Ora EV

June 2024 to ????

I have traded my Outlander PHEV in on a GWM Ora 3 (long range). This is an interim car while I wait for Aptera to (hopefully) reach Australia.
This was Australia's cheapest EV and not at all my dream car. It is not AWD, has low ground clearance and only has a 420Klm range (WLTP) - Aptera will have 650Klm range or thereabouts.

I originally ordered the standard range version as I really wanted an LFP battery but eventually was open to an upgrade. It turned out the standard range model I'd ordered had run out so the choice was easier.

Overall a great value car but it as some issues.
The car seems physically and electrically good and is nice to drive. Most if not all the issues are software and different versions may not have these issues.
Oras in other countries have features my Australian model lacks.

As far as I can tell I'm lacking driver monitoring, native voice commands, internet access and scheduled charging.
The car has a hot-spot feature with no obvious use and the Ora app does not install on my phone.

These are my opinions and other people may not find them as annoying.

Serious issues.

Cruise control does not have regenerative braking. This was almost a deal breaker for me. I don't know if this is a bug or by design.
Other brands also have this defect so it might be hard to implement.
Black paint on all base models. All these have either black roofs or black bodies. I think black paint in an extremely hot and sunny country is madness. Another near deal breaker for me.
To much nagging from the "safety" systems. The steering assistance is useless and possibly dangerous. The car thinks it knows how to drive better than a human but it doesn't. It is especially bad on bad county roads where it has no idea what it is beeping about. This would not be a problem if it could be permanently disabled but it can't.
I've heard these features have to auto-enable on start to achieve the 5-star safety rating. I'd prefer less stars and less safety crap.
Turning lane keep assist off makes it a much nicer car to drive. If voice assist worked for this it would be less of an issue.

Stupid issue.

The camera display comes on at low speed or stopped. This is rarely useful and it hides the navigator map which is. It would be much better to leave the camera off and enable it manually when needed.

Medium issues.

The windscreen demister is the worst I've used in a modern car.
Turn Indicators are on the left which is unusual for Australian cars. I've owned six cars and this is the first with a left hand indicator stalk. The stalk does not mechanically latch when activated. It is possible to get confused when trying to cancel the blinker. With practice it isn't too much of a problem but old-fashioned latching is much more intuitive. Tip - a half press in either direction will cancel the flashing.
Screen reach is a stretch. I don't have short arms but still have to lean forward and stretch to reach the touch screen.
Menu navigation is difficult when driving. Particularly if android auto is running - there are lots of steps to reach the main menu and sub-menus.
CCS plug removal is a PITA. The plug should release when the driver door is unlocked - it rarely does and I have to re-lock and unlock. What should be a 5 second process takes much longer and adds wear to the fob and locking mechanism and possibly the mirror parking too if enabled. Having the charge port on the passenger side doesn't help. The behavior seems to vary depending on which EVSE I use. With some the plug releases when charge is complete - others not. I never use the genuine Ora EVSE so I don't know about that.
Single pedal isn't useful because it cancels if the brake is pressed and doesn't have a simple activation. However I don't find it to be a problem because the regular regen is almost as good. I don't use the brake much.
Sun
My Ora came without window tinting on the front side windows. This is a problem in our sunny climate.
Bluetooth
I get intermittent bluetooth disconnects. This is a big hassle if it happens in busy traffic when using the navigator over BT.
Front camera is vulnerable. This camera which is just above the front rego plate is unprotected and will collide with things like tall grass. Not a problem in the city but definitely an issue on the dirt roads I use.

Minor issues.

Auto turn on is not useful. The Ora is supposed to be cat like but it is more like a puppy wanting to go for a walk. It turns itself on at any excuse. I'm not talking about starting when the brake is pressed. Opening the door will often turn it on and I have to press the off button more times than I would use the "on" if it had one. It was cute the first time but I'd rather turn it on manually. Being turned on by the brake pedal works fine.
Font size Some of the fonts are far too small for anyone without perfect vision. There is no reason to make them that small - there is plenty of blank space on the display.
Speedo I am not fond of numeric speedos. There is room for a (digital) pointer as well.
Slow DC charging is not a big issue for me but 50kW is slow by modern standards.
Slow AC charging is also not much of an issue but having 22kW would be useful, the Ora level 2 charging is only up to 7.2kW or single phase 11kW on 3 phase.
No central locking from boot means walking back to the driver door after getting my bags or finding the fob.
The Charge port has cheap rubber plugs which are hard to use in the dark. There is no light in the charge port and no alert if you forget to close to charge port cover.
The ventilation system will change settings at random. The outlander did this too. I usually use the upper vents only but for no reason the floor vents will turn on.
Not Autocharge compatible so there is no "plug in and go" charging on non-free chargers.
No useful driver armrest for me. The door shelve is too low and the sill it too high to rest my elbow while steering.

Trivial issues.

It would be nice if the side cameras were displayed on the appropriate side of the display.

None issues.

Many have commented of the lack of a rear wiper. I've hardly noticed the absence.

Undecided.

Auto engagement of parking brake is mostly good but can be annoying when trying to inch into a parking spot or something like that.

Positives.

Range is good for a budget car. I was expecting less than the 420Klm WLTP range but I'm exceeding it even on highways. The sticker energy efficiency is 16.5 kWh per 100 Klm but I get as low as 13.1 around town.
Blind spot monitoring is great, I love this feature.
Auto high beam works fairly well.
Strong regen of up to 50kW. This only happens below approx %90 SOC and at high speed. Slowing down from >80KPH on regen is quick.
Good handling because of a low centre of gravity and well tuned suspension.
Good handling in the wet, it grips wet roads and tracks straight through standing water better than any other car I've owned.
Good Acceleration and hill climbing. It is not a racing car but is faster than many cars in this price bracket. It has plenty on power for overtaking and doesn't even notice the hills. I rarely go into the red on the power indicator.