GWM Ora Lightning Cat 2023 Review – International

When you unlock the doors and get into the 2023 GWM Ora Lightning Cat you are greeted at start-up by a sequence of cartoon cats complete with meows, which is surprisingly cute.

The Lightning Cat might be the most grown-up of cars from Ora in terms of size, but it still tries to try dial up the fun factor.

Ora is a dedicated EV brand from Chinese giant GWM and until this model it concentrated on compact cars. When the Ora Good Cat arrived in Europe it became the Funky Cat, so we don’t know what the Lightning Cat will be called when it is launched in overseas markets including Australia.

What we do know is that this Honda Accord-sized sedan (and the smaller Good Cat hatch, which should undercut $50,000 before subsidies) is likely heading to Oz in by mid-2023, when it will take aim directly at Australia’s top-selling EV, the Tesla Model 3.

The all-wheel drive Performance variant we tested here comes in at RMB282,500 ($A59,800) plus on-road costs and all other grades are single-motor front-wheel drive in a range that starts from RMB201,200 ($42,600).

Spec levels across the 2023 GWM Ora Lightning Cat range are generous. In line with the electric sedan’s supposed sporting nature, all models get frameless doors, a split panoramic roof and leather upholstered sports seats. All but the base Deluxe edition gets an electrically deployed adaptive rear spoiler.

Furthermore, all models get high-beam assist, electric folding and heated side mirrors and a heated and six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat (four-way for the front passenger).

Also standard across the range are a 12.3-inch central infotainment unit and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster divided into three barrels.

The Premium edition gains a heat pump and UV air-conditioner sterilisation to go with its PM2.5 filtration system, along with a fragrance dispenser and massage function for the front seats.

There is also insulated windscreen glass to go with the double-glazed side windows and, in addition, the driver gets a head-up display and 19-inch wheels replace the standard 18-inch rims.

With the Long Range version the only thing different is the change from a smaller lithium-iron phosphate battery to a larger NCM battery.

Most notably – apart from the additional motor on the rear axle of the Performance version – is the standard Ora Pilot 3.0 driving assistance package which in China is a RMB20,000 ($A4250) option on the two models below.

In China the Lightning Cat comes with a five-year, 150,000km warranty and for the first purchaser there is a lifetime guarantee for the electrical system. Locally, it’s likely to come the same seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty as all existing GWM, Haval and Tank models sold in Australia.

Currently the 2023 GWM Ora Lightning Cat doesn’t seem to have undergone any independent safety testing, although it has won a China Top Safety award and the smaller Good/Funky Cat did receive a maximum five-star rating from Euro NCAP in 2022.

Ora also staged a dramatic test of the Lightning Cat launching off a ramp into a pit and flipping a number of times at 60km/h, after which the doors still opened and there was no fire.

Reassuringly, the Lightning Cat comes with the usual menagerie of safety jargon including autonomous emergency braking with junction, pedestrian and bicycle assist, forward collision warning, lane keeping, lane departure warning, rear collision warning and blind spot monitoring.

All models also get intelligent adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition, while a driver monitoring system keeps track of the 2023 Ora Lightning Cat driver’s alertness.

On the passive side it gains eight airbags, although the sedan is currently in breach of Australian Design Rules for five-seat vehicles as there are only two rear top-tether points to go with the ISOFIX anchors.

The Performance version of the new GWM Ora Lightning Cat gains the Ora-Pilot 3.0 ADAS system, which is based around a suite of 28 sensors including millimetre-wave radars, cameras and ultrasonic sensors.

Combined with high-definition precision mapping it is claimed to provide a high level of self-driving capability on highways (where legal) via the navigation system and can undertake its own lane changes.

The autonomous driving suite is also available on all but the base model as an extra-cost option, but unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to test the efficacy of it.

There is an auto-parking function and you can even use a Bluetooth connection with a phone to park it by remote control (once again where legal).

The head-up display provides important vehicle data such as speed together, plus navigation prompts.

Thanks to two permanent magnet synchronous motors the Performance version of the 2023 GWM Ora Lightning Cat electric car is the most powerful and employs the same 150kW motor on each axle. Other versions of the Lightning Cat make do with just the one motor at the front.

Along with the addition of the extra motor, the Performance version gets a ‘Superport’ driving mode selected via a red S button on the steering wheel and complete with a synthetic ‘engine note’. In fact, all the drive modes were accompanied by such noises and we couldn’t find how to switch them off in the Chinese menu.

The Long Range and Performance versions of the 2023 GWM Ora Lightning Cat get an 83kWh battery which is good for a big 705km of driving range in the front-wheel drive version, but reduces to a still-handy 600km for the all-wheel drive Performance version.

Cheaper versions get a 64kWh battery good for a range of 555km (all claimed ranges are based on China’s very generous CLTC standard).

DC fast-charging takes more than 30 minutes to take the battery from 30 to 80 per cent of capacity and there is also vehicle-to-load capability to power electrical appliances using the car’s battery.

