GWM Ora 5 vs Volkswagen Golf

What's the difference?

GWM’s second attempt at launching the Ora brand in Australia seems much better planned than the first.

While the electric Ora hatchback wasn’t expensive, divisive styling and some messy ergonomics plagued what felt like an undercooked model both in terms of dynamics and packaging.

So this, the 2026 GWM Ora 5 SUV, is ‘take two’.

It arrives with similar pricing but updated tech, more features and an Australian ride and handling tune.

Can this ensure GWM’s cutesy electric car brand is taken seriously and help it catch up to its cousins Haval, Tank and Cannon?

We drove a Flamingo Pink example from inner-Melbourne out into the scenic Yarra Valley for its Australian launch to find out.

Eight generations over more than half a century qualifies the Volkswagen Golf as an automotive icon, standing on the shoulders of its original beetle-shaped ancestor.

It remains one of the world’s favourite cars and this 110TSI Life version is the entry-point to the local model line-up, the latest ‘8.5’ version of which arrived here just over 12 months ago.

It sits in a hotly contested small-car category, appealing to those with a preference for a conventional hatch and pure internal-combustion power.

In an automotive world now dominated by increasingly electrified SUVs, we spent a week behind the wheel to see how it shapes up as an urban specialist with occasional open road ability.