2025 Omoda C9 review: Quick drive

Perth Now

13 hours ago

Chery, the massive Chinese automotive manufacturing conglomerate, has already made inroads into our market by launching a variety of vehicles under its own banner. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
Now, it's rolling out its Omoda Jaecoo brand, which it's calling a step above its namesake brand. And while Omoda Jaecoo showrooms only have Jaecoo-badged SUVs for now, they'll be joined in August by the Omoda C9.
This plug-in hybrid (PHEV) large SUV aims to offer Volvo XC60– or BMW X3-like levels of luxury, interior space, equipment and performance, but at the sort of prices you might expect to pay for a mid-spec Volkswagen Tiguan.
We got our first taste of the car on the south coast of the UK (badged as simply the 'Omoda 9 SHS' for that market), to see how impressive – or otherwise – this incoming Omoda truly is.
We don't know yet, but there's every likelihood the Omoda C9 could start somewhere close to the ballpark of the top-spec Jaecoo J7 SHS, which is priced at $47,990 drive-away. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
However, there are a few things to temper the hope that the C9 will land around $50,000: one, the C9 is a physically bigger and longer car than the J7; and two, the PHEV powertrain in the C9 is considerably more powerful and long-legged than the one in the J7.
So the C9 PHEV will cost more but, nevertheless, we'd be mighty surprised if the Omoda C9 SHS wasn't considerably cheaper than the $102,500 (plus on-road costs) you need to park your backside in a BMW X3 30e xDrive PHEV, for instance.
Therefore we'll reserve final judgement on the new Chinese SUV's value equation until we know for sure how much it's going to cost, and precisely what kit we'll get for our money.
There are two types of Chinese car interiors these days, starting with the ones built down to a cheaper price, which normally rely on some kind of gimmick – like a rotating centre screen, for example – to make them interesting. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
The second type is a well-appointed, luxurious cabin that clearly takes inspiration from established and premium European marques. Happily, the C9's passenger compartment falls into this category.
You climb aboard to be greeted by a swish-looking, solidly put-together main fascia, complemented by some large, deep-bolstered chairs finished in what looks like leather (it's synthetic, rather than real hide, but it's convincing enough as these things go) and then topped off with fancy stitching patterns – echoed in the door cards – that are designed to bring an element of grandiosity to proceedings.
In the main, this works, especially when you finally sit behind the (properly) leather-trimmed steering wheel and start experiencing all of the main touchpoints and all of the surface finishes, none of which seem obviously subpar.
Technology is handled by a whopping great 24.6-inch curved display which features both the main touchscreen infotainment and the TFT driver's cluster, but Omoda Jaecoo is also proud to say there are no fewer than 53 physical buttons and controls in the C9's cabin – great news for anyone experiencing digital fatigue in modern-era car interiors. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
There's also a potent 50-Watt, cooled wireless smartphone charging pad, which you're going to want to employ because you'll inevitably be using the wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity as the proprietary infotainment system is not great.
It's one of those typically confusing systems with too many menus, not enough logical order to where various settings and controls ought to be, and a fiddly, somewhat laggy response rate to prods of the screen.
Furthermore, there's a weird trip computer in the C9 which will only ever show you your last 50km of fuel and electricity consumption, and you can't reset it no matter what you do. Bizarre.
Generally, though, the cabin and the main displays are largely very good, even if the high central construct ramping down from beneath the central screen and running towards the back of the car feels somewhat constrictive to front-passenger space. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
Practicality isn't an issue, though, as there is plenty of legroom and a completely flat floor in the rear of the passenger compartment, which means three adults might just be able to travel side-by-side in the second row if needs be.
However, headroom in the outer two seats can be limited if the occupants sit slightly outboard, because the roof curves in quite noticeably above the doors towards the panoramic roof up top.
At the back is a sizeable 660-litre boot, rising to 1783L with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped down. The Chinese firm also offers three full ISOFIX child seat anchors on the back bench, recognising thatfamilies will be the end users of this vehicle.
But despite its sheer physical size – it's nearly 4.8 metres long – there isn't a seven-seat option for the C9. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
Depending on the market, the Omoda C9 – also sold as the RX or Yaoguang by Chery's premium Exeed brand – is offered with turbocharged petrol power or a choice of two plug-in hybrid powertrains with two or three electric motors respectively. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
Our UK-spec tester uses the familiar Chery-sourced turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, alongside its unusual '3DHT' (dedicated hybrid transmission) three-speed automatic gearbox and dual electric motors.
The difference here is that this system is much more powerful than it is in the related Jaecoo J7, summoning up peak outputs of 300kW and 700Nm. That's enough for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds, despite the bulky kerb weight of 2195kg.
There's also a bigger battery pack here, rated at 34.46kWh. This allows the Omoda to travel up to 150km on electric power alone, which is claimed to be among the longest EV ranges for any PHEV available globally right now, and when combined with the big 70L fuel tank the C9 should be capable of more than 1200km of total range with careful driving.
Due to the big battery pack and the oddities of WLTP testing, the official fuel consumption figure is somewhere south of a deeply impressive 2.0L/100km, but bear in mind Omoda Jaecoo would like you to work on the premise of 7.0L/100km, which is what the car will do when its battery is depleted as far as it will go.
On that basis, our recorded figure of 5.9L/100km across 80km of mixed-roads driving doesn't look too bad, although we obviously had lots of battery charge to play with from the off, while the traffic conditions on the test route were conducive to better fuel economy (ie: we weren't often going that quickly).
