Volkswagen Passat vs Omoda 9

What's the difference?

I so enjoyed driving the Volkswagen Passat 206TSI R-Line. It's a roomy wagon that should fit a lot of different types of families. It still has sporty performance that will entice even the most reluctant family car buyer, so don't be turned off by its large proportions! I really like the comfort, convenience and handling of this one, so it gets an easy 8.0/10 from me.

My kid thought the blue colour was cool and loved having so many things to play with in the back seat. His only complaint was about the heavier doors but he still managed. He gives it an 8.0/10, too.

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 Passat is a large car and stands at 4708mm long, 1832mm wide and 1504mm high. The boxier rear and long nose make these proportions feel even larger.

The 2023 model doesn't see much change, if any, to the previous iteration. The exterior features the classic VW sharp pleat that runs the length of the body, slim-line LED lights and pronounce grille with lots of chrome accents found throughout.

It looks shiny, new and stylish, but not garish. You'd be proud to be seen in this.

The interior is also classically VW – sharp, a little pared back and hosting easy to see buttons and dials. The adjustable ambient lighting elevates the cabin space, as does the black headliner (R-Line exclusive).

An interesting feature is the directional air vents, the slatted design is carried the entire length of the dash which accentuates the width of the car. It all looks seamless and well thought out.

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.

A very practical family wagon with all passengers enjoying ample head and legroom.

The amenities in both rows are very good. The seats are fairly comfortable but the lumbar support isn't awesome. The massage function on the driver's side is a nice novelty but not strong enough to be called a massage. Think of it as gently stretching.

For storage, you get a decently sized middle console, dedicated phone tray, cooled glove box, drink bottle holders in each door and two cupholders.

There are plenty of charging options available for the front with two USB-C ports and a 12-volt socket. Bonus having the wireless Apple CarPlay (and Android Auto), as it's one less cable you have to worry about.

In general, I like how easy the tech is to use. The 9.2-inch touchscreen multimedia system looks great and is responsive.

It's easy to get all the connections going and you can pull the built-in satellite navigation directions through to the 10.25-inch digital instrument panel. I did miss having a head-up display this week but the info on the instrument panel is displayed clearly.

The back seat gets a couple of cupholders in the fold-down armrest and drink bottle holders in each door. It also has directional air vents with climate control, reading lights and one USB-C port for charging. However, I would have liked to have seen another charging port, to limit sibling squabbles.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard seats plus three top tether anchor points.

The backseat is wide enough to fit three child seats side by side if needed, and there's plenty of room for front passengers when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.

The windows are wide and offer good visibility but I really like the 142mm ground clearance. It was super easy for my six-year old to climb in and out.

The only thing he mentioned he didn't like was how heavy the doors were to operate. I don't mind this because they feel solid but they do swing wide, so be wary of letting any wild kids just hop out themselves in a crowded car park. You may get (or inflict) some dings.

The boot is a great size at 650L, with all seats in use, but if you pop down the backseats, that jumps up to 1780L.

The back seat also split-folds 40/20/40, which opens up your storage options. I enjoyed using the powered tailgate with kick function, it's handy on the grocery run.

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.

The R-Line has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol powertrain with a maximum output of 206kW/350Nm.

That puts its engine specs 44kW up on the Elegance model and you feel that difference when you put your foot down.

The six-speed auto transmission provides surprisingly smooth shifting in most settings. The grunty engine combined with the all-wheel drive creates a sporty and purposeful driving experience.

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.

That powerful engine does cost you a little bit with efficiency. The official combined fuel figure is 8.1L/100km and real-world testing saw my figure at 8.6L.

Not too bad for the type of driving I did this week, which was a combo of open-road and urban. I wasn't scared of putting my foot down but I would expect to see a double-digit figure in an urban setting.

This has a 66L fuel tank and based on the official combined figure, you should be able to get around 815km driving range, which is great.

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 performance of this is to be commended. Powerful but poised, there's a sense of performance in reserve when you put your foot down and while still fun, it's not unbridled power.

It inspires confidence, the lower centre of gravity and firm steering meaning you tackle corners with minimum roll. You can accelerate out of a corner a little earlier than you might normally in this.

The cabin is nice and quiet with some road noise at higher speeds but not enough to intrude on chatting.

Despite suspension that feels sporty, aka stiff, the ride comfort is very good, with back seat passengers also feeling the comfort. There's not a lot of jostling in this.

Let's talk parking. It is a large car but you don't feel those dimensions when you park it.

It's very forgiving to manoeuvre with the front and rear parking sensors, crisp 360-degree view camera and tight 11.7m turning circle!

And if you're not confident it has a self-parking feature.

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.

The Passat comes with a market standard five-year/unlimited km warranty, and roadside assistance is included for one year (through Allianz Insurance) if you get your car serviced at a VW centre.

There is a three- or five-year capped price servicing plan that can be pre-purchased and will save you money compared to the pay-as-you go option. Servicing averages $620 though, which is expensive for the class.

Servicing intervals are reasonable at every 12 months or 16,500km – whichever occurs first.

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.