Omoda 9 vs Cupra Ateca

What's the difference?

The arrival of Omoda and Jaecoo so soon after Chery’s Australian return just feels like a huge task to take on for the company. And given the amount of other new brands hitting local roads there is a real danger that customers will either feel overwhelmed or simply ignore many of these new models.

Trying to position Omoda as a genuine alternative to luxury brands, and even the likes of Mazda and Volkswagen, is a tough ask for the brand and its dealers. Certainly the price and styling will help attract potential buyers but to cement itself in the local market it will need to make sure it makes an impact early.

Judging the Omoda 9 on its merits, it’s a nice enough SUV and does many things well but doesn’t have any elements that really ensure it stands out from the numerous competitors it faces.

The Cupra Ateca V is a much needed more affordable way into this small SUV while still offering a high-end feeling with plenty of standard features. Yes, the V isn't as high-powered as the VZx but it's still great to drive in the city and on the open road. Big on the inside and small on the outside the Cupra Ateca can perform urban and (small) family duties well.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

From a design perspective, the Omoda 9 certainly stands out as different from the Chery and Jaecoo range. It has a distinctive look that speaks to its ‘premium’ and ‘technology’ aspirations, both on the exterior and interior.

However, to this reviewer’s eyes, there are also quite clearly some visual similarities to the Cadillac Lyriq, both in the overall silhouette but also the details and cabin design. This isn’t unusual in the car industry, especially from Chinese brands. Jaecoo’s designers clearly took inspiration from Range Rover, so it makes sense that the Omoda would find an equivalent luxury brand to be inspired by. Or perhaps it’s just a coincidence…

The important thing is that it’s notably different to what Chery is offering with its Tiggo models, which form the core of its Australian line-up. Omoda needs to be distinct and more upmarket if it is to justify its price premium. On that front, the wider group has done a nice job of making each brand stand out visually.

Judging the interior of the Omoda 9 on its own, it's actually a very pleasant place to be. The level of design, fit and finish also feels like a big step up on what Chery offers, even if it does feel familiar. The materials don't feel truly premium, but given the price that's understandable and acceptable.

Once you know the Cupra Ateca V is closely related to the Volkswagen Tiguan and Skoda Karoq you can definitely see a resemblance. Still, all three have their own look with the Cupra clearly given the role of being the fierce, sporty one. 

While the Ateca V doesn’t have the same menacing styling as the VZx, it’s definitely a seriously sporty looking SUV with its 19-inch alloys, aggressive front bumper, triangular LED running lights and blacked out wing mirrors, roof rails and CUPRA lettering across the tailgate. 

The bronze Cupra logo really signals the sporty intent of this brand and I’ve been told on more than one occasion that it looks like a biohazard symbol by people confused by what it is I’m driving. According to Cupra the blade-like design represents “the sense of belonging to a clan”. 

Measuring 4381mm long, 1841mm wide and 1625mm tall with 2630mm wheelbase the Ateca V is about 15cm shorter in length than a Tiguan, but as you’ll see in the practicality section the interior dimensions might be larger than you think.

The Ateca V’s cabin is full of dark-coloured materials with black leather upholstered sports seats and steering wheel. In the same way it feels like Batman designed the exterior the interior it has a ‘Made in Gotham City’ feel with a brooding style incorporating high quality textures and surfaces.

One of the standout features of the Omoda 9 is its size, measuring 4775mm long with a 2800mm wheelbase. That makes it longer in both measures than the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5, pushing it to the upper end of the ‘medium-sized’ SUV segment.

That liberates more space inside, with good room up front and a generous back seat, at least in terms of knee and foot room. The rear seats are compromised slightly by the large sunroof and sloping roofline, with headroom tight for anyone over 180cm.

Unfortunately, the space isn’t utilised as best as it can be, thanks to the lack of seat height adjustment for the driver. It’s not unique to Omoda and is becoming a common issue among Chinese-built cars for reasons I can’t explain. What it means is I couldn’t get the seat to a point I was 100 per cent happy with, which is a problem for what should be a very comfortable vehicle.

