Welcome to the Deepal SO7 — 1st Drive Review

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Yesterday we had an incredible “adventure Wednesday!” In the morning, we checked out the Deepal SO7, the Lotus Eletre (owned by Geely), and the Peugeot e-308 (from Stellantis). It was a bit of a downer having to go to the dentist in the afternoon, but you have to take the good with the necessary. We had booked for a test drive of the Deepal SO7, but turns out the CER dealership also carries the Lotus Eletre and the Peugeot e-308. So, we had an in depth look at the Deepal and a sneak peek at the other two.

The General Manager of the CER operations site in Brisbane was very generous with his time and expertise. After 17 years with BMW and receiving many awards, he thought it time for a change. He has gone from managing after-sales service across two dealerships to a sales-oriented position with CER. So, the obvious question: how does Deepal compare with BMW? “It’s up there. It has that premium feel,” he tells me. He has compared the Deepal with Geely, Xpeng, and BYD and believes that Deepal is better built.

The Deepal SO7 is a family SUV that fits well into the most popular market segment in Australia. It is early in its Australian journey, and so far, there are no recorded sales. However, in a sign of things to come, there is already a Facebook page with 142 members. Of course, I have joined. I’m looking forward to listening in on the journey of the early adopters. To encourage sales, Deepal is offering 5 years of free servicing and one year of free charging, through EVIE. EVIE have 290 charging stations in Australia — mainly along the east coast. The car comes equipped with a granny charger for daily top-ups at home or work.

I asked my friendly manager: “Why would I buy a Deepal SO7?” His answer was: styling. “You can see the Italian influence. The car has a yacht theme highlighted by faux wood accents in the cabin.” He emphasized that SO7 is built for efficiency, not eye watering 0–100 km/hour acceleration. Though, on the road, we found it had plenty of grunt, even going around the S bends and up the hill to Barclay’s Lookout at a decent clip.

For AU$57,000, including on roads, you get a mid-luxury SUV with 475 km of range. V2L is optional. Over-the-air updates are provided. The 80-kWh lithium-ion NCM battery pack from CATL has a 240,000 km, 8-year warranty.

After a while, these new EVs start to look the same. You can read about the various new electric SUVs coming to Australia here. What’s different, I ask? Lots, apparently. The car has external speakers so that you can play your music outside the car when parked — at a picnic, for example. But don’t annoy those who have come to the spot for some peace and quiet! Another unique feature is the headphones built into the driver’s headrest for the car that communicate more clearly to the driver — sat nav instructions? Phone calls? The Deepal SO7 has a 14-speaker Sony sound system.

The rear tail lights are distinctive. The cabin is fitted out with soft touch materials. It has a retractable blind that covers the glass roof. Although, there are switches to control this from the back seat — my grandsons would have a great time annoying us by playing with that. The heads-up display comes with augmented reality.

The manager knows his car well. He has driven it a substantial amount, even taking it home for weekends. His depth of knowledge was obvious as we started the test drive and he walked Majella through the screens. The car features a compartment between the front seats that can be chilled using the air conditioning.

The dash has minimal buttons. The main screen on the dash turns towards the driver as they enter the car and Deepal welcomes you. If the driver exits and a passenger remains, the screen tilts towards them.

A 360-degree view around the car is provided by the fishbowl cameras. The dashcam records in 2-minute intervals as you drive. The car also has an internal camera to monitor driver alertness and respond to gesture controls. Now this was something new: if you hold your finger to your lips, the music will mute; if you do a peace sign, it will take a selfie! I am sure there are more, but that’s all we got to play with.

The car connects to the driver’s phone for sat nav and entertainment. There are four drive modes, with the last being customised. Regen (called “recuperation” by Deepal) can be set. It is not quite one-pedal driving. Driver settings are then linked to the key.

I asked if they have noticed any effect on customer enquiries resulting from the outspoken Tesla CEO. He told me that they have had four customers in the last fortnight who intend to move away from their Teslas into another brand of vehicle. They are considering the Deepal SO7. The “Musk effect.” Having said that, he is in awe of Elon as the one who “shook up the automotive industry.”

The Deepal dealership does not sell any purely petrol-driven cars. The Deepal and the Lotus are BEV, some of the Peugeots are HEV. In helping customers decide what vehicle would best suit their needs, he asks them if they own their home, what sort of home — if it is an apartment, do they access to charging? What is the availability for charging in their local area? At this point, I asked Majella to intervene and show him PlugShare. He was astonished. We suggested that he use this as a selling point for those who are not aware of how to find chargers, particularly if they are travelling away from home.

Who makes the Deepal SO7? Deepal is a sub-brand of government-owned Changan Automobile. Originally a military supply factory in the mid 1800s, Changan began manufacturing cars in 1959. Changan plans to end the production of petrol-only cars this year. It is the fourth largest car manufacturer in China.

For a more technical review, check out this video here. Slow charging seemed to be the only downside.

Many thanks for the generous gift of time and expertise provided by Deepal Brisbane. They also provided a look into the future, with many more products arriving this year, including the amazing EO7 convertible (from SUV to wagon, to ute — multi truck.) The future is not just bright and electric, it is multi functional. Now it is time to attend the launch of the refreshed Tesla Model Y tonight!