Recently sighted government approval documents in Australia show this market is set to get the even gruntier tri-motor PHEV powertrain, which offers total system outputs of 440kW and 915Nm.
Rather well, all told, and it's certainly one of the more assured, likeable efforts from China that we've tried so far. Of course, it's not perfect either, but it's a mainly positive dynamic report card. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
First of all, there's no doubting those 300kW and 700Nm output claims, because the Omoda C9 SHS does feel suitably rapid.
The three-speed transmission deserves particular praise, as the company claims it is seamless in operation and, from our brief experience of this UK-spec dual-motor car, it certainly feels it. Thus, driving the Omoda is merely a case of clicking the column-mounted shifter into D and then deciding just how much forward momentum you want with presses of the accelerator pedal.
If you decide you want a lot of it, then the C9 can oblige, with excellent traction from the dual motors and a real feeling of power, particularly when it comes to roll-on acceleration.
There are supposed to be three different modes for the Continuous Damper Control (CDC) adaptive suspension, the steering, the accelerator response and the brakes, but trying to find them involves going through the complex infotainment system – it's not the work of a moment to pick and choose your settings. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
We eventually found a system that allowed us to switch all of the above settings according to which drive mode we chose from the main central dial on the fascia, but there wasn't an awfully great degree of light and shade to any of the major inputs when going from Eco to Normal to Sport and then back again. We reckon most people will just leave the C9 in the middle of these, as it drives quite sweetly thus configured.
Certainly, the secondary ride and the impressive level of rolling refinement both serve to make this a comfortable car to travel long distances in.
It's supple and it's quiet, and there's not a great deal of movement in the shell of the SUV either, so you never feel like you're rolling around in an automotive waterbed. Granted, there are times the 20-inch wheels do thud through larger imperfections in the road, so the primary ride isn't quite as polished, yet the Omoda is perfectly fine for just ambling about the place at a leisurely speed.
The handling isn't quite so memorable, but it's not bad at all. The decent body control couples to lots of grip, ample traction and nicely weighted, reasonably accurate steering, so while you might not exactly enjoyhustling the C9 through the corners, it's more than capable of putting on a respectable show if you decide to get a move on. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
Our complaints, then, basically amount to some idiosyncrasies of the Omoda, such as hesitance when you're moving off from a standstill. Or brakes which felt wooden underfoot and too aggressive in their initial bite at lower speeds. Or a driver's seat which is too high-mounted and not quite comfortable enough in the coccyx region to worry Volvo's engineers any time soon.
All things considered, the Omoda felt nicely composed for most of the time we were behind its wheel, and it's definitely in the same sort of dynamic range as something like a Volkswagen Tiguan – itself a fairly safe and uninspiring thing to drive most of the time, but perfectly comfortable and amenable.
We'd expect a lengthy standard kit list for the Omoda C9 when it lands here, as that's a typical trait of 'new' Chinese manufacturers trying to break into fresh markets. Going on the car we tested overseas, we'd be hoping for some of the highlights below to make it into the Australian cars as standard. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
2025 Omoda C9 SHS equipment highlights: 24.6-inch curved display
50W wireless smartphone charging pad
20-inch alloy wheels
Adaptive electromagnetic suspension
LED exterior lighting
Leather-effect upholstery
Heated and ventilated seats, front and rear
Adaptive cruise control
Dual-zone climate control
14-speaker Sony surround sound system
Panoramic sunroof
Panoramic camera system
Keyless Go
Cruise control
With the car not tested by Euro NCAP or ANCAP and considering Omoda Jaecoo is not yet established as a manufacturer in its own right, we can't say exactly what safety spec the C9 will offer when it lands in this market. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
That said, the company confidently cites the fact that 20 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are fitted as standard to the SUV, and that products under the Chery and Jaecoo banners have picked up good safety ratings – most pertinently the related J7 SHS, which has a five-star Euro NCAP rating.
Again, we don't have exact details on aftersales provisions as Omoda does not exist here yet, but going on what Jaecoo offers we'd be disappointed if the C9 didn't come with the eight-year, unlimited-distance warranty that covers the J7 SHS, along with other impressive levels of customer back-up. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
It should obviously prove cheap to run compared to a straightforward petrol SUV, thanks to its PHEV drivetrain and big battery pack.
Speaking of which, Omoda offers DC fast-charging for its power packs at up to 70kW. This should see the battery go from 30-80 per cent of charge in as little as 25 minutes on the right connection.
And furthermore the clever hybrid system in the C9 ensures that the battery is never fully depleted – it always reserves some charge in the unit, and manages its self-charging functions carefully, so that the SUV can operate like a regular hybrid when the battery is low, rather than exhausting all of its useable capacity and then making its driver rely solely on the combustion engine for forward progress.
Despite being an unknown quantity – of sorts – here in Australia as a standalone auto brand, our first sample of the Omoda C9 SHS uses technology we're already familiar with from cars in the Chery and Jaecoo stables – even if we're likely to get an even more powerful tri-motor version. 2025 Omoda C9: Quick drive Credit: CarExpert
As tested, the Omoda C9 SHS is a convincing luxury SUV that, if the pricing and specifications are right once they're confirmed for our market, ought to be worth serious consideration.
Sure, it could do with some added engineering polish in certain areas, most specifically the brakes, and the driving experience is okay without being exceptional.
But there's plenty to recommend and much to like here – so much so that we're eager to try the Omoda C9 on home roads to really get the lay of the land.
MORE: 2025 Omoda C9: Flagship PHEV mid-size SUV locked in for Australia Powerful drivetrain
Spacious and well-equipped interior
Over 1200km of combined range Wooden-feeling brakes
Infotainment issues
Imperfect driving position