Subaru BRZ vs Omoda 9

What's the difference?

Just in case you haven’t figured it out, we’re deeply in love with the BRZ tS. It’s a sublime beauty with a tantalising breadth of talent, while still being affordable and practical enough as an everyday run-around.

And, yep, even with the auto, the BRZ tS is its own and very special thing. Do it before coupes die out completely. 

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.

Compared to the previous model, the latest BRZ has similar proportions but has changed in a few important ways.

For instance, the body is about 50 per cent stiffer than before. The bonnet, front mudguards and roof are now aluminium, and the fuel flap is plastic. This helps bring a 4.0mm drop in the centre of gravity, which benefits handling and ride dynamics.

The BRZ is longer then the first-generation version by 25mm (at 4265mm), has a wheelbase that’s been stretched by 5.0mm (to 2575mm), is 15mm shorter (at 1310mm) and has wider rear tracks (at 1550mm), but overall width (at 1775mm) remains the same.

Being a tS, STI has fitted special badges around the car, different alloys and uprated (Brembo) brakes, amongst other things. And the changes are just as subtle inside.

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.

Is there anything more retro than sitting down low in a sports car with just centimetres separating your buttocks from bitumen?

This is the BRZ experience, but once sat snug, ensconced in superbly supportive sports seats, you forget all about the fumbled entry and graceless egress that awaits and instead revel in the moment.

Arms outstretched, hands gripping a perfectly-sized wheel, ahead of crisp electronic instrumentation, with controls so intuitively placed and presented that soon everything’s operated via muscle memory, Subaru has nailed the ergonomics.

Oh, and the joy of a handbrake lever! It's just so naturally and beautifully driver-orientated. 

Okay. Owners of the original (ZD6) generation will already know all this. So what’s changed? Besides nothing conceptually, basically everything executionally.

The dated old dash has been ditched for a dated – but much prettier – new fascia, that’s all horizontal layers and matt black plastic, just like Japanese sporty coupes were in the 1970s and ‘80s. Except for the 8.0-inch touchscreen, of course, which looks a little aftermarket with its low-res TomTom nav, but is easy to figure out and a cinch to use on the go.

The climate control and toggle switches are lovely to use, there’s bottle storage in each door and, as a bonus for going automatic, an extra beverage holder to the pair beneath the centre-console lids exists. This matters if you're regularly transporting thirsty passengers cramped out back. More on that in a moment.

Other than the contortions required to get in and out, the BRZ’s is actually shockingly practical – from the surprisingly good all-round vision afforded by all that glass area as well as thinner pillars and sleeker exterior mirrors than before, ample ventilation and handy storage, to front-seat comfort and a compliant ride.

Plus, you’ll soon learn that the frameless doors provide easier entry and exiting when their windows are down. You wouldn’t think twice about commuting in this baby. Cancel that expensive small SUV order now!

The tS’s extra suede-esque upholstery, baboon’s butt red starter button and STi instrumentation cluster lift the ambience above the cheap sports car vibe of the 2012 original, while the whole ensemble is superbly screwed, clipped and/or glued together.

Gripes? For such a recent model, the lack of a USB-C port anywhere in the BRZ is an oversight. There are no overhead grab handles to help haul yourself out. At speed there's too much road noise. And only the front passenger seat has a single-action slide-and-tilt motion with return for getting through to/from the back, meaning you’re forever grappling with seat levers if you need to enter/exit from the driver’s side.

Now, granted, the rear pair of seats are occasional-only for taller folk, but there’s every chance the '+2' element of the Subaru is the main reason you’d be pondering one of these over, say, the strictly two-seater MX-5.

At 178cm, your tester just about hits the height limit for back-seat accommodation. Actually, the cushion and backrest base are thoughtfully padded and angled, but scalps scrape ceiling and/or glass depending on posture, the front-seat occupants need to slide their chairs forward for knees to fit and there’s barely any space for bigger feet.

But then, this is not the point of a coupe. The fact the BRZ is fine for shorter trips adds another level of practicality, even if there are no grab handles or reading lights to access. And, thoughtfully, the cabin engineers created the centre console lid to remain open for rear-seat access to cupholders, two USB-A ports and a single aux (!) outlet.

That's why the auto's extra cupholder comes in so handy.

Further back, the one-piece backrest folds flat to boost cargo-carrying practicality and versatility, since the boot is a modest 201 litres in capacity. And, it’s now easier to do that thanks to a boot-sited backrest release. It beats having to clamber inside the car every time, as per the earlier generation BRZ.

Keep in mind the tS loses the other BRZ grades’ full-sized spare wheel, presumably in the name of dynamic precision. A tyre-inflation kit is a poor substitution in puncture-prone Australia.

Oh well. At least you’ll be in a pleasant and charming coupe environment whilst you wait for roadside assistance.

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.

For those who have been paying close attention the Omoda name will be familiar, as the Chery Omoda 5 was the first model the Chinese brand launched on its return to Australia. That has now evolved into the Chery C5, so the Omoda 9 becomes the first standalone model for the brand as it tries to position itself as a more premium, luxury and lifestyle brand separate from Chery.

While there are no confirmed plans for further Omoda models yet, the Omoda 9 is being positioned as the flagship of the range. It’s a medium-sized SUV but at the larger end of the segment so it will compete against the likes of the Mazda CX-60, BYD Sealion 6 and even the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

In keeping with the more premium image the brand is trying to create, there will be a single, high-specification model offered, the Virtue SHS, which will be priced from $61,990 plus on-road costs.

For this price you get 20-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, dual-zone climate control, a 14-speaker Sony-branded sound system, inbuilt navigation, surround view camera, automatic parking function, head-up display, wireless smartphone charger, leather seats with memory function, heated seats and steering wheel and even an in-built fragrance system.

