GWM has a knack for coming up with quirky car names. From the same company that brought the world the Wingle, the Cool Bear, the King Kong Cannon, the Florid, and the Big Dog comes this: the Ora Good Cat. Only, it’s no longer the Good Cat; it’s the Funky Cat. No, scratch that. It’s now known as the Ora 03. Ultimately, credit goes to the Chinese brand’s global ambitions for the very sensible name change, all of which happened in the last five years or so. Whatever you decide calling it—Good, Funky, or otherwise, the product is a cutesy, retro-styled compact hatchback that’s full of design flair, but saddled by forgettable dynamics and an overprotective ADAS system.
Starting with what GWM got right: the styling. The Ora 03 is penned by former Porsche designer Emanuel Derta. True enough, squint hard enough, and you’ll see influences of the 911, especially with those round headlights. Even more impressive, GWM beat the German sportscar maker by cramming all the lighting elements—headlights, DRLs, and signal indicators—into the two round receptacles. And instead of going half-assed, the Ora 03 fully embraced its retro look with the curvy door panels, the flower-like pattern of the 18-inch wheels, and even the use of white as the contrasting color element, at least when paired with the Bluish Beige or Aurora Green.
The rear continues with the same curvy look as the front end, but it is, admittedly, a bit disjointed. Still, kudos for going with the Cyclops-like full length lightbar. It’s bold and different; just like the rest of the car then.
Typically, Chinese brands deliver heaps of exterior style, but falter when it comes to the interior treatment. That’s not the case with the Ora 03. Just as its funky exterior suggests, the cabin is just as so. Again, credit goes to GWM’s designers for coming up with something so bananas. The brown and beige color scheme is a pain to maintain as evidenced by the stains of denim on the seats and the greasy residue left on the ceiling and seatbelts. But at least it lends it an airy, inviting atmosphere. It’s also a great icebreaker for anyone who’d be coming along for a ride in your Funky Cat.
Like the MG 4, there’s no dedicated power switch here. Instead, it’s ready to move once it detects someone sitting on the driver’s seat. Vice-versa, it switches off after a predetermined amount of time—customizable via the infotainment system—after the doors are all locked. The seating position is comfortable enough, but feels more raised than its exterior proportions suggest. This tells you immediately where the high-voltage battery’s located. Visibility in all directions, save out of the rear glass, is good with the pillars never obstructing the field of view. The dinky rear glass, however, can be an issue, especially when the Ora 03’s fully loaded with people. There are no rear wipers too. Thankfully, parking sensors, a high-res 360-degree camera, and blind spot indicators are standard issue.
At just 4,235 mm in length, you’d probably expect the Ora 03 to be excruciatingly tight inside. But, thanks to stellar packaging, it’s as roomy as a standard hatchback or sedan, maybe even better. The flat, clutter-free floor helps it swallow five adults easily and comfortably with enough leg, shoulder, and headroom to spare. There are also some helpful storage compartments, including a wireless charger conveniently located by the lidded center armrest.
Problems? Two. The first, and a minor one is the lack of any rear AC vents. The second, and a major shortcoming is the tiny trunk space. At just 228 liters with the rear seats up, any trip to a big box store poses a major challenge. What’s worse is that the opening itself is oddly shaped and together with plenty of wheel arch protrusions mean wider objects require some careful contorting to get inside. There is a small storage space underneath, but it’s just enough to fit the tools, the fire extinguisher (yes, it comes with one), and the fix-a-flat sealant.
It's great that GWM paid close attention to giving the Ora 03 nice-enough interior materials. Wish the same can be said with the on-board electronics. The dual 10.25-inch screens do look nice and all, but the responsiveness of the infotainment system leaves a lot to be desired. Actions that would have been simple, like adjusting the cabin temperature, require at least going through two menus. It gets worse when using Apple CarPlay. It’ll require the driver to exit that first since these specialized interfaces take the entire screen. And when using Waze, it has difficulty pinpointing its exact location. At times, it’ll even display a random location in China. Sorry, GWM. If you are trying to hack my phone, all you’ll see are a thousand pug pics.
