Will the funkiness convince Mr. Israeli to give up the crossover? (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Initially, the Chinese manufacturers targeted the obvious places where they would find most customers, and thus they presented their electric goods in crossover cars according to the public's taste, but as the range of electric models expands, they offer more and more alternatives in categories where they were not present before.
Ora Funky Cat, which has just landed in Israel, will try to convince you to give up the crossovers and return to a compact family car, also with an electric motor.
Like the rest of the market, streetcar prices continue to creep up, and now the family offers that previously coincided with the prices of gasoline-powered ones have also been pushed up.
The two cars in the test before you have entry-level versions at such prices, NIS 145,000 for the Ora 300 "Pro", on the other hand, there is the Geely Geometric C in the 350 "Pure" version for NIS 148,000.
However, for this test we took the more senior versions, the ones that offer ranges that are more compatible with regular family use of the car.
In the case of the Ora, this is the 400 version, which costs NIS 172 to 185,000, and B.
The Ora is shorter than the Geely by 20 cm, the height is the same (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Both also come from a very large "house" - in Ora's case it is the car manufacturer Great Wall, whose exit beyond China's borders is made with two arrowheads - the more prestigious WEY and the more popular Ora.
In the case of Geely, it is a Chinese manufacturer that embraces ownership of luxurious European brands such as Volvo, Polestar and Lotus along with two Chinese brands but European in their own direction - Link & Co and Zikr.
Design:
Taste and smell are indisputable, but Jilly doesn't really stand a chance against the performance of the funky cat.
The reactions around her on the day of the test made this point very clear.
So some of the indifference towards the Geely can perhaps be attributed to its massive presence on the roads, and the prominence of the funky cat can be attributed to the colorful performance package of the GT trim level we drove.
But even beyond that, while the Jilly does everything to look generic and routine, the funky does everything to present the completely different concept.
By design, the Ora not only looks smaller than the Geely, it is also 20 cm shorter than it, but both have the same height and width, 1.6 and 1.8 meters respectively. When finding parking becomes a challenge, it is not certain that this is a disadvantage.
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The Geely looks spacey and high-tech, including an elite display for the driver (photo: Keinan Cohen)
Passenger cabin:
even when you get inside, the gaps continue.
In the Geely, the direction is high-tech-space with a rhombus motif, a floating multimedia screen and a floating console, and in Ora they went in the direction of the rounded retro and with bold color combinations, following the exterior appearance.
There are also gaps in the arrangement of the displays in front of the driver. Ora spreads the dashboard and the multimedia system on two 10.25-inch screens. In Geely, forces are separated between a small dashboard in front of the driver and an overhead display for speed, and between a larger screen than the Ora - 12.3 inches.
Inches separately and performance separately.
Both do not register new chapters or excel in functioning.
Despite the more impressive appearance in Ora, those of the Geely present the information in a better way, their simplicity is better than the difficulty in absorbing the information in Ora due to the load of data and the less successful contrast between the lettering and the bright background of the funky cat.
The button markings on the steering wheel are not prominent enough on a Sunday.
At Funky Cat they went for retro nouveau: both large screens and nickel switches from the 60s-70s (photo: Keinan Cohen)
By the way I agree, both will send you to perform most of the actions and get the information through menus on the touch screen.
It's cheap for manufacturers, it looks impressive in the showroom, it's oppressive, annoying, problematic and sometimes even dangerous on the road.
Both do offer physical switches for turning off and on the climate control and defrosting - in a spectacular retro design in Ora - but both lack volume control directly from the main screen, so the only option is the one on the steering wheel.
Both score barely enough in this aspect.
As mentioned, the external height between the two is the same, but the driving position is different.
The Geely seat is higher and gives you the ability to sit "on" the car while in Ora you sit "inside" the car.
In both the seats are comfortable, the visibility to the front is good.
The rainy days of the test highlighted a big problem with the Ora - it has no rear wiper and after driving in the rain there is no way to see what is happening through the windshield.
In the Geely you will get an air conditioning outlet for the back seat (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
In the back, both offer good legroom and headroom, although the location of their batteries under the floor leads to a sitting position where there is a little excessive bending of the knees.
In the base of their wheels there is a large gap of 5 cm on the data sheet in favor of the Geely which registers 270 cm.
It is not reflected in practice, in fact the Ora has an extra cm or two of knee room and even a completely flat floor. On the other hand, while both come with a single charging socket, the Geely will pamper both occupants with an air conditioning port as well.
Trunk:
Opening of the trunk (the electric one) reveals at whose expense the space is preferred in the back of the Ora. There are only 228 liters here, it simply disqualifies it from real use as a family: even the Kia Picanto has a larger and more useful trunk. The Geely's has a volume of 417 liters, too Wider and deeper than it and even leaves enough room for a spare wheel under it, which is not in Ora, like in most streetcars. Both suffer from a rather high loading threshold - 79 cm in height
Funky Cut has a surprisingly spacious and flat floor (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Accessories:
When it comes to the list of indulgences, Ora presents a significant gap compared to Geely.
It is loaded to bursting, not even at the very high level of finish of the test car.
