GWM Ora review: Quick spin of Australia’s cheapest EV
Australia has a new cheapest EV – and we’ve driven it, albeit briefly.
The new GWM Ora – known as the Ora Good Cat or Ora Funky Car overseas – is from the same brand that sells GWM utes, Haval SUVs and the upcoming Tank off-roaders.
It’s priced from about $45,000-$46,000 drive-away, depending on which state or territory you buy it in.
READ MORE: GWM Ora electric hatch now Australia’s cheapest EV
But the GWM ora is a very different beast to those other models in the GWM family. Everything under the Ora sub-brand – which was created in 2018 – will be a battery electric vehicle. And for now, at least, all models the brand has are towards the more compact end of the vehicle scale.
But the GWM Ora is not cramped in the cabin.
Despite its diminutive exterior dimensions – it’s shorter and wider than a Toyota Corolla hatchback – it has a relatively spacious interior.
There are five seats, with those in the rear enjoying surprising legroom and headroom that’ll be fine for all but tall adults. Kids of any age are unlikely to whinge about the back seat dimensions, although there are no rear air vents.
Up front there’s ample headroom and an airy layout, complete with the brand’s exclamation logo on the steering wheel. The steering wheel only adjusts for height, not reach, but it’s a rare blot on the layout of the driving position.
The boot is also big enough to swallow some soft bags.
And there’s some retro-infused fun to its finishes and controls.
The quilting and patterns on the fake leather trim look like they could have come from something British while the quartet of toggle switches on the dash is pure Mini.
There’s no need to press a start button, with the Ora following the Tesla lead by detecting when a person is in the driver’s seat and making itself ready for action.
Twist the rotary drive selector to select forward or reverse and you’re away.
There’s a single electric motor driving the front wheels. With 126kW and 250Nm it easily shifts the 1540kg body with the EV enthusiasm.
Driving the front wheels means it can scrabble for traction if you’re accelerating while turning. In a straight line there are no such issues.
Our drive took place on a proving ground at up to 100km/h. The Ora has no qualms getting to that speed briskly, but there’s some tyre noise and noticeable wind noise at speed.
Change the drive mode – there’s Eco, Auto, Normal and Sport to choose from – and there’s an associated jingle that is at the very least unnecessary and for those wanting to shift between modes regularly would become annoying.
We mainly drove in Normal; Eco dulled the throttle too much while Sport made it touchier so you can get to its peak power a fraction sooner. In any mode, though, performance is perky.
Steering is light and the suspension compliant, although quick direction changes at speed can have the body leaning.
All of which suggests it may be happier zipping around town.
That’s something we’ll obviously investigate more when we spend more time with the GWM Ora in future.
For now, first impressions are it’s an honest and decently-priced EV.
GWM Ora specifications
Price: From $43,990 plus on-road costs
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, hatch, FWD
Range: 310km (Standard Range), 420km (Extended Range) (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 48kWh (Standard Range), 63kWh (Extended Range)
Battery warranty: TBA
Energy consumption: TBA
Motors: 1 front 126kW/250Nm
AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug
DC charging: 64kW, CCS Combo plug
0-100km/h: NA