Omoda compensates for this with some clever technology, beyond just the pair of 12.3-inch screens (housed in a single setting, which again looks very similar to the Cadillac Lyriq), and the option of wired or wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

The 14-speaker Sony sound system includes two speakers inside the driver’s headrest. This is a clever addition that allows you to take phone calls via these speakers only, so you don’t annoy the rest of the occupants in the car.

The other notable luxury element is the fragrance system, which can diffuse three different scents into the car. While the names are a bit hard to interpret (Natural, Cure and Sport), the fact you can choose from three different scents and have them gently fill the cabin is a nice luxury touch.

In terms of storage, there's plenty of small item spaces around the cabin and the boot measures a roomy 660 litres and offers a nice flat floor with a square load area. However, that comes at the expense of any sort of spare tyre, with a tyre repair kit located under the floor.

The Ateca V is only about 4.4m long which is a lot shorter than a Kia Sportage, Nissan X-Trail or Subaru Forester, which are truly mid-size SUVs. So, the Ateca is a small SUV but on the larger side compared to say a Volkswagen T-Roc.

Despite its fairly diminutive exterior proportions the Ateca V has excellent storage and is remarkably spacious. If you have a young, small family and want a five-seater SUV big enough for them but small enough to make urban driving easy the Ateca V ticks both boxes.

Up front there are the gigantic door pockets, two cupholders, a decent-sized covered centre console bin and under-dash storage with wireless phone charging and two USB ports.

The second row is incredibly spacious for a small SUV with so much room for me at 189cm tall to sit behind my driving position. Headroom is excellent, too.

There are also cupholders in the fold-down armrest, two USB ports and big door pockets.

The back door apertures are tall and wide which makes getting little kids in and out of their car seats easier for parents.

A 485L cargo capacity is large for the class and under the boot floor is a space-saver spare wheel.

The Ateca model now has a lower priced grade called the V and it lists for $51,990. That’s more than $10K less than the top-of-the-range VZx  which has been out for a couple of years and lists for $63,490.

The Ateca V might be less expensive but the features list is still impressive. Coming standard are 19-inch alloy wheels, sports bumpers, LED headlights, running lights and puddle lights. There’s a proximity key and power tailgate with gesture control, too. 

Inside black leather upholstery is standard, so are heated front seats and steering wheel, there’s dual-zone climate control, a power driver’s seat, a 9.2-inch media display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and wireless phone charging. 

As for options, you can have a panoramic sunroof for $1850 and premium metallic paint for $490.

There’s also the optional 'Tech Package' for $2950 bringing a Beats stereo system and a 360-degree camera. But the best thing about the pack is it also adds dynamic chassis control which adds adaptive suspension, so when you select 'Comfort' mode the suspension becomes softer, and in 'Sport' mode the suspension firms for better handling.

Rivals to the Ateca V include the Lexus UX and Volvo XC40 but also its Volkswagen Group cousins such as the Skoda Karoq and VW Tiguan R-Line.

The Super Hybrid System may sound fancy, but it’s effectively a plug-in hybrid powertrain, which is a technology that is becoming increasingly familiar to Australian drivers as it fills the gap between internal combustion and electric vehicles.

Omoda’s SHS system combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with three electric motors - two at the front, integrated into the transmission package and one at the rear - to create a potent SUV. This complex system can send power to either the front wheels or all four wheels via a three-speed ‘Dedicated Hybrid Transmission’.

Omoda claims the combined output of the Super Hybrid System is 395kW, allowing this family friendly SUV to sprint from 0-100km/h in just 4.9 seconds.

It’s backed up by a 34kWh battery, which allows for meaningful electric only range too.

The Ateca V has a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine making 140kW and 320Nm. That’s a step down in output compared to the VZx’s 221kW and 440Nm, but the V doesn't feel underpowered.

A seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission shifts gears lighting fast with the drive going to all four wheels. Yes, it’s all-wheel drive.

