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Ora Funky Cat: surprising Chinese - voila! vehicle

2023-02-08T19:50:33.228Z


ORA (ORA) Funky Cat is a Chinese electric of a type we have not yet met: family and not a jeep, retro design and not another generic vehicle. But her character does not manage to obscure one significant drawback


Funky Cat.

A design as cute as the name (photo: Ronen Topelberg)

Price (base/test):

NIS 172,000/NIS 185,000


We liked:

design, equipment and service, space in the back, comfort and behavior


We didn't like:

trunk, price


score:

8/10



New week, new electric Chinese.

And this time: Ora Funky Cat, an unusual name for a streetcar that does everything to escape the image of a Chinese streetcar.



ORA is one of the new electric brands of Great Wall, an old Chinese manufacturer, which even made a short tour of Israel about a decade and a half ago with a van that was a copy of the Isuzu iPhone, and a super mini car that was a copy of the Toyota Yaris.

They were simple, cheap, and of the Chinese quality of that time.



Since then, Great Wall has changed its approach, and it approaches the streetcar market through dedicated and characterized brands.

Wey, which was launched in Israel at the beginning of the year, focuses on luxury plug-in vehicles with a relatively long electric range.



Ora, on the other hand, focuses on 100% electric cars, which place a lot of emphasis on design.

In China you can even buy the Ora Good Cat, which looks like a five-door version of the new Volkswagen Beetle that Volkswagen never produced.

The importer Calmobile, which already sells Hyundai and Genesis, Mitsubishi and Mercedes with us, and is setting up seven showrooms for it, the main ones on Ibn Gvirol Street in Tel Aviv and the Telpiot industrial area in Jerusalem.



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Reminds me a bit of the Fiat 500X (Photo: Ronan Toppelberg)

A word should be said about the names.

We've already seen automakers use animal names for their cars, from the Ford Mustang that commemorates a breed of racehorse to the new Ferrari Prosang, with a different breed of them.



The Chinese prefer cute animals that seem to pet, hug and buy.

Haval, Great Wall's yet-to-be-launched SUV brand, is currently selling a Jeep that will arrive in the West this year called the Big Dog.

Later this year BYD Dolphin, a large super mini electric car, will land here.

And Ora too, loves her trams howling on the sofa.



Design: The

light is unconventional in name only.

Until now almost all the Chinese streetcars we have seen have been some kind of crossover or jeepney.

The Funky Cat insists on distinguishing itself also in form, as a compact car.

Although tall like a jeep (1.6 meters), but family in a retro design, with round headlights, a length of 4.2 meters which will be excellent in crowded parking lots, a width of 1.8 meters and a wheelbase of 2.65 meters.

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A rich driver's environment with quality materials (Photo: Ronan Topelberg)

The passenger cabin:

The retro design continues partially in the passenger cabin as well.

On the one hand, there are a pair of large 10.25-inch screens, one for multimedia (still without Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) and the operation of the vehicle's systems, and the other as a dashboard.

But unlike other trams, there are also switches as before, prominent, for urgent tasks such as hot air flow to the windshield to disperse steam.

An efficient arrangement, although it's a shame that it doesn't include a switch to control the volume of the stereo, which can be increased or decreased only from the steering wheel - and only by the driver.



The seating is high and spacious, with the rear seat especially impressive, with a flat floor, and plenty of room for the head and legs.

Adults feel completely comfortable here.

If the seat was a little higher and there was only an air conditioner outlet for the back seat, it would be perfect.

At least there is a USB socket.



Trunk:

It's a shame that all this space comes at the expense of the trunk, which has shrunk to a volume of only 228 liters, less than what you'll get in the Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10.

And because of the structure of the cabin, the dismantling of the shelf above it will not add much storage volume, unlike most hatchback models we know.

Many models of strollers won't fit here, and if they do, without anything else around.

At least there is a small compartment under the floor for the charging cable.



Equipment:

There are three levels of finish.

Already at the basic Pro level you will get the pair of screens, electric front seats, wireless charging for your mobile and leather-like upholstery.

The Pro Plus level adds a panoramic sun window, heating, cooling and massage for the front seats and an electric tailgate.

The GT trim level that we drove adds sporty design cues and cruise control for those who want to stick with the Tesla at a traffic light.



safety:

Not "Chinese" for a long time.

The Funky Cat received 5 out of 5 stars in the European crash test and the title of best in category.

There is a full active safety package, including automatic emergency braking in forward and reverse travel, adaptive cruise control, lane departure correction and vehicle detection in a "dead zone".

