Deepal E07 vs Mazda CX-90

What's the difference?

Deepal is a recent arrival in Australia but its parent company Changan Automotive is one of China’s largest state-owned automotive manufacturers which was established in the 1950s.

Deepal Automobile Technology (to use its full name) is one of several brands under the Changan corporate umbrella targeting different market segments across passenger and commercial vehicle lines.

Deepal’s focus is on full-electric vehicles with an expanding Australian line-up comprising a compact SUV (S05), mid-sized SUV (S07) and a groundbreaking large SUV (E07) it calls the Multitruck.

We recently spent a week in the E07 to find out if it’s not only practical for family duties but also if its unique design offers genuine workhorse ability to validate its ‘truck’ credentials.

When it comes to Mazda’s luxury aspirations, the CX-90 is it. The big Kahuna. Seven seats of what should be the Japanese brand’s exceptionalism amongst its mainstream rivals.

But does this more than five-metre-long Mazda have what it takes to elevate the brand beyond the likes of Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan and Kia?

Importantly, is this base version - which is closer to Mazda’s traditional price point - a bit of a luxury seven-seat SUV bargain?

We drove a CX-90 G50e Touring (the most affordable CX-90 of the lot) for a week to find out.