Car buyers of a certain age might remember Chery, a Chinese car brand that first surfaced here in the mid-2000s, when Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices were at record lows.

Many would probably recall the Chery QQ, a tiny and cutesy little hatchback that often became the butt of jokes thanks to its extremely low price and budget-oriented nature. Owning a QQ seemed to signify to others how desperate you were for a brand new car but couldn't afford anything better.

The truth is, back then, Chery's cars were as basic as they come, offering a set of wheels and nothing much more. Many of its products seemed like knockoffs or copycats of other car brands as well, and as a result, Chery did not have a particularly sterling reputation among buyers.

The brand understandably disappeared from our shores once COE prices started to rise around the 2010s, but it has now made a return, sort of, with a new slate of products that promises to be a far cry from the budget models of two decades ago.

What has Chery brought back?

A whole new brand image, for one.

To begin, the cars that are being sold here aren't even badged as Chery anymore. Instead, they are being marketed under Chery's various sub-brands, the first of which is Omoda.

For the uninitiated, Chinese car manufacturers often retail their cars under both their main brand name, as well as numerous other sub-brands, divided into various segments and categories.

Chery themselves have no less than 10 sub-brands under their watch, in addition to their own Chery brand. Most of these won't be seen outside of China, but a few do make it to export markets.

Right now, the two main Chery sub-brands that are being exported are Omoda, which focuses on mainstream electric vehicles (EVs), and Jaecoo, which specialises in rugged-looking SUVs.

Omoda is the first to arrive in Singapore, with the brand having been launched here earlier in 2024, while Jaecoo is expected to have its first product available here, the J7 SUV, by the time you read this.

What is Omoda's first car in Singapore?

The car that Omoda has chosen to spearhead its entry into Singapore is the E5, an electric SUV that competes with a whole host of other contenders in a now-very crowded arena locally.

The car is roughly the size of the Honda HR-V, a car that was extremely popular for a time, especially among private hire drivers. But its most obvious rival right now is the BYD Atto 3, the new sales champion here in Singapore in 2024.

The E5 first debuted here with a power output of 150kW/201hp, which is quite a generous amount for a family-oriented SUV. But of course, it also meant that it could only qualify for a Category B COE, which blunted its competitiveness a bit.

Like many EV car brands here though, Omoda has moved to rectify that, and has now pushed out a variant of the E5 that is eligible for a Cat A COE. Power output is now rated at 99kW/133hp, well under the Cat A threshold of 110kW/147hp.

The Cat B version is still available of course, but you're looking at a price difference of 13 grand between the two, with the 99kW model retailing for $161,888 with COE (as of December 2024) and the 150kW version going for $174,888 with COE.

What do you get on the 'lesser' E5?

Truthfully, it doesn't seem like you lose out much actually. We haven't driven the Cat B E5, but just based on what we can observe, it appears that the Cat A version has almost everything that the more expensive model offers.

It looks the same externally, with its sleek, streamlined look that strikes a nice balance between being attractive and conservative. The sharp lines and smooth profile are decidedly modern, and it is stylish enough for you to give it a second look if you spot one on the roads.

The interior is far more impressive though, with a sense of quality that wouldn't feel out of place in a more expensive car. There's soft-touch leather and wood-like surfacing that gives it a premium aura, and it is certainly a far cry from the Chery QQ days where cheap and hard plastics were all you get.

There's the large dual-screen setup that seems to be de rigueur for many new cars these days, and the E5 comprises two 10.25-inch screens for the infotainment system and driver instrument display.

The system itself is fairly simple and easy to navigate, but it also stands out for its responsiveness and the clarity of its display. It certainly feels like one of the better ones from the masses of Chinese EVs currently available out there.

In terms of space, the E5 fares pretty well, being able to accommodate five adults reasonably comfortably. That said, the sloping roofline does impinge on headroom a tad, while also compromising on rearward visibility for the driver. Thankfully there's a 360-degree camera to compensate.

Other standard features on the E5 include a wireless smartphone charging pad, a cooled centre console storage area, ventilated front seats, and an 8-speaker Sony sound system.

It also comes with the usual advanced driver assistant systems that is now commonplace on new cars these days, such as adaptive cruise control, collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and so on.

What's surprising is that all of these features are available on both the Cat A and Cat B models. This is unlike the usual practice where the less expensive model typically has fewer features than the higher-spec version, so in that respect, the Omoda E5 does represent good value.

What is it like to drive?

The other surprising aspect of the lesser-powered E5 is how smoothly and effectively it drives.

So far in our experience, many of the EVs that have been tuned down for Cat A make it feel obvious that you're driving a less powerful car, with the decrease in power clearly noticeable when you put your foot down.

There are exceptions of course, and the E5 is certainly one of those that feels like the powertrain matches the car well.

Acceleration feels effortless, and while it won't pull up any trees, there's enough verve and energy to make decent progress. It certainly doesn't feel artificially strangled, unlike some of the other Cat A EVs we've experienced.

Part of it could be down to the fact that both versions share the same 61kWh battery pack, and put out the same 340Nm of torque. The only difference is, of course, the power output, and subsequently an increase in its 0-100km/h sprint time (11.1 seconds for the 99kW version vs 7.6 seconds for the 150kW model).

Everything else is identical, from its top speed (172km/h) and even its range, with the E5 capable of travelling up to 430km on a full charge.

Handling is decent, if not exactly spectacular, with its quick steering making it easy to manoeuvre around bends.

Ride quality too is mostly comfortable, with the car coping well on most roads, although it does tend to become a bit unsettled over rougher bumps.

Is it worth giving the brand a second chance?

Based on this evidence, the Omoda E5 makes a strong case for redemption. Certainly, at least, it's as far removed from the Chery that most people remember from 20 years ago, to the point that they don't even share the same brand name anymore.

Viewed objectively, the Omoda E5 does offer a fairly well-rounded package for someone looking for an electric family SUV that's neatly designed, good to drive and stacked with features.

Strengthening its case is that the fact that the E5 doesn't feel like a cut-price product, and is every bit as competitive as its numerous SUV rivals out there in the market. That alone signifies the leaps and bounds that the brand has made and is therefore very worthy of your serious consideration.

benjamin.chia@asiaone.com

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