Chery Omoda5 vs Deepal S07

What's the difference?

The GT AWD successfully adds a performance spark to the city-sized Chery Omoda 5 SUV formula. It’s sprightly and stacks up well in terms of value and practicality. It’s also space-efficient, safety’s great and the ownership package is hard to beat.

That said, despite the shift to a multi-link rear suspension, ride comfort and the steering could be better. But overall, no rotten tomatoes here. This is a worthy contender that shows how far and how quickly Chery has progressed.

The Deepal S07 has the makings of a great family friendly EV, but with some quirks that really need to be ironed out.

The Omoda 5 GT is a re-tuned version of the standard car, mechanically and visually.

We’ll cover the oily bits shortly, but from a design point-of-view, it retains the sweeping, diamond pattern grille and overall mix of intersecting surfaces and angular details from the entry models.

On three of eight available colours the GT shares red accents on the gloss black 18-inch alloys, exterior mirrors, lower part of the doors and underneath the roof spoiler also available on the Omoda 5 EX, but it somehow seems more appropriate here.

A car’s appearance is always a subjective call but I think the Omoda 5 looks contemporary in a sharply defined, Lexus kind of way, especially at the rear. The red highlights aren’t my cup of tea, but you might love them. 

The interior tone is set by the dual 10.25-inch LCD screens installed together across a sleek flat panel, one is touch-sensitive for multimedia and other functions and the second for instrumentation and drive information. 

Worth noting the GT’s centre console finish is gloss black rather than the standard car’s matt metallic-style treatment.

It all flows together nicely, the materials used look and feel good while the dash and front console layout looks sleek and works well from an ergonomic point-of view… with the exception of USB ports located low down on the passenger side of the console. Handy for the front passenger but likely a hangover from left-hand-drive production that’s uneconomic to change.

If you’re left a little underwhelmed from the bland same-sameness of so many new SUVs, I reckon you’d like the Deepal S07 in the metal. Because boring it ain’t.

It’s sharp and purposeful and full of lovely creases and angles, and it stands out on the road — especially in this 'Sunset Orange' colour.

Deepal says it was designed in Turin, Italy, but I'm not sure that matters much. I mean, being in Italy doesn’t guarantee design success – just look to the modern Lancia range for proof – but I guess it’s something for a newish Chinese brand to hang its hat on.

Inside, the design is lovely, too. I like the materials used, the extended dash and the size of the central screen (though it tilting towards you or the passenger is probably overkill). And the flat-bottom wheel is a nice touch.

I'd like to know where the air con was designed, though. It feels massively underwhelming on a piping hot Sydney day. The main outlet is at the bottom of the dash, which is perfectly positioned to chill absolutely nothing, and you can’t really change the direction of the vents, either. Or, at least, I couldn't figure out how to.

At a fraction under 4.4m long, just over 1.8m wide and close to 1.6m tall, with a roughly 2.6m wheelbase the Omoda 5 GT fits within the typical small SUV footprint.

At 183cm I’ve got more than enough breathing room in the front, the away slope of the twin screen array helping to open up the space.

For storage, there’s lots, including a decent-size, cooled lidded box between the seats, which doubles as a centre armrest, two cupholders, a generous glove box, a large area underneath the centre console and big bins in the doors with enough room for large bottles.

And in the back, sitting behind the driver’s seat, set to my position, I’ve got adequate foot room, plenty of legroom and heaps of headroom as well as adjustable ventilation. Big tick.

Storage options include map pockets, decent door bins and two cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest.

Power and connectivity runs to a 50-watt wireless charging pad as well as two USB-A sockets (one in the interior mirror housing ready for a dash cam) a USB-C and 12-volt socket in the front, a USB-A in the rear and another 12V in the boot.

Speaking of which, with all seats up the Omoda 5 GT offers 300 litres of storage space, which is relatively modest, but you have more than 1000 litres with the 60/40 split rear seat folded.

The upside is a full-size alloy spare sits under the floor (the 2WD has marginally more boot space but cops a space-saver) and the tailgate is power-operated. But those keen on towing are out of luck as the Omoda 5 isn’t rated.

At just over 4.7m long and 1.9m wide, with a 2.9m wheelbase, the Deepal is a sizeable proposition, which means good passenger room and decent luggage space.

