The Deepal S07 has to be one of the weirdest cars we’ve driven in years.
Apart from anything else, it’s got no dashboard. There is no instrument panel to tell you what’s going on.
It teleported us back to the turn of the century and the debut of the ill-fated Toyota Echo with its then unusual centre-mounted digital speedometer.
The difference being that although the Deepal EV has a large centrally-mounted, free-standing touchscreen, which swivels to welcome the driver – there’s still no instrument cluster and that means no speedometer.
S07 does have a head-up display which projects the car’s speed in the lower section of the windscreen and it can be the only reason the car received the stamp of approval for sale here.
However, as anyone who wears polarised sunglasses can tell you, it’s not much good if you can’t see it – not unless you cock your head to one side.
Nope. The only clue to how fast you’re going is a tiny, five-cent piece sized digital readout in the top right-hand corner of the touchscreen.
You do get used to it. In fact, you can get used to most things eventually. But why is this regarded as all right?
Those with a long memory, might also recall that the Echo reverted to a conventional speedo the second time around when it was and renamed Yaris.
STYLING
The quirky Chinese brand is an apt replacement for Citroen which importer Inchcape ditched 12 months ago.
It also handles Subaru and Peugeot, but like Citroen the Deepal S07 is likely to have limited appeal.
While the mid-sized, five-seat EV is an interesting offering, it may not be for everyone.
Deepal says the S07 represents a new era of electric driving that combines cutting-edge technology, ‘remarkable performance’ and luxurious design in an all-electric package that promises to redefine the SUV experience.
That’s a big call.
S07 comes in just the one grade, priced from $53,900 driveaway.
Our test vehicle was fitted with the optional 20-inch wheels which add $800 (premium paint is also $800).
STYLING
Designed in Italy, the eye-catching exterior is matched by what Deepal describes as a luxurious, ‘yacht-inspired’ interior.
The dimensions of the car supposedly conform to what is known as the ‘golden ratio’, offering aesthetically pleasing proportions and often used in photography.
A sleek silhouette with slender headlights contribute to an impressive drag coefficient of 0.258 Cd, helping to reduce wind noise and energy consumption.
The modern aesthetic is enhanced by silent, electric-suction, frameless doors with double-glazed glass for driver and front passenger windows, along with hidden door handles – inside and out.
INTERIOR
The spacious interior reveals a futuristic wrap-around two-level centre console, inspired by ‘yachts of the Mediterranean’, including premium soft-touch materials and technology focused on delivering enhanced comfort and a luxurious ride.
Two-zone climate air with rear air vents, with air purification and an energy-saving heat pump are standard, along with synthetic quilted leather trim, heated steering wheel, heated and cooled front seats with six-way powered adjustment and electric lumbar support for the driver.
Adding to the ambience of the interior is 64-colour ambient lighting.
Other features include 19-inch alloys with hubcaps, adaptive cruise control, all-LED lights, traffic sign recognition, intelligent speed limit, auto high beam, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and auto dipping exterior mirrors, auto lights and wipers, front and rear parking sensors, power-operated tailgate and a panoramic sunroof.
There’s also a built-in dashcam and questionable interior monitor.
This car doesn’t want for much.
S07 comes standard with a seven-year/160,000km warranty and eight-year/240,000km battery warranty.
Service intervals are a relatively brief 10,000km or 12 months, after an initial complimentary 5000km or six months service.
There’s also fixed price servicing for seven-and-a-half years or 75,000km.
INFOTAINMENT
Infotainment comes in the form of a 15.6-inch touchscreen which rotates 15 degrees left or right for better viewing angles.
There’s Bluetooth, voice control, satellite navigation, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and premium 14-speaker Sony sound with an integrated speaker in the driver headrest.
Intelligent gesture recognition control allows passengers to control various functions like music, calls, and even taking photos with simple hand gestures.
The system also offers a range of scenario modes designed to enhance comfort, convenience, and functionality. Worth a look, but after that don’t bother.
USB-A and -C ports are located in the lower console, along with a 12-volt socket.
There’s also a 40W ventilated wireless phone fast charger.
