GWM Ora 5 review: Instead of adrenaline, this EV activates a different hormone

[SINGAPORE] I’m often asked what the best car is, but if someone were to buttonhole me about whether I’d driven anything interesting lately instead, I would get to bring up the GWM Ora 5.

This is not a car for champion optimisers, who shop for an electric vehicle according to its spec sheet, hunting for that last litre of boot space or kilometre of range. People like that measure the width of a toaster slot with a ruler before committing.

Instead, the Ora 5 is for someone who wants a car that brings on a smile before it’s even switched on.

All EVs have batteries and a motor or three, but this one has a bit of personality on top of those. For a start, it eschews the slim lamps and soap bar lines of the typical rival. Instead, its round headlamps have the limpid, faintly arresting quality of a cherub’s eyes, and the rear end curves upward into something not unlike the pert rump of a teddy bear. Gaze at it long enough and you have to prepare yourself for a hit of oxytocin.

Climb aboard and the whimsical cheer continues, with a cabin that’s tasteful, bright and sits just on the acceptable side of retro, its toggle switches and ambient lighting avoiding any hint of twee. Jabbing an enquiring finger at various bits reveals pleasingly soft plastics and padded surfaces, too. The beige upholstery found in the test car does its part to make the interior feel welcoming, but the challenge of keeping it clean is bound to prey on anyone’s sense of pragmatism. Don’t worry – there’s a grey option.

Beneath the feel-good stuff, the Ora 5 has a 136 horsepower motor driving the front wheels. The 58.3 kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery pack delivers a claimed 435 km range, which should comfortably cover a week of typical driving.

None of that is extraordinary, and neither is the driving experience. Like most Category A EVs, it’s attentive to every flex of your right foot, but the motor soon turns asthmatic. It’s eager to accelerate; it just doesn’t do it very hard.

The ride quality is comfy enough, but the handling lacks the brio you might expect, given that GWM is BMW’s partner in developing electric Minis. Corners are dispatched without drama but also without aplomb, so the British brand’s values haven’t rubbed off on the Ora.

Still, this is a car with neither sporty intentions nor pretensions.The Ora 5 even has a City driving mode, which puts the regenerative braking and accelerator response into gentler settings in order to make things smoother in start-stop traffic.

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I would also have liked better sound insulation, because wind and tyre noise creep in on the expressway, while at lower speeds a faint transmission whine sometimes appears.

What annoyed me most, though, was the menu system. The 14.6-inch touchscreen runs GWM’s own Coffee OS 3.0 infotainment system on a Snapdragon AI chip. The interface is sharp and responsive, but finding certain settings and features felt like a treasure hunt without a map. Coffee OS perked me up rather less than it riled me up.

At least there’s more to like elsewhere. Visibility is good, and the Ora 5 feels appropriately SUV-like in the commanding view it gives of your surroundings. The back seats are decently roomy, too, though only one air-con vent serves that area, which should keep siblings squabbling over its direction for years to come.

The boot, at 362 litres, is on the small side, so add cargo space to the list of things the Ora 5 doesn’t optimise for. There are certainly rivals that can carry more and go further before plugging in, such as the BYD Atto 3 Evo or GAC Aion V.

But few EVs at this price point have the ability to make you crack a smile the way the Ora 5 does. Even if it isn’t to your taste, I bet you’d like the type of person who would drive one. They sought out a car to bring them a bit of cheer while everyone else was busy optimising.

GWM Ora 5 Motor power/Torque 136 hp/260 Nm Battery type/Net capacity Lithium-ion/58.3 kWh Charging time/Type Approximately 6 hours (11 kW AC), 25 minutes 20 to 80 per cent (120 kW DC) Range 435 km 0-100 kmh 9.6 seconds Top speed 170 kmh Efficiency 15.5 kWh/100 km Agent Cycle & Carriage Price S$181,999 with COE Available Now