Electric MG 4 rival arrives from China with a mad name and high expectations to fulfil On sale Now Price from £31,995
Doug Revolta Doug.Revolta@haymarket.com
IF YOU THINK about it, ‘Apple’ is quite an odd name for a tech company, isn’t it? But this shows that as long as you’ve got a good product, a strange name should be no barrier to success. Enter the Ora Funky Cat. It’s a new electric hatchback that aims to take on small electric car rivals such as the MG 4 and Volkswagen ID 3, and its name is comfortably more bizarre than any competing machine.
Ora is a sub-brand of Chinese automotive giant Great Wall Motors (GWM), which specialises in electric vehicles (EVs). And the ‘Funky Cat’ bit? Well, it’s based on a car sold in China as the Good Cat; the ‘Funky’ moniker was selected for the version that’s coming here. And with China accounting for more than half of global EV sales, Ora looks well placed to put the Funky Cat among the EV pigeons in Europe.
The spec sheet might not have you purring with anticipation, though. The Funky Cat First Edition – the only version you’ll be able to buy until later next year when the line-up expands – comes with a 45.4kWh (usable) battery that yields an official range of 193 miles. Sure, that’s farther than the Honda E and Mazda MX-30 can go between top-ups, but even the Fiat 500 can officially eke out more miles from a full charge.
The Funky Cat is a bit quicker than those rivals, though, thanks to its 166bhp electric motor. This drives the front wheels and brings an official 0-62mph time of 8.3sec, making easy work of joining motorway traffic. It’s a shame, then, that it’s otherwise not that good to drive.
Sure, things are easy around town, as they are with almost every EV, but if you step up the speed on a twisty road, this electric hatchback handles more like a tall SUV. Poor body control results in lots of lean through corners before the car lurches back upright once you’re straight again, while slow, light steering does nothing to help the feeling of agility.
And while the ride isn’t uncomfortable, it’s rather irritating. Even on smooth bits of road, you’ll feel the Funky Cat fidgeting around, and it never really settles down, regardless of speed or road surface. Most other electric rivals offer a calmer ride and more composed handling, including the MG 4.
You might like how the Funky Cat looks inside, though. It can be decked out with a choice of bright, flattering colour schemes, and soft-touch materials feature prominently on the doors and dashboard. Sadly, these are overcome by the very cheap-feeling
