Chery Omoda5 vs Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

What's the difference?

The GT AWD successfully adds a performance spark to the city-sized Chery Omoda 5 SUV formula. It’s sprightly and stacks up well in terms of value and practicality. It’s also space-efficient, safety’s great and the ownership package is hard to beat.

That said, despite the shift to a multi-link rear suspension, ride comfort and the steering could be better. But overall, no rotten tomatoes here. This is a worthy contender that shows how far and how quickly Chery has progressed.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Plug-in Hybrid EV is an interesting inclusion for the brand, especially as it is typically considered a ‘value player’ in the market.

But with negligible real-world fuel consumption benefits if you drive beyond the limited EV range and a high price premium over the non-PHEV models, it’s important you see if the sums add up for your particular needs.

Primarily going to use the car for running around town? Cool. Think the 50-ish-kay EV range will work for you and make you happy? Amazing. Sold on the look of the car? Hat tipped.

But let me say this - if you are considering the Eclipse Cross PHEV, there are some alternatives you should also have on your list, including the MG HS PHEV, the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV, Kia Niro PHEV, and - the one I’d buy - a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. For me, plug-in hybrid tech is a bit of a halfway house, in most instances offering too high a price premium for the range you’re getting to drive electric. Heck, a Kona Electric isn’t much more than the top-spec Exceed PHEV, and I’d have that if I wanted a real day-to-day EV experience.

The Omoda 5 GT is a re-tuned version of the standard car, mechanically and visually.

We’ll cover the oily bits shortly, but from a design point-of-view, it retains the sweeping, diamond pattern grille and overall mix of intersecting surfaces and angular details from the entry models.

On three of eight available colours the GT shares red accents on the gloss black 18-inch alloys, exterior mirrors, lower part of the doors and underneath the roof spoiler also available on the Omoda 5 EX, but it somehow seems more appropriate here.

A car’s appearance is always a subjective call but I think the Omoda 5 looks contemporary in a sharply defined, Lexus kind of way, especially at the rear. The red highlights aren’t my cup of tea, but you might love them. 

The interior tone is set by the dual 10.25-inch LCD screens installed together across a sleek flat panel, one is touch-sensitive for multimedia and other functions and the second for instrumentation and drive information. 

Worth noting the GT’s centre console finish is gloss black rather than the standard car’s matt metallic-style treatment.

It all flows together nicely, the materials used look and feel good while the dash and front console layout looks sleek and works well from an ergonomic point-of view… with the exception of USB ports located low down on the passenger side of the console. Handy for the front passenger but likely a hangover from left-hand-drive production that’s uneconomic to change.

You’re going to be able to tell the PHEV model from its more conventional counterparts by those oversized ‘Plug-in Hybrid EV’ badges on the front doors, and if you want to tell those behind you what you’re driving, there’s also a ‘PHEV’ badge there, too. Wait, wasn’t the plan to do away with the term ‘PHEV’, Mitsubishi? 

But aside from that, the outside features just the different 18-inch alloy wheels (which are the same on all PHEV models, no matter the cost - I think that’s a bit lame, because if I’m spending $7500 on the Exceed I’d like a different wheel design!). Oh, and the Aspire and Exceed get that different lower front splitter, too.

Plus the PHEV has two fuel filler doors - one on each side of the car over the rear wheels. The driver’s side one is the EV charging ports (x2 - detailed below), and the passenger’s side one is for the petrol. Note: while the EV port is push-openable, the petrol cap still requires you to lift a lever in the driver’s footwell. 

It may be categorised a small SUV but at 4545mm long, riding on a 2670mm wheelbase, 1805mm wide and 1685mm tall, it’s big for its boots. The popular Mazda CX-5 is only 5mm longer, and it plays in the midsize SUV segment!

Inside there are some design differences, with a specific gear joystick-style selector, and a different instrument panel.

It is impressive how the brand has managed to shoehorn a petrol engine, two electric motors, a battery pack and more into the car, but there are some practicality implications. Read about them in the next section.

At a fraction under 4.4m long, just over 1.8m wide and close to 1.6m tall, with a roughly 2.6m wheelbase the Omoda 5 GT fits within the typical small SUV footprint.