Both have a panoramic roof, leather upholstery, electric adjustment with memories for the heated seats, peripheral cameras and more.
But at the point where the jilly stops the light continues to pull;
We mentioned the electric tailgate, but there are also heated side mirrors, heating for the steering wheel, ventilation and massage for the front seats, OTA updates for the multimedia system, and at least in the coming March-April, so the importer promises, connectivity to Apple and Android as well: cars that will hit the road then will be equipped with them in advance , those already on the road will receive an OTA update remotely, without having to go to the garage.
The Geely has a built-in whiz and a BOSE audio system.
Although not an "accessory" in its classic sense, Ora has other jokers up its sleeve - its maintenance is once every two years or 30 thousand km, a 5-year service package that includes 24/7 response, a charging service on the road, collection and return of the vehicle from treatment and if it lasts more than 4 hours - also a replacement vehicle.
Under the preferred volume there is still room for a full spare wheel (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Safety:
If in terms of accessories you can call what is between the Ora and Gilly a gap, here it is a technical knockout in her favor.
Both with the necessary minimum of automatic braking, lane departure correction, vehicle detection in "dead space", adaptive cruise control and even a warning system against forgetting children in the back seat.
But the light also adds a cross traffic alert at the intersection, and a cross traffic alert from behind, assistance in emergency maneuvers, two-wheel detection for the braking system, a driver action monitoring system (too strict and scolding) and in the GT trim level also automatic braking when cross traffic is detected.
And what closes the story are the 5 crash stars she won in the European crash test, including an outstanding score in the sub-scores.
The Geely received 5 stars in the Chinese crash test, which usually predicts the score in Europe.
The Ora offers limited volume for family use (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Performance:
Both cars are powered by electric motors that drive the front wheels through a single-speed transmission.
This is where the differences begin.
The Geely brings 204 horses and 31.6 kg, the Ora 171 horses and 25 kg.
In practice, in terms of the ability to move, a slight weight difference in favor of the light puts both at more or less the same level of performance.
Geely registered a little more agility in response to pressing the pedal, that is, in the speed with which it translates the demand into execution.
In Geely, the engine is fed by a larger battery than the Ora, 70 kWh compared to 63.1 in the Funky Cut. Battery size that affects the driving range. The statements in the Geometric are about 460 km and in the Funky Cut 400 km (420 in the non-GT versions). But there are also differences in charging capabilities, the Ora will receive up to 80 kilowatts in fast charging and 46 minutes from 20 to 80 percent, the Geely will do it in 42 minutes even though it receives its kilowatts at a rate of up to 75.
Geely has a slightly better throttle reaction (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Power consumption and range:
Before the numbers and comparisons, an important clarification - the test was conducted during the days of the storm Barbara that hit us, and the highest temperature measured that day was 9 degrees.
Electric cars and infantry soldiers have a great enemy in common. The range of the former shortens significantly on cold days, when the batteries are not at their best. So the range and consumption figure should be treated with caution and only as a comparison between the two, and remember that on days with more Israeli temperatures, both will achieve a long range of about 15 -25 percent.
In the summary of the test, with the weighting of the strenuous driving episode, the numbers stood at 23.3 kilowatt hours per kilometer in the Geely and 22.2 in the Ora.
This means a range of 300 km in the Geely compared to 284 in the Ora. A gap derived from the size of the battery and less efficiency of the propulsion system. In a relaxed inter-city cruise they achieved 325 and 305 km, respectively.
Funky Cat has excellent ride comfort (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Road behavior:
Both cars move similarly.
Calibration is clearly biased towards the safe, moderate and predictable side.
The Ora presents a more successful package in this aspect thanks to the combination of a lower center of gravity, so that when changing direction it is less excited.
It has the least bad steering wheel and at least in sport mode it has a relatively direct relationship between the degree of its turning and the reaction of the front wheels.
In addition, it registers a better level of comfort than the Geely and with less brake noise.
Wind "whistles" were recorded in both cars from the direction of the mirrors north of 110 km/h.
Who would be more suitable for the family? (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
The bottom line
In their exit to the world car market, almost all Chinese manufacturers put their chips on electric cars.
Their variety in this field is very large, more than that of the European manufacturers as of today.
They compensate for the gap between China and Europe in human engineering and road behavior with accessories, bells and dimensions at lower prices.
But the gap is closing and it's happening fast.
Aura Funky Cat is a great example of a car that tries to break out of the box and offer something different in an electric car.
Refreshing and stylish design, very good quality in the passenger compartment, useful range in the 400 version, comfort, its service package and of course a level of safety that would put expensive European cars to shame.
It is definitely the electric car for those who want to join the trend - but not be part of the herd.
But in the test against the Geely, when the issue is the suitability for family tasks and what to do with cars north of NIS 160-170 thousand, we are no longer talking about a second car in the house, so the Ora loses important points.
Its many advantages are less relevant to everyday living conditions, and on the other hand, the Geely's longer range, larger trunk, and lower price tip the scale in its favor.
On the technical side
I compared Ora Funky Cut and Geely Geometric C (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
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