Ora is the latest electric brand of Great Wall Motor and we have the first model available in Europe named Funky Cat. In certain markets, the unorthodox name was eventually changed to Ora03, but in some markets it still goes with the feline Monica. In several markets in Asia and Australia, the Funky Cat is one of the cheapest EV products, explaining why it is such a common sight on the street. In Europe, where taxes significantly increase prices, things look quite different, so we'll see if the car can rival the tougher competition that comes with it. Ola Funky Cat is a small hatchback model that claims excellent urban mobility that sounds great for low-cost EVs.
The quirky styling combined with rich standard equipment makes the funky cat stand out as well. Our test model today is Ora Funky Cat with a smaller 48kWh battery pack and those 45.4kWh are really ready to use. It has a single motor that delivers 171 hp and 250nm to the front wheels. The larger 63kWh version offers the same output, obviously quite a long range. Ola's styling has a happy-looking face, as it provides a well thought out mixture of several different styles for a pretty interesting final product, so from the key front view, the funky cat really seems to be laughing. It's refreshing to see the company not go for the most sneaky, angriest look possible. Soft lines flow cleanly to each other for a simple, yet elegant overall design.
The funky cat is very similar to the mini Cooper, but it is obvious. We had the opportunity to film it other than that, and the similarity is mysterious. But funky has enough of its own identity to avoid rebranding to copy the cat. There's a lot of chrome that highlights different design elements that match retro and futuristic. On the front up there are some honeycomb-looking dimples that look as if the funky cat is blushing, and the general cute Ola logo on the front is a huge exclamation point, placed prominently in the center of the front bumper. From the sides and rear 3/4, the Ora Funky cat looks similar to the first generation Nissan Leaf, albeit with some softer lines.
The minimum ground clearance of 135 mm is not impressive, but it is necessary to overcome most urban obstacles. TThe rear of the Ola Funky Cat follows a different design language than the rest of the car, but the contrast somehow works neatly. The huge LED bar is all you get in terms of lighting on the back. It's built into the rear window, so it's almost invisible when you're not using the lights. The same housing houses a turn signal and brake lights, and only a third brake light sits at the top of the window. There is a huge ORA label in the middle of the back. This makes the rear look like empty, but it is well simplified. The lower part of the rear has an accent similar to the F1 diffuser, but it's obviously just for the show.
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Ora Funky Cat features a modern cabin with plenty of cool features and a surprising amount of space. The majority of materials are nice, with just a few cheap and creaking plastics. The interior design is suitable for much more expensive vehicles. You can choose bold and bright colors like red and tan red or green, which will make the funky cat even more funky. When you first enter Ora Funky Cat you are faced with 2 spokes and a large round steering wheel with an exclamation mark logo in the middle. The buttons on the steering wheel control the readout of the stereo and gauge clusters. Sadly, the updated version of the Funky Cat has a touch-sensitive button compared to the older models that come with the regular model.
These new modernized buttons don't work too well, which makes it very difficult to press the buttons you need. It gets frustrating easily and needs to be addressed as most of these controls are used on a daily basis. A clever integration is the addition of a programmable "Favorites" button on both sides of the steering wheel. You can choose from multiple different options of these buttons and you do not need to scroll through the menu for the most frequently performed actions. Behind the steering wheel is a digital gauge cluster. It is also part of a single unit that houses a multimedia screen in the center. It has so high resolution and all readouts are sharp and easy to read.
On the left side of the steering wheel attached to the A-pillar is an array of sensors that monitor the interior of the Funky Cat. If it detects a lack of attention to the road, it tracks the driver and the signal. It also monitors the seats of forgotten items and people when leaving the car. At the bottom of the screen is a chrome climate vent that spans the entire dashboard to create an upscale visual experience. Such a touch is a major selling point for Ora, helping it stand out in a positive way. The center console is occupied by 5 huge toggle switches - another 1 element that is very reminiscent of a mini car. Here, these buttons have different purposes.