At 183cm I’ve got more than enough breathing room in the front, the away slope of the twin screen array helping to open up the space.

For storage, there’s lots, including a decent-size, cooled lidded box between the seats, which doubles as a centre armrest, two cupholders, a generous glove box, a large area underneath the centre console and big bins in the doors with enough room for large bottles.

And in the back, sitting behind the driver’s seat, set to my position, I’ve got adequate foot room, plenty of legroom and heaps of headroom as well as adjustable ventilation. Big tick.

Storage options include map pockets, decent door bins and two cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest.

Power and connectivity runs to a 50-watt wireless charging pad as well as two USB-A sockets (one in the interior mirror housing ready for a dash cam) a USB-C and 12-volt socket in the front, a USB-A in the rear and another 12V in the boot.

Speaking of which, with all seats up the Omoda 5 GT offers 300 litres of storage space, which is relatively modest, but you have more than 1000 litres with the 60/40 split rear seat folded.

The upside is a full-size alloy spare sits under the floor (the 2WD has marginally more boot space but cops a space-saver) and the tailgate is power-operated. But those keen on towing are out of luck as the Omoda 5 isn’t rated.

Up front, the cabin is a pretty smart place, with nice enough materials and finishes, and a few good storage options. There’s a cubby in front of the shifter, but oddly enough it doesn’t have a wireless charger (there are 2x USB 2.0 ports above) and isn’t quite big enough for a smartphone (even the smaller ones don’t fit there all that easily), and there are cup holders between the seats, a decent covered centre console bin, and door pockets large enough for bottles.

The PHEV models get a different instrument cluster dial for EV driving readout info, but all have the old-school 4.2-inch TFT colour display that lacks the size and usability of some rivals with larger info screens - the MG HS PHEV, for instance, has a 12.3-inch digital display, which shows you a lot more info than this tiny little screen does. Heck, there’s not even a digital speedometer in there - and you only get one if you buy the Exceed model, which has a head-up display (HUD).

That’s part of the problem with the way this car’s interface operates. If you want the most detailed information you need to use the touchscreen media system, but that negates the usability of the media functions. On multiple occasions I found myself switching between Apple CarPlay phone calls and searching for that particular driving info screen I found most useful (there are about 15 screens to choose from, and plenty of them are hard to decipher).

It’s a huge disappointment for a customer who might want to see all that detailed information but also listen to a podcast, answer a call, follow their phone’s mapping or just have anything other than the hybrid info come up on the infotainment screen. The screen itself - an 8.0-inch unit, with sat nav integrated into the top spec only - is fine, but small compared to today’s rivals.

In the back seat, there’s a compromise for cabin space. The leg room is good, but the seat has been bumped up to accommodate some of the electrical hardware and the petrol tank, meaning someone my size (182cm/6’0”) will find they’ve got enough room for their legs but not their head, and those even larger will really need to take care getting in and out. While pre-facelift examples of this car had a clever sliding second row seat, that’s gone. It was never a feature in any PHEV version, and undoubtedly the layout of the battery pack has something to do with that. 

The double pane sunroof no doubt eats into the space in the rear to a degree as well, and in the Exceed it likely feels a bit more cramped because of the black headliner. 

While three adults could potentially fit across the back row for very short trips, there are dual ISOFIX and three top-tether points for child seats. The Exceed is the one you want if you’re aiming to treat your rear-seat passengers right: it has heated rear outboard seats, rear directional air vents and two USB ports for charging - the ES and Aspire miss out on all that stuff.  

Boot space is 359L (VDA) for PHEV models, which is a step down from the 405 litres (VDA) for the non-hybrid models. There is extra hardware under the floor, and you don’t get a spare wheel in the PHEV models either - instead there’s a tyre repair kit. For context, we only just managed to fit all three CarsGuide hard suitcases (124L, 95L and 36L) in the boot of the PHEV version, while it was far less of an issue in the non-PHEV.

Oddly, no model comes with a power tailgate. 

The 2022 Eclipse Cross PHEV line-up is expensive compared to the petrol-turbo models.

The ES AWD has a list price (all prices MSRP, before on-road costs) of $46,490, while the mid-spec Aspire costs $49,990 and the top-end Exceed lists at $53,990. 

