Omoda E5 review: The electric Volvo EX30 competitor from China is a bit boring

What is known about Omoda E5?

Another new brand, again with an electric version only, and again from China. Omoda is part of the Chinese giant Chery. The Omoda brand does not exist in China and was created specifically for the European market. If you are curious and click on omoda.nl, you will not see cars, but clothes and shoes. Omoda is an online clothing store in the Netherlands, but it has nothing to do with Chinese plug-in cars.

How did the Omoda car brand get its name? Wait. The ‘O’ stands for oxygen and hope – Omoda will need it. With a little imagination you can twist ‘Fashionable’ into ‘modern’.

Finally.

Omoda will come to Holland and Belgium in June. The brand will ‘sell’ the vehicles through approximately twenty dealers. First comes the E5, followed by a large electric SUV later this year.

The strange thing is that the Chinese brands are almost all fishing in the same crowded car pool. There is a huge demand for affordable EVs, but no Chinese brand is supplying them. The Omoda E5 has strong competition from, among others, the Kia Niro, Hyundai KonaMG Marvel R on Volvo EX30.

The question is what sets Omoda apart from the vast menu of Chinese options. The answer is no: with a different design and a much lower price (see question 4). Omoda thinks that most (younger) consumers see smart and fast hardware as more important. When you open the door, the camera recognizes you and uses all your favorite settings, from your favorite music to your seat position. Charging your phone is also fast; After 30 minutes of wireless charging, half of the battery is refilled.

On the outside, the X-shaped front end is typical of Omoda (although you also see a similar shape on the Toyota Aygo). Citroënmodels, such as the C5 The Chinese say the design is inspired by Star Trek. We’re not ‘trekkies’, but even after Googling we can’t see what the connection is.

What’s so great about the Omoda E5?

Like the new Chinese cars we’ve driven in recent years, the 4.40m long Omoda E5 can’t be caught with any major faults. It’s standard Chinese, and so the interior is interchangeable. There are two large screens on the dashboard and the driver has a view of the head-up display. You can do almost all the tasks through the screen in the middle. The center tunnel is optional in an EV, but it is missing for decoration. A petrol version of the E5 is also coming to market in other countries (such as Belgium).

Every electric car is powerful enough, and we’re not shy about it in the E5 either. The E5 electric car has 204 hp, sprints to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds and tops out at 172 km/h. You also see the E5’s Chinese roots in the chassis tuning: it’s a little sloppy, but it’s actually pretty cool. It smooths out bumps in the residential area as easily as bumps along the highway.

One-pedal steering is still not possible for our test car, but according to Omoda, the E5 that will be in showrooms in June has this option.

What can be improved on Omoda E5?

We had hoped for more frivolity with the new Chinese product; silly things outside or inside the car. The only thing we saw now was a rotating air conditioner sign. Like true fans.

If you choose a sliding roof, it will reduce headroom in the front. If you are 6 feet or taller, you may want the seat lowered a little. We also encounter a Chinese nuisance: there is a camera constantly pointing at you, which even if you avoid looking for a while warns you that you have been ‘distracted for a long time’.

Sounds for exceeding the speed limit, the traffic warning behind you or the collision warning (which is also alarming quickly) can be turned off. Although you have to go to the menu.

In Sport mode you will notice – more than in other EVs – that the front wheels have a problem with the large amount of torque that is produced. So you should not use your right leg too enthusiastically.

Furthermore, all measurements are average. The 204 hp electric car is very common in this segment, as is the range of 430 km. As the E5 does not distinguish itself with fast charging (110 kW) and AC charging at a charging station on the road (11 KW). Charging from 30 to 80 percent takes 28 minutes, which is very slow given the rapid development in this area. consumption of 15.5 kWh/100 km is fair: respectable, but not impressive.

When will the Omoda E5 come to the Netherlands and what is the price?

The Omoda E5 will be available at retailers in June. The exact price is not yet known, but Omoda wants to release that the price will remain below 40,000 euros. In any case, that is more than enough for the SEPP grant. That must be so, because competitors are also competitively priced. Here’s how Volvo EX30 Euro 36,795 and Be Niro 39,995 euros. The price of the Hyundai Kona has been reduced by 3,000 euros since the beginning of April to 36,990 euros.

What do I think of the Omoda E5?

We receive a friendly welcome at the European headquarters in Amsterdam and the Omoda E5 is of excellent quality. But how do Dutch and Flemish users get Omoda on the radar? We really couldn’t find anything that differentiates the brand. Appearance, charging speed, range and price: that’s what all the other products offer and nothing more.

Maybe people who are not interested in cars place more value on a good sound system, a high-definition screen for watching YouTube videos and a fast charger for their phone. In that case, the E5 is worth considering.