Test Drive ORA 07 Performance: A Female Vehicle Accelerating in 4.3 Seconds from 0-100km/h

While waiting for the ORA 07 test drive car at the GWM 4S store, I chatted with the staff about the ORA brand. I asked the staff, "Are all the customers who come to buy ORA 07 and ORA GOOD CAT female customers?" She told me that male and female customers each accounted for about half, sometimes even more male customers, but she also said that male customers who buy ORA brand electric vehicles are basically for female members of the family. In other words, the ORA brand mainly targets female users in the Thai market.

The reason I asked this is because ORA is taking a feminine route in the Chinese market. Looking at the global car market, it seems that no car brand is specifically designed for female users, or is built with female users as the main group. The feminine style of the ORA brand is also very obvious in the Thai market, and I believe it would be the same in any country or region.

When I got the ORA 07 test drive car, I felt a clear sense of estrangement with this car, which surprisingly came from my gender attributes. I have had the experience of driving a pink car owned by a female friend, and the moment I stepped out of the car, I was very worried about the gaze of the people around me. Now I believe that even if the ORA 07 in front of me is not pink, when I drive it to the mall, I would also unconsciously care about the eyes of others.

Basic information of the ORA 07 Performance test drive model:

-ORA 07 Performance guide price: 1,499,000 baht (ORA 07 also has a Long Range model, single motor drive, 640km range, priced at 1,299,000 baht)

-Body size: 4871×1862×1500mm, wheelbase: 2870mm

-Endurance mileage (NEDC): 550km

-Drive form: front and rear axle dual-motor four-wheel drive

-0-100km/h acceleration: 4.3 seconds

-Maximum power of motor system: 300kW (408PS)

-Peak torque of motor system: 680N·m

-Battery capacity: 83.499kWh

Dynamic Driving Experience of ORA 07 Performance

There are two sub-models of ORA 07 on sale, one is the Long Range model with a range of 640 km and the other is the Performance model test-driven this time. The biggest difference between the two is that one is front-wheel drive and the other is four-wheel drive. Since the power battery of the two models is 83.499kWh, the difference in the pure electric life of the two cars is mainly due to the different drive modes and body weight of the vehicle. However, even the Performance model has a pure electric range of 550km, and in actual use, the range is more than 450km. If calculated with a daily commuting distance of 60km, it can basically meet the needs of a week's commute.

The Performance model has a very obvious identity marker, that is the red button on the lower right of the steering wheel, which is to start the SPORT+ mode. The moment I sat in the driver's seat, I noticed it. I decided to put aside the perspective of female users and start my test drive experience from this button.

In this mode, I easily experienced what the acceleration of 100 kilometers in 4.3 seconds meant, because I didn't need to press the accelerator pedal deep to feel the sudden acceleration, which was like an elusive temper. The response of the accelerator pedal is very sensitive. I tried to press the accelerator pedal lightly and release it at a faster rate, and each action can get a response from the motor. Without a doubt, this kind of power response can bring a great acceleration experience, but if you use this mode for a long time in daily driving, I believe it will definitely make people dizzy.

However, in SPORT+ mode, I mostly experienced the strong and direct power output, as if the other parts of the car did not enter this mode. The steering wheel is still quite light, although the steering force varies in different driving modes, but overall it is still lighter than I expected. In addition, the overall suspension tuning is in comfortable style, so this car will not tempt me to fully utilize its strong power in corners. Simply put, in SPORT+ mode, the power performance is too prominent to make the vehicle's control lack a certain overall feel. But on the other hand, how many users will care about such details? Perhaps the brief exhilaration of acceleration is the purpose of SPORT+ mode.

So where exactly is the overall control of the ORA 07 reflected? After driving around, I think it's still reflected in the feelings of female users. This car does look very sporty, but it's also very easy to drive. A compact driving feel usually brings more in-depth driving pleasure to the driver and is more suitable for a sports car. ORA 07 has a sporty look, a supercar-like center console design, and even an electric spoiler, these elements convey to a male user like me that its acceleration must be fierce, the steering wheel must be very precise, and the chassis must emphasize support. However, other than the first point being fulfilled, the rest of the feelings are different.

The steering wheel of the ORA 07 is light and does not particularly pursue precision in steering, so it is not suitable for intense driving, as its lightness and deliberately presented slight ambiguity in steering conceal many subtle controls of the driver on the steering wheel. For female users, subtle control is often not what they want. Unintentional subtle movements can affect their driving, what they need more is a car that is more inclusive in driving. The control of ORA 07 has such inclusiveness.