Under the BRZ’s bonnet is the same 2.4-litre horizontally-opposed ‘boxer’ four-cylinder petrol engine, with double overhead cams and direct-injection.

Power is rated at 174kW at a heady 7000rpm while the 250Nm torque maximum kicks in at 3700rpm. Tipping the scales at about 1310kg, the power-to-weight ratio is an impressive 133kW/tonne.

The boxer engine drives the rear wheels only via a six-speed manual or, in this case, an Aisin-supplied six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission with paddle shifts.

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 BRZ is not tuned to save money at the petrol bowser.

What did we manage? Air-con on always and driven hard often with fuel-sapping performance testing included, our not-fully-run-in tS returned a commendable 10.2L/100km, while the car’s trip computer read out was 9.7L/100km.

Subaru says owners of the automatic model should expect to average 8.8L/100km on the combined cycle. Choosing to go manual bumps that up to 9.5L/100km.

As a result, the carbon-dioxide emissions rating is 201g/km (auto) and 217g/km (manual).

Note that filling the BRZ auto’s 50-litre fuel tank with the required 98 RON premium unleaded petrol should eek out nearly 570km between refills using the combined cycle figure.

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.

The brilliant thing about the BRZ/GR86 twins is they’re just so great to drive regardless of transmission.

And, after a week behind the wheel of the BRZ tS auto, there are even unique benefits to make a very strong case in its favour over the admittedly incredibly satisfying manual.

The numbers tell a compelling story.

With an impressive 133kW/tonne (or thereabouts) thanks to a larger engine (with 18 per cent more power and 20 per cent more torque than before) and a tight-ratio six-speed auto, the BRZ springs off the line with an almost frenetic liveliness, providing snarly, punchy performance right to its lofty 7500rpm red line.

Select manual mode and the auto will also hold bounce off the rev limiter.

Okay. It’s still not sports car fast, per se, with relatively modest outputs and a 0-100km/h time in the mid-six second bracket, but what there is works hard to make you feel like you’re going very quickly. That said, the BRZ will bowl along at quite a cracking pace.

Select 'Sport' mode, and there’s even more urgency, with the sweetly-calibrated auto hanging on to its ratios a little longer. Here’s where the Tiptronic-style lever/paddle shifters come into play, allowing for that extra level of interactivity.

Even with out test car's odo well under 1000km, this boxer engine has a very deep set of lungs and a lot of bandwidth to explore.

The generational change that saw the swapping out of the old 2.0-litre for this torquier 2.4L seems to be for the benefit of the auto.

And that’s not even the best bit.

The BRZ skates along with an Olympian’s confidence and control, providing an agility and grace reserved for Porsches, Lotuses and the like.

And it’s not just the wonderfully tactile steering at work either, because this possesses that rare seat-of-the-pants connection that makes the driver feel like part to the car.

Suspension is by MacPherson struts up front and a double-wishbone arrangement. Subaru reckons weight distribution is a close-to-ideal 53:47 front/rear.

Like all second-gen BRZ/GR86 models, the architecture underneath is loosely based on Subaru’s small-car platform that dates back decades, though it has been significantly updated and improved along the way.

If you love the sort of driving where you long to sense the road, corner with the throttle and swing out the rear of the car using just your hips, then the tS is your sort of sports car.

From the brilliant brakes to the nuanced tune of the traction control systems, balanced precision is the name of the game here. It tingles senses like an ASMR sensation. The fact this is as an auto does not change anything.

And, you know what? The uprated STI dampers even seem to benefit ride quality, because while the tS is obviously a taut and muscular drift-ready machine, the suspension is never too stiff or hard, allowing this BRZ to be more than capable as a commuting machine.

Yep, even over craggy inner-urban pot-holed and tram-lined roads, the Subaru’s comparative comfort and sophistication only endeared us to it even more.

So, surely there are downsizes, right? Well, the Michelin Pilot 4 215/40R18 tyres sure love to amplify road noise inside. This is not a quiet car over some of our coarser bitumen surfaces, and it can quickly become tiresome.

And… that’s it for criticism from a driving point of view. The BRZ tS can put a smile on your face just like MX-5s and Caymans can. Even/especially the auto if you will seek to schlepp around in one every single day with a minimum of fuss.

And all for around $52K drive-away. Bargain. Where do we sign up?

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 Omoda 9 ticks all the boxes that customers and, just-as-importantly, the safety authorities expect, like autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning, emergency lane keeping, driver monitoring system and adaptive cruise control. 

Omoda even goes a step further and offers 'Traffic Jam Assist' and 'Integrated Cruise Assist', which can centre you in the lane when cruise control is active to create a low level of autonomous functionality.

However, like so many modern cars these safety systems are not integrated smoothly into the driving experience. Instead, the Omoda likes to distract you with graphics and warnings on the dashboard and then warn you that you’re distracted. To be blunt, it’s both annoying and - ironically - very distracting. 

To the credit of Omoda, as well as Chery and Jaecoo, the company has invested in a local tuning program for the active safety features and there has clearly been a dramatic improvement since the first Chery model I experienced less than 12 months ago. Hopefully with a bit more time and tuning the systems will become better integrated and the car won’t tell you you’re distracted looking at warnings.

In terms of a crash test safety rating the Omoda 9 hasn’t been tested by ANCAP yet but has five-stars from Euro NCAP so there’s little reason why it would be dramatically different if crashed locally.

All Subaru BRZs come with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, as well as one year’s free roadside assistance. Service intervals are at 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

There is five years/75,000km of capped-price servicing available, with the first starting from around $365, then stretching to $586, $460, $825 and $380 for an average of $523.

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.