Bhisma Nambiar
A while back, we covered the Good Cat by GWM, a large EV player from China, for its unique naming scheme for its cars. The Good Cat is finally launched in Malaysia today with 2 variants, the 400 Pro for RM 139800 and the 500 Ultra for RM 169800. Apple users won’t have an issue distinguishing the two variants.
While the funky (the Good Cat is also called Funky Cat in Europe and Haomao in China) name may not appeal to the masses, the car has a decent spec list. For starters, both variants feature a single electric motor producing 143PS and 210Nm of torque to the 18-inch (215/50R18) front wheels. With a purported top speed of 152km/h and a 0-100KM/h in 7.9 seconds, the Good Cat is more than capable for our Malaysian roads, just not enough to outpace your neighbour Honda Civic PHEV. But I digress.
What about the battery and range?
400 Pro
- 47.8 kWh Lithium iron phosphate battery
- AC – 8 hours for a full charge from a 6.6 kW AC outlet via a Type 2 connection.
- DC
- 0 – 80% around 45 mins
- 30% – 80% around 30 mins
- As reported by the EU spec Funky Cat using the WLTP protocol, the car has a range of 310 km for the lower-end 400 Pro variant.
500 Ultra
- 63.1 kWh Ternary Lithium battery
- AC – 10 hours for a full charge from a 6.6 kW AC outlet via a Type 2 connection.
- DC
- 0% – 80% around 60 mins
- 30% – 80% around 40 mins
Safety features are plentiful in the Good Cat. Standard features include adaptive cruise control, AEB, forward collision warning, low-speed emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist and lane centring assist. The 500 Ultra ups the ante with added features such as Wisdom Dodge System, emergency lane keeping, lane change assist and blind spot detection, rear collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert and rear cross-traffic braking.
Accessories include a tyre repair kit, active front grille intake, automatic headlamps, LED tail lamps and rear fog lamp, electrically adjustable side mirrors, automatic wipers and a panoramic sunroof.
The age of screens as the instrumentation cluster is here to stay. Hence, the Ora Good Cat’s instrumentation is handled by a 7-inch display, with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment unit in the middle (support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto).
The exterior colours are Coral Blue, Hamilton White, and Sun Black for the single-tone selection. At the same time, Mars Red and Hamilton White schemes come with contrasting black roofs. Exclusive to the 500 Ultra are Verdant Green with a white roof and Hazel Wood Beige with a brown top. Here in Malaysia, in two variants, the GWM Ora Good Cat is covered by a five-year, 150,000 km warranty, with the drive battery getting an eight-year warranty.
At first glance, the Ora Good Cat’s interior looks premium, dare I say, competing with the likes of a Mini. However, it has a standard suede leather dashboard covered with synthetic seat upholstery. In addition, some small Quality of Life features includes a multifunction steering wheel, two USB ports (front), one USB for the rear passenger, one USB port for your dashcam, and a power outlet. Both variants get electric adjustments for the driver’s seat (manual for the passenger seat), and the 500 Ultra adds a massage function for the driver’s seat.