With a name that supposedly stands for, “Open, Reliable, and Alternative” it tells you to lower your expectations regarding the Ora 03’s on-road manners. True enough, while it is happiest in town, it’s not exactly the best or most confident long-distance tourer out there.
At anytime you add speed into the mix, things get tricky for the Ora 03. Bury the throttle and it’s easy to make the wheels chirp at low speeds, even when driving straight on a dry road. Add some steering angle, and for a split second, you’ll be sawing on the steering wheel just to regain control. Through a decently twisty road, it’ll handle more like a tall SUV rather than a hatchback thanks to its plentiful amounts of body roll and lean. The slow, light steering also robs it of any feeling of agility too. All weird considering the platform bears some relation, albeit distant, with the new Mini Cooper Electric. The ride itself is also firm, with a particularly harsh rebound. Still, it’s generally never uncomfortable. And at least the brake pedal feel is reasonably solid.
As for the powertrain itself, 169 horsepower is a decent number. GWM says an 8.3-second 0 to 100 km/h time, but because of the instant torque, it subjectively feels faster than that. There’s more telltale whine that reaches the ear compared to other EVs, but never enough to get annoying. Three drive modes and varying regen brake levels, including a one-pedal mode are available. Keeping everything at its default Normal mode means being able to hit around 400 kilometers of range between charges—close to its quoted 420-kilometer WLTP range. Charging is easy enough since it uses the widely-accepted CCS Type 2 standard.
However, a problem here is that the charging gun can only be pulled out if the Ora 03 detects no current passing through the wall box to the car. You won’t be able to pull the gun out even if the wall box is on standby (non-charging mode). This is alright for all you home chargers out there since you can simply turn the circuit breaker off. This could be a potential issue when you’re using a public charger.
Another annoyance is with the Ora 03’s ADAS: it’s way too overbearing to the point that it’s an annoyance. In a chaotic environment such as Metro Manila, the constant bombardment of incessant chimes, beeps, and warnings, will test any driver’s patience. It’s admissible when you’re parking or driving through tight confines, but given that the sensors activate even when it detects an object more than three feet (100 centimeters away), sometimes you’ll wish you could simply turn everything off (you can, but this defeats the purpose). Or drive the Ora 03 through a brick wall. Yes, it’s that goddamn frustrating.
No doubt the GWM Ora 03 makes for a great conversation starter, and if that’s its only job, then it’s aced it. This EV’s attractive for its cutesy design, livable interior space, and for as long it’s confined to driving within the city, it’s good enough. However, once it enters deeper discourse, its flaws and shortcomings all come out, especially considering its close to P 1.8-million price tag. Saddled by mistakes here and there; errors like the small luggage space, the clunky infotainment, the disconnected driving experience, the annoying ADAS, to name just a few make it a tough sell in a field of increasingly competitive battery electric vehicles.
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2025 GWM Ora 03 500 |
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| Bottom Line | |
| Pros | Cutesy design. Solid materials, fit & finish. Interior room. |
| Cons | Dinky trunk space. Lackluster driving dynamics. Annoying ADAS. |
| TL;DR | A great conversation starter for its design, but it just can't hold up to deeper discourse. |
| Ownership | |
| Year Introduced | 2024 |
| Warranty |
7 years / 200,000
kilometers 8 years / 200,000 kilometers (Battery + Motor + Motor Control) |
| The Basics | |
| Body Type | Compact |
| Seating | 5 |
| Engine / Drive | F/F |
| Under the Hood | |
| Motor Type | Permanent Magnet Synchronous |
| Maximum Output (BHP) | 169 |
| Maximum Torque (Nm) | 250 |
| Battery Size (kWh) | 63 (59.3 usable) |
| Architecture (V) | 400 |
| Range, WLTP (km) | 420 |
