GWM’s latest addition to the compact-SUV segment marries fantastic value with genuine quality and driver engagement. We evaluate the Ora 5 in HEV guise for a comprehensive road test.
Image: Peet Mocke
GWM’s latest addition to its Ora family of new-energy vehicles was only revealed at the Beijing Auto Show in May of this year, but the Chinese firm’s SA arm has already managed to secure a six-model consignment for our market. Joining its Ora 3 city car sibling, the larger Ora 5 is underpinned by the company’s ONE Platform architecture and is offered with the choice of three powertrains (petrol, full EV and the HEV tested here) with two trim lines apiece. Impressively priced and certainly eye-catching, we tested the mid-table 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury model to see just how big a splash this stylish newcomer can make in the highly contested compact-SUV segment.
GWM Ora 5 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury specifications
- Price: R474 900
- Powertrain: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbopetrol + electric motor
- Transmission: dedicated hybrid
- Driven wheels: front
- Power: 164 kW @ 5 900-6100 r/min
- Torque: 476 N.m @ 4 500 r/min
Styling-wise, the Ora 5 carries over some of its smaller sibling’s curvaceous DNA – more than one observer likened our strikingly matte grey-finished test unit as looking like the offspring of a garage tryst between a Mini Countryman and a Porsche Macan! – but stretches it over a frame with dimensions suggestive of it taking a potential tilt at the likes of the incoming new Volkswagen T-Roc. In fact, this car’s overall dimensions also eclipse such rivals as Toyota’s Corolla Cross. Even so, in the typical vein of Chinese wares favouring cabin space over boot capacity, the Ora 5’s wealth of leg- and headroom contrasts starkly with a luggage bay measuring a decidedly miserly 176 litres, admittedly owing to the welcome presence of a space-saver spare wheel under the boot board. Nonetheless, it has a purposeful stance that’s enhanced by a handy 175 mm of ground clearance, roof rails rated to carry loads of up to 50 kg, and a set of fetching 18-inch alloy wheels.
Image: Peet Mocke
GWM Ora 5 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury interior dimensions
- Front headroom/kneeroom: 820/880 mm
- Second-row headroom/kneeroom: 810/580 mm
- Boot/utility space: 176/736 litres
As you may or may not know, GWM, through its Spotlight Automotive Project, assembles all-electric Mini models for the Chinese market, and this may go some way to explaining some of the design cues evident in the Ora 5’s execution. For instance, the facia in the spacious and materially upmarket and solid cabin features a panel sporting metallic toggle switches reminiscent of the British marque’s wares. It’s one of the few examples of physical controls in the otherwise tastefully minimalist cabin, where most of the car’s features and workings are accessed through a crisp, 14.6-inch infotainment display running the latest version of GWM’s ‘Coffee OS software’. While the interface is fairly intuitive, the shortcut buttons on the multifunction steering wheel for controlling the likes of drive modes and media settings are nonetheless welcome.
Comfortably ensconced in supportive yet commandingly positioned seats, with that chunky steering wheel in your grasp, you’d also be forgiven for detecting the hand of Mini in the Ora 5’s road manners. Admittedly, the lightest setting in the three-mode power steering setup is rather numb, but in all other regards the handling feels pleasingly balanced, thanks in part to a fluid chassis and a well resolved MacPherson front/ multilink rear suspension setup. Round town, the Ora 5 is traffic gap-grabbingly nippy and wieldy. Pressed into faster environs, it feels planted and, despite carrying 61% of its mass at its nose-end, directionally stable, with enough grip and fluidity to prove reasonably entertaining.
The powertrain certainly contributes to this balanced persona. This setup, comprising a 1.5-litre turbopetrol allied with an electric motor in a series-parallel hybrid arrangement (mainly electric propulsion at low speeds and aiding the petrol engine at higher speeds) channels 164 kW and a brawny 476 N.m of torque to the front wheels via a two-speed dedicated hybrid transmission. As with most electrically assisted powertrains, low-speed pick-up is lively, with the 1 575 kg Ora 5 breasting the 100 km/h mark from standstill in a reasonably brisk 7.03 seconds, and that healthy reserve of torque is easily accessible, making overtaking manoeuvres feel effortless.
Image: Peet Mocke
GWM Ora 5 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury performance
- 0-100 km/h: 7.03 seconds
- 100-0 km/h: 2.87 seconds/41.82 metres
There’s little to complain about with regards to mechanical refinement, too. While the transition from electric to petrol is noticeable, it’s not intrusive, and the workings of the well calibrated throttle and transmission feel seamless. In addition to being impressively hushed, this unit also proved frugal during our testing regimen, returning an average fuel consumption figure of 6.4 L/100 km on our mixed-use fuel route, which is good for around 900 km from a full tank.
- Also read: GWM Ora 5 HEV test figures
In its Ultra Luxury specification, the Ora 5’s flanks seemingly bulge under the amount of standard kit crammed in there; including the likes of electrically adjustable and ventilated seats, a full ADAS suite (adaptive cruise control, adaptive braking, lane-keeping, traffic sign recognition and multi-directional crash mitigation measures etc.), a nine-speaker audio system, power tailgate, keyless entry and ignition, seven airbags, faux leather upholstery and ambient lighting, among others. All Ora 5 models are covered by a seven year/200 000 km warranty, an eight-year/150 000 km battery warranty (EV and HEV models), and a seven-year/75 000 km service plan.
GWM Ora 5 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury fuel consumption
- Claimed: 5.10 L/100 km
- CAR fuel index: 6.12 L/100 km
- Fuel route: 6.40 L/100 km
- Fuel range (fuel index): 859 km
Image: Peet Mocke
Test summary
When sampling cars such as the Ora 5, we often wonder just how the established brands in the market must be feeling when yet another capable, well-equipped and competitively priced Chinese compact crossover rolls into play. This model’s R474 900 price is especially impressive when you look at what’s available in our market in that price bracket. By comparison, many of those rivals cannot match the value proposition and are seriously down on power. And that’s before you consider that the car we tested sits in the middle of a six-model lineup that kicks off at just R364 900 and maxes out at a shade under R600 000. While it is relatively niche and has some practical limitations (that boot being one of the smallest we’ve measured of late), the Ora 5’s pricing and characterful execution mean it looks set to cause yet another disruption.
GWM Ora 5 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury Test Score: 80/100
Published in the August 2026 issue of CAR magazine.
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