Review: Ora Funky Cat - Brian Byrne, Irish Car

It could have been called the Haomao, its name in home country China, writes Brian Byrne. But the Ora brand called it the Funky Cat for Europe, though they don't show that name anywhere on it. Still, this latest electric car from Chinese Asia is an engaging and well-presented motor.

Stylistically it has elements of VW's Beetle, Fiat's 500, and BMW's Mini, which might have been a recipe for mish-mash. That's not at all the case, and Funky Cat turned out to be a consistent crowd-puller and begetter of smiles everywhere I parked it during my review time. I reckon I may have even sold a couple …

Ora is the electric cars division of Great Wall Motors, which at one time sold a pickup here that wasn't brilliant in perceived quality or comfort. They have learned well, though, and one of the first things you realise when you get inside the Funky Cat is just how well finished it is. High quality trim materials, in a style theme without the extreme flourishes of design which can be a feature of cars from continental Asia. Aesthetically I felt very much at home even in the 60s-retro colour scheme of blue and ivory dashboard and seats.

The styling makes it appear smaller, but in size the Funky Cat is in the same space as the VW ID3, therefore a compact family car. There’s a nice sit-up driving position, and adequate headroom throughout. The boot, at 288 litres, is smallish for the segment, probably in part because of the batteries that run under the floor.

A long enclosure stretching from the centre dash houses both the driving information and the navigation-entertainment screens. There are light and dark background options, but the former is too white and eclipses many of the function indicator lights, which are small. Mini-style toggle switches operate the primary climate functions, but managing air direction and temperatures requires delving into the screen menus. While the radio volume can be operated from the steering wheel, there’s no option even on the screen for the passenger to turn sound up or down … a strange omission for anyone who drives regularly with the other half.

The Funky Cat had another peculiarity — a ‘Beijing Belinda’ regularly cautioning me, ever so polite but with a certain tone of insistence, to ‘Pay Attention to your Driving’ and similar. Thing is, Belinda speaks up even when one is driving perfectly. And there’s an ‘Emergency Steering Programme Implemented’ flash that also regularly comes up on the screen for no good reason. These initially amusing but eventually irritating things can be switched off by another dive into the screen menu … but they always default to on when you get back into the car.

Beyond these, the Funky Cat proved quite a joy to live with. Very comfortable though on poor back road surfaces the heaviness associated with the traction battery becomes apparent. There’s EV acceleration sprightliness but you’re never going to be tempted into throwing the car around on a hillclimb road. There are some cars that make you smile just because they are. This is one of them, the cute exclamation mark-style brand logo on the bonnet emphasising it.

The electric range for this upper-grade version indicated around 420km, and I found it on a variety of trips to be dependably accurate, and adequate.

PRICE: From €31,995, review car €39,995. WHAT I LIKED: When I found how to switch off Belinda and the scary Steering Programme monster. 

Review: ORA Funky Cat - Trish Whelan, Irish Car

The ORA electric car brand owned by Great Wall Motors of China is being distributed in Ireland by IM Automotive Ltd who recently introduced the Funky Cat small car to our shores, writes Trish Whelan. 

This little feline comes with a mix of retro and futuristic styling inside and out, some high end technology and a long list of standard spec. It competes with other small and equally cute electric cars such as the Honda-e and Fiat’s 500e. All ORA's current range have Cat in their name. Unlike the Chinese, I don’t like cats. 

However, this supermini sized hatchback impressed me with a friendly appeal, lovely curves, small circular headlamps, strong build quality and well thought-out interior. My car was in the sea green colour with white roof and pillars. The rear lights gave their own display when I turned the car on or off. Not to be outdone, the front lamps did their own workout, and actually winked at me. 

The very roomy and equally colourful interior could hold its own against many way more expensive competitors. An opening panoramic sunroof was a bonus. It gathered compliments from all my friends. 

The minimalist dash features two large 10.25-inch screens that merge together. On the central touchscreen, you access local radio stations by pressing on a small icon on the bottom of the screen while more prominent ones are for online options deezer.com, Reuters.com, and radioline.com. At launch, we were told that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be added in over-the-air software updates in coming months. Below the screen you’ll find Mini-like toggle switches for climate functions. To get to the temperature controls, you press small up and down icons. The low central console has many good storage areas, a wireless mobile phone charger, one small USB socket and two cupholders. 

Seats are in lovely quilted leatherette. Front ones can be heated and ventilated. They also have a massage function and power seat adjustments but no lumbar supports. Rear passengers enjoy plenty of legroom but the floor here is quite high due to the batteries underneath. There’s just one small type USB port here. Boot space is small at just 228 litres but this can be increased to 858 litres with the rear seats folded. There’s just an inflation tyre repair kit. 

