Review: GWM Ora 07 Long Range – Quirky, Stylish and Capable!

Look past its quirky design and the GWM Ora 07 Long Range proves itself as a stellar EV saloon with decent range and performance.

Is That A Porsche?

Not exactly, but you’re not entirely wrong to mistake it for a Porkah. Just like the Ora Good Cat EV hatch, the Ora 07 EV saloon — known also as the Ora Lightning Cat  — shares the same ex-Porsche Design alum Emanual Derta. As a result, there’s a lot of similarities with some of House Stuttgart’s greatest hits.

The Ora 07 gets a similar front face as its hatch twin, featuring Porsche-inspired oval-shaped LED headlights.

For starters, the Ora 07’s front end gets the same oval-shaped LED headlights as the Good Cat matched with the clean-looking front end sporting a small air intake. The rounded front-end shape is matched with a rounded greenhouse that extends all the way to the tailgate, giving the Ora 07 a sleek fastback look.

Combined with its active rear spoiler and flushed door handles, the Ora 07 boasts a very low drag coefficient of 0.22 Cd.

That aside, the Ora 07 also houses some notable design cues, such as rounded side mirror caps, stylish oval-shaped LED taillights, and 18-inch alloy wheels, which are unique to the Long Range variant. Similarly quirky — read: Porsche-like — is the Crystal Purple hue our tester is dressed in, which will surely help it to stand out in the sea full of Seals and Dolphins.

In terms of dimensions, the Ora 07 stood out the longest of the bunch, measuring 4,871 MM long, 1,862 MM wide and 1,500 MM tall with a 2,870 MM wheelbase. With such a long overall length and wheelbase, we can only wonder how much room this sleek EV saloon offers…

How’s Life Inside the Ora 07?

Not only spacious, but we also found the Ora 07’s innards to be more well-equipped and upmarket over its hatchback sibling.

Besides the usual power adjustments and ventilation, the Ora 07's leather-wrapped front seats also feature massage functions!

This is especially true in the all-black faux interior option our tester came in, with the other option being the striking brown one. The all-black finishing is also applied to both the Ora 07’s steering wheel and sporty front seats, with the latter not only being powered and ventilated but also featuring massage functions.

As for tech amenities, A sizable 12.3-inch central infotainment is present and supports both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with a Porkah-inspired triple-rounded display for its metre cluster, a head-up display (HUD), a wireless charger, multiple USB charging ports, a multi-colour ambient lighting system, and an 11-speaker Infinity audio system.

Despite its screen-laden nature, the Ora 07 still boasts some physical control and buttons at its central console, notably for the climate adjustment and drive mode selector.

Despite the presence of physical controls and buttons, some functions like the climate control and even the A/C vents direction can only be adjusted via the infotainment.

Unfortunately, most of the Ora 07’s settings, including both the climate display and driving settings, are only accessible via the infotainment screen. Though some of the functions can be accessed via a slide-down shortcut tray, some key functions, like the ADAS-related ones are, hidden deep inside the infotainment system, thus requiring drivers to stop driving in order to safely access them.

The rear seats, on the other hand, are quite comfortable and spacious, with plenty of legroom for passengers to play around and featuring some dedicated cabin amenities such as the climate vents, USB charging ports, and the unique split panoramic glass roof.

Due to its sporty fastback roofline, however, headroom can be quite a premium, especially for tall and lanky folks seated in the rear. The sporty roofline also makes the Ora 07 a bit less practical compared to its other Sino-origin adversaries, with its boot space only measuring at 333 litres.

In spite of some minor shortcomings, we still find the Ora 07’s cabin to be a pretty spacious and well-equipped cocoon that can fit five adults comfortably.

How Does It Drive?

Beyond its quirky and Porsche-like design, the GWM Ora 07 actually delivers pretty good driving performance, even in baseline single-motor Long Range variant.

The Ora 07 Long Range's single motor setup proves to be just enough to deliver a thrilling driving experience for this EV saloon.

Powering the Long Range model is a single, front-mounted (FWD) e-motor delivering 201 HP and 340 NM. While it sounds on the low side compared to other adversaries, we find the setup sufficient at powering the Ora 07, so much so that you can easily reach its claimed 170 KM/H V-Max with ease.

The five driving modes can be selected via a dedicated dial at the central console.

If anything, the 07 Long Range’s modest outputs do feel easier for the uninitiated to get acquainted with it. Adding to which is the Ora 07’s offer of up to  five selectable driving modes — Eco, Well Being (GWM’s lingo for the ‘Comfort’ mode), Normal, Individual, and Sport. These are pretty self-explanatory, with Sport mode offering the most liveliest powertrain responses and heavier steering weight to match should be in a mood for spirited driving.

