Omoda 9 vs Nissan Navara

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.

Although the D23 Navara is approaching a decade in local showrooms and due for replacement in 2025, the base-model SL still represents a fuel-efficient and competent workhorse with ample back-to-basics practicality.

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.

The cabin’s fabric-covered seats, wipe-clean vinyl floor and urethane-rimmed steering wheel/shifter are consistent with the SL’s work focus.

Reminders of its 2015 origins are numerous mechanical switches and dials on the dash (which we prefer to touchscreen versions), a steering wheel with only height adjustment, a mechanical rather than electronic handbrake, rear drum brakes instead of discs and analogue speedo/tacho.

Even so, its interior design still looks a cut above a base-grade ute, with a visually-pleasing and practical blend of chrome, satin chrome and piano black combined with two-tone upholstery.

The well-bolstered front seats are comfortable and supportive, but a larger and more defined left footrest would enhance driver comfort.

Rear passenger knee room is adequate for the two outer seating positions, thanks largely to the concave shape of the front seat backrests.

However, shoulder room is tight for three adults and headroom is marginal, particularly for tall people in the higher centre position who also must contend with a headrest that has insufficient height adjustment.

Like most dual cab utes, short of full-size US pick-ups, the Navara works best as a four-seater with the fifth seat limited to short trips. 

Off-road credentials include a 12.5-metre turning circle, 220mm of ground clearance, a 600mm wading depth and 32 degrees approach, 22.9 degrees ramp break-over and 26 degrees departure angles.

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.

With its relatively light 2033kg kerb weight and 3150kg GVM, our test vehicle has a one-tonne-plus payload rating of 1117kg.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer. However, to tow that weight would require a substantial 740kg reduction in vehicle payload to avoid exceeding its 5910kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time). Even so, few (if any) Navara owners would need to tow 3500kg.

The load tub is almost square with its 1509mm floor length and 1560mm width. And with 1134mm between the rear wheel housings, it won’t fit a standard Aussie pallet but will take a Euro, held in place by a choice of four load-anchorage points.

In terms of cabin storage, the centre console offers open storage up front, two small-bottle/cupholders in the centre and a small lidded box at the back. There’s also a large-bottle holder and storage bin in each front door, plus a glove box and overhead glasses holder.

Rear passengers get a large-bottle holder and smaller storage bin in each door plus a fold-down centre armrest with two small-bottle/cupholders. The rear bench seat’s base cushion can also swing up and be stored vertically for more internal cargo space, or to access two small underfloor storage compartments.

Our 'Solid White' SL dual cab 4x4 test vehicle comes standard with the same 2.3-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel shared by all Navaras but ours has the optional seven-speed automatic, with a list price of $50,350.

This pricing and healthy 140kW/450Nm outputs make it more than competitive with base-grade 4x4 dual cab ute rivals including the Ford Ranger XL 2.0L auto ($50,880), Toyota HiLux Workmate 2.4L auto ($50,420) and Isuzu D-Max SX 1.9L auto ($50,700).

Our example is also fitted with a couple of items from Nissan’s genuine accessory range, including a load tub-liner and flush-fitting tonneau cover available at extra cost.

Being the base-model workhorse of the Navara’s 4x4 range, the SL’s no-frills standard equipment list is designed with hard work in mind, as evidenced by its 17-inch steel wheels and 255/65 tyres with a matching spare.

There are also halogen auto-headlights and DRLs, tailgate assist (makes lowering and raising easier), a reversing camera and rear diff-lock.

Inside is more useful kit including two 12-volt sockets, three USB ports, centre console cooling/heating vents for rear seat passengers and a driver’s 7.0-inch analogue instrument display enhanced with a digital speedo.

The six-speaker multimedia system has a relatively small (by today’s standards) 8.0-inch colour touchscreen, with multiple connectivity options including Bluetooth, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

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 Navara’s 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel produces 140kW at 3750rpm and 450Nm of torque between 1500-2500rpm. Its two-stage inline turbochargers (a small one for low rpm, a large one for high rpm) operate in sequence to provide vigorous response at all engine speeds with excellent economy.

A refined seven-speed torque converter automatic offers near-seamless shifting and the overdriven sixth and seventh gears enhance fuel economy at highway speeds.

Drivers also have the option of sequential manual-shifting to provide more direct engine control when off-roading or carrying/towing heavy loads. Its 4x4 transmission is dual-range, part-time and is equipped with an electronic rear diff lock.

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.

Nissan claims an official combined average of 7.9L/100km and the dash readout was showing 7.7 when we stopped to refuel after clocking up just under 600km on the first tank, which included a 400km-plus day trip from Melbourne to regional Victoria.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, came in at a slightly higher but still frugal 8.4L/100km which proves the fuel-sipping efficiency of diesels when highway cruising.

We covered another 168km in city and suburban use, with the dash claiming 8.6 compared to our own figure of 9.5, which is still thrifty single-digit economy for a two-tonne ute.

Therefore, based on our own ‘real world’ figures, you could expect a driving range of about 840km around town and up to 950km on a trip from its 80-litre tank.

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 driving position is comfortable for most shapes and sizes, even though the steering wheel does not have reach adjustment and the seat lacks adjustable base cushion rake or lumbar support.

The ride is firm when unladen but its four-coil suspension is absorbent enough to soak up the worst of the bumps. The steering feel is responsive and nicely weighted, combined with competent handling and braking that contribute to a positive driving experience.

It’s also impressively quiet at highway speeds, with low tyre and wind noise and an engine that requires less than 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h with minimal effort.

To test its payload rating we forklifted 830kg into the load tub, which combined with our crew of two was a one-tonne-plus payload of 1010kg. That was about 100kg less than its payload limit.

The supple coil-spring rear suspension compressed 80mm under this loading, yet its high ride height ensured there was still about 40mm of bump-stop clearance remaining, which proved ample in avoiding any bottoming-out on our test route. However, that’s not to say it wouldn’t with an extra 100kg on board.

It also excelled on our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, with the seven-speed auto self-shifting down to fourth gear and just under 2000rpm (right in the middle of its peak torque band) to easily haul this load to the top.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, was also impressive for a 2.3-litre engine restraining more than one tonne of payload. Overall, the Navara proved to be a competent heavy-load hauler.

The D23 Navara earned a maximum five-star ANCAP rating when launched in 2015, but that rating has since lapsed with all Navaras built from January 2023 unrated.

Even so, it’s armed with seven airbags plus AEB, forward collision warning, trailer-sway control, a reversing camera, hill-start assist, hill descent control and more.

The rear seat has three top-tether and two ISOFIX child seat anchorage points.

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.

There’s a five year/unlimited km warranty, plus five years of 24-hour roadside assist. Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/20,000km whichever occurs first.

Total capped-price of $3305 covers the first five scheduled services within five years, or an average of $661 per year.