There's no Start/Stop button, you just put the car into Drive or Reverse and simply drive off. Before leaving, put the gear in Park, engage the parking lever and exit. 

Two grades are offered, the 300 PRO with a 48kWh battery and a rated range of 310km, and the 400 PRO+ with a 63kWh battery and a rated range of 420km. When I got the car it registered 360km at full battery. Energy consumption on paper is around 16.7kWh. The electric motor produces 120hp and 0-100km/h takes 8.2 seconds. Annual road tax is €120 for both variants. 

Features on my higher grade car included ‘Hello ORA’ voice recognition, a really good 360deg surround camera with HD quality, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, good blindspot detection, Auto Park Assist, adaptive cruise control, rear traffic cross alert, auto air con, lane keeping assist and a facial recognition system. 

The Funky Cat was awarded a maximum five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, meaning it comes with a full suite of driver assistance systems. I found some of its lane keeping tech to be an unwelcome intrusion, coming up very often as a visual alert on the driver’s screen advising that ‘the emergency steering system has been activated’ and nudging the steering wheel despite me driving perfectly in the centre of my lane. I had to go through the central console screen to turn it off. 

There's a facial recognition camera on the A-pillar which among other things recognises you when you sit in the car and adjusts all settings to your favourite positions. But it also keeps an eye on how you are driving and lets you know audibly if your eye strays to the touchscreen or to a passing vehicle for more than a second or two. Every alert comes with annoying bleeps. I was continually told ‘Concentrate on your driving. Don’t get distracted’ while driving perfectly well. It all resulted in me shouting at the system many times during every drive. That’s no way to enjoy a car and is embarrassing when you have passengers onboard. 

Apart from all that, I found the Cat to be a lovely car to drive, agile and comfortable and with good suspension, though most definitely not a hot hatch. Steering is on the light side. You can opt to use one-pedal driving mode which minimises use of the brake pedal. 

The charging port is on the front left hand side of the car. AC charging using a 3-pin plug takes 3.2hrs from 15-80pc and 4.8hrs for the larger range model while DC charging from 20-80pc takes under 45 minutes for the 300 PRO and under 50 minutes for the top version. ORA offers a 5-year unlimited-mileage vehicle warranty and 8-year battery warranty or 160,000kms. 

300 PRO prices, after grants, start at €31,995: the 400 PRO+ from €39,995.

 

Funky Cat pounces in for Irish customers

A new Chinese electric car has gone on sale in Ireland with a name that will certainly cause instances of "a what?" response when owners mention their new motor, writes Brian Byrne.

The Funky Cat is built by Ora, an electric cars subsidiary of Great Wall Motors and is being distributed here by the IM Group. There are currently dealers in Dublin, Cork and Galway — the Linders Group, Blackwater Motor Group, and Connolly Motors respectively.

Available with two range options, the model prices start at €31,995 after subsidies for the 300 PRO 48kWh version with a rated range of 310km. A 400 PRO+ version has a rated range of 420km from its 63kWh battery and costs €39,995. A 5-year unlimited mileage warranty is standard, and the battery is warranted for eight years or 160,000km.

The styling is retro in places, especially the front end which has a deliberately soft look to keep with the marketing emphasis on the Funky Cat being a 'companion' and 'friend' for its owner. In size, while the styling makes it look small, it is in the same space as a Volkswagen ID.3, the Cupra Born, and the Megane E-Tech.

At a first drive event yesterday the immediate impression was of a high quality fit and finish interior, with very simple controls and an intuitive touch-screen infotainment system.

Funky Cat springs onto Irish market

Kevin Hilliard Brand Director GWM Ora Ireland, Pat Ryan Managing Director ORA Ireland and Paul Linders Managing Director Linders Motor Group.

The first dealer for the Ora car brand from China has been appointed, writes Brian Byrne. It is the Linders Motor Group based on the Naas Road in Dublin.

The first model from the brand is the Funky Cat, a supermini-sized hatchback with two range offers, 310km and 420km. Prices start at €31,995 after grants.

Order books are now open and first deliveries to customers will be by the end of January. The brand is being distributed in Ireland by IM Automotive Ltd.

The Ora brand was created in 2018 by the Chinese company Great Wall Motors, to be specifically for electric vehicles. All of its current range of cars have Cat in the name — Black, White, Good (Funky in Europe), Punk (Ballet) and Lightning.

Great Wall Motors was founded in 1968 and is currently the eighth largest automotive manufacturer in China.