I know they’re not like-for-like in every instance - the ES and Aspire petrol-turbo models are 2WD, not AWD, for example, and there are some specification differences, too - but the price jump from each respective non-PHEV version is $15,500 (ES), $14,250 (Aspire) and $12,500 (Exceed).

Yikes.

You’d really, really have to want the EV driving experience to justify that additional expenditure, right?

Here’s a rundown of the specifications across the three PHEV grades.

Standard for the $46,490 ES grade are 18-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, halogen headlights, keyless entry and push-button start, cloth interior trim, manual front seat adjustment, an 8.0-inch touchscreen media system with Apple CarPlay and Android auto, a reversing camera, a four speaker stereo, digital radio and a rear cargo blind.

Step up to the $49,990 Aspire and you score LED headlights and fog lights, a lower body kit, heated front seats, faux-leather and microsuede trim, auto wipers, adaptive cruise control, an eight-speaker stereo, surround view camera, front and rear parking sensors, and an array of safety equipment that we’ll cover off in the safety section.

Choosing the range-topping $53,990 Exceed model nets you leather seat trim, a heated steering wheel, a head-up display - making it the only grade with a digital speedo! - as well as sat nav, a dual pane sunroof, and a black headliner in the cabin.

The GT swaps out the Omoda 5 BX and EX’s 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four sending drive to the front wheels through a CVT auto for a more powerful 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four pushing 137kW (at 5500rpm) and 275Nm (from 2000-4000rpm) to the front, or as here, all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch auto.

That means power is up 27 per cent on the standard car and torque is boosted by no less than 31 per cent.

The all-alloy engine is an in-house design produced by Chery’s Acteco powertrain subsidiary and features direct-injection and dual variable valve timing, while the dual-clutch auto comes from a collaboration with German transmission specialist Getrag.

The plug-in hybrid version runs a non-turbocharged 2.4-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine producing just 94kW and 199Nm.

Meagre outputs, but the petrol unit is backed by two electric motors - the front motor has outputs of 60kW/137Nm, while the rear motor produces 70kW/195Nm. It’s all controlled by a single-speed transmission.

There is no ‘combined power output’ figure, but there is a 13.8kWh lithium-ion battery pack as part of the equation as well.

The engine can power the battery pack in series hybrid driving mode, so if you want to top up the batteries before you get to a city, you can. And there is regenerative braking, of course. More on recharging in the next section.

Chery’s official combined cycle fuel-economy figure for the Omoda 5 GT AWD is 7.4L/100km, the 1.6-litre turbo four emitting 176g/km of CO2 in the process.

Idling stop-start is standard and over a week covering mainly urban and suburban driving, with a hint of freeway running thrown in, we recorded an average of 10.2L/100km which is on the thirstier side of the spectrum.

Worth noting the minimum fuel requirement is the pricier 95 RON premium unleaded and you’ll need 51 litres of it to fill the tank which translates to a theoretical range of around 690km (roughly 500km using our real-world number).

The Eclipse Cross PHEV has an official combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 1.9L/100km. That’s astounding, really, but you need to realise that the test calculation is only for the first 100 kays - there’s a really good chance your real-world consumption will be a lot higher, as you can only deplete the battery charge once before calling on the engine (and your petrol tank) to juice it back up.

Electric driving range is stated at 55km based on NEDC cycle testing, while the WLTP rating is a more realistic 45km. In our testing we fell between the two during our “fully charged” 100km run, in which the electric charge initially ran for 50km. But, over the 100km run, the dashboard info screen said the car used “82 per cent” electric driving, while somehow also showing 3.9L/100km for petrol consumption.

I did the numbers at the fuel filler, and the actual return was 4.5L/100km. That’s okay, but not nearly as spectacular as you might hope, and I’ve seen very close in a RAV4 hybrid - which in most instances is cheaper than the Eclipse Cross despite being bigger and, frankly, a lot better.

I also ran the car for a further 100 kays without plugging in, just to see what the ‘worst case scenario’ might be - and it wasn’t too bad, with the fuel consumption jumping to a real-world return of 5.5L/100km. But again, that’s worse than you’ll likely get with a RAV4…

When it comes to charging/recharging, there is available AC charging using a Type 2 plug that can fully recharge the battery in as little as 3.5 hours, according to the brand. DC fast charging with a CHAdeMO plug should fill from zero to 80 per cent in 25 minutes. Maximum charge input is 3.6kW.

