Art in Motion is a bold statement
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Art in Motion is a bold statement
Slogans form part of any brand’s DNA, so when you hear “Art in Motion”, what springs to mind? Bentley? Rolls-Royce? Maybe even Maybach. You’d hardly expect it to come from Omoda, and until now, the line felt a touch, well… ambitious. But with the brand’s latest offering, the C7, that confidence suddenly makes more sense. It’s a car that, on the outside, raises the bar for vehicle styling. And its design is, in a word, unique.
Head-on, the C7 is properly striking. The front bumper is a mosaic of hexagonal cutouts, clearly more form over function but no less theatrical for it. Look closer and you’ll spot even tinier hexagonal details scattered across the face that are so subtle they feel almost pointless… until night falls. Locking and unlocking the car triggers a shimmer of light through these tiny shapes, and it’s in that moment you realise Omoda might actually be onto something with this “art” business. But what did the public think?
When Chinese cars started picking up traction in the early 2020s, you felt like a celebrity driving around, as everybody was gawking with what I could only imagine was confusion. Now that they are more of a norm, this trend has dwindled but not in the C7. We were mid-shoot, parked at a young and hip restaurant, the kind of place where a hurricane would be the bar for attention grabbing. But this C7 had all eyes on it. We had numerous groups of people, young and old, that were almost queuing to take a look inside between our takes. Most assumed it was an EV, but all agreed that it looked seriously cool. So, yes, it looks sharp, even in the eye of the public, but that’s only the beginning.
Like most Chinese offerings, powering the futuristic shark nose on wheels is a healthy 1.6-litre turbocharged engine that lays down 145kW and 290Nm of torque. In the past the 1.5-litre power unit found in the C5 left a lot of room for improvement, with the GT offering a slightly larger displacement and greatly improved power figures. So it was a relief to see that the C7 comes with the same larger displacement option.
Only, the same issue we found in the C5 GT reared its head within the C7. Yes, it has more than enough power to combat any typical day-to-day driving but the throttle calibration provided a sense of lag and unpredictability when pulling away from a standstill. To overcome this, you almost have to stand on it, wait for the turbo to spool up, and then lift off just as it comes on song. It’s a practice that takes some getting used to, but once you are on the move, the 7-speed gearbox works a treat and leaves very little to be desired.
The one thing that has always impressed me within the Chery mothership is the vehicles’ ride quality and the same can be said for the C7. It is exceptionally soft and smooth, even on rough road surfaces, and it’s a comfortable place to be on the longer drives. There is a noticeable sense of body roll that would upset those who like lateral G force, along with little sense of road feel through the steering wheel, which is perfect for the school run but isn’t overly engaging on a twisty road. But that’s the point of a car like the C7, affordable style and comfort, at which it excels.
Moving into the interior, there is a sense of duplication in a few features from legacy brands like Mercedes, but before we write it off as a copy, I actually think it is a cool touch. For example, the gear selector is the right stalk behind the steering wheel. It’s easy to use and simplifies the driving experience with easy-to-use wiper modes worked into the left stalk without compromising the indicator function.
The interior is also wrapped with a mixture of alternative leather on the seats and a suede fabric along the dash and through touch points like the doors. Working into the rear there is plenty of space for rear passengers with a drop-down cup holder and armrest in the middle, which is graced with piano black and is actually a pretty cool touch.
But in true Chinese fashion, it is highly digitalised, with only a few buttons and switches for functions like your drive modes. On the flip side, the infotainment system is a massive 15.5-inch screen that’s remarkably easy to use, with a smaller 8.88-inch driver’s display in front for easy information readouts. Yes, having your climate control features on the screen can be a slight inconvenience, but it’s easy to pair with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to play your tunes. Speaking of tunes, the Sony 8-speaker sound system pumps with emphasis on bass. It might not be as clear as a more premium system but it certainly doesn’t sound cheap.
So it’s comfortable, smooth and a looker inside and out, but what about the price? Well, coming in at R589,900 for the Elegance, which is the top spec option before you get to the hybrid models due in 2026, it is massively competitive. It competes with the likes of the Hyundai Tucson, which for a similar spec is R300k more, or even the RAV4 at over R800k. By now we know that the Chinese really compete with their counterparts on price, so realistically it competes with the Haval H6. With that being said, the Haval doesn’t look as striking, but it does match the C7 in spec and is 11mm wider and 54mm taller, so it feels like a much brighter space with improved visibility and interior space. It’s a small difference and the choice is more down to your taste.
So does the Omoda C7 meet the ‘Art in Motion’ slogan? In my opinion a C7 is too mainstream to be called art, but it certainly looks the part. It is an attention-grabbing machine with dynamic lines and unique design elements and is my favourite-looking Chinese car yet. The inside is new and simplistic with touches of premium in an otherwise highly digitalised space. Yes, there is definitely room for improvement, especially in its driving characteristics, like throttle calibration and feel, but it’s once again proof that the Chinese are upping the bar constantly. And the C7 is a seriously cool offering, especially for the price.
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