We like
Inoffensive styling, nicer cabin than plenty of rivals, lighter than most electric SUVs, will come loaded with technology and kit, expected to be priced under $50K

Room for improvement
No spare wheel, China-spec model’s suspension was sloppy (but will be retuned for our market), lots of unknowns around warranty, network and more

Overview

 

GEELY is the next Chinese brand to arrive in Australia with yet another midsize electric SUV; but this one promises to be a bit different to some of the other recent arrivals…

 

The Chinese mega business – which oversees Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, smart, Lynk & Co, Zeekr and more – is heading here with a plan to set up the Geely brand in its own right, and it will play alongside some of those other marques and, indeed, fight for sales with them.

 

However, the EX5 midsize SUV is expected to take a more mainstream approach, appealing to buyers who could currently be considering a petrol or diesel five-seat SUV – and that means, according to the local team, “approachable” pricing and a long standard spec list.

 

What that pricing will be remains to be seen, but the reality is that Geely can’t afford for the EX5 to be just another $55K electric SUV. Our understanding is that it will instead be positioned closer to the current price of the smaller BYD Atto 3 EV, which kicks off from $44,499 +ORCs.

 

That would align it near to the Leapmotor C10, which is also a larger-size model with a lower price (from $45,888 +ORCS), and well below the segment’s top-seller, the Tesla Model Y (from $55,900 +ORCs).

 

For the expected $45K-$49K range, there will be a host of standard equipment offered, too, including 19-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting, keyless entry, a panoramic glass roof, electric boot, a 15.4-inch touchscreen media system with sat nav, connected services and expected smartphone mirroring tech, 16-speaker Flyme sound system (including front headrest speakers), 10.0-inch driver info screen, head-up display, dual-zone climate control, and electrically adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation and massage functions.

 

The interior is a highlight, with some stunning finishes on offer and all the geek-friendly goodies you’d expect. The large infotainment screen has a fast processor and great resolution, and – while the menus weren’t in English – it was evident that the design of the menus is similar to other models, but like many it doesn’t have a volume or fan speed knob.

 

But the design of the cabin is cool and thoughtful, with all the requisite storage spots (including a large area beneath the centre console), and hopefully Geely offers a number of interior colour choices, as is the case on the China-spec models.

 

Rear seat space is exceptional, with enough room for me to sit behind my own driving position with heaps of space to spare. The seat itself is comfy – I was a backseat bandit for six hours, all told – but the suspension… well, we’ll get to that in a sec.

 

Boot space is decent at 461 litres, but that doesn’t include the massive under-floor storage well that is large enough to fit some bags or shopping. Aussie models will also feature a front trunk storage section, as well.

 

It is a bit smaller than the likes of the Leapmotor and Model Y, at 4615mm long, 1901mm wide and 1670mm tall, and it rides on a 2750mm wheelbase.

 

There are two battery packs offered for the EX5 in China, but it’s not yet clear if we will get the choice of the smaller, lower-range 49.5kWh pack (which has an optimistic CLTC range of 440km), or the 60.2kWh pack with a more realistic WLTP rated range of 430km.

 

Both packs are Geely’s new short-blade battery system, with lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) chemistry, and according to the brand the charging times are “best in class”. Even so, with a maximum DC charge rate of 100kW and a claimed “30 to 80 per cent charge in 20 minutes”, it’s not lightning fast.

 

AC charging is 11kW, meaning three-phase power is required in Australia to get the fastest recharge results.

 

The battery sends power to a front-mounted drive unit that weighs just 80kg, and the entire vehicle weighs approximately 1700kg with the larger battery. That motor produces 160kW and 320Nm, using a single-speed transmission and front-wheel drive, and has a claimed 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds.

 

It has all the expected safety gear, including AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control with lane keeping assistance, speed sign recognition, driver monitoring camera and much more. Geely says it will be tuning the ADAS systems to suit Australian requirements.

 

As for ownership? The brand says it knows it needs to hit the ground running with a strong warranty offer and a useful dealership presence – yes, it will have showrooms and salespeople, and there will be dedicated service locations as well, according to the brand.

 

Driving Impressions

 

It’s not every day that you get to drive a brand-new electric SUV, and even rarer to do so on an internationally-recognised race track. But that’s exactly what happened at this launch event in China at the Ningbo International Track. Yep, helmets and everything.

 

But it was made clear by the drive experience that this is no racing SUV. It’s just a legality that denies foreigners the chance to drive on actual roads.

 

The Chinese-market models on the track were not representative of the drive experience our cars will have, according to the business. There will be a different suspension tune that will be considerably firmer than the soft and wobbly setup in the models we drove.

 

Hopefully the brand unleashes the traction control invasiveness a little, too, as it was seriously sluggish when trying to exit a corner with some pace, making it feel like it had a lot less power than the numbers suggest.

 

The Australian tune will hopefully make some big differences to the drive experience, but we’ll have to wait until 2025 to see what the car feels like on our roads.