Speaking of which, despite its FWD powertrain setup, the Ora 07 Long Range is not susceptible to any wheel spins or much understeer, meaning that you can carve corners and tackle twisties rather confidently in this EV saloon. That, by the way, doesn't come at the expense of on board comforts too — much to our surprise.

Though some EVs are prone to some bumpiness when driving beyond the highway speed limits, the 07 instead felt quite planted and stable for the most parts when we tested it. Wind and tyre noise suppressions are also good, the latter thanks to the Hankook Ventus s1 Evo 3 tyres it rolls on, which also provide respectable grip levels.

All in all, we found the GWM Ora 07 Long Range to be a pretty capable EV saloon that strikes a good balance between performance and comfort. Some may complain about its subpar total system outputs, but we argue that this actually brings another advantage to this sleek EV saloon…

You Mean Its Decent Battery Performance?

Naturally, with EVs that have lower outputs, they usually make up for it through range, and that’s exactly the case with Ora 07 Long Range as compared to its dual-motor Performance sibling and rivals.

The Ora 07 Long Range uses the same 83.49-kWh LFP battery pack as the dual-motor Performance variant.

Juiced by the same 83.49-kWh lithium phosphate iron (LFP) battery pack as the Performance model, GWM claims the Ora 07 can reach up to 640 KM (NEDC) on a single charge, or about 580 KM to 600 KM if you prefer the arguably more realistis WLTP standards.

Thanks to its sizable battery pack and 'modest' single-motor setup, you can easily get 500 KM of EV range on a single full charge.

Throughout our week-long stint with the Ora 07 Long Range, we easily attained at least 500 KM of range out of its sizable battery pack, and that’s despite the spirited and heavy-footed driving cycle it was subjected to. Should one practise more light-footed and conservative driving, we’d reckon the claimed maximum EV range can be easily achieved, making it a perfect EV for outstationing to other rural parts of the country.

With bigger battery capacity, however, comes longer charging times, and this is where the Ora 07 fell a bit short over its burgeoning adversaries. Underpinning GWM’s 400-volt LEMON platform, the 07 Long Range supports both AC 11 kW and DC 88 kW charging, the latter allowing a 30-80% charge to be completed in 32 minutes.

But then again, it is not recommended to solely rely on DCFCs to charge up your EVs, and we’d reckon its slightly subpar AC charging performance won’t be a huge deal-breaker for most folks.

Cool! What About Safety?

Contrary to popular belief, Chinese cars are actually known for boasting some of the best safety features in any modern vehicle nowadays, and the GWM Ora 07 is no exception to this.

All these ADAS functions combine to deliver the Ora 07 with Level 3 semi-autonomous driving capabilities.

Primed to this baseline Long Range form are a full-swing of active and passive safety features, with the former coming in the form of ADAS functions like Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Blind-Spot Detection (BSD), Blind-Spot Monitoring (BSM), Lane-Keeping Assist (LKA), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Traffic Jam Assist (TJA), and many more.

All of the aforementioned ADAS functions garner the Ora 07 with Level 3 semi-autonomous driving capabilities, which is higher than many other modern cars out there that typically come with only Level 2 capabilities.

Both the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and 360-degree camera view system are available in the Ora 07.

On top of the ADAS functions, the Ora 07 also benefits from some other digital aids that help drivers drive this long saloon easier, notably its 360-degree camera view system and multiple exterior sensors. Coupled with its comprehensive passive safety system, which includes six airbags and other driving aids, the Ora 07 easily leads the segment when it comes to safety.

Our only gripe? The absence of a spare wheel under the boot, which is actually a rare sight to see in any EVs on sale here. This is also probably a good sign for one to learn how to actually use the tyre repair kit supplied to the car in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

So, How Much Does It Cost?

Beneath its quirky and Germanic design, the GWM Ora 07 Long Range hides a very capable EV saloon that offers compelling driving performance, a richly kitted cabin, and a very usable maximum driving range.

The GWM Ora 07 Long Range is the most affordable EV saloon you can buy in the market today!

So much so that we’d actually recommend the Ora 07 over its Sino-made counterparts, especially considering its very reasonable price tag of RM169,800 for the Long Range variant. The segment-leading price is coupled with a comprehensive warranty package that includes a 6-year or 150,000 KM vehicle warranty, a 12-year rust-free warranty for the car’s body, and an 8-year or 180,000 KM warranty for EV components.

On top of that, GWM Malaysia also offers a free 1-to-1 battery replacement for the Ora 07, in case the car’s battery health dips below 70% during its battery warranty period.

Yes, you can easily ridicule its quirky design and call it a poor man’s Porsche, or even complain about the poor space utilisation despite its large footprint. But beyond those things, the GWM Ora 07 Long Range is a stellar EV saloon that we think could serve as a solid alternative against burgeoning rivals, or simply for those who want to stand out on any occasion.

SPECIFICATIONS

GWM ORA 07 LONG RANGE