The suspension is the same. The suspension of the ORA 07 does not emphasize support very much but tries to create a comfortable and soft feeling. When passing over potholes and speed bumps on the road, you can clearly feel that the suspension system has a long enough travel to fully compress the shock absorber. However, on the one hand, perhaps because the suspension emphasizes softness too much, I can feel some trivial vibrations of the suspension. On the other hand, the soft tuning has resulted in poor body support in corners with obvious tilt. The way to solve this problem is simple, drive slower in turns!

ORA 07 offers a lot of driving modes, and I try to switch between different modes. Simply put, the most intuitive difference between different modes is the sensitivity of the acceleration pedal. In comfort mode, the power output is more gentle and linear, and in sport mode, the power output is more direct. However, under these modes, the steering feel and suspension feel are all based on comfort and lightness, which means that the steering wheel will only become lighter, not heavier.

In normal mode, the overall dynamic feeling of the Performance model is better, and I think this kind of driving feeling might be similar to driving the Long Range model. However, it is impossible because there is a big difference in the power system, and the Long Range is a front-wheel-drive model. Hence, the control feeling will be different, but I think Long Range might be more suitable for most female users, so giving up some power to exchange for 90km pure electric range is a reasonable choice.

Some static experiences of ORA 07 Performance

The appearance of ORA 07 Performance has more details to show its performance. For example, its 19-inch wheels use an elliptical shape, similar to ORA's oval logo, which also looks very dynamic, and also uses red brake calipers. An electric tail fin is available on both models, which can provide more downforce during high-speed driving, and improve the high-speed stability of the car body. When it is turned off, its black surface can blend better with the rear window, this kind of implicit design might be more in line with the needs of female users.

What other elements are there that female users will like? Frameless car doors, this design is very in line with the style of ORA 07, and men also like the design of frameless car doors. ORA 07 is full of round lines, and this plump, sexy shape is also very likely to attract female users, such as round headlights and fastback styling. From the side, the roof starts to press down from the B pillar, presenting a very obvious fastback shape.

However, this kind of design brings a problem: the headroom at the rear row is quite cramped. We tried to let an adult male with a height of 178cm sit in the rear row of the ORA 07, and his head was almost touching the roof with no extra space, but there was still plenty of legroom left - about two fists' worth, which is more spacious than expected. However, it would be quite crowded if there were to seat three adults in the rear row, as there is a noticeable bulge in the middle platform and the foot space provided is not very generous. But the ORA 07 provides two charging ports for the rear row, one TYPE-C port and one USB port, which is a thoughtful design.

The interior design of ORA 07 strives for personality, which is quite obvious. And in terms of materials, it is also covered with soft materials as much as possible. The console is also wrapped in leather, and a hidden air outlet is used to simplify the design of the console. There are some slight weaknesses, such as the strong sense of plastic from the silver trim panel on the slanted control panel, and the round air outlets in the rear seats feeling a bit loose when adjusted.

The design of this center console sacrifices some practicality in exchange for attractive styling. The center console only retains a cup holder and does not provide an extra spot for placing mobile phones, and the wireless charging design takes the form of a slot, which differs from common charging designs. Its usage is quite convenient, but once a phone is placed inside, it can affect the front-row passengers' arms because the central armrest box is positioned toward the back. It also doesn't provide arm support. Although a storage slot and charging port are designed under the center console, the storage space isn't large and it is somewhat hidden, making it inconvenient to retrieve items. Especially when driving, retrieving items can pose a safety risk.

ORA 07 offers a wealth of vehicle configurations, which will be listed in the latter part of the article for reference. The usage of these functions is not significantly different from most models. However, ORA 07 integrates the electronic parking brake and AUTO HOLD automatic parking system in the central control screen, so every time you use the electronic parking brake, you need to operate it on the central control screen, which I find a bit difficult to get used to. It would be better if these functions were designed with physical buttons.

Test Drive Conclusion:

The ORA 07 conveyed a clear character to me. Even though I test-drove the more powerful Performance model, I still feel the car's driving setting is tailored for female users. Easy, inclusive, comfortable, and powerful when needed, these are enough for female users and probably what they want.

So, what about male users? I think the ORA 07 does not meet the preferences of most male users as it lacks the kind of deep driving pleasure they desire. However, it might just be me being too picky about driving perception. I admit that ORA 07's presentation of driving pleasure is not perfect, especially the Performance model, which raised my expectations before my test drive. But to be more objective, as a commuting pure electric vehicle, the driving quality of ORA 07 is pretty good.

ORA 07 model configuration reference