As the Chinese car industry continues to grow at lightning speed, it’s an exciting time to take a closer look at the market, cross-shopping between the many new and mysterious carmakers popping up recently in the UK. From the upstarts at BYD to the newly-revived MG brand, UK and European car buyers have an abundance of options to pick from, which has only gotten more crowded. Previously, I wrote about my time with the OMODA 5 – OMODA being a sub-brand of Chery, the 5th-biggest carmaker in China – and I mentioned that it has a nearly identical EV cousin, the new OMODA E5.
Well, having spent a bit more time with its sibling, the all-electric OMODA E5, it does show that OMODA has a lot of potential going for it. So, let’s put the OMODA E5 through the gauntlet, and see how it does, particularly compared to other EVs in its price point. Moreover, let’s see how much has changed between the combustion-propelled OMODA 5, and the new-age electrified OMODA E5, and whether or not you’ll be better off with the E5, having since experienced some of the flaws and downsides with the OMODA 5.
What Is The OMODA E5 Noble About?
If you are interested in a more thorough breakdown of the OMODA E5’s design, I’d recommend checking out my OMODA 5 review, which is mostly identical to the all-electric E5. It’s probably for the better anyway, seeing that this E5 test car from OMODA, as you can see, is painted in a muted black colour. It does somewhat hide some of the OMODA 5’s and E5’s more distinctive design elements. That said, since the OMODA 5 is an ICE car, the E5 does feature a bunch of EV-centric changes in its appearance. For starters, the front grille, bumper, and fascia are different in the all-electric OMODA E5 SUV, opting to streamline its face for better aerodynamics.
I do think that the OMODA E5 looks arguably better, especially from the front, without that overly huge grille of the OMODA 5 in the way. However, if you look closely, there are openings further down in the lower bumper that allow a bit of cooling for the OMODA E5’s battery pack. Otherwise, the rest of it is the same, with its slim lights and twin headlamps accompanying it, giving this new E5 a distinct lighting signature up in the front. Then, once you move along to the side, it comes with a set of 18-inch alloy wheels and cool-looking aero wheel inserts. They do help with improving aerodynamics, in addition to hidden, active grille vanes to help smoothen airflow.
Overall, I’m quite fond of the looks of the OMODA E5 more than its petrol-powered sibling, mostly thanks to the cleaner front-end design and those futuristic-looking wheels. One other interesting observation that I noticed is how high-up the bodywork is, and how bits underneath the car could be seen. The rear suspension and even the battery pack, from the side, stuck out more than I’ve seen on other cars. It shouldn’t impact anything, I don’t think, but it does give the OMODA E5 the appearance of a higher ride height than it really has. When you peer under the bonnet, there are more changes in store for you here.
How Does It Drive?
As for the OMODA E5’s performance, it’s propelled by a single electric motor, mounted on the front axle. This is good for around 204hp and 340Nm of torque. According to OMODA, you should manage a 0 to 62mph sprint in about 7.2 seconds, and then onto a top speed of 107mph. If you’ve read my impressions of the new combustion-powered OMODA 5, then you will know that one of my complaints with that car is the 4-cylinder turbo engine. It felt like it was lacking in power at tines. But it it was adequate and good enough for daily driving at a more relaxed, slow pace.
Thankfully, a lack of athleticism isn’t something you’ll get with its all-electric sibling, the OMODA E5. Right away, it felt sprightlier and faster, with a punchier power delivery. Elsewhere, I also found that it drove way better than the OMODA 5. Pretty much in every situation I encountered while driving it, the OMODA E5 felt quicker, and it is more in line with what I expected and what I would’ve really wanted out of the petrol-powered OMODA 5.
It’s no trailblazer, but fast enough that I could get from A to B more efficiently. Sometimes, I felt that the OMODA E5 *feels* faster than what its on-paper specs would suggest, too. As such, it’s more confidence-inspiring when you need to push hard, even for simple things like overtaking on the motorway or exiting a junction. The chassis and suspension of the OMODA E5 are other notable highlights of the car, refined for UK and European roads. It rides and handles well, even on our bumpy and pothole-ridden UK roads, and it’s able to soak up bumps rather nicely. Furthermore, as is given with any EV, the lack of an engine makes the OMODA E5 very quiet and smooth.
What Is It Like Inside?
Step inside this new OMODA E5, and you will find that there are a surprising number of changes between this and its seemingly identical OMODA 5 combustion-powered sibling. For example, you’ll find that the OMODA E5 comes with a slightly bigger set of screens, now sitting at 12.25 inches for both the displays on the dash… There is one for your infotainment stuff, and the other for all your gauges. In addition to your gauge cluster, there’s another 7-inch colour heads-up display within your line of sight. Still, just like the OMODA 5, the E5’s screens are nice to use, sporting sharp, clear graphics, with responsive load times, and there’s an intuitive UI on top of them.
Tech-wise then, the OMODA E5 actually presents a small upgrade over the OMODA 5. Aside from that, another difference with its interior design is the centre console. The entire centre tunnel has been raised slightly, so the hidden (and handy) cubby underneath – like on the OMODA 5 – sports more space to keep stuff in. Similarly, the shape and feel of the steering wheel, not to mention some of the switches, were also placed in different places, and it felt different compared to the OMODA 5 that I drove a bit earlier. Between them, I find the OMODA E5 to feel a tad more premium – even the shiny metal buttons almost seemed like they came out of a Mercedes!
