Deepal G318 2025 review - International preview drive

There’s a major highway in China that runs from Shanghai in the east to Zhangmu in the west, over 5000km, up to the Nepalese border. And, believe it or not, this car is named after it… the G318. It’s a range-extender electric vehicle that’s under evaluation for Australia.

In fact, Deepal Australia says this upright, off-road-capable five-seater, offered in two- and four-wheel drive in its home market is “under strong consideration” for local sale and CarsGuide was invited to steer it at Deepal’s parent company, Changan’s circa-1500 hectare proving ground in Chongqing, China.

It’s rumoured to be heading for right-hand-drive production for the UK, and if it comes to Australia it will be the four-wheel-drive version that we get. It’s available with multiple off-road modes and has standard air suspension.

Given the G318 hasn’t been confirmed for Australia, anything related to pricing and specification can only be speculative. But for broad comparative purposes in the domestic market it’s offered in multiple grades stretching from the equivalent of AUD$38,500 for the two-wheel drive, entry-level model all the way up to $69,000 for the top-spec, all-wheel-drive version.

In domestic trim, features included on the 4WD flagship include LED exterior lighting (with auto headlights and intelligent high beam), a panoramic sunroof, heated/folding exterior mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat (four-way on the passenger side), climate control air, adaptive cruise, 10.25-inch instrument display, 14.6-inch central media screen, 16-speaker audio (with four-zone karaoke!), 20-inch alloy rims and more.

At a fraction over five metres long (5010mm), close to 2.0m wide (1985mm) and 1.9m tall (1895mm), with a 2880mm wheelbase, this is a full-size five-seater with a similar footprint to the Toyota LandCruiser Prado.

It has a classically upright look with a minimum ground clearance of 210mm; the standard air suspension on upper grades able to lift that by a further 30mm.

The bluff nose and C-shape cyborg-style headlight treatment give the car a distinctive appearance while retaining a traditional 4WD stance and overall proportions, reinforced by prominent side cladding and over-fenders as well as a side-opening rear door with externally mounted full-size alloy spare.

Quad spotlights in the standard roof rack dial up the macho factor and Jeep-style design Easter eggs include a profile of the car in negative relief on the wheels.   

And despite plush (quilted) synthetic suede and synthetic leather trim the interior is closer to traditional than some of its Deepal stablemates.

In the front of the G318, you’ve got a relatively conventional set-up in the sense that there is a physical instrument display (albeit a 10.25-inch digital screen) as well as a 14.6-inch central media screen. There’s also a sensible mix of on-screen functions and physical controls. 

For storage, bins in the doors are pretty generous. There is a glove box over on the passenger side. There’s a pair of (roller covered) cupholders, a tray for two phones (including 50W wireless charging), a deep bin between the seats and a large additional bay under the console with USB connectivity.

In the back, for me at 183cm tall there’s acres of legroom, tons of headroom and in terms of practicality, there are pockets in the front seatbacks and individual ventilation for backseaters, which is always welcome.

There are decent bins in the doors, a fold-down centre armrest with a couple of cupholders and a slot for a phone or hand-held game console.

Speaking of armrests, there are USB-C sockets in the rear armrests, which is handy.

Boot volume is a healthy 818 litres with the 60/40 split-folding rear seat upright and a cavernous 1747L with it folded down.

Happily, the tailgate opens left to right which works well for access when parallel parking on the left-hand side of the road. Maximum braked trailer towing capacity in China is 1600kg.

As mentioned, the Deepal G318 is offered with a choice of single-motor rear-wheel drive (185kW/310Nm) and dual-motor all-wheel drive (316kW/572Nm) in China, with the latter in the frame for Australian sale.

Also on-board is a 1.5-litre, turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine acting purely as a generator for the drive battery without any connection to the drive wheels.

The all-wheel-drive G318 with air suspension boasts a WLTP pure-electric range of 138km, with an official fuel consumption figure of 7.7L/100km contributing to a combined petrol-electric range in excess of 1000km. The drive battery is a 35kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) unit and claimed 30-80 per cent charging time is 30 minutes.

In terms of the drive experience, this isn’t the type of car you’d typically pitch through your favourite set of corners but overall the G318 feels pretty composed. 

We drove it on Changan’s test facility in China, over a variety of surfaces - curves, straights, bumps, undulations, potholes… you name it.

And it feels well buttoned down. The steering is light but quite accurate. Not exactly the last word in road feel, though.

Part of that may be down to running on 18-inch snow/ice tyres, so, there’s that. With Australian spec likely to include 20-inch rims on more conventional rubber, we’ll reserve judgement for a drive on local soil.

Acceleration is pretty rapid with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 6.5 seconds for the 4WD and the 1.5-litre engine firing up occasionally is really unobtrusive.

Suspension is by double wishbones at the front and a five-link arrangement at the rear with the air suspension adding ‘Soft’ and ‘Hard’ settings as well as height adjustment. Worth noting an ‘Active Magic’ function scans the road ahead making micro-adjustments to the air suspension in line with upcoming conditions.

The 4WD powertrain includes a rear and (virtual) central diff lock as well as five terrain modes (‘Wading’, ‘Snow’, ‘Rugged’, ‘Mud’ and ‘Sand’) plus an impressive, if brutal on tyres, ‘standing turn around’ tank-turn style function, recommended for loose surfaces only.

Braking is by ventilated discs all around with regen in support.

We’ll have to wait for details on safety tech if and when the G318 is confirmed for Australia but the 4WD model in the home market is equipped with auto emergency braking (AEB with vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian recognition), lane assist, blind-spot detection, lane-change assist, rear cross-traffic alert, driver fatigue alert and more.   

And stand by for high-level assisted driving with multiple cameras, radars and Lidar sensors on board.

The airbag count runs to eight (dual front, front and rear side and side curtain) and there are two ISOFIX anchor points for child seats in the rear.

Expect Deepal to cover the G318 with the brand’s seven-year/160,000km warranty with 12 months roadside assist and separate eight-year/240,000km drive battery cover. Capped-price servicing will almost certainly be offered.