ORA 07 Pro review: In reality a CopyCat?

With the 07 O'CLOCK The Chinese company GWM, Great Wall Motors, is bringing another vehicle to Germany. After the ORA 03, which was recently available for a very reasonable price on lease, the 07 is intended to appeal more to the upper middle class. Does it live up to this reputation? We have tested it extensively for you.

tl;dr: Not bad at all

Anyone who, like us, has already 03 O'CLOCK, or the former ORA Funky Cat, will probably agree with us that the first Great Wall Motors car was more like a MINI copy with immature software. Quality was solid, price a little too high, but the leasing rates were all the better. With the 07 O'CLOCK GWM wants to enter the realm of a BMW i4 or OIL ET5 penetrate. We can at least say in advance that we were much more pleased with the quality inside and out than the predominantly plastic-like interior in the ORA 03. The operation of important components such as the air conditioning is implemented using large rotary controls, as is known from older cars. This created a somewhat nostalgic feeling when driving, and in general the entire car is reminiscent of a Porsche Panamera, both on the outside and in parts of the interior.

The ORA 07 does not have a large display compared to some of its competitors. But do you really need more? The designers probably thought so too, because the 21:9 display is large enough to display sat nav and Apple CarPlay or Android Auto well. We have to praise the resolution here, it is significantly better than in the ORA 03. Behind the steering wheel you will find a large display, which, thanks to the attached "tubes", looks as if you have three analog speedometers like in the past. Very interesting, but not really practical. Unfortunately, the loading speed is no longer really up to date in the class in which it wants to compete. The color that we had on the test car is at least somewhat unique, it is called "Dreamscape Purple". This color definitely contributed to the ORA 07 being viewed more often.

Driving impression: Solid, but nothing special

By the way, it is quite solid to drive, the chassis is a bit too soft in some places and the steering is a bit imprecise in places. Nevertheless, the overall package is quite comfortable. The interior offers a lot of space, after all, we are talking about a vehicle length of 4,87 meters. The battery in the ORA 07 Pro is usable 64 kWh installed, more battery (namely 86 kWh) is only available in the GT version, which also comes with all-wheel drive and more power. The Pro model we tested starts at 44.490 euros (including 19% VAT)

We'll go into a few more points later, but we still think the price is pretty good, especially considering the size of the vehicle. For customers who want to drive something unusual and atypical, or who want to own a retractable rear spoiler for under 50.000 euros, the ORA 07 is definitely an interesting choice. However, we have to voice some criticism here.

The braking system does not seem to have been properly adapted for the European market. The ORA 07 brakes very erratically and sways a bit, just like the ESP, which either does not seem to be there or intervenes far too late.

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Design: copied or imitated?

We all know which well-known brands "inspired" the external design of the ORA 07. Porsche at the front, Bentley with Panamera features at the back. I heard this from various people beforehand and also during my test. It certainly cannot be ruled out that the designers "copied" something from these two brands. Apart from that, the interior of the ORA 07 is beautifully designed and certainly looks high-quality. As with the Funky Cat (now ORA 03), there is its own infotainment system, which this time works much better and is also easier to use. The interior has a minimalist look, but without digitizing the most important components such as the mirror adjustment or the climate buttons. The climate control knobs can also be described as high-quality; they feel very pleasant.

While the rear looks like a very round version of a Bentley thanks to the not exactly small taillights, there is no frunk under the hood of the "Panamera" crossover, but simply a cover that covers everything well. The lights at the front even have the "crystal" look that is familiar from Bentleys.

Interior: Modern and elegant

Well made, nice choice of materials and a good mix of digital and analogue. That's how we like to describe a modern interior. Visually and functionally, we think the interior of the ORA 07 is definitely better than the exterior. Do the inner values ​​count more here? That depends on who you ask. At least we don't find any annoying piano lacquer, the dashboard is covered with a rubber-like Alcantara blend that is very robust and looks good. Less plastic than you'd expect from other vehicles and lots of space are definitely what characterise the interior.

Furthermore, there is unfortunately only one cup holder in the front, so the passenger usually has to use the rather small door pockets. During our test, the interior did not creak or crack when the load changed, which probably shows that the quality here is very high. The air conditioning is adjusted in the infotainment system, and as has already been observed in some Chinese models, you have to set the temperature a little higher to get it warm. The ORA 07 offers various comfort features, such as seat heating, seat climate control and a seat massage with various air cushions in the front, so that you are extra comfortable while driving. The trunk holds around 330 liters without the rear seat folded down, which is not really much for such a long sedan. At least the rear seats can be folded down, giving you 1045 liters of storage space.

Infotainment: Better than in the ORA 03

When we had the ORA 03 with us some time ago, we didn't really warm to the infotainment system. In the ORA 07, however, it is a different one, which seems much more sophisticated and is easier to use. It also runs quickly and smoothly. Using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, the entire display can be used with the respective service. Navigation instructions are even transmitted to the HUD (head-up display). The 360-degree cameras have a really high resolution and offer an excellent image in this price range, even at night. We would even go so far as to call the camera system one of the best we have seen since the DS 4 E Tense with us.

There is so much to be said about charging planning and navigation that unfortunately it is not really good. There is rudimentary planning, but this often plans 22 kW chargers on long journeys, which, as you might think, is not so good. However, since the connection to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto worked well review, you could also switch to third-party providers for navigation; we did not see any real disadvantages here. The entire structure of the infotainment is similar to earlier BMW systems that worked with tiles.

Charging & range: Efficient, but charging performance poor

Let's get straight to the biggest criticism of current GWM vehicles. Charging. Why other Chinese manufacturers are so better, we still don't know. But the GWM ORA 07, along with the ORA 03, is unfortunately not one of the charging monsters from the Far East. Maximum 88 kW at peak should be possible. After all, he held the 82 kW from 10 to 81% quite solid. But there has to be more for the price, after all there are cars that charge with up to 280 kW in this price range.

While driving, we noticed that it is one of the more efficient types. Thanks to the low drag coefficient of the body, we were able to achieve an average consumption of 16 to 17 kWh per 100 kilometers This is a good value and in some parts, for example, with a IONQ 6 to compare, even if it is significantly superior in terms of charging performance and software. GWM definitely needs to improve this soon, with a facelift or other updates.

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