171 hp in a family car (photo: Ronan Topelberg)

Performance:

Trams never lack power and are always more powerful than equivalent gasoline vehicles.

Funky Cat has 171 hp, and an acceleration of almost 8 seconds to 100 km/h.

There is a choice between two battery sizes, 48 ​​kWh for the cheaper version which according to the manufacturer is sufficient for a combined range of 310 km, and 63 hp for an expensive version that will officially travel for a range of 400-420 km, and is less practical, depending on the driving style your.



The performance is indeed agile, and along with the modest dimensions, you get a nimble car both in city traffic and on the highway, which easily weaves through empty sections of road.



Comfort and behavior:

the comfort also stands out compared to other electric cars, which usually suffer from too harsh suspension calibration due to the weight of the batteries.

Because the calibration is more correct, it handles disturbances better, is not too prone to turns and gives the feeling of a modern compact car.

The noise isolation is less impressive.



The steering is as usual numb, and at least in sport mode it has the right weight.

It's a shame that the engineers gave it front-wheel drive and not rear-wheel drive - in trams the change is much simpler - with its dimensions it could have been very enjoyable in rear-wheel drive.

We'll wait for MG4 for that.

The retro switches not only look good, but are human engineering correct.

One is missing to control the volume in the stereo (Photo: Ronan Topelberg)

Charging and power consumption: the Ora does not excel at charging, and supports fast charging only up to 80 kWh, which means a relatively long wait of 46 minutes at maximum power to charge, for example, from 20 to 80 percent with the small battery, and ten minutes less with the small one. Home charging will take 5.5 to 6.5 hours.



The last day of the storm Barbara, with temperatures ranging from 5 to 10 degrees, gave an opportunity to get an impression of how much the cold affects the range of the trams, because of its negative effect on battery charging. In a calm intercity cruise, the light traveled at a consumption rate Electric of 323 km, almost 20% less than the official combined range.

After the strenuous driving phase, the consumption dropped to a rate of 284 km. This means that in colder and more common temperatures you can expect close to the manufacturer's figure in the case of relaxed cruising, and about 350 km in the case of more strenuous driving.



What's more, the Ora excels in service: maintenance once every two years or 30,000 km, and it comes with a five-year service package, which will not stop even in the event of a transfer of ownership, and includes a 24/7 service center, charging services on the way, collection and return of the vehicle for treatments and a car A replacement in the case of an extension of treatment time beyond 4 hours. These are things we have seen so far only in luxury vehicles.



And the price? With the small battery you will be charged NIS 145 to 175 thousand, and the large one NIS 172 to 185 thousand. The first 900 cars that have already been released from customs Before the tax increase, they will be sold at lower prices: from NIS 138,000 for the small battery and from NIS 165,000 for the large one, which means that those who hurry will actually benefit from improved value retention.

Beautiful in black as well (Photo: Ronen Topelberg)

The bottom line: the

Funky Cat is slightly cheaper with the small battery than the direct competitors such as the Geely Geometric C and Hyundai Kona, and more expensive than the Geometric with the large battery and the BYD Auto 3.



It is very suitable for those who want a first electric car that will be similar to their gasoline compact in handling and parking, and not I think that an emission-free car should be satisfied with a generic design and the character of a refrigerator.

The Funky Cat is full of character and style, and if you can manage its meager cargo volume, it can be a very interesting buy.

On the technical side: Ora Funky Cat

Engine, drive:

electric, single engine, front


Power/torque:

171 hp, 25 kg


Gearbox:

automatic, single ratio


Battery:

63 kWh



Dimensions:


length/width/height (meters):

1.6/1.8 /4.2


Wheelbase (meters):

2.65


Trunk:

228 liters



Performance (manufacturer):


0-100 km/h:

8.3 seconds


Maximum speed:

160 km/h


Power consumption (test):

22.2 kWh per 100 km m


Range (test):

284 km*



Safety:


European crash test score:

5 out of 5 stars


Active safety:

emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, warning of a vehicle in a "dead zone"



Air pollution:


Rating 1 out of 15



Warranty:


5 years or 100,000 km for the vehicle, 8 years or 160,000 km for the battery



Competitors:


Geely Geometric C, Hyundai Kona EV



* The test was performed on a colder than average day, which reduces the actual range

  • vehicle

  • Vehicle tests

Tags

  • electric car

Source: walla

All tech articles on 2023-02-08

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