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By Jonathan Crouch

Chinese brand Omoda enters the SUV C-segment with this car, the Omoda 5. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 45

The Omoda 5 aims to offer something just a little different for customers seeking a Qashqai or Kona-class compact family SUV. There's a choice of combustion or EV powertrains, striking design and a strong value opposition. If you like the looks, it might be tempting.

Backgroundword count: 180

So. Yet another Chinese brand for you to consider. Omoda is part of the Chery group, probably the biggest Chinese automotive player you've never heard of. It's China's biggest car exporter, which is quite an achievement when you consider the other brands from this market - names you might be more familiar with like the SAIC corporation's MG marque, BYD, GWM Ora and NIO. Unlike in other global markets, 'Chery' branding won't be used in Europe, where the cars from this conglomerate will be marketed under the Omoda badge, a name derived from two sources; 'O' is for 'oxygen' (supposed to give an enviro-vibe) and 'moda' denotes fashion, apparently keynote for a marque that aims to focus on trendiness. We're going to get a whole series of Omoda models over the next few years (most of them EVs) but the first of them is the car we look at here, the Omoda 5, engineered in both combustion and EV forms. It's a compact crossover aimed at cars like the Nissan Qashqai and the Hyundai Kona. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 235

The core Omoda 5 models are the most affordable 1.6-litre petrol version and the EV variant. This design has been engineered to accept a petrol Hybrid unit too, so most of the major bases seem to be covered. The conventional petrol version uses a 1.6-litre four cylinder turbo unit with 187bhp and 275Nm of torque transmitted through the front wheels via a 7-speed dual clutch auto gearbox. The 62mph from rest sprint occupies 7.8s. A four-wheel-drive version is offered in other markets but there's no sign yet of that being available here. Handling was developed in Europe and benchmarked against what the brand sees as this car's closest rival the Hyundai Kona. The suspension, steering and anti-roll bars have all been re-tuned over the Chinese market model to cater for differing European tastes. Don't expect cutting-edge handling or particularly feelsome steering but the drive dynamics will certainly be class competitive. There are various drive modes provided: obviously, to get anywhere near to the quoted efficiency stats, you'll need to spend most of your time in the 'Eco' setting. On that subject, if you'd prefer to look at the EV version, you'll find it powered by single front-mounted 201bhp motor. That's energised by a 61.4kWh battery that when fully charged is claimed to be able to take the car up to 257 miles. Later, a 48kWh variant with a lesser 134bhp motor will also be offered.

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