After an initial attempt to officially enter the market in 2021, Great Wall Motor has refined its European strategy and is now ready to land in Europe (is already present in Sweden), doing so with its most “chic” model: the GWM ORA 5. We travelled to its home in Baoding to drive it, and it genuinely has plenty of European-friendly qualities.
GWM ORA 5: our tops & flops
The GWM ORA 5 is Great Wall Motor’s most mature attempt to conquer the European market: a 4.47-metre compact SUV entering the most crowded and competitive segment in the automotive