It’s getting quite difficult to keep track of the constantly evolving brands and sub-
brands within the giant Chinese Chery group.
The most recent development is the establishment of what is effectively a new sister
brand to Chery called Omoda Jaecoo, a premium brand that operates independently
of their shared parent company.
We recently reported on the two Jaecoo models (J7 and J8) that are currently on
sale in Australia. This time we’re reviewing the first of the dedicated Omoda vehicles
the Omoda 9 that went on sale here in August.
Now, just to confuse matters, it’s not the first time the Omoda name has been used
by Chery. In fact, the first vehicle to arrive here on the company’s return to the
Australian market in 2023 was called the Chery Omoda 5.
With the repositioning of the Omoda brand it has now been re-badged Chery C5 and
E5 respectively.
The Omoda 9 is a family-sized plug-in hybrid SUV that combines a 1.5-litre
turbocharged petrol engine with three electric motors.
It comes in single Virtue variant priced from $61,990 before on-road costs together
with an 8-year unlimited kilometre warranty for both vehicle and batteries.
STYLING
At just under 4.8 metres in length the Omoda 9 sits between five-seat hybrid
competitors such as the RAV4, Kia Sorento, Subaru Forester, BYD Sealion 6 and
Mazda CX-60. With more on the way.
Omoda 9 has an attractive cascading diamond-shaped grille that will be carried over
onto future Omoda vehicles starting with the Omoda 4 small SUV and 7 SHS
A full width light bar links projector LED headlights with narrow vertical LED daytime
running lights. The rear also features a full-width light bar.
The various lighting components set off a light show when the car is unlocked and
locked. At the same time pop-out door handles emerge and retract with large puddle
lights turning on off at night.
The standard panoramic sunroof has a slide & tilt function together with a powered
sunshade.
Omoda 9 runs on 20-inch alloy wheels with Michelin 245/50 R20 tyres.
Four conservative colours are available: Silk White is standard, Ink Black and Dove
Grey are a $750 option while the Shadow Grey matt finish that we tested adds
$1500.
INTERIOR
The dashboard is dominated by dual 12.3-inch LCD screens, the infotainment
touchscreen in the centre and the driver instrument cluster in front of the two-spoke
steering wheel.
.
There’s leather trim with silver accents on the doors and dashboard.
Both the front and the rear outer seats are powered, heated, ventilated and can be
reclined.
The driver gets an eight-way powered seat that can be extended to provide extra
thigh support and memory settings. The front passenger has four-way power
adjustment.
A clever feature that we found in the Jaecoo J8 was the speaker built into the driver’s
headrest allowing them to take calls or listen to music in private.
Other features include an in-built fragrance system, colour selectable ambient
lighting and intelligent voice command, activated by “Hello Omoda”.
Boot space to the roof is 660 litres with the rear seatbacks folded, expanding to 1783
litres with hem folded. No spare wheels of any variety beneath, just one of the much-
maligned tyre repair kit.
POWERTRAIN
The Omoda 9 Virtue is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that the brand tags as a Super
Hybrid System (SHS) due to it using a 34-kWh battery to power three electric motors
(two in the front, one in the rear).
The front electric motors produce 75 kW/170 Nm and 90 kW/220Nm with the rear
motor adding 175 kW and 310 Nm.
Combined with a 1.5-litre 105 kW / 215 Nm turbocharged petrol engine for combined
output of 395 kW, a claimed WLTP electric-only range of 145 km (NEDC) and a total
range of up to 1100 km in hybrid mode.
Zero to 100 km/h time is listed at 4.9 seconds.
The engine generates 105 kW of power and torque of 215 Nm
INFOTAINMENT
The 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen is sharp and clear with high-definition
camera views including the 360-degree surround view and embedded satellite
navigation.
There’s also a built-in dashcam which does require an SD card to store data.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both wireless with a 50-watt wireless
smartphone charger in the centre console.
The voice control system is activated with the “Hello Omoda” command for adjusting
climate control, sunroof operation and multimedia.
