Geely Starray 2026 review: EM-i AWD – Australian first drive | Jaecoo J7 rival tested

As the old children’s story told us - slow and steady wins the race.

If the likes of BYD, Chery and GWM are the Hare, Geely may end up being the automotive equivalent of the Tortoise. Now in its second year in the Australian market, the brand has expanded deliberately slowly.

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Now comes its latest addition, the Starray all-wheel drive (AWD), which joins the existing front-wheel drive offerings.

What does the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i AWD offer?

There’s only a single, high-grade variant of the AWD model available, the Inspire. It’s priced from $44,990, before on-road costs, and features the same equipment as the Inspire front-wheel drive that starts at $41,490 (while the Complete FWD still kicks-off the range at $37,490).

Standard equipment includes:

• LED headlights and tail-lights
• 19-inch alloys
• Keyless entry and ignition
• Panoramic sunroof
• Power tailgate
• Power-adjustable front seats with heating
• A 15.4-inch multimedia touchscreen 
• Ambient interior lighting
• A 16-speaker, 1000-watt premium sound system  

What the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i AWD lacks in style, it makes up for in space

In terms of design, there isn’t anything noticeably different about this new AWD model, with the same inoffensive exterior and functional cabin. But what it lacks in design flair, inside and out, it compensates for with space. 

For this size of SUV the Starray is roomy, especially in the second row, so it makes it a genuine family car option in this mid-size SUV segment.

As for cargo space, the main boot area remains 428 litres, however with the introduction of the rear-mounted electric motor, this AWD variant has 72L less underfloor storage than the FWD models.

More power but the same driving experience

That rear motor adds not only all-wheel drive but also more performance. Power is up 80kW (to 220kW) and torque is up 150Nm (to 412Nm), so there is notably more punch when you put your foot down.

Unfortunately, while there is a new multi-link rear suspension set-up, Geely continues to stick with the more European-orientated tuning for the ride and handling. While it’s better than the usual softly sprung approach for the Chinese domestic market, the firmer Euro-spec doesn’t suit Australia’s patchwork roads.

The ride can sometimes feel too ‘floaty’, lacking composure and control, while at other times it can feel too firm and hit bumps harshly. 

Then there’s the steering, which is too light and vague most of the time, then hyperactive when the lane keeping assistance is activated. Obviously a mid-size SUV like this doesn’t need steering dynamically-tuned for spirited driving, but it shouldn’t feel this numb when you’re on the move.

More Australian influence or European expertise is needed

But Geely Australia management is adamant local ride and handling tuning is not on the agenda, at least any time soon, despite other Chinese brands (most notably GWM) investing heavily in the practice.

Instead, the brand says it can call on experience from other brands Geely owns, such as Lotus, but it’s not clear exactly what involvement those engineers have or can have on any upcoming Geely models.

The same need for improvement can be said for the active safety features, which require further development and tuning to make them more seamlessly integrated into the driving experience. As it stands, the Starray offers up a steady stream of beeps, bongs and other alerts when it feels things aren't in order.

The lane keeping assistance is perhaps the most irritating, as it struggles to maintain any consistent path in the lane. So as much as the steering can feel numb, when you activate the adaptive cruise control, lane keeping starts as well and the steering wheel begins to tug in your hand as it wanders around the lane.

So, if Geely does get the Lotus engineers to help with the handling, perhaps Geely-owned Volvo could lend its expertise to the safety calibration and integration.

2026 Geely Starray EM-i AWD may be flawed, but it’s frugal

But while it may have its weaknesses, where the Starray will impress buyers is in their hip pocket. Not only is it amongst the more affordable mid-size SUVs, hybrid or otherwise, with a 29.8kWh battery and a 60L fuel tank it has a claimed EV range of 130km and a combined range of 1065km - with a claimed fuel economy figure of just 1.7L/100km.

Of course, achieving that figure in the real-world and not the test cycle is almost-impossible, but still you should expect to see good returns, below 4.0L/100km if you drive in the urban setting.

Our test drive took us three hours south of Sydney and we managed to get approximately two hours of that drive done on EV power before it ran out. Once it was depleted, the petrol engine had to do most of the work and after some twisty roads up and down some mountains, we saw a relatively-high return of just over 5.0L/100km.

Given most buyers will spend time in the city and suburbs, it’s unfair to judge the fuel economy on a single open road drive, so instead we’ll reserve final judgement until a more representative test.

But its efficiency, and ability to run on electric power alone, will no doubt be a major selling point for the Starray and help Geely continue its slow climb up the sales charts. As many Australians feel on-going financial pressure and look to save on their weekly budget, a cheaper up-front price coupled with (theoretical) lower running costs, particularly on fuel, the Starray will look very attractive.