Had the privilege of driving the New GWM Ora 03 this past week. This is the most affordable electric vehicle to hit our shores, and comes in an attractive package, with great looks on the inside and out.

Bianca van Staden, Head of Marketing Brand and PR for HAVAL in SA says “With ORA 03, we are introducing a new era for GWM locally, as we want to be part of the shift towards EV and a greener, sustainable future. We want to offer our customers a range of mobility solutions, from ICE, HEV to EV, and ORA is the product that will be driving our EV ambitions.”

There will be 20 dedicated ORA dealers in the country, and this will make owning the ORA a more convenient experience, with offering a GWM 7kW charging wallbox solution. With impressive safety credentials, the ORA boasts being namedthe safest car in its class by Euro NCAP in 2022 standard and achieving a five-star rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) This little beauty stands for fashion, lifestyle, design, pop culture as well as urban culture, sharing and the joie de vivre of young, creative, and progressive people.

The ORA definitely has some design cues from Porsche,  where the head designer has made a move to HAVAL recently. It has an active airtake front grille that provides optimised performance, and intelligent LED headlamps, paired with follow me home system and daytime running lights.

The looks make it a real head turner and the tailgate at the back is unique, which sets it apart. With the contrasting roof colour it really pops. The colour palette is vibey and includes: Hamilton White, Sun Black, Mars Red, HR Blue, EM Beige, L5 Green, LB Green and KU Grey (ORA 03 400 Super Luxury only).

The range

The GWM ORA 03 range consists of four models – the 300 Super Luxury, the 400 Super Luxury the 400 Ultra Luxury and the 400 GT Ultra Luxury – all powered by a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor delivering 126 kW and 250 Nm of peak torque to the front wheels. Weighing only 1 555kg, this allows the GWM ORA 03 to dash from 0-100 km/h in 8.5 seconds and reach a top speed of just under 160 km/h. The car seems well planted, and feels well built as well. No clanky bits and handles well on the road. We did not do and fast driving as we were range testing, which comes out pretty well close to the claimed figures.

Coupled with a 48kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery, the electric motor in the entry-level standard-range 300 Super Luxury delivers a consumption of 16.7kWh/100 km for a range of up to 310 km (WLTP cycle). The extended range 400 Super Luxury employs a 63kWh nickel-manganese cobalt battery with a consumption of 16.5kWh/100 km to deliver a range of up to 420 km (WLTP cycle).

Recharging of the smaller battery in the 300 Super Luxury from 10% to 89% with a 64kW DC charge will take around 50 minutes and for the extended range 400 GT Ultra Luxury it will take about an hour. With an 11kW AC charger it will take around 5.5 hours to completely recharge the smaller battery in the 300 Super Luxury.( claimed) We found the home charging quite long and tedious with current load shedding, and it is preferred to charge at a fast charger.

Four driving modes — Standard, ECO, Sport, Auto and ECO+ — can be selected via the drive mode selector, and the electric power steering (EPS) system has three selections: Light, Comfort and Sport.

We drove the ORA out to Magalies and it delivered a smooth and enjoyable experience. The ORA is roomy and comfy as well. It has sufficient power and whilst driving at a sedate 115 km mostly, it didn’t feel slow at all. It overtakes with aplomb and it has more oomph if needed by changing your drive mode. I would definitely want to carry an ac/dc cable that couples to the fast chargers in the car, as many charge points do not offer this service and expect the owner to have their own cable.

I enjoyed the smooth and quiet drive. Also the camera showing when you are turning and the kerb etc.

In the Cabin.

The interior has a great look, with a contrasting dash, in our case with red and cream, which really works. It has soft touch elements which are setting a tone of quality. It comes with two 10.25 inch touchscreens which are easy to navigate.

A standout feature is the rotary-style gear selector, ensuring a modern and intuitive approach to gear selection. The infotainment system with Apple CarPlay compatibility (and Android Auto compatibility coming soon), ensures permanent connectivity, even on the move, and with automatic remote software updates the vehicle keeps evolving to make sure you have the latest features at your fingertips.

The roomy five-seater offers 228 litres of luggage space (with the rear seats fixed in position) expanding to 858 litres with the rear seats folded down. 

Standard equipment on the ORA 03 Super Luxury models includes:

• 18-inch alloy wheels,
• LED headlights,
• A 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster,
• A 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system,
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto,
• A wireless phone charger,
• Leatherette seats,
• A six-way power driver’s seat,
• A four-way power passenger seat,
• Electric anti-glare interior rear-view mirror surround-view camera,
• Adaptive cruise control, and
• Rear parking sensors.

Added equipment in the ORA 03 400 Ultra Luxury models includes:

• An electric powered tailgate,
• A panoramic sunroof,
• A six-way powered driver’s seat with memory,
• Heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, and
• Power-folding mirrors with memory.

Standard safety equipment in all the models includes:

• Dual SRS Airbags, Front Side Airbags, Side Curtain Airbags and Front Centre Airbag,
• ISOFIX,
• Front and Rear Seat Belt Unfastened Warning,
• A Secondary Collision Mitigation (SCM),
• Tyre Pressure Monitor Sensor,
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS),
• Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD),
• Traction Control System (TCS),
• Roll Movement Intervention (RMI),
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC),
• A tyre repair kit, and
• Keyless Entry on the driver’s side.

Prices and Warranty

The GWM ORA 03 comes with an exceptional 7-year/200,000 km vehicle warranty and an 8-year/150 000 km warranty on high voltage parts, a 7-year/105 000 km service plan and 7-year/unlimited km roadside assistance. Service intervals are 15 000 km/12 months.

Prices:

GWM ORA 03 300 Super Luxury              R686 950

GWM ORA 03 400 Super Luxury              R775 950

GWM ORA 03 400 Ultra Luxury                R805 950

GWM ORA 03 400 GT Ultra Luxury          R835 950

In summation, the GWM ORA ticks many boxes, it is good looking, has great build quality, and is the most affordable electric car in SA. The current power issues which face the country do not really lend themselves to electric cars. But the EV tsunami is coming, ready or not, and GWM are well placed with the ORA to sell their car,  which is a great package.