Like me, you’ll want to do the maths to see what is going to be the most economical way to run your car - aside from just plugging it in at the office and hoping nobody notices.

A standard 10-amp household plug - which should take about seven hours to replenish the batteries - could cost as little as $1.88 to get back your circa-50km EV range - that’s based on overnight charging, off-peak, on an average 13.6c/kWh electricity price. Of course, if you’re considering a PHEV, you might have a solar array and the electricity could well be free. Good for you.

But remember, there’s more to it than just the electricity costs - you need to also consider the additional purchase budget required just to get into the PHEV model over a regular Eclipse Cross. 

Chery doesn’t quote a 0-100km/h figure for this car but expect a time in the mid-seven-second range, and it feels quick. Particularly urgent in the mid-range.

That’s because maximum torque is delivered across a broad plateau from 2000-4000rpm, right where you want easy pulling power for safe lane changes and drama-free overtaking.

This car tips the scales at around 1.5 tonnes (100kg more than 2WD), which is par for the small SUV course and it feels nimble in traffic and on the open road. 

As is often the case with relatively small capacity turbo-petrol engines, you need to ease into the throttle gently for smooth take-offs. And once underway there are multiple modes available, the default ‘Eco’ setting, then ‘Sport’, ‘Snow’, ‘Mud’ and ‘Off-road’.

While we didn’t explore the loose surface modes, in Sport the seven-speed dual-clutch auto holds onto gears that little bit longer and changes down more readily. In fact, the transmission’s first few ratios feel quite low, so even in Eco the Omoda 5 GT has an eager, sporty personality.

Although the central shifter easily transitions to sequential ‘manual’ mode a pair of wheel-mounted paddles, sadly missing, would be even better for direct gear control.

Suspension is by struts at the front and multi-links at the rear, the latter a change from the ‘standard’ car’s torsion beam set-up.

The 18-inch alloy rims are shod with 215/55 rubber and that 55 aspect ratio makes for a relatively comfy tyre sidewall. But beware the ride is firmer than the standard car with high-frequency bumps making their presence felt, although it’s far from extreme.

In fact, the car is refined in terms of engine or any other noise with standard acoustic front side glass playing its part.

No surprise the steering is electrically assisted and it can be swapped through ‘Sport’ and ‘Comfort’ modes. The latter is relatively light and road-feel is okay.

Switch to Sport and the weight increases noticeably but road feel remains the same. Not the best in the business but not the worst, either.

Given this GT’s get up and go and sporty pretensions you’re likely to enjoy a drive on your favourite twisty backroad and this AWD version grips securely through the bends.

On the highway, with the active cruise engaged, it’s worth noting steering wheel inputs from the lane-departure function are constant and relatively abrupt even in sweeping, well-marked bends.

Braking is by discs all around, ventilated at the front with the GT featuring bigger rotors front and rear (308mm vs 283mm fr - 313mm vs 263mm rr). Aside from the fact it’s unusual to have a larger disc at the rear they’re pretty smooth but you need to be firm with the pedal to wash off speed effectively.

Under the heading of miscellaneous observations, in 3D mode the ‘AVM’ panoramic view system plays with your mind. It’s literally an out of body experience thanks to four external cameras providing an exterior view of the car on the road on the central media screen.

At just over 10 metres the turning circle is agreeably tight while vision for parking, supported by the reversing camera and panoramic view, is clear.

The driver’s door armrest is kinda firm and the media system, complete with ‘Hello Chery’ voice recognition, is quick to respond and easy to navigate. 

If you’re after that electric car thrill of near-silent, almost mind-blowing acceleration, the Eclipse Cross mightn’t be the right car for you

But if swift progress and the buzz you get from taking off from the traffic lights without any hesitation at all is more your thing, it could be great for you. And if you’re not quite ready to go “full EV”, then it’s probably something you’re considering.

The EV driving mode is the best driving mode in this car. You can run it just on the petrol engine to ensure you save your battery range, and you might choose to do that when you’re driving on the freeway and know you’re approaching an urban area where the EV goodness will be better used. Or you could have it so it's using battery and petrol power, and that’s where you’ll get maximum combined performance.