What gives Omoda some confidence to use the Super Hybrid System name is its claim that the battery allows the 9 to drive up to 145km (WLTP) on electric power alone, which is more than both a conventional hybrid and many existing PHEV models. For example, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has an EV range of 84km and the Mazda CX-60 can make 76km.

Fuel economy is officially rated at 1.4L/100km, although that relies on using the battery to its maximum and once that is depleted, you can expect to see a much higher figure. Realistically somewhere around 5.0L/100km is what you should expect if you do mostly urban driving and anything below that is a good result.

Omoda claims that the Virtue SHS can drive up to 1100km, but that is theoretical and based on achieving both the full EV-only range and then the 1.4L/100km figure, which isn’t actually achievable in the real world.

Cupra says that after a combination of open and urban roads the Ateca V should use 7.1L/100km. That’s not hugely fuel efficient and urban consumption of 8.6L/100km will mean higher fuel bills than a hybrid SUV of this size.

On the launch we saw a fuel consumption average of 7.7L/100km and that’s after city roads, motorways and country roads.

Once we have the Ateca V in our CarsGuide garage we’ll be able to perform a real-world test of its fuel consumption.

The Ateca V has a 55-litre fuel tank and requires 95 RON premium unleaded petrol. Theoretical driving range is around 775km.

While a generous level of standard equipment is one key measure of a luxury/premium vehicle, driving is another. For a vehicle to be truly premium it must have effortless performance, a comfortable yet controlled ride and confidence-inspiring handling.

This sets the bar quite high for the Omoda 9 and that makes it hard to really live up to the brand’s aspirations. 

From a performance perspective the SHS powertrain does a great job. Certainly 395kW means the SUV feels quick and easy to punch into gaps or call for a burst of acceleration. But the rest of the driving experience doesn’t really live up to the premium standard buyers might expect.

The ride is too busy most of the time, never feeling settled and often fussing over the bumps in the road. It lacks the smooth, relaxed ride that premium buyers are looking for.

The same is true for the handling, with the steering too light and vague off-centre and lacking feeling when you find yourself on the open road. 

The Omoda 9 is by no means a bad car to drive, but it does lack the precision and elevated comfort that genuine premium cars need to have. Perhaps with some local ride and handling optimisation it could get closer to what buyers in this part of the market expect.

The launch of the Ateca V saw us drive the V and the VZx back-to-back, which highlighted how good the V is for the money when it comes to its on-road performance.

The 2.0-litre engine is superbly responsive with loads of torque for such a small petrol SUV, while the dynamics were equally impressive on winding country roads. Even when those roads occasionally and suddenly turned from bitumen to dirt at 100km/h excellent all-wheel drive traction kept everything under control.

The Ateca V we tested has the optional Tech Package fitted which adds dynamic chassis control and adjusts the suspension in the Comfort drive mode setting to a softer level compared to the firmer level in Sport. The ride in any mode, however, is comfortable with great handling. 

As standard the Ateca V is given sports suspension and after a quick sample of the Ateca V with this set-up I also found the ride to be comfortable and composed.

There's good visibility even through the rear window, along with nicely weighted accurate steering and a good pedal feel under my feet make the Ateca V effortless and enjoyable to drive.

The Cupa Ateca V hasn’t been tested by ANCAP and the Euro Ncap result of five stars (which is the maximum) has now expired because it was so long ago (2016).   

Still, while much of the safety tech isn’t as cutting edge as some new SUVs , there’s AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, rear traffic alert plus front and rear parking sensors. 

The airbag count runs to seven, including a front centre bag to minimise head clash injuries in a side-impact.

For child seats there are three anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts in the back.

In a bid to give customers confidence to try a new brand Omoda is applying the Jaecoo ownership model, which means an eight-year warranty as well as eight years of capped-price servicing and roadside assistance.

Service intervals are every 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first and across the eight years you’ll be spending a total of $3343, which averages out to just over $418 per year.

The decision to offer such extended coverage is a commendable move from Omoda and will no doubt help its bid to convince customers to give it a chance.

The Ateca V is covered by Cupra’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with servicing needed every 15,000km or annually.

You can buy a five-year service plan for $1990 - which isn’t overly pricey.