Omoda 5 review

Quick note, we’ve only driven the petrol-powered 5 and the all-electric version so far, so we’ll have to wait to pass judgement on the hybrid. You can read all about the EV by following this link.

So, how’s the petrol one?

Despite the updates made after its first year on sale, it’s… not great. The engine is reasonably responsive off the line, but given its lack of grunt it has to work extremely hard above 30mph and makes a real fuss about it.

The seven-speed dual clutch auto that it’s connected to tries to keep up, but ends up serving a whole host of different gears in quick succession. You end up with plenty of noise but not much forward motion.

How does it compare to rivals?

The cars in this class are hardly going to rival a Caterham Seven for driver involvement, but most are more interesting than the 5. We actually rather liked the soft ride and general smooth character of the larger Omoda 7, but this smaller sibling manages to pair a jittery ride over rough surfaces with a hefty amount of body roll through corners.

Omoda says that “extensive chassis development” is carried out at its European R&D centre, and perhaps it is slightly more composed than when it first went on sale here in the UK, but there’s still very little feel to the light steering. Brake feel has improved slightly though and is reasonably well judged.

How is it on fuel?

Both the Mini Countryman and the petrol-powered Nissan Qashqai from this class claim around 45mpg on the WLTP cycle. Omoda can only muster 31.1mpg from its 1.6 petrol. Yikes.

In a real-world test with a mix of motorway, town and country driving we did manage 34.5mpg, but even that will mean you’re spending a hefty amount on fuel.

The hybrid should improve things in that regard though, with a quoted 53mpg and the ability to cover more than 650 miles on a single tank.