GWM Ora GT 2024 review: EV road trip VLOG with charging and driving range test!

[@polkaboy400]

Hey Matt, it was so cool bumping into you at the footy over the weekend. Thanks for taking the time to have a chat with me. Keep up the good work! Maurice

[@kimhoward8322]

Had a leaf for 8 years 70000 miles still had 100% battery . We now have an Ora 3 pro + which has a range of 260 miles . Absolutely love this car it’s comfortable only thing that is annoying is the very awkward indicators . The range is pretty accurate so far . Finish and comfort is superb and interestingly the car was manufactured in Germany guess that’s to get over the high import tax eu has just put on .

[@1969cmp]

If I bought an Ora, I'd order those Funky Cat badges.

[@copaloadofthis]

More road-trip content please..

[@bananabear009]

More real life road trip content with family please : )

[@therightcar]

Thanks!!

[@therightcar]

I’ll see what I can manage

[@AlexNesmashniy]

Yeah, this one was pretty good. Nicely done Matt!

[@ryanskuse6943]

I pickup my my GWM Ora in a couple weeks! Snagged a standard range with red paint, TPE floor mats, full tint and ceramic interior & exterior coating for $37,159.01, which will be knocked down to $31,159.01 after the $6K QLD EV rebate. That is with a 7 year vehicle warranty, 8 year battery warranty, 5 years free roadside assist and $99 annual servicing for 5 years. This thing is an absolute bargain ATM.

[@John-p7i5g]

QLD is a seriously great place to buy an EV atm.

[@ronaldscolaro2235]

It would be great to see more open road drives in EV's.

[@russellchristison8425]

Hi Mat, it’s me again, heading south or North on the M31 the Ampol service stations at Pheasants Nest have about 6 recharge spots each and also have a fenced dog run.

[@therightcar]

Thanks mate. It was just a smidge too close on my way down, and a smidge too far on my way back!

[@mighty_bunny]

I always enjoy watching EV road trips, so of course I enjoyed this video! I also really like how the Ora GT looks, but boy is it not worth it. The base model standard range really is the sweet spot.

[@therightcar]

Thanks mate!

[@SueTaylor-p6o]

I can’t wait to get mine next week ❤

[@jennyallen6393]

I enjoyed this road trip. I would like to see more of this content for all new EV's as it provides real world interaction with range and the charging infrastructure. Nice car.

[@therightcar]

Thanks! I will do some more of these style reviews when I can. It’s great fun stressing over range with a 2yo in the car 😂

[@hal3137]

Great stuff , here's hoping by the end of 2024 we have double the chargers and more AC chargers as back up.

[@therightcar]

Here’s hoping!

[@jiarunli5510]

Great review and love it. In China, even if the infrastructure is much better than here in terms of roads, service stations (some of them are literally like Westfield shopping centers), and charging stations, I still hear lots of stories from friends that they were panic about charging on road trips. One is that the weather in the north is much colder and it significantly reduces ranges, the other is the congestion to get charged in service stations (even if there are like 10-20 charging spots, you might still end up with 30 mins of waiting time). Unless these could be significantly improved either via better infrastructure, or EV techs develops significantly, I still cannot see myself buying an EV in 3 to 5 years.

[@marcusgeorge1825]

Nice review Matt. Thank you. In 2024 you’d hope we had the charging capabilities so you could drive normally by taking the most direct route without the range anxiety. This isn’t 1905 when petrol stations were lacking. Plus, what most don’t realise is the price on electricity has been on a steady increase and won’t get cheaper. Especially when you consider the government relies on the double dip when it comes to the tax we pay for petrol and diesel. Also it isn’t just electric engines that have reduced efficiency when it comes to driving up hill as ICE also suffer from this so this is nothing new.

[@therightcar]

Thanks mate. Yep, I hear you on all those points. I just called out the elevation thing as it’s much more evident in an EV because you can see the range rapidly dissipating!

[@LanceChee]

Thanks for this review. BTW, I believe it was the Wisdom Dodge that was pushing you around. Can see heavy vehicle passing in your video.

[@mvnorsel6354]

I can remember a time when there were plenty of Chargers on the road.

[@therightcar]

SUNDAY DAD JOKE WINNER

[@351tgv]

@@therightcar - but Matt if you kept on going further south to Albury you of of seen all the Valliant's in Australia gathered there that weekend.

