 first impressions: how’s it been in the first month?
Kicking things off on a positive note, the Omoda 9’s hybrid engine is brilliant. It drives like an electric car most of the time, with instant throttle response making it easy to nip out at junctions.
It’s also pretty economical so far. I haven’t managed to plug it in much since I’ve had it, but I’m still seeing an average of around 40mpg. That’s about the same as we get when we don’t plug in our Volvo V60 PHEV, and that car is much smaller than my Omoda.
However, I am finding some of the driver assistance systems a bit annoying. The distraction monitor will beep at you if you so much as glance away from the road for a second, which ironically is a distraction in itself when you’re trying to merge onto a motorway.
I’m not loving the adaptive cruise control either. Some systems will let you work with it to keep the car centred in your lane, but the Omoda just wants to be in full control. It will pull aggressively at the wheel if you try to correct it yourself, which is pretty unnerving when it reads the lane lines wrong.
Back to the positives, I’m a big fan of the surround-view camera. It’s super-crisp and bright, and you even get a clear image in low light conditions. This is a big car with quite narrow windows thanks to the coupe-esque shape, but the camera system makes tight manoeuvres a breeze.
The interior quality is excellent as well. Everything feels really solid, and there’s plenty of leatherette and soft-touch plastic around the place. Some of the switchgear feels a bit cheap, such as the steering wheel buttons, but on the whole it feels much more expensive than it is.
When I heard online that Omoda 9 owners had traded in Audis and Volvos for this car, I had my doubts that it could really rival the posh German brands. However, just one month into my “ownership” and I can see the appeal. Some of the tech needs work, but this is a properly impressive car for the money.
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.
Car change? Carwow!
Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.
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