Starting at the boot, you’ll find 445 litres with the rear seats in place, but with the seats folded flat that number grows to 1385 litres. There’s a frunk up front, too, that holds another 125 litres.

In the back, the room is ample for full-size adults. When sitting behind my own 175cm driving position, I had more than enough knee and headroom to sit comfortably. 

There’s also a heavy pulldown divider that’s home to twin cupholders, and there are two more up front, and USB connection points galore. Bonus points for the back seat riders being able to adjust their own air temps, too.

It’s easy picking in the Deepal range, given there’s one model with just the one trim level, simply called the S07.

It’s currently $58,521 drive-away in NSW, or $53,900 before on-road costs. And that’s probably about right. You can get an entry-level Kia EV5 for $56,770, though with less range and kit, or the XPeng G6 Standard Range for $54,800, though that’s before on-road costs. The new Model Y is a bit of a jump, at $63,400 on the road.

For that you get 19-inch alloys, a fixed sunroof with a sun shade, LED lighting all around and a powered boot. 

Inside, there’s a giant 15.6-inch touchscreen that can swivel towards the driver or the passenger, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 14-speaker Sony stereo and wireless device charging.

There’s dual-zone air con, the seats (heated and ventilated up front) are trimmed in synthetic leather and there’s an interior camera with gesture control, so you can use a kind of sign language to take a photo, control the stereo or answer or hang up the phone. It's weird and makes you look like a turkey, which is why I used it once and once only, but you might like it.

The GT swaps out the Omoda 5 BX and EX’s 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four sending drive to the front wheels through a CVT auto for a more powerful 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four pushing 137kW (at 5500rpm) and 275Nm (from 2000-4000rpm) to the front, or as here, all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch auto.

That means power is up 27 per cent on the standard car and torque is boosted by no less than 31 per cent.

The all-alloy engine is an in-house design produced by Chery’s Acteco powertrain subsidiary and features direct-injection and dual variable valve timing, while the dual-clutch auto comes from a collaboration with German transmission specialist Getrag.

The S07 is powered by a single 160kW/320Nm rear-mounted electric motor and it's rear-wheel drive. That’s enough output, says Deepal, to push the S07 to 100km/h in 7.9 seconds — not bad for a two-tonne-plus SUV.

Chery’s official combined cycle fuel-economy figure for the Omoda 5 GT AWD is 7.4L/100km, the 1.6-litre turbo four emitting 176g/km of CO2 in the process.

Idling stop-start is standard and over a week covering mainly urban and suburban driving, with a hint of freeway running thrown in, we recorded an average of 10.2L/100km which is on the thirstier side of the spectrum.

Worth noting the minimum fuel requirement is the pricier 95 RON premium unleaded and you’ll need 51 litres of it to fill the tank which translates to a theoretical range of around 690km (roughly 500km using our real-world number).

The 79.97kWh ternary lithium battery delivers a claimed driving range of 475km. It is, however, set up for just 92kW DC fast charging, which means going from 30 to 80 per cent will take just over half an hour. That’s at an appropriate DC fast charger, of course. Your 7.0kW AC home wallbox will take 11 hours, or eight hours if you can draw 11kW.

Chery doesn’t quote a 0-100km/h figure for this car but expect a time in the mid-seven-second range, and it feels quick. Particularly urgent in the mid-range.

That’s because maximum torque is delivered across a broad plateau from 2000-4000rpm, right where you want easy pulling power for safe lane changes and drama-free overtaking.

This car tips the scales at around 1.5 tonnes (100kg more than 2WD), which is par for the small SUV course and it feels nimble in traffic and on the open road. 

As is often the case with relatively small capacity turbo-petrol engines, you need to ease into the throttle gently for smooth take-offs. And once underway there are multiple modes available, the default ‘Eco’ setting, then ‘Sport’, ‘Snow’, ‘Mud’ and ‘Off-road’.

While we didn’t explore the loose surface modes, in Sport the seven-speed dual-clutch auto holds onto gears that little bit longer and changes down more readily. In fact, the transmission’s first few ratios feel quite low, so even in Eco the Omoda 5 GT has an eager, sporty personality.

Although the central shifter easily transitions to sequential ‘manual’ mode a pair of wheel-mounted paddles, sadly missing, would be even better for direct gear control.

Suspension is by struts at the front and multi-links at the rear, the latter a change from the ‘standard’ car’s torsion beam set-up.