[@russellchristison8425]

The M7 from the M4 to the M5 is 80kph at the moment because of road works the Northern road is a nicer drive anyway. I took clients to Leura from the Southern Highlands last weekend and used the northern road to the M4

[@therightcar]

Ha, but does anyone actually do 80 along there?!! Hahaha

[@351tgv]

@@therightcar - they better, the Police are everywhere around that region in recent times, even Northern road, was there 2 weeks ago and decided to head back via Elizabeth drive (road work city due to the Airport construction) as I wanted to Avoid Hume and M4 back to Sydney as I had to heed into Bonnoyrig, they (Police) were doing "laps" in there fancy BWM M5's ...

[@zaamuro8408]

​@@351tgv530d got hwp

[@raymondmumford6255]

The GT looks awesome 😊

[@351tgv]

Hey Matt, Just to remind people on the way to Canberra from about Liverpool onwards the altitude change from base level which is already about 80 meters above sea level go to around 850 meters about sea level and yes its a constant incline (save for that downhill stretch just before Goulburn) so it will hurt EV/Hybrid EV, like it hurts petrol/diesel/lpg cars, but the difference is once you are at the higher altitude the vehicle with electric motor wont be affected in terms of torque/power outputs as they don't consume oxygen which is less dense, wow that is lame that there is only 2 chargers, not good enough. ah the Northern Road, that was a great fund drive back in the day, now its like any boring upgrade road all due to an airport that is gonna be a waste of time. Also if you wat to know the temp? Press on the vioce button (depending on where its located) and say "current temp", Android Auto (yes provided you have reception and I suggest Telstra or one of here cheaper options like Boost or Belong) will reply in kind based on satellite position, yes not as good as on vehicle ambient temp sensor but still an option which that junk Apple Car Play should also have.

[@stevencoleman9098]

We actually just ordered an Ora Gt, we were leaning towards the ultra though which has all the same features as the Gt (like vented/heated massage seats and a powered tailgate) and just different styling and is a few thousand cheaper so that’s probably the better option

[@amon5124]

I love the look of it

[@therightcar]

Yeah it’s cool, hey?!

[@mesp673]

Hey Matt, do you know if a smartphone app is coming for the Ora? I think other GWM cars have it?

[@therightcar]

Hi! I hope there’s an app connection coming and also smarter charging options.

[@jovceata]

looks great and thanks for the road trip

[@therightcar]

Thanks for that - I had fun, hope you did too!

[@marktiller1383]

I went to Tullamarine airport today, 109 km mostly freeway, 103 wh per km , no heating or cooling just vents, in a 1st gen ioniq.

[@therightcar]

Nice!!

[@JohnWorthy-gi2zq]

Howdy, I can't readily find the usage figures for the return journey.

[@slavomt5832]

Great review as always. You did not say too much about noise in this car... road noise, wind noise, noise in general. Can you compare it to some popular cars with petrol engine? Thank you 🙂 Greetings from Warsaw, Poland.

[@therightcar]

Thank you - so cool to see you tuning in from so far away! The road noise was good - better than a VW Golf or Polo.

[@slavomt5832]

@@therightcar thank you!

[@brent_in_aussie]

Great road trip Matt , what breed are your puppies??

[@therightcar]

Haha thanks mate. One is a Maltese x Whippet, the other a Jack Russell x.

[@Robert-im1se]

Hey Matt, just to confirm, you only needed to charge this once between home and Cooma? Thanks for the video, was very informative!

[@therightcar]

Thanks mate! Yep, that’s right. A quick 45 min lunch stop in Canberra.

[@Robert-im1se]

@@therightcar Amazing! Thanks mate, and appreciate the super quick reply.

[@jay-uo2bi]

About 10 days till I pickup my Standard Range, the GT looks great, not a fan of the wheels on the lower trims but the Standard Range presents value, particularly with $6000 QLD rebate. Even in base form it's well equipped and doesn't feel like a really cheap or basic car, I admittedly should have taken it for a more extensive drive before quickly deciding on it, but I thought it was genuinely decent to drive. In my short test drive the BMW indicators (momentary style switch + on the left side) and significant wind/road noise were the only negative things I noticed, I am coming from an IS350 based Crown, but still, I do appreciate a quite cabin.

[@jasoncarmichael4540]

Love the Ora , if I had the money I’d buy the standard one

[@claudiac741]

Is there a review of the MiniCooper Countryman EV???