That’s not to say that there aren’t some oddities, though. For instance, on the far-right side of the gauge cluster, there’s a column of volume controls. This didn’t make sense, given that the steering wheel, just inches away, has all your volume controls. So, my guess is that the OMODA E5 was originally designed mainly as a left-hand drive car, and those volume controls were meant for the passenger, which would have actually been useful. It seemed like OMODA didn’t update those volume controls when they made the E5 right-hand drive. It’s a small quirk, but something I hope they could fix in the future, specifically for RHD markets – it’s the little things that count.
The Experience
All in all, though, this didn’t really dampen my thoughts of the OMODA E5’s interior as a whole, and I quite liked spending time in it. From a practical point of view, rear passengers should enjoy a good amount of leg-, knee-, and headroom in the back, accompanied by a fairly large boot even further in the back. Speaking of practicality, the OMODA E5 is paired with a 61kWh battery pack, of which around 60kWh is usable. From what I can tell, the OMODA E5 is available with only one battery option for now, which has an estimated range of 257 miles. In real-world driving, you often won’t get those figures without serious hypermiling, which is the case with most EVs.
However, to my surprise, during my testing, the OMODA E5 actually got very close! One thing I’ve noticed is that the battery charge status counter in the gauge cluster even counts down how many miles I have left surprisingly accurately compared to the general estimates that most other EVs usually feature, so that’s a nice touch. Potential buyers of the E5 will want to know its peak charging rate, it is 80kW. It’s not as high as many other EVs I’ve seen, which normally at least breaks into the triple digits. With that being said, at 80kWh, the charging times for the new OMODA E5 are right about what you’d expect.
Topping up your OMODA E5’s battery pack from 30% to 80% would take you around half an hour. Meanwhile, if you were to plug your OMODA E5 into an 11kW wall charger, a full charge (0% to 100%) would take you about 8 hours. On the other hand, a slower 7kW charger would manage that same charge in under 10 hours. There are handy, quality-of-life additions as well, such as how your OMODA E5 can be paired with the OMODA mobile app. Using this, you could further tweak or control the start and stop times for the charging process.
This ought to be nice if you’re trying to charge at specific hours of the day to take advantage of cheaper off-peak electricity tariffs. Besides that, the OMODA E5 also features V2L (vehicle-to-load) functionality. This is where you can use your car’s battery to power electrical devices. I can see this being a nice thing to have, with powering or charging some electronics at your campsite (the OMODA E5 could deliver up to 3.3kW of power), or using the OMODA E5 as a backup power source if there’s a power outage. With so many nice things that you’ll get with the OMODA E5, how much is all this going to cost you, anyway? Well, it turns out, not too much!
OMODA E5 Noble Cost
Just like the ICE-powered OMODA 5, the OMODA E5, here in the UK, can be had with one of two trim levels – the entry-level Comfort trim, with a starting price of £33,055, or like what I have here, the Noble trim, starting from £34,555. Best of all, as with the OMODA 5, the E5 comes with a 7-year (or 100,000-mile) factory warranty. That would be nice to have for some added peace of mind. On top of that, the OMODA E5 is offer an 8-year (or 100,000-mile) warranty for the battery pack, too. Regardless, OMODA does not skimp on standard equipment, as both the Comfort and Noble trims are brimmed with all that you need.
For example, the Comfort trim comes as standard with those nice 18-inch alloy wheels, 12.25-inch screens, a rear parking camera, front and rear parking sensors, as well as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. On top of that, you’ll get adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, over-the-air updates, and a comprehensive ADAS suite. Meanwhile, if you want additional creature comforts, the Noble trim includes a 360-degree surround-view camera, an 8-speaker Sony audio system, heated seats front and rear, and a power tailgate. Plus, the Noble trim comes with a heat pump. There’s really only one key option that matters, this being two-tone paint.
Verdict
Being a new brand here in the UK, I get that it will be tough for the average car buyer to try out an OMODA E5 and trust it as much as they would a Toyota, Ford, or a Volkswagen. I do think it would be interesting to see how well it does, more so given how competitive the EV market has become over the last few years. With that in mind, the all-new OMODA E5 is a well-rounded package, and particularly when compared to its petrol sibling, the OMODA 5, I’m left with a more positive impression of the E5. Swapping out its ICE guts in lieu of all-electric power did solve a lot of my complaints with the OMODA 5.
The only other unknowns that have yet to be solved are those overly sensitive ADAS systems that I experienced with the OMODA 5, so I do hope OMODA fixes that soon. Otherwise, the OMODA E5 is a well put together, and highly capable all-electric crossover SUV, especially for that low-to-mid £30k starting price. You’ll find that it doesn’t just drive well, but it has a very posh (for the money, anyway) cabin to spend time in, and between its tech features, highly spec’d standard equipment, and the comprehensive warranty, the OMODA E5 is shockingly good value for money. So, if you’re shopping for a new EV, maybe consider checking this one out.
Specification
OMODA E5 Noble Specs
- Price: £34,555
- Engine: Single motor, 61.1kWh battery
- Power: 204hp
- Torque: 340Nm
- 0-62mph: 7.2 seconds
- Top speed: 107mph
- Weight: 1,710kg
- Economy combined: 257 miles (WLTP)
- CO2: 0g/km