The platform the 2023 Ora Lightning Cat rides on is called Lemon and that says it all. Great Wall squeezes as much juice out of it as possible by using it for everything from petrol-powered SUVs right up to the all-electric Lightning Cat.

The wheelbase is about 200mm short of what you would have with a dedicated EV platform and in this case the Lightning Cat doesn’t seem to be able to handle the power on tap from the dual-motor Ora.

The result is a car that wallows at the front during anything remotely like hard cornering and the front wheels often scrabble for grip. Couple that with a thin-rimmed steering wheel that also seems a bit on the large side, and you are left struggling to control the car when driving hard.

Treat it mild-mannered and it is not all bad, but that really defeats the point of the extra motor. Ultimately the single-motor front-drive versions are probably a far better and safer bet for most.

Driving modes consist of Eco, Standard, Sport, Goddess and a programmable Custom setting, along with the already mentioned Supersport. Certainly, earlier Ora models were largely aimed at female drivers and in Goddess mode the accelerator responds more gently, the steering is lighter and there’s lower braking regeneration.

The steering of the Lightning Cat is overly light in the first place and so we didn’t really notice much difference. In fact, other than the more raucous synthetic engine noise in Supersport mode, there didn’t seem a great deal of difference between any of the modes.

Ora claims the Lightning Cat can complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.3 seconds so there’s no doubt it’s quick, but you are probably best off exploring its performance potential on a drag strip.

Lower-spec versions apparently offer one-pedal driving ability, but for some reason the Performance version loses this. Instead, in the highest braking regeneration mode, speed initially comes off quite quickly when you get off the right pedal, but deceleration seems to reduce considerably as speeds lowers and the car eventually settles into a coast at around 9km/h.

The highlight of the 2023 Ora Lightning Cat is its interior, which overall is comfortable, as distinctive as its exterior and well put together.

Being electric, the car of course has a digital instrument display, however, it is broken up into three individual dials – each with a dedicated function – formed by three ‘barrels’.

The infotainment screen neglects the entertainment portion of the equation with its wide and thin horizontal proportions, which might not be as much of a problem for overseas buyers as it will be with Chinese consumers, who are more likely to want to watch things on it.

For once the USB outlets under the floating centre console are reasonably easy to access. Positioned above them are some actual dials and buttons. The bottom dial controls the drive mode, while the other two control the temperature and fan speed.

Above these are switches for demisting and a short-cut button to bring up the climate control screen on the infotainment screen. Air flow and seat heating/ventilation can then be controlled by swiping.

Also on the centre console is a single push-down drink holder and a vertical wireless phone charging slot. There is also a cubby hole, complete with shallow tray, at the back of which are SD slots.

Cabin materials are generally of good quality, with the seats and all other surfaces covered in leather or soft plastics. However, the glove box bangs on the passenger’s knees when opened.

In line with the Lightning Cat’s sporting pretensions, the seating position is low and the driver and front passenger score one-piece sports seats. Surprisingly for the price point, they gain a massage function, but the front seats are considerably lower than the rear seats and the passenger pew cannot be adjusted for height.

In the back there is reasonable legroom but anyone over 1.85m tall is likely to start running into headroom problems, especially in the middle position. The rear seats fold down via a pull strap.

Really, the Lightning Cat would probably have been better as a liftback. Instead you get a narrow boot opening with a decklid that doesn’t really need to be electric.

Beyond its load lip the boot is actually pretty capacious, but the top of the cargo space is not lined and the Lightning Cat’s doors in general seem a bit tinny when closed.

Who was the Ora Lightning Cat EV designed for? In short, the answer is everyone. In fact, it seems that each element was given to a different person to design with no overall direction for the overall concept.

Along with the Goddess mode there is a bizarre and creepy Warm Man Mode. Activated by voice control or via the infotainment menu, it heats the seat, steering wheel and cabin up for women when they feel uncomfortable while driving or having their period, according to the sales literature.

And along with the boy-racer synthetic engine noises, there is a Cave mode to help you sleep more comfortably in the car, presumably appealing more to male buyers.

While there are many good aspects to the car, particularly the interior and the equipment levels, the Lightning Cats pulls in too many different directions and ultimately probably doesn’t really satisfy any one particular buyer.

And despite its funky design, it is only available in four colours – two of which cost RMB5,000 ($1050) extra in China.

In its domestic market, the 2023 GWM Ora Lightning Cat competes in a hotly contested segment that includes competitors such as the BYD Seal, which is overall a much better vehicle.

If you are still tempted, go for the front-drive version rather than the AWD one we tested, which should at least be a great-value EV.

2023 GWM Ora Lightning Cat Performance at a glance:
Price: RMB282,500 in China ($A59,800), plus on-road costs
Available: April 2023
Powertrain: Two permanent magnet synchronous motors
Output: 300kW/680Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 83kWh ternary lithium
Range: 600km (CLTC)
Energy consumption: 15.5kWh/100km (CLTC)
Safety rating: Not tested