First Drive: Are Omoda & Jaecoo ready for redemption?

Omoda & Jaecoo Track Day at BRC

A Chinese automaker that doesn't have a high-performance car inviting the media to a racetrack is like a fish inviting for a walk on the beach. It doesn't make sense, but somehow Omoda & Jaecoo did.

Yes, performance cars would definitely be more at home at the Batangas Racing Circuit, but a track is a good place to also experience certain attributes of a vehicle -even SUVs- in a safe and controlled environment.

And then the rain came. Oh boy. This is going to get wild.

While Omoda & Jaecoo are two different brands in marketing, they are both under the same Chery International umbrella, and are even managed by the same people. 

This company had a rocky start in the local and world markets with faux pas after faux pas, but they're persistent. They want to do well, and they want a second chance to make a good first impression.

They lined up vehicles for us to test. There was the Jaecoo EJ6; an all-electric crossover SUV that has some interesting approaches to 4x4. There's also the rather sleek Omoda E5; also pure electric. And then there's the Omoda C5; a crossover that has been the subject of a lot of scrutiny last year over problematic manufacturing.

They say it's good now, and that they've ironed out the kinks. And today, we will find out.

The driving exercises began with an off-road test conducted on a dirt course with the EJ6, followed by the slalom and braking tests on the racetrack. The heavy rainfall will really spice up the entire day of driving. O&J can't fall flat again.

Off Road Intelligence

They had planned for a fairly straightforward off-road experience, but that was tossed out the window because of the heavy rain. The off-road course became extremely muddy and set the stage for the Jaecoo EJ6.

I've driven the EJ6 before in China, but we only got a taste of what it can do. After all this electric SUV has a very smart full-time AWD system with dual electric motors fore and aft. The combined output amounts to 279 PS and 385 Nm of torque. Substantial figures on paper that can actually be felt as it easily propelled the EJ6 to power out of muddy slopes and inclines.

The brilliant part is the 4WD system. Normally a 4x4 SUV on highway tires on this surface would get stuck at the first corner. That wasn't the case for the EJ6. The slippery terrain made for great sideways fun on every corner, but with the drive mode set to muddy, it automatically directed power to where there was most traction.

Street radial tires on this wet muddy surface might as well be slicks on a wet racetrack, but somehow the EJ6 was easily power-sliding (yes, power-sliding) and making it through. 

Slalom test

The prepared course started by accelerating into a short straight leading to a wide left-hand U-turn and diving into a series of chicanes for two rounds. It may seem short, but it’s enough to demonstrate the Omoda E5's handling characteristics by simulating emergency maneuvers. 

Driving under wet track conditions, the E5 proved to be nimble while avoiding the pylons and executing quick U-turns. The steering felt nice even though there wasn't much in the way of the steering feel.

Yes the E5 handles well, though there is a decent amount of body roll.

Heavy Braking Test

Last year, Omoda became the subject of criticism over claims that customers had issues with brakes and the rear suspension. But that wasn't our experience here.

The series of heavy braking exercises demonstrated the Omoda C5's capabilities by simulating a series of panic brake situations from two different braking points along with a brake and evade maneuver.

The brake and evade exercise entailed bringing the C5 up to 45 km/h and literally required slamming on the brakes with full force while evading the pylons. Suffice it to say, the brakes, tires, and ABS performed exceptionally well on all tests without skidding even under wet road conditions. 

Bottom Line 

Omoda & Jaecoo has promise. They seem to have decent vehicles with loads of technology as far as we can tell from the brief experience. What they really need to do is keep making good impressions and positive forward steps to get past the series of incidents that played a key role in delaying and hampering their introduction.

They're already working through it, and are building a strong dealer network for visibility, sales, and aftersales. They have a fighting chance, but they need to build customer trust. And that takes a lot of time.