Louth Motors: Ora Funky Cat - L’Ora, L’Ora Car

Ok, the name is a bit disconcerting but in its defense we got used to the word Qashqai fairly quickly, mastered it and made it mainstream.

We will quite soon be familiar with the name Ora Funky Cat for the same reason we got used to Qashqai - because it is a good car.

Ora is a sub brand from the Chinese company Great Wall who retailed some cars here a few years ago. The Ora brand is all-electric and the Funky Cat is the first model.

On sight it looks like a car that could be from either Mini, VW Group (it has Beetle looks) or Porsche. It looks decidedly retro, similar to the way mainstream manufacturers produce a modern version of one of their old cars.

Ora don’t have a back catalogue so they probably figured that a car that looks like something you might be familiar with would appeal. They even call their design philosophy Retro Futuristic. All of that, by the way, is complimentary.

It’s curvy with hardly a straight line on the car giving off a real sense of fluidity. Being electric there is the obligatory LED light bar across the back.

So from the front it is old school whereas from the back it is futuristic, the best of both worlds.

It looks really well from behind and will certainly raise interest from drivers following you wondering what it is. I’d wager some of them might think it is Mini/VW/Tesla/Audi Ora.

The cabin really impresses and has a great sense of quality and airiness with lots of headroom. A world away from the interior of the Great Wall Steed I tested a few years ago.

The quality levels from the new brands from China are very impressive and time will tell if that lasts, but the feel you get from other brands that last feels exactly the same in the Ora so I expect it will.

The interior would not be out of place in a new Tesla as it has the same look and feel. Apart from the 4 Mini like buttons under the central display for ventilation on/off; AC on/off and front and rear demister.

For the myriad of functions they could have chosen they decided on these and left out a volume control knob. I also wish there was better trip information provided.

Another quirk/flaw is the seat controls that operate counterintuitively. There is a central control knob for drive select that I first saw years ago on a Jaguar XF and is now a familiar control in a lot of cars for good reason.

The car is very well equipped and all of it is touch or voice controlled. My 400 PRO+ model, costing €41,495 had electric massaging front seats that can be heated or cooled, opening panoramic sunroof, power tailgate, auto LED headlights and 360 degree surround camera.

It truly has everything and you get a L’Ora car. Apart that is from a large boot which is only 228 litres. For a car of its dimensions it should be bigger and may deter potential buyers.

It also seems to have our safety very much at its heart and there's even a camera watching you as you drive that will warn you if you are not paying attention.

At first I found it intrusive but then I tried my best not to get it to warn me with the added benefit of making sure I drove safer/better. If it gets to you you can turn it off but it resets back on the next time you drive the car.

Driving the Funky Cat is similar to a lot of other electric cars. Lovely acceleration making it feel quite zippy with the 0-100km/h time taking 8.3 seconds. #

As the speed approaches the legal limits the road noise grew but not unbearably. Range is good at 420 kms.

I managed 375 kms which was achieved on a break away to Connemara and back. Good planning ensured my charging anxiety was kept to a minimum.

Those figures will allay a lot of electric ownership worries making it ideal in mainly urban use with long distance journeys taken comfortably. It’ll charge a maximum rate of 64kW but I never saw it exceed 50kW and superfast 150kW charging is not an option.

The cheapest Ora costs €33,495 and is competitive but the MGEV4 undercuts it by €2,500 and has a bigger boot which explains why it greatly outsells it. But the Ora brand is only establishing itself and adding dealers so I expect the gap to close.

I like both cars but if I had to choose the EV4 would suit me better, but it's close.