[@williamdang8843]

I love the look of the GT, I think GWM should release a version of the GT with upgraded power and bigger battery.

[@gregoryfrohlich9262]

I bought an MG4 Long Range but as our 2nd car I bought the standard range Ora. For some reason the app has not been released in Australia so I wanted the LFP battery because to charge to 80 percrent is a real pain.Perfect city car and if I need to do a road trip I will use the MG. But considering the Ora is $20,000 cheaper than the MG4 long range it is certainly good value and I cannot understand anyone buying a Toyota corolla. From what I understand all versions of the 2024 Ora will have LFP batteries and V2L as well. Only Apple car play and no Android Auto is a bit of a pain but I believe the software to fix that has been released in NZ so I am sure it will be here as well.

[@therightcar]

Thanks for the comment. And yep the Ora base is a terrific urban car. But you can’t understand people that buy Corollas? Really? Have you travelled outside of the main corridors?

[@RodneyW]

This was a fascinating review/vlog. It highlights that the big challenge with a BEV road trip is caused by the range limitations and open road inefficiency of a BEV combined with the time it takes to recharge. Firstly, the extra time makes it very inconvenient. With an ICEV, I stop when I want to stop, where I want to stop. If the car needs refuelling, it only takes 5 minutes, so I don't care where or when I stop for that. With a BEV, the car becomes the primary determinant of where I stop. And because It takes a lot of time (i.e. 30+ minutes, even if you only charge to 80%), I end up being forced to orient my meal breaks around the car. That's not good, because - invariably - the best food is not found at the same place where you refuel/recharge a car! Secondly, the recharging time means that it is very difficult for there to ever be enough charging infrastructure to cover busy periods. If you have 200 cars per hour through an area at a busy time, and each needs 30 minutes to recharge, you will need 100 chargers to keep up with demand. However, with ICEV (at 5 minutes per car), we only need 17 fuel pumps to keep up with the same level of demand. However, having 100 fast chargers would require an enormous energy supply for them all to operate simultaneously (10 MW to supply 100 kW charging to each car!), and it would be heavily under-utilised most of the time. Even if you can get that level of energy supply... it would be very wasteful - interns of capital, and other resources.

[@marksweet8740]

Come down to Tassie for a road trip.

[@therightcar]

Haha! I’ll be in Tassie later this month for a launch event. No road trip for it though, sadly. I will be doing another longer trip this month too…! 🎉

[@mvnorsel6354]

Best roads in Australia perhaps. My favourite is Bothwell.

[@kenphillips7594]

Just to educate me, is it true that the battery life of around seven years means that the trade in value of EVs is a bit lower? I'm not in the market for an EV because I regularly travel 800+ km in a day to visit my granddaughters and my three day /two night trip would become four days/ five nights with big increases in motel costs each way.

[@therightcar]

No EV has a battery life of only seven years. All new EVs have lengthy warranty cover that includes, typically, a state of charge guarantee for that period. You won’t need to spend a night at hotel, if the car and the charging infrastructure allows rapid charging. For instance, if you find a 350kW charging station en route between your locations (and it’s not occupied, and it’s not broken) and you have a car that’s capable of up to 350kW, you could recharge 10-80 percent in about 20 mins. Now, there’s a lot of “if” in that. But it isn’t impossible.

[@jay-uo2bi]

800km a day? Wow!

[@mattrwilliams78]

I quite like the look of this car and had even gotten excited about trading the 2015 Mini Cooper 5dr for it. But when i got to the showroom I noticed a funny thing. Its actually huge! Like about 400mm taller and in all directions than the mini. There's something almost reverse-tardis about it that you cant appreciate until you are standing next to it. I will keep waiting for Mini to come to their senses and make a 5dr Cooper electric or maybe even relaunch the clubman. I think the Aceman is going to be surprisingly big too.....

[@mattrwilliams78]

Oh and the boot is tiny. I couldn't live with how small that boot is.

[@sarahyoung9855]

Me too! I wanted to love to Ora to save myself $$$ but I’m going to save up for the Mini Aceman instead (or maybe the awesome Renault 5e - at last small sporty EV’s with 5 doors! If they bring it to Australia that is….)

[@mattrwilliams78]

@@sarahyoung9855 the Renault 5e looks so good!

[@thehuonpine]

If they made a hybrid version of it, it will be more popular!

[@John-p7i5g]

Now the Long Range 420km model is 36k, it's an attractive option.

