Don’t be fooled by its retro exterior and cutesy aesthetics – the ORA Good Cat is an all-new, ground-up electric car built by Great Wall Motors.

The Chinese marque may still be unfamiliar to many Singaporeans, but by no means is the manufacturer new to the world of car building. Great Wall Motors, or GWM for short, was actually founded in 1984. The ORA sub-brand was then launched in 2018 as a dedicated electric car maker.

In August 2023, and alongside authorised dealer-partner Cycle and Carriage, the ORA Good Cat was officially unveiled to members of the motoring press. And right from the off, it was clear that it’d pose a significant challenge to its immediate Chinese EV competitors.

Not Strictly Retro

The ORA Good Cat does not subscribe to many of the modern car design ideologies. You will not find sharp creases or aggressive bodylines anywhere on the vehicle. There’s a whiff of Porsche about the car, which makes logical sense once you realise that it was styled by ex-Porsche designer Emanuel Derta.

Every surface on the vehicle is wonderfully soft, and the car looks and feels elegant. Most retro designs tend to age very well, so you can expect the car to still look fresh and hip several years down the line.

But the car isn’t just a retro-styling exercise. In keeping with the Retro-Futuristic theme ORA has set out to achieve, the car sports a robocop-esque rear light bar. Mounted at the bottom of the rear window, it negates the need for bulky brake light clusters in the traditional positions. The reverse and signal lights have then been incorporated into where you’d typically find reflectors.

Overall, the car looks and feels refreshingly different from the norm (and definitely from what you’d expect from its price range), and draws a healthy dose of attention from passersby. 

Optimised Cabin

There’s a surprising amount of space in the cabin of the ORA Good Cat. Passengers will be able to get comfortable in both the front and rear seats, with sufficient knee and head room all round.

GWM has also compensated for the higher boot floor by raising the rake of the rear seat bench. This offers increased thigh support and better overall comfort on longer journeys. Further enhancing the user experience is the inclusion of a panoramic sunroof, which allows plenty of natural light to flood the cabin.

And there’s more good news too. Considering its asking price, the car is properly well equipped. Front occupants get to enjoy seats with massage and ventilation functionality. Their entertainment needs are handled by a 10.25 inch infotainment screen that comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Overall, the cabin is a pleasant place to be in. Our only real gripe is with the size of the steering wheel. It’d have been better if it was marginally smaller, as the wheel feels slightly too large for a car of its size.

On the Prowl

A 141 bhp electric motor can be found under the bonnet. Don’t let the Category A compliant output fool you – the car actually feels decently punchy. It wouldn’t trouble a proper sports car obviously, but is pacey enough to outdrag most commuter cars on our roads.

In the twisties, the suspension does a decent job in mitigating excessive levels of body roll, though the comfort-oriented steering does sap significant levels of road feedback. Again, not likely to be a huge concern for buyers of the ORA Good Cat, as they’d probably prioritise ride comfort and range over power and performance.

And on the subject of range, if you ran its 63 kWh battery to empty, it’d easily do about 400 kilometres. There’s still potential to eek out a bit more mileage – a one pedal mode is available but not activated by default. The UI of the infotainment screen isn’t the most intuitive, so it’d take you some time to navigate through the sub-menus to turn it on.

Also, unlike many of its Chinese rivals, the ORA Good Cat’s tyres are from a reputable brand. It appears that local tyre company Giti is an OE supplier to the ORA brand, and also plays a huge role in the car’s overall compliance and driveability.

A Purr-suasive Package

The ORA Good Cat isn’t just good value as an electric car, it is good value full stop. With generous equipment levels, practical amounts of real-world range and all-round good looks, there’s little reason to not shortlist the ORA Good Cat if you’re in the market for a retro vehicle.

However, there’s still a chance that it’d take a while for ORA to actually shift units in sizeable quantities. Whilst Chinese cars have already shrugged off their former cheap clone reputation, the fact remains that Singaporeans take quite a while to warm up to new brands.

We strongly suggest you approach the ORA Good Cat with an open mind. And you’d find a car that is a properly Purr-suasive package!

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