SAFETY
S07 earns a five-star safety rating with a comprehensive range of passive, active, driver assist, and advanced safety features.
Seven airbags and a 360-degree camera are standard including a centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes.
Autonomous emergency braking supports Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User, Junction & Crossing, Backover and Head-On situations.
The lane support system includes lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), and an advanced speed assistance system (SAS) with a speed sign recognition system.
There are also three tethers and two ISOFix anchors in the rear for child seats.
ENGINES/TRANSMISSIONS
A single electric motor drives the rear wheels through a single-speed transmission, delivering 160kW of power and 320Nm of torque.
DRIVING
S07 is new and eye-catching, and perhaps a little over the top.
But after you get past all the bells and whistles, some deficiencies are evident.
At 4750mm long and 1930mm wide, with a 2900mm wheelbase, S07 offers a spacious cabin with a flat floor.
The quilted leather floor coverings are a hoot and a first for us, especially in the boot as well as the extra mats added to protect the fancy ones.
A good-sized luggage area provides a capacity of 445 litres with the rear seats in use, or 1385 litres with them folded, with another 125 litres available under the bonnet.
Awkward pop-out door handles are complemented by equally unnecessary push-button door releases inside, with walk-away locking and unlocking.
There’s no start button. Just get in, put the transmission into drive and you’re good to go, with a gear selector located on the right of the steering column (park button at the end).
A watchful camera monitor sits atop the steering wheel, but fails to fill the gap left by the absence of an instrument cluster.
Taking your seat, the touchscreen swivels slightly towards the driver. Although it provides several visual modes, it does not offer an instrument panel view – we wonder why?
Navigating the stifling Sydney heat, the air-conditioning unit is no match for Toyota, with no physical controls to moderate the temperature.
In fact, just about everything is operated through the screen, taking eyes unfortunately off the road.
The system is quick and responsive with plenty of info and options available, by either tapping or swiping.
But trying to do anything on the move is a bit like trying to pin the tail on the donkey.
With claimed energy consumption 18.6kWh/100km, an 80kWh ternary lithium battery delivers up to 475km of driving range (WLTP).
DC charging provides a 30 to 80 per cent charge in about 35 minutes, or 10 to 80 per cent in 50 minutes with a maximum DC charging rate of 92kW.
AC charging from 0 to 100 per cent takes 11 hours with a 7kW charger or about eight hours with an 11kW charger.
Regenerative braking tops up the battery during driving, with Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability available should the need arise to power another device.
Performance is okay but nothing special in terms of EVs.
The dash from 0-100km/h takes 7.9 seconds, not that quick – but okay by us.
Ride and handling however is typical EV – heavy, sometimes bouncy and threatening to run wide in corners if you push the envelope – but it’s not the worst we’ve driven.
Ride quality is okay around town but quickly deteriorates off the good stuff.
It feels heavy (and it is) and the springs become bouncy when it encounters undulations and speed humps, and it takes a couple of cycles to settle.
We’re not fond of column gear selectors, particularly those located on the right side of the wheel where the indicators should be for our market.
The problem for us ‘righties’ is that one can easily become confused when turning on the indicator, and if you happen to have your foot on the brake at this time – you could wind up in reverse. Bad move.
Unlike others we didn’t find the driver assist monitoring generally too intrusive in this car.
A range of 475km is reasonable but we reckon 500km is now the sweet spot. The problem is, the bigger the battery the longer it takes to charge, so you really need to have access to a home charger where it can be plugged in overnight.
Rated at 18.6kWh/100km, we clocked up 325km at a rate of 15.8 kWh/100km.
That’s better than the manufacturer’s claim and slightly less than the long-term average of 15.9 kWh (the same figure we got after punting it hard for a bit).
SUMMING UP
The Deepal S07 is new and different and takes some acclimatisation.
We reckon it’s a good fit for a company that also sells Subaru and Peugeot cars (and Citroen until recently).
The S07 could well be the Citroen of the electric vehicle world?
RATINGS
Looks: 7.5
Performance: 7
Safety: 8
Thirst: 7.5
Practicality: 7
Comfort: 7
Tech: 8
Value: 8
Overall: 7.5