[@therightcar]

Wholeheartedly agree mate. It’s now priced close to what I told them to price it before they launched it! I said “it needs to be in the 30s”, and they said “there’s no way”. But time has passed and there are new rivals coming from all angles.

[@rogersmith5371]

In all EVs the ADASS is by default turned on and active - turning it off permanently would negate the purpose of installing them to obtain the 5 star ANCAP rating. Drivers need to do a pilot pre-flight check list and turn all warnings off before starting the car rather than doing it while on the road as looking at the screen means the driver's eyes are off the road. As for the driver attention camera if you are talking to the camera you are obviously not paying full attention to the road and that is why the camera alarm is going off. Whilst I am sure you are aware of that every owner and reviewer of EVs should be aware or be made aware of this. I live in Goulburn and I'm sorry you were unable to find a charger. For reference there are NRMA chargers at the Gateway at the northern entrance to the city, Tesla chargers and a non-Tesla charger at the Tourist Information Office behind Belmore park in the centre of town and the ones you attempted to access. Of course there are not enough chargers nation wide. There are chargers at Pheasants Nest and Sallys Corner both on the highway between the Northern Rd entry ramp to the Hume Highway and Goulburn. I realise you don't want to stop too early but as you say planning a trip and assuming that there are chargers and that there will be no waiting time especially on a long weekend is being over optimistic.

[@johnlambert1744]

Is the GWM Ora compatible with the V2 and V3 Tesla Superchargers? Wondering if you could have used those at Goulburn instead?

[@appen1]

It does work with the super chargers that Tesla have opened up to all EVs. However you have to start the charge in the app before you connect the car. And I have had to use the manual cable release once to unplug the car. I haven't tried using the V4 chargers.

[@此生何必]

In China, non GT version only has 105kw/143Ps power.

[@rc70ys]

Fast Forward now to October 2024 and I find them for only $38,990 Drive Away. Bargain.

[@therightcar]

Yep they’ve chopped the price. Much more appealing!

[@TheThriftyWrist]

Review is bang on. Agree with everything. Except im yet to have an issue with the face monitoring camera. I went with the GT, mostly for the looks and massage seats. And it’s slightly more mainstream looking than the base models. Somehow. Not sure why. Can definitely get a better price than $46,990 if you have a red hot go with your dealer. With mostly urban driving im getting 430-450km of range on a full charge.

[@FalkinerTim]

The main drawbacks with the Ora are the small boot, the wide turning circle, the lack of a passenger door opening sensor, lack of a temperature adjustment dial and the silly, pinky-ponk indicators. But the rest of the car is excellent in build quality, appearance, power and handling. For the price, around $36K, the standard model has everything and is very good value. The car steers very well on the highway with the lane centering set to maximum.

[@garycusack9247]

how much did it cost u down and back in rechargeing dearer or cheaper than a normal petrol car??

[@therightcar]

It was still less than an equivalent petrol car would have been. Home charge before leaving - approx $6. Canberra Evie charge - $20.68 Then I charged in Cooma before leaving - $25.45 Sutton Forest return charge - $24.16 (more than I needed, but enough to get home and then return the car). So, all told, $76.29 to do 800km (+ return the car).

[@Luke-PlanesTrainsDogsnCars]

The ORA is a bit like Boris Johnston..it doesn't look like a serious thing.

[@gregturner_awod]

Interesting road trip review. I suspect the long range model rather than the GT would be the wisest choice. A great second car for us, but could be an excellent main vehicle for someone or a couple with no kids. I’d consider it, albeit we don’t need a second car. I love Evie chargers having used them in Swan Hill and Ouyen. The DC charge rates a little bit slow. The car would be so much easier to manage with a smartphone app, so that’s a deficit. The car seems fine in freeway use. Great review, thanks for introducing this car. Yes, more road trips!

[@therightcar]

Thank you mate! Yep, I’ve never had an issue with Evie chargers - apart from them being over-occupied on long weekends! Yes, the smartphone app would be a welcome addition. My wall box at home has a timer, so it’s manageable. But not ideal if you’re not at home.

[@gregturner_awod]

Some small charging tweaks could make the Ora a better car, and Smartphone control even better. The Tesla app I use makes living with an EV very easy. Even so, your review has made me like the Ora far more than I thought I would

[@fairgo4156]

Hmmm, just confirmed my concern over poor EV infrastructure. Maybe there is an EV in my future, however, that time has not yet arrived.