Audio is through a premium 14-speaker Sony sound system that can be routed
through the driver’s headrest if desired.
SAFETY
ANCAP has already tested Omoda 9 and given it the full 5-star rating.
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags, as well as a
driver knee airbag, are standard. A centre airbag, which provides added protection to
front seat occupants in side impact crashes, is standard.
A suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems includes autonomous emergency
braking (car-to-car, vulnerable road user, junction, crossing, backover and head-on)
as well as various lane support systems, advanced speed assistance system with a
speed sign recognition system are standard.
The vehicle offers low-level autonomous capabilities like traffic jam assist and
integrated cruise assist.
There’s the usual option of deactivating a number of safety features such as lane
departure warning, driver inattention alert and speed limit warning however they are
far less intrusive in the Omoda 9 than in many other cars and we were able to go
through our entire week-long test leaving each of them turned on.
DRIVING
We had a couple of issues getting into the Omoda 9. The limited height adjustment
range of the driver’s seat required a bit more bending and head scraping than
expected from a largish vehicle. Once in, the relatively narrow driver’s seat and
heavy side bolsters made it difficult to get comfortable.
While most of the features, as expected, are controlled from the touchscreen there
are three round physical knobs below it to switch from EV to hybrid as well is
providing access to other key features.
In EV mode its typically sharp off the mark
The drive is smooth and effortless with little road or wind noise.
For such a big, relatively boxy car it corners surprising well.
Seat adjustment is via the style adopted by Mercedes-Benz that uses knobs located
near the top of the doors shaped like the base and back of the seats.
The 10.3-metre turning circle for a 4.8-metre vehicle is impressive and really adds to
the vehicle’s manoeuvrability around town.
There are six drive modes: Eco, Normal, Sport, Snow, Sand, and Off-Road.
SUMMARY
The dramatic rise in the quality of Chinese vehicles continues unabated and for the
third time in our recent reviews we’re hailing another “Best Yet”.
First up it was the BYD Sealion 7, then the Chery Tiggo 8 and now, the Omoda 9 has
taken out the top spot.
For around $65k driveaway you’re getting a genuine premium luxury electric-biased
SUV for a fraction of the price of its European and Japanese rivals.
None can match Omoda 9 for fuel efficiency. Typically, PHEVs come with a relatively
small battery and so, unless they are frequently recharged only provide around 50
kilometres of EV-only driving before reverting to normal hybrid mode. Omoda claims
160 km EV only with a combined range of 1100 km.
Knock off around 10 percent for realistic range and even 145 km electric only will
satisfy many urban commuters while EV + hybrid will get you between many capital
cities without recharging or refuelling.
RATINGS
Looks: 9/10
Performance: 8.5/10
Safety: 8/10
Thirst: 9/10
Practicality: 8/10
Comfort: 8.5/10
Tech: 8/10
Value: 8.5/10
AT A GLANCE
MODEL LINE-UP
Omoda 9 Virtue SHS 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol/electric plug-in hybrid AWD
wagon: $61,990
Note: This price does not include government of dealer delivery charges. Contact
your local Omoda Jaecoo dealer for drive-away prices.
SPECIFICATIONS
POWERTRAIN:
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Combined Maximum Power: 395 kw
Combined Maximum Torque: 768 Nm
Battery: 34 kWh lithium-ion
Front Electric Motors: 75 kW / 170 Nm and 90 kW / 220Nm
Rear Electric Motor: 175 kW and 310 Nm.
AC Charging Port: 6.6 kW Max
AC Charging Time (30%-100%): 5.5 hours
DC Charging Port: 70 kW Max
DC Charging Time (30%-80%: 25 minutes
EV Only Range: 145 km (WLTP)
Combined Range: 1100 km
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4775 mm
Wheelbase: 2800 mm
Width: 1920 mm
Height: 1671 mm
Turning Circle: 10.3 metres
Kerb Mass: 2195 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 70 litres
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Eight years / unlimited kilometres
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