As you would have heard by now, Chery is back in Malaysia after a long sabbatical, and the Chinese carmaker held a preview for the media and business partners at Setia Alam today. It was the returning brand’s first event.
The brand – which some might remember for the bug eyed QQ minicar and budget Eastar MPV from its first outing here – is now all about SUVs. Models earmarked for Malaysia include the Tiggo Pro range of SUVs (4, 7 and 8) and this striking thing called the Omoda 5.
It might not be obvious at first glance, but the Chery Omoda 5 is a B-segment SUV that’s about the size of the Honda HR-V and Proton X50. The footprint of that swoopy shape is 4,400 mm long and 1,830 mm wide, which is 15 mm longer and 40 mm wider than the current HR-V. At 1,585 mm tall, it’s 5 mm lower than Honda’s B-SUV, and the Chery’s 2,630 mm wheelbase is 20 mm longer. In the same ballpark.
In China, the Omoda 5 has seven variants including some with the 1.6 litre TGDI engine paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and AWD. The 194 hp/290 Nm 1.6T is good for 0-100 km/h in 7.8 seconds. There’s also a more economical 2WD 1.5 litre TCI + 9CVT powertrain with 154 hp/230 Nm, and the car you see here has this combo. How do we know? Look for the tailgate badge. The ‘230’ is the torque figure.
The Omoda 5 will also have a new energy (China’s term for electrified cars) version in its home market, with the firm’s plug-in hybrid powertrain as seen in the Tiggo 8 Pro e+. Chery also has plans for a full-electric Omoda 5 EV with a 64 kWh battery and 450 km range. More pertinent for Malaysians, at least for the marque’s launch model, is the 1.6T ICE.
The figures are par for the course, but the selling point of this “futuristic fastback crossover” is its “Art in Motion” design. I see some Hyundai in the front and a hint of Lexus RX at the rearmost pillars, but there’s no one particular SUV that the Omoda 5 references. What it does is provide a big dose of drama in the B-SUV segment, unseen since the Toyota C-HR.
Step inside Chery’s latest and your jaw will remain low. The Omoda 5’s seats look very sporty with their integrated headrests, and the dashboard design modern and minimalist. The Mercedes-Benz-style digital instrument panel and infotainment screen combo is branded as a 20.5-inch dual screen, and the horizontal AC vent strip is also contemporary.
There’s a flat-bottomed steering wheel with the Chery script (instead of the logo on the Tiggos) and there’s a high centre console to complete the cockpit feel. The latter creates a pass through below the gear lever that’s also a storage area, but what I find unique is the angle of the phone recess – it holds two phones vertically and the angle allows for easy viewing.
One can choose from 64 ambient light colours and the illumination follows the pulse of the music. Speaking of that, light is embedded in the trim strip below the AC vents, and so are the AC controls – very neat.
It’s a car of today, so the Omoda 5’s kit list includes all the essentials. You’ll find voice control, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 360-degree around view monitor, and full ADAS suite with six airbags. Sunroofs are important in China and there’s one here. The main dashboard moulding and upper door caps are in soft plastic and the seats are in leather. Look closely and you’ll see Sony branding on the speakers.
So, what do you think of the Chery Omoda 5? As if the design isn’t striking enough, this demo unit comes with a novel pastel green body with a white roof and all-black blade-style 18-inch wheels. A Honda HR-V Turbo V (the most popular variant) goes for RM134,800 and the top RS Hybrid is RM140,800. At what price would the Omoda 5 be competitive in our market?
By the way, this unit does not represent the eventual local specs that Malaysia will get – planning is still in the early stages and no launch timeline was given. The preview was to show Chery’s intent and showcase its latest products.
GALLERY: Chery Omoda 5 in Malaysia
GALLERY: Chery Omoda 5 in China
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This Cherry SUV looks gorgeous..but looks are not enough.
The only way to know more ..when our auto journalists can test drive some units to give unbiased reviews.
With X50 and HRV already having a huge fanbase,it remains to be seen what this China SUV can offer.
Lets hope the competition hots up .Car buyers can have more choices.
Is Omoda5 the best balik kampung car, or brand new P2 Alza. Pondering, my yr end bonus’ coming
My dream car
The car looks good and specs are very competitive. Now, I hope they won’t be a “sell-and-you’re-on-your-own” type of company.
sell here below 78k,
I hope so lah
Ohmygod 5 !
(Like) Omada 5
(Dislike) HRV
impressive, puts mercedes to shame
haha, people that drive Merceded never feel shame about it…Bonia still bonia and never match the luxury level or LV or H
“this unit does not represent the eventual local specs that Malaysia will get – planning is still in the early stages”
it’s always this. i understand that previews are meant to excite and generate interest but when car manufacturers preview cars with all the bells and whistles only to strip all the niceties for their Malaysian launch, the interest immediately goes out the window. also, for this brand to be compelling to the malaysian market, it needs to be packed to the brim with features otherwise people are still going to be buying that car that uses a camera from a 2008 era mobile phone as a blind spot ‘monitor’.
Beautiful than outdated interior HRV
Even Cherry can get Android Auto, Apple CarPlay. Looks very difficult for a giant company like Geely (and Proton) who owns Volvo, and has share in Mercedes to give AA and ACP. Geely cars a good to me, but the absence of AA and ACP turned me off.
Most of these implementations are either aftermarket, done unoptimised, or without official support from either Google/Apple (thus no OTA updates). Geely would have reasons they used dedicated HU OS for their various car brands. Regardless, the user experience is all that matters and dedicated, fully optimised, system with OTA support is far better than any AA/CP plonk into the car.
This one perfect. Steering wheel also nice, not like Haval lorry lookalike steering wheel.
Where is the showroom
price below rm100k can consider
if above that…people will go for a more established brand
I think it looks awkward by design. It looks futuristic, to attract young customers with that sharp looking look. Tbh, I had enough with this kind of style. BMW and Merc is doing exactly that nowadays and it bores me so much that I do no longer find it attractive.
My dad bought a Chery before, it was a bad decision, better not to waste money on another Chery. I would recommend BYD electric car though.
How much price Chery omoda 5
Geely lucky hv Proton 3S,4S around Malaysia…easy to service and repair even spareparts some hard to get. But Cherry, i think worst than Geely….looks better doesn’t mean good for long terms !!
any branch at Seremban?
Cheery perlu letakkan harga yg lebih murah jika nk bersaing dgn proton,honda toyota.. cherry perlu sungguh2 menawarkan perkhidmatan servis dan sparepart yg cukup..jika ni semua ada pelanggan akan beralih arah ke cherry..cun.
I like to booking Omoda… But why got not responding from Chery Office? Close temporary?
how much is the car price in MALAYSIA? When can see the car?