| Range, As Tested (km) | 406 |
| Energy Consumption (km/kWh) |
6.84 (Average speed: 18 km/h) 8.26 (Average speed: 54 km/h) |
| Estimated Charging Time, 1-Phase AC (0-100%) | 11 hours |
| Estimated Charging Time, DC (10-80%) | 0.8 hours |
| Charge Port | Type 2 / CCS |
| Transmission | Single Speed AT |
| Cruise Control | Yes, Adaptive |
| Dimensions and Weights | |
| Length (mm) | 4,235 |
| Width (mm) | 1,825 |
| Height (mm) | 1,603 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2,650 |
| Curb Weight (kg) | 1,580 |
| Suspension and Tires | |
| Front Suspension | Independent, MacPherson Strut |
| Rear Suspension | Torsion Beam |
| Front Brakes | Vented Disc |
| Rear Brakes | Disc |
| Parking Brake | Electronic, w/ Auto Hold |
| Tires |
Giti GitiComfort 225 215/50 R 18 V (f & r) |
| Recommend Tire Pressure (PSI) | 36 all |
| Wheels | Alloy |
| Safety Features | |
| Airbags | 6 |
| Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) | Yes, with EBD |
| Traction / Stability Control | Yes |
| Parking Sensors | Yes, Front & Rear |
| Parking Camera | Yes, 360 |
| Front Seatbelts | 3-pt ELR w/ pre-tensioners x 2 |
| Rear Seatbelts | 3-pt ELR w/ pre-tensioners x 3 |
| ISOFIX Child Seat Anchor | Yes |
| Advanced Driver Assist System |
Automatic Emergency
Braking w/ Junction Assist Forward Collision Warning Intelligent Cornering Control Lane Center Keeping Assist Lane Departure Warning Traffic Jam Assist Traffic Sign Recognition |
| Other Safety Features |
Hill Descent Control Blind Spot Warning Rear Cross Traffic Assist Door Open Warning |
| Exterior Features | |
| Headlights | LED |
| Fog Lamps | Yes, Rear (LED) |
| Light Operation | Auto |
| Wiper Operation | Rain-sensing |
| Tailgate | Electronic |
| Interior Features | |
| Steering Wheel Adjust | Tilt/Telescopic |
| Steering Wheel Material | Leather |
| Seating Adjustment (driver) | Electric, 6-way, Vented, Massaging w/ Memory |
| Seating Adjustment (front passenger) | Electric, 6-way, Vented, Massaging |
| Seating Surface | Leather |
| 2nd Row | 60/40 Split-Fold w/ Center Armrest |
| 3rd Row | None |
| Sunroof | Panoramic |
| Multi-Information Display / Size | Yes, 10.25-inch |
| Convenience Features | |
| Power Steering | Yes |
| Power Door Locks | Yes |
| Power Windows | Yes |
| Power Mirrors | Yes, w/ Fold |
| Rear View Mirror | Auto-dimming |
| Proximity Key | Yes |
| Climate Control | Automatic |
| Audio System |
Stereo USB Type A Bluetooth |
| Wireless Charger | Front |
| Infotainment Display / Size | Yes, 10.25-inch |
| Smartphone Connectivity |
Apple CarPlay, Wireless Android Auto |
| # of Speakers | 6 |
| Steering Controls | Yes |
It seems like most if not all Chinese car brands fail and need significant improvement on the driving dynamics part?
ReplyDeleteYeah. Chinese brands, typically, still need work when it comes to dynamics. The best one, from a driver's perspective, is probably the Lynk & Co, Geely models using the CMA platform from Volvo.
DeleteThe common answer I've heard from car journalists is that in China having a driver is very common so they've focused a lot on passenger experience over driving dynamics. Feedback from outside China has prompted a good number of Chinese car companies to improve (or promise to) their driving dynamics but they're still mostly not there yet.
Delete... there's a king kong cannon named car?
ReplyDeleteThe local Cannon is actually named, "King Kong Cannon" in China.
DeleteJuly, hope you can review the Zeekr 001 and check its driving dynamics (Zeekr is also under the Geely group and co-developed with Volvo).
ReplyDeleteIf they let me LOL.
DeleteThe charging removal issue is a major issue. Imagine turning on and off your circuit breaker everytime you have to pull the plug. Good luck to ladies and young drivers tinkering with the breaker switch
ReplyDeleteYeah, that sounds annoying. Hopefully it's something that an OTA update can fix and not something baked into the hardware.
DeleteAs with most EVs, it's probably just going to be a matter of updating the software. The amount of scratch and chip marks near the charging port tells me that people who've borrowed the 03 in the past experienced the same issue. They probably panicked and tried prying off the charger.
Delete