We took off for the Berg a week ago, and we drove the much vaunted Omoda C9. It certainly impressed with it’s looks, comfort and spec level on the trip. It’s a fairly large SUV, albeit playing in the medium size segment. It is  OMODA’s flagship, so we expected something special, and special we got.

Let’s start with the styling, prominent front end  with a distinctive grille, LED daytime running lights as well as headlamps, large 20 inch diamond cut alloys, receding door handles, rear light cluster that enhances the width of the car. It has a standard panoramic sunroof as well.

The road to the Berg was relatively busy as school holidays were on. The Omoda C9 with it’s 2.0L turbo petrol engine pushing 192kw was great. Plenty power to overtake and navigate the hilly Van Reenens pass, it is paired with an eight-speed auto gearbox that was smooth changing. It had a little jump in first gear, but nothing that you didn’t get used to quickly.

The cabin is sublime and this is where the C9 really shines. With list of features as long as your arm, here are some of them: a powered tailgate, black leather upholstery, electrically adjustable front seats (with heating and ventilation), a heated steering wheel and dual-zone climate control, the latter replete with a dedicated control panel and vents for the second row.

Other standout features include a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen (combined as a single curved display), an 8-speaker Sony sound system, wireless smartphone charging, a head-up display, parking sensors (front and rear), a 540-degree camera system, multi-colour ambient cabin lighting and a raft of highly advanced driver-assistance safety features. Nappa leather upholstery, a black-and-brown interior colour scheme, red brake callipers, a 12-speaker Sony sound system, an integrated fragrance system and an adaptive front lighting system, complete with an intelligent welcome mode.

Safety is also taken care of in the Omoda C9, and we felt content on the road with large trucks and poor roads full of potholes. Some of the systems are adaptive suspension, off-road driving modes. One of the more pleasant surprises was the decent fuel economy we obtained. Chinese models have had issues with this in the past.

Pricing:

OMODA C9 FWD – R785,900.00 (limited-time launch price of R760,000.00)

OMODA C9 AWD – R885,900.00 (limited-time launch price of R860,000.00)

The new OMODA C9 comes standard with a 7-year/100 000 km service plan, a 7-year/200 000 km vehicle warranty and an industry-leading 10-year/1,000,000 km engine warranty (for  the first owner).

Summation.

A really nice and premium SUV that delivered and ticked a number of boxes for us.