[@therightcar]

Just don’t travel on major highways or on long weekends and you’ll be fine! 😂😂😂

[@Samrushtonblight]

Don't you use Plugshare?

[@therightcar]

I did - and it doesn’t have the ability to see how many people are waiting. Charging needs a “queue” setup. And extreme rates for those who stay past 90% full.

[@marksweet8740]

Is it like a dad bod in Lycra?

[@therightcar]

As in, jiggles and wobbles? Not at all. The ride is excellent.

[@PurplePandaGuy88]

I’d like to see you do a road trip maybe in an MG like the zst Or maybe a sort or city test of a car like how easy it is to park the car and navigate

[@therightcar]

Thanks! I’ll keep those in mind.

[@russellchristison8425]

I’ll take the mid spec, but it wouldn’t be my road trip car but do like I can go from the Southern Highlands to Sydney and return without need to recharge

[@therightcar]

Yep, easy.

[@buncha5651]

That looked like fun, Not. After watching this, I'll never buy an EV. It would have been more interesting if you had a puncture. And the killer $50,000 for that thing.

[@therightcar]

Less than $50k now. And haggle-able.

[@buncha5651]

​@therightcar It needs to be $25,000 . As a town car, it's where it fits.

[@masteradamscorch4272]

It such a nice car

[@therightcar]

I liked it more than I thought I would!

[@masteradamscorch4272]

Yeah I like byd dolphin as well but like this one to so don’t know what one I would buy when I do get one that is

[@russellchristison8425]

Try the boot in a Corolla or Mazda 3 Hatchbacks and you’d be no better off for boot space

[@therightcar]

Agree.

[@RodneyW]

That's incorrect. The Mazda 3 hatch has 27% more capacity than the Ora (290l vs 228l), so you are clearly better off. Plus, the Mazda 3 has a spare tyre under the boot floor. On the reviewed trip there would have been no need to refuel.... just stop wherever you want and play with your kid and dogs.

[@russellchristison8425]

@@RodneyW okay show Ora tiny, and Mazda 3 27% bigger than tiny Hyundai i30 and Vw Golf are far larger, I know this because 1 my son has a Mazda 3 hatch which is a great car in spite of its small boot. 2 our 2 overnight bags that fit in the boot of my wife’s T cross don’t fit in a Mazda 3 Hatch or Toyota Corolla hatch without folding the rear seat but do fit in the boot of a I 30 hatch cerato hatch and Golf

[@Coastmac2001]

I'd rather look at the Cupra or a kia or Hyundai EV If I was in the market for 1. I'll pass on chinese . But I'll stick with my Touareg 210 R Line Tdi . Awesome vehicle ,no range anxiety & no hassling to find a working charger or having to wait . Just put an order in for the new VW Touareg & should be hopefully getting it pretty well as soon as the new model arrives here

[@jasoncarmichael4540]

Chinese actually make the best EVs atm

[@aussielegend8576]

Cairns

[@therightcar]

In what?

[@aussielegend8576]

@@therightcar Any car that likes curves

[@gregj7916]

So a tarted up model, the wheels are a major improvement… never understood a sunroof in skin cancer ravaged Australia…

[@IsaacLoven]

UV doesn't go through the glass, only heat

[@mcstaal]

How can australia lack EV-chargers? Look at that clear blue sky, there is sun enough to power al local infrastructure.

[@therightcar]

You’d think. But there’s also a LOT of coal down here.

[@scarekro5]

50 MINUTES TO CHARGE! 50 MINUTES! EV has a long long way to go before I even look at an EV. I feel for a long time yet hybrids would be the most efficient.

[@TimBorg]

so ugly new NISSAN LEAF ZE1 is a billion times better looking than this and faster and safer

[@henryhenrywang5333]

For your family safety, don't drive any Chinese made cars. There lots safety issues about Chinese made cars on KZbin. If Great Wall Motor pay you for promoting their products that will be deferent story.

[@markuc]

Stop this none sense. They've been thoroughly tested because of 3rd hand opinions from people like you that lives on your prejudices.

[@therightcar]

I won't stop driving or reviewing cars made by anyone, anywhere in the world. It's my career. If you don't want to watch reviews of these cars, don't watch KZbin.

[@kimhoward8322]

The Ora has a euro n cap rating of 5 and mine is made in Europe maybe the Chinese get the cheap untested ones . My wife is Chinese and she is very proud to have her Chinese car here .