LAOIS MOTORING: The Chinese are arriving in force with the Ora Funky Cat EV

The Chinese have been making cars for many years but up until recently they have not been available in Europe let alone Ireland. It seems suddenly they have arrived with new cars on the Irish market.

Now I have to confess I struggle a bit with their names. The previously well known small British Sports car brand MG was purchased by  the Chinese and now produces EV’s that frankly have no allegiance  to the Iconic MG brand but the MG name is well respected. 

Two new cars from China I have been testing include the BYD (Build Your Dreams) and the subject of this weeks review the GWM ( Great Wall Motor Company) Ora Funky Cat. Weird names but what are the cars like?

The Ora Funky Cat is an EV and according to the press blurb are cars that are “full of personality that will become more than just friends, they will become Car-Panions”. Ummm so this car is like a pet? Strange marketing ploy but maybe it works with a certain demographic.

Ora Funky Cat comes in two versions, a 300 PRO claimed range 310km or the Ora Funky Cat 400 Pro+ Claimed range 420km and the subject of this review.

So how does it look?

I must confess I think it looks really cool. The front end mimics the sort of look you get him the Iconic Mini, while the side and rear profiles are distinctive.

Overall then the Ora Funky Cat gets my vote in the style department. Its cool, funky and distinctive. I really like it!

What’s it like inside?

Tap the touch sensitive door handle and the car opens to reveal a very attractive two tone cabin. Sure the “leather” is not real, and the dashboard stitching is a mold but the heated seats which also have a super massage function befit of a Mercedes S-Class are wonderful and it all feels very well put together.

Its roomy too, easily accommodating four adults despite its compact exterior dimensions. The boot though is tiny!

Standard kit on the 400 Pro+ is excellent even if some of it proves insanely annoying (I’ll explain shortly). There is an opening panoramic roof, Power tailgate, aforementioned massage and heated seats, ventilated front seats, auto park assist, alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, 360 degree surround camera, wireless phone charging, LED headlights, numerous and often annoying safety features and even facial recognition enabling the car to recognise different drivers and recall their individual settings and preferences.

But its here I must stop my glowing praise. Because the facial recognition system is watching your every move and somewhat annoyingly is alway reminding you to “concentrate on your driving” when you go to change the temperature on the touchscreen, or “emergency steering activated” accompanied with an aural tone as the car falsely sees lines in the road it thinks are lane markings and will try  to pull the car back into the none existent lane.

This feature is frankly almost dangerous as on a wet road the system mistakes different road colours/textures  for lane markings and pulls the steering wheel accordingly. Of course you can over ride it but its insanely annoying. Try to turn it off! Endless touch screen pushes (now you get the voice telling you to concentrate again) but it defaults to on again at next start.

Also when you park there is no On or OFF button for the car. If you don’t press the lock button the car remains powered up. Finally the chrome strip on top of the dash reflects in the windscreen and the digits on the screen graphics are way to small and thin.

How does it drive?

Very well actually. Its quiet and refined and handling is good of not inspirational. It does tend to spin the front wheels of you accelerate quickly on a wet road.

Hugh’s Verdict

The Ora Funky Cat 400 Pro+ is actually a really nice EV. Real range more like 310 km and not the promised 420km. But its nippy and roomy and I can see its appeal.

However those incredibly annoying intrusions on one’s driving are too much for me. If you don’t want me to be distracted while fiddling with a touch screen then give me good old fashioned buttons they worked just fine!

Finally prices Start at €31,995 and the 400 Pro+ costs from €39,995. Quite a price methinks!