While Malaysian debut of the Ora Good Cat is uncertain, Thailand will be launching the EV soon and our colleague, Pisan, over at AutoFun has had a go at it.

Exterior – Retro-yet-futuristic look

The Ora Good Cat attributes its good looks to former Porsche designer Emanuel Derta, which explains the Porsche-inspired look and feel of the overall car. Pisan from AutoFun adores the retro yet futuristic design.

However, he pointed out that the indicator lights as well as the reverse light are mounted too low. Driving behind a Good Cat around town would usually mean that those lights are out of sight. Bringing them up to eye level would be better appreciated.

Interior – Spacious and minimalistic

The interior was praised for its elegant and minimalistic design. Material quality is respectable, with fabrics used on parts of the upper half of the cabin, though the bottom half uses less-expensive-feeling hard plastics.

The dual-widescreen setup, with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment display and a 7-inch digital instrument display, complements the interior with its premium-like design.

However, there are a few aspects of the interior that were criticised. First of which is the lack of telescopic adjustment for the steering wheel, taller individuals may struggle to find a comfortable driving position. Also, the seat belt lacks height adjustment.

Other niggles include an awkward-to-access cupholder on the door, omission of rear air vents, and only one charging port for the rear passengers.

Driving experience - Next-level convenience

One neat feature of the Ora Good Cat is the Smart Key and QuickStart system. Push start button is a thing of the past now; all you need to do hold the brake pedal until the screen displays “Ready” and you’re good to go. When the car parked, just flick it into neutral, get out, and lock the car. It’s that convenient.

As for the driving experience itself, it’s an easy-to-drive everyday car with decent acceleration at city speeds from its 145 PS/210 Nm electric motor. The steering was praised for its accuracy and manoeuvrability is around town is excellent as well.

Ride Comfort - Can be improved

Pisan noted that vibrations from the suspension are quite evident over rough roads, especially for the rear passengers. A more refined suspension tuning will be appreciated.

The front seats lack thigh support and without telescopic adjustment on the steering wheel, the seating position may prove to be fatiguing over long-distance journeys.

Sound insulation could be better as tyre and wind noises are quite apparent. Without a traditional combustion engine to mask some of the noises, the effect felt amplified. Pisan attributed the noise to the tyres and mentioned that changing to a quieter set of tyres should help with the overall ride comfort.

Charging speed and range

The Ora Good Cat is offered in three variants – 400 Tech, 400 Pro, and 500 Ultra. The numerical part of the name denotes their maximum driving range in km.

The 400 Tech and Pro are supplied by a 47.8 kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery (LFP), whereas the 500 Ultra gets a larger 63.1 kWh ternary lithium battery (having Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt as the cathode material).

The Ora Good Cat supports DC fast charging of up to 60 kW and AC charging of up to 6.6 kW. Below highlights the charging times:

Also read: What is CHAdeMO and CCS? Everything you need to know about charging EVs

Conclusion

Its pleasing design, inside and out, is one of the attractive points of the Ora Good Cat. It’s also decently equipped as well, with a raft of ADAS features depending on variant. Aspects that can be improved include ride comfort, interior ergonomics, and few amenities.

Considering its price point however, our colleague noted that the Good Cat would be a decent choice for a first EV.

The Ora Good Cat is slated to be launched in Thailand on 29-October. Prices are estimated to be around THB 849k to THB 1.049m (around RM 125k).

Also read: All you need to know about the RM125k Ora Good Cat