Mat Watson reviews the Omoda 9: world-beating EV range and loads of kit for a bargain price

This is the new Omoda 9 and if you haven’t heard of it – fair enough. Omoda is one of the newest car manufacturers to enter the UK market and even though it hasn’t been around for very long, it has the backing of one of China’s biggest manufacturers – the gigantic Chery Automobile.

The Omoda 9 is all about headline features. It has the longest range of any plug-in hybrid on sale, at a claimed 93 miles. It has 449hp, 50 more than the Audi RS3. And yet it costs just under £45,000, which is around £12,000 less than a base-spec Audi Q5 eHybrid.

You certainly get loads of kit – there’s just one trim level and it has the works, such as ventilated seats, a massive opening sunroof, twin-screen infotainment setup and wireless phone charging. Some have said the design is generic and derivative, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing – I reckon it’s smart, even if it doesn’t stand out.

Like so many Chinese SUVs though, it’s just okay to drive. Around town it deals well with bumps and on the motorway it’s pretty relaxed, but the suspension’s so soft that it’s not really much fun to take on a twisty road at all – you’re liable to make your passengers car sick.

Still, it’s not all bad – here are some of the cool things I found while reviewing the Omoda 9, along with some of the other downsides I discovered.

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1. It’s ready to charge

That big battery pack takes a lot of topping up, so it’s great that the Omoda 9 is set up for public fast charging at a rate of 70kW. That’s very nearly as fast as some pure EVs can charge.

Not just that, but the Omoda 9 comes with vehicle-to-load, so you can use the car’s battery to run items from a three-pin plug socket. And your devices haven’t been forgotten either – there’s USB-A and USB-C ports inside, plus the wireless charger can top up your phone at a rate of 50W.

2. Open-air fun

It’s not a convertible, but the Omoda 9 has an opening sunroof – not just the fixed panoramic type you get in many cars. It opens way back, too, leaving a huge gap in the roof. And there’s even a rain sensor to close it automatically if it starts to chuck it down, though it seemed resistant to bottles of Evian…

3. 360-degree vision

The Omoda 9 is quite a big car so it’s great to know that it comes as standard with a 360-degree camera system to make parking a cinch. It can even remember what’s under the car to give a ‘Transparent Bonnet’ view just like you get on a Land Rover.

4. Sensible assistance systems

Omoda makes it easy to turn off the more annoying driver assistance systems, such as the speed limit warning and the driver attention monitor – you just swipe down from the top of the infotainment screen and there are shortcut buttons.

5. In-built air purification system

The air-conditioning system includes air purification, removing particles down to 2.5 micrometers or less. That’s ideal if you live in a crowded, polluted city centre and want to avoid breathing it in as much as possible. It’s also capable of reacting to changes inside the car, such as when one of your passengers lets a silent and deadly one rip.

But that’s not to say there aren’t annoyances – here are five things I found on the Omoda 9 that are a bit less than cool…

1. Shiny trim and too much lighting

The interior of the 9 is loaded with chrome and piano-black trim – and it’s all a bit shiny. It’s not just that it picks up fingerprints, but it also picks up reflections from the sun during the day, which can be quite distracting. And at night, the ambient lighting system reflects in the windscreen and side windows instead.

2. Senseless seating controls

The 9 gets electric seats as standard, which is a nice touch – and they’re operated via switches on the doors just like a Mercedes. But not all the movements make the most sense, and if I’m honest the adjustment motors don’t have the same reassuring sound as they do in German alternatives. I kept thinking they were about to burn out.

3. Stubborn lane-keeping

The Omoda 9’s lane-keeping is pretty determined to have its own way. Most systems in alternatives allow you to guide them a bit, but if you push against the Omoda it just throws a wobbly and turns the automatic cruise control off entirely. It’s like a stroppy teenager.

4. Physical climate controls – with a twist

It’s fantastic that Omoda includes physical climate control switches, so you can change the temperature or fan speed without having to take your eyes off the road. But every time you make an adjustment, the climate control menu comes up anyway – neatly obscuring the sat-nav.

5. Not the best tow car

The Omoda’s towing capacity is a lowly 1,500kg – a shame considering how powerful it is. Most of its plug-in hybrid alternatives can tow up to 2,000kg.

Omoda 9: final verdict

So, should you avoid the Omoda 9, consider it, shortlist it or just go right ahead and buy it? I reckon you should consider it.

You get loads for your money, it’s spacious and practical and that battery range gives you a lot of freedom. It’s just a real pity it’s so unpleasant to drive on a twisty road. Still, if you just want something to be comfortable on the motorway and to save you a bundle on your company car tax, there are worse options.

Even so, here are some alternatives you could consider.

I levelled pretty much the same criticism at the MG HS, as it’s not that much fun to drive. However, the HS is significantly cheaper than even the Omoda 9. With Carwow savings you can pick one up for less than £32,000.

For about the same price as the Omoda 9, you could go fully electric instead of plug-in hybrid and opt for a Skoda Enyaq. The big-battery model will do over 300 miles on a charge, and it’s comfortable to drive with a really lovely, solid interior.

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