They control climate control and hazard lights. The entire panel appears to fit the extravagant design of the funky cat, amplifying the attention to detail put into the car. At the bottom of the center console is an empty storage space with 2 USB-a outlets and cigarette lighter style plugs. It's a bit disappointing that there's no Usb-C charger on board, and the Ora is out of date in that respect. The selector is also devoid of weight, and using it is not as pleasant as its appearance suggests. The Ora Funky Cat seat is soft and offers seat heating, cooling and massage functions, while it offers almost no lateral support. These are features that you rarely find in this price range, or in the class above it, and funky cats are happy to include them as standard.
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Both seat and door sill quilt leather details and bring a cozy feel to the interior. Sadly, at night there is no ambient lighting, and the cabin feels dark and not impressive. Only the middle screen lights up, and the par of the course of the class is not inline with Ola's attempt to place a funky cat in a lifestyle product. The rear seats offer the same design and material, but very little in terms of functional elements. All they get is an armrest with 2 cup holders and 1 USB-a outlet. There is no climate vent, not to mention climate control in the rear. But the space behind is generous. The Ora Funky cat handles nice and tackles corners with confidence and makes it easy thanks to its low weight and low center of gravity.
But it tilts a lot and has a significant body roll that is uncomfortable, even if the car remains planted and predictable. Ora is also smooth and comfortable when going around the city, allowing you to relax behind the wheel. Even in sports mode, comfort is a top priority and you can enjoy a soft and smooth ride wherever you go. The downside is that the steering wheel gives little or no feedback. It's the standard for city-oriented cars, but in this case it's probably taken too far and almost shows what's going on under the tires. Maneuverability is not impressive, because the motor sits between the front wheels and takes up a lot of space. You also need to turn the steering wheel a lot to actually move the wheel in your desired direction. U-turns and narrow parking squeeze can be a chore and the competition is doing a much better job in this sector.
Moreover, the built-in navigation was started and could not correctly identify our location. It started by putting us on the next street where we actually were, and gradually proceeded to put the arrow in a completely different city, more than 40 kilometers from our place. Back to the more positive side of the funky cat - you can permanently turn off the lane keeping and speed limit assist. They are very annoying, and when turned on they always beep at high-pitched frequencies, so you can imagine that most people take advantage of the option to disable them.
Funky Cat does not have any breakthrough features, but it has a lot of features that are either completely missing from its competitors or are offered only as an expensive option. Ora makes the entire feature set available as standard, meaning customization is only about battery size and color options. But not all features work well - bugs and glitches were occurring every day while testing funky cats. The welcome show will be displayed every time you enter the funky cat after it is locked, and the koi fish will be shown "swimming" around both displays to brighten the mood. This is sometimes somewhat annoying because the multimedia display handles most of the features that funky cats offer and requires you to press multiple times to select basic functions like a seat heater, and 2 more times to turn on the massage function.
All climate control functions are also hidden in the submenu, but fortunately, on the left side of the multimedia is always a quick button that remains in place, you can easily make quick adjustments to climate control, but if you want to control something other than fan speed and temperature, you need to dive into the detailed menu. The main menu hosts a set of shortcuts for different settings.This is useful for the general lack of normal buttons. Above the shortcut, on the same display, there is also a frequently used menu, which you can easily access at any time. The connection is limited because Apple Car Play or Android Auto is not available at this time. For now, you just get a Bluetooth connection and some built-in applications like Reuters website, Deezer and Radionline.
There is an interesting diagram showing that the funky cat options provide information about each. It's an unorthodox choice for what is essentially a user manual, but it's done more like a game, encouraging owners to learn what their car has to offer. As we mentioned, navigation had problems locating us, which in turn caused navigation problems. But even worse, the general design of navigation systems is complex and littered with unnecessary information, making it difficult to see important bits, such as where you need to turn. One of the great features of Ora Funky Cat is that it has a 360 degree camera with perfect visibility. The image is transparent and you can choose multiple viewing angles. The car itself also creates a "clear" floor under the vehicle, allowing you to remember the path you have moved along the top and avoid any obstacles you may have forgotten this is another area where ola has a master.
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