The 18-inch alloy rims are shod with 215/55 rubber and that 55 aspect ratio makes for a relatively comfy tyre sidewall. But beware the ride is firmer than the standard car with high-frequency bumps making their presence felt, although it’s far from extreme.

In fact, the car is refined in terms of engine or any other noise with standard acoustic front side glass playing its part.

No surprise the steering is electrically assisted and it can be swapped through ‘Sport’ and ‘Comfort’ modes. The latter is relatively light and road-feel is okay.

Switch to Sport and the weight increases noticeably but road feel remains the same. Not the best in the business but not the worst, either.

Given this GT’s get up and go and sporty pretensions you’re likely to enjoy a drive on your favourite twisty backroad and this AWD version grips securely through the bends.

On the highway, with the active cruise engaged, it’s worth noting steering wheel inputs from the lane-departure function are constant and relatively abrupt even in sweeping, well-marked bends.

Braking is by discs all around, ventilated at the front with the GT featuring bigger rotors front and rear (308mm vs 283mm fr - 313mm vs 263mm rr). Aside from the fact it’s unusual to have a larger disc at the rear they’re pretty smooth but you need to be firm with the pedal to wash off speed effectively.

Under the heading of miscellaneous observations, in 3D mode the ‘AVM’ panoramic view system plays with your mind. It’s literally an out of body experience thanks to four external cameras providing an exterior view of the car on the road on the central media screen.

At just over 10 metres the turning circle is agreeably tight while vision for parking, supported by the reversing camera and panoramic view, is clear.

The driver’s door armrest is kinda firm and the media system, complete with ‘Hello Chery’ voice recognition, is quick to respond and easy to navigate. 

Binging, bonging safety systems aside, the Deepal S07's drive experience is relatively peaceful.

It can feel heavy, and isn't dynamically perfect through tighter bends, and even in the city the suspension - which does a good job ironing out most road imperfections - can clang over sharper, bigger stuff, especially if you're too enthusiastic with a speed bump.

But provided you're not asking too much of it on some twisting pass, and you're gentle enough over really big bumps, the S07 behaves much as you'd expect a big, wafty electric SUV might.

That is, with a smooth flow of power, steering that isn't overly direct, but not overly sharp either and with comfort the order of the day.

There are some annoying quirks, though, that would seem easy enough to iron out. The safety systems are often intrusive – and other Chinese brands can get them to be far less annoying – but I also found the tech and user interface annoying and fiddly, which again would be easy enough to fix.

Handing out a low score for a five-star ANCAP car seems harsh, but bear with me.

All the major bases are covered, the standard spec including auto emergency braking (AEB) with car-to-car and 'vulnerable road user' (pedestrian, backover, cyclist, motorcycle) detection, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, lane keeping assist and more. And there are front, front side (chest), side curtain and front centre airbags.

But the single biggest drawback of the Deepal experience has to be the most annoying, infuriating active (crash-avoidance) safety systems I’ve ever come across. Honestly, it has to be experienced to be believed.

For one, whenever I wear sunglasses it gives me an “occlusion” warning, which I genuinely had to Google, but that’s nothing compared to the driver attention monitor, which seems rigged to go off if you so much as blink, sending chimes binging and bonging throughout the cabin, increasing in number like a bomb about to go off.

And if you have to turn them off every time you get in, you have to wonder if they have any business being there at all.

So yes, it wears a maximum five-star ANCAP rating from assessment in January this year, but it’s a tree falling in the forest, kind of vibe, like if a car has every active safety system known to man, and you want to switch them off every time you get in, is it any safer than a car that doesn’t have any systems at all?

Chery covers the Omoda 5 with a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is two years up on the majority of the mainstream market.

Roadside Assist is complimentary for the first year, renewed annually for up to seven years if you have your Omoda 5 serviced at an authorised Chery dealer. 

The main service interval is 12 months/10,000km, which is a bit short on kays relative to most of the competition at 15,000, however, Chery offers capped-price servicing for up to 10 years/150,000km, the average cost for service over the seven-year warranty period being just over $350, which is in the ballpark for the category.

The S07 is covered for seven years or 160,000km, while the battery is covered for eight years or 240,000km.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 10,000km, and the brand’s capped-price servicing program covers the first seven services (or eight, if you include the initial 5000km check-in, which is free), for a total $2981.43 (or an average of $426 per paid workshop visit).