A few months ago, we told you that we had the opportunity to be among the first media to test, still in pre-series, the new Omoda 5, a 4.4-metre SUV with coupé aesthetics and a 185 PS 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine combined with a seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. All at a price below that of its direct rivals and offering a full range of equipment and an official warranty of seven years or 150,000 kilometres (90,000 miles).
It certainly looks like the brand is coming to conquer the European market with a product that is affordable for the vast majority of people, as it is an attractive SUV with a combustion engine and no hybridisation of any kind. However, an electric version called Omoda E5 will arrive in the summer, with a range of up to 430 kilometres (267 miles) thanks to a 61 kWh battery.
Gallery: Omoda 5 (2024) primera prueba
What is Omoda?
Before I tell you about the Omoda 5, I would like to explain briefly what Omoda is. It is a new brand of the Chinese group Chery created for Europe, which is starting its journey in the Old Continent. Its European entry has been in Spain, specifically in Madrid, where the brand was unveiled a few weeks ago in a massive event and where its headquarters are located, in the Madrid town of Alcobendas.
In addition, the brand has its own network of 50 official dealers and is expected to soon reach 70. It is also interesting to note the opening of a spare parts centre in Azuqueca de Henares (Guadalajara), from where they can send the necessary parts to an official workshop within a maximum of 24 hours.
To give you an idea of the magnitude of the Chery group, it has 80,000 employees worldwide, is present in more than 80 countries and regions, holds more than 20,000 patents and has 10 factories around the world. The next plant is planned to be located in the former Nissan facilities in the Zona Franca in Barcelona, where the Omoda 5 will be assembled in its combustion and electric versions, as well as the future Omoda 7.
The Chery group will also launch the Jaecoo brand in Europe. The first model will arrive in the summer and is called the Jaecoo 7. It is a five-seater SUV with petrol and plug-in hybrid variants. By the end of the year, the Jaecoo 8, a large SUV with up to seven seats and a powerful plug-in hybrid engine with a range of more than 60 miles in 100% electric mode, will be on our roads.
Omoda 5 2024: This is what it looks like on the outside
The first thing that strikes you when you see the Omoda 5 in front of you is its attractive, modern design. It is a 4.40-metre-long crossover with a sporty look, featuring a coupé-style C-pillar.
It has to be recognised that it keeps its proportions very well and without being a big car, they have managed to give it a certain amount of packaging. Its direct rivals? The Cupra Formentor, the Hyundai Kona and the Toyota C-HR.
At the front, there's a huge grille with diamond-shaped chrome accents, along with vertically positioned LED headlamps that blend seamlessly into the front end. Right in this area, we also find the Omoda lettering on the bonnet.
The side view features 18-inch wheels (standard) and sharp lines running along the bodywork, giving it a sense of movement even when stationary. Another notable aspect is that the bodywork can be painted in eight colours at no extra cost, and if you choose the top trim, you can choose between three two-tone paints, where the bodywork is painted in one colour and the roof in another. We can also see how certain elements, such as the wheels, can have some areas painted in red.
At the rear, we continue to find an attractive design with voluminous shapes. There are LED technology lights, which include dynamic turn indicators.
Omoda 5 2024: This is what it looks like on the inside
Once we enter the interior, we find a modern and attractive design. The dashboard is constructed with soft materials in the upper area and in the door panels. It also has a good fit. The controls have a good feel and are well positioned for easy operation.
In the centre console we have hard plastics, although there is no trace of any piano black trim, which we see in other models from the competition and which I don't like, as they scratch easily and always look dirty.
Right in this area we have the automatic gear lever (which gives the possibility to change manually), which is not very intuitive to operate, as well as different physical buttons to, for example, choose the driving mode (of the three available) or the control to turn the audio up or down.
The instrumentation is provided by a screen that is linked to the multimedia system. Both are 10.25 inches in size. The instrumentation offers good resolution and plenty of information. The multimedia system has Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto.
More about the Omoda 5:
Below the screen is a strip with touch-sensitive controls to operate the dual zone climate control, although only the driver's temperature can be adjusted using these controls. To change the passenger's temperature, we have to do it through the screen.
In the lower part, there is an upholstered area for wireless smartphone charging, which includes a cooling slot to prevent the electronic device from heating up during the charging process.
The driving position is comfortable, although it would have been better if the steering wheel had a little less tilt. The sporty-looking seats are supportive and comfortable. They can also be cooled and heated (as can the steering wheel) if you choose the Premium trim.
As for the rear seats, they stand out mainly for their legroom, as even the floor in this area is completely flat. An armrest with cup holders emerges from the backrest of the centre seat and there are storage pockets behind the front backrests, air vents for the air conditioning system and a USB socket.
The boot offers 360 litres. It is not one of the largest in the segment, but it is well utilised and has an interesting emergency spare wheel.
Omoda 5 2024: this is how it drives
Despite its sporty aesthetics and 185 PS, the Omoda 5 has a rather comfortable ride. We feel it as soon as we get underway and start driving. Its suspension has a soft feel, transmitting good ride comfort to its occupants. In addition, the rear axle has independent suspension.
In cornering areas the suspension makes the body roll to a certain extent, until the shock absorber manages to contain the body to prevent it from leaning more. Perhaps with a slightly stiffer shock absorber we would gain a little more sporty feel, although we would obviously lose comfort.
The tyres are another point of note. The pre-series units we tested a few months ago were fitted with Giti tyres. For the final versions, the Omoda 5 is expected to be fitted with higher quality Kumho tyres.
The engine has good mid- and high-rev thrust, and allows the car to accelerate from 0-62 mph in 7.8 seconds, although it does lack a bit of progressiveness at low revs. This is compensated for by the Getrag dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which has a short range in the first few gears. It works well, although from time to time a little smoothness is lacking, especially when starting from a standstill.
As for fuel consumption, we were not able to carry out our classic test drive, but we can guess that in normal conditions of use it will be around 7.5 l/100 km (37.7 mpg-UK).
Omoda 5 2024: this is the range
The Omoda 5 is sold with front-wheel drive, automatic gearbox and a single 185 PS engine. The Omoda 5 is available with a choice of two comprehensive trim levels: Comfort and Premium. The former costs €27,900 (approx. £24,000 at the current exchange rate) and the difference with the Premium is only €2,000 (£1,700). The more complete one adds:
- Dual zone climate control
- 360 HD camera
- Heated steering wheel
- Electric tailgate
- Panoramic sunroof
- Fog lamps
- Automatic high beam headlights
- Rain sensor
- Sony sound system with 8 speakers
- Two-tone paintwork
So, for £29,900 (£25,700) we get an Omoda 5 with 185 PS loaded with equipment and a seven-year warranty.
The brand also offers an interesting financing offer offered by Santander Consumer Finance in which we will pay €22,990 for an Omoda 5 Premium that includes the following as standard:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Hands-free access and start
- Multimedia system with 10.25-inch HD screen
- Rear view camera
- 50W wireless charging with cooling
- Intelligent voice control system
- Sport front seats, with heating and ventilation system
Omoda 5 1.6 TGDi Premium