But running the car in the default, EV-prioritised mode means you will make the best of this powertrain's strengths, because - for the fifty odd kays you’ll get out of the battery - it’s pretty good.

It’s also impressive the way this powertrain dips between petrol engine, battery pack or both at higher speeds. When the battery range had depleted on my test drive, the engine kicked in almost imperceptibly, working to power the car and also generate more electricity for the battery pack. It then dipped out of petrol, back to battery, and so on and so forth, multiple times during my drive. 

The best thing about the way it did so was that it was smooth. There is barely any vibration from the petrol engine, the transmission doesn’t have any gears to fumble with, and overall the refinement is really good.

There are drive modes - Eco, Normal, Snow, Gravel and Tarmac - and in my test I kept to Normal. I did fiddle with the regenerative braking reactiveness, though, using the paddleshifters to dial up or down the aggressiveness of the energy recoup system. It doesn’t feel as aggressive as some pure electric cars, but thankfully it has a decent pedal feel and progression when you apply the brakes yourself. 

The steering is light and lacks feel, and doesn’t offer that much engagement or involvement. That might matter to you if you’re like me. I wish it was more fun. But at least it’s easy to park.

While the suspension is fine and comfortable on the highway, it can feel wooden and the ride is quite lumpy at low speeds. It never really feels all that well resolved for urban driving, which is a bit of a downer considering that’s likely where a car like this will spend most of its time

The tune of the suspension - being a bit firm at lower pace - surprisingly doesn’t have any payoff when it comes to cornering, as it lacks a bit of body control, shifting its weight side to side. 

All in all it is a decent plug-in hybrid offering – and will be perfectly suitable to someone who wants some EV driving as a part of their lifestyle. It’s just a matter of doing the maths as to whether it will work for you.

All Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross models have been awarded a five-star ANCAP crash test safety rating based on 2017 testing for the pre-facelift model. 

The range has increasing levels of safety technology the more you spend, but all variants have forward autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with forward collision warning (operates between 5km/h and 80km/h) and the AEB includes pedestrian detection (between 15km/h and 140km/h). 

Standard on all grades is a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, seven airbags (dual front, driver’s knee, front side, side curtain for both rows), active Yaw control, stability control, and anti-lock brakes (ABS) with brake force distribution. Lane departure warning is standard too.

Spend up on the Aspire for adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and front parking sensors. From Aspire up to Exceed, there’s the addition of the brand’s Ultrasonic Misacceleration Mitigation System, which can dull throttle response to prevent potential low speed collisions.

No speed sign recognition is available, and therefore no smart cruise control either. Plus there is no lane centring system fitted either, and nor is there a driver attention monitoring system, so it’s falling behind on the tech front.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is built in Japan.

Chery covers the Omoda 5 with a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is two years up on the majority of the mainstream market.

Roadside Assist is complimentary for the first year, renewed annually for up to seven years if you have your Omoda 5 serviced at an authorised Chery dealer. 

The main service interval is 12 months/10,000km, which is a bit short on kays relative to most of the competition at 15,000, however, Chery offers capped-price servicing for up to 10 years/150,000km, the average cost for service over the seven-year warranty period being just over $350, which is in the ballpark for the category.

There’s a huge 10 year/200,000 kilometre warranty on offer - but it’s valid if you maintain your car with Mitsubishi’s dedicated dealer service network over the 10 years/200,000km timeline, or else you get a five-year/100,000km plan.

But while the rest of the car will be covered by that decade-long warranty if you service it with Mitsubishi, the battery is only covered for eight years/160,000km, no matter where you have the car serviced.

Maintenance is due every 12 months/15,000km. But just a note - the more complex powertrain means higher service costs than the regular turbo-petrol versions. The annual fees are: $299, $399, $299, $399, $299, $799, $299, $799, $399, $799; so an average cost of $339 for the first five years, or $558.90 per visit over 10 years/150,000kn. 

Included for customers who service their car with the brand is four years of roadside assist.

Do you have questions over reliability, issues, concerns, recalls, automatic transmission problems, or anything else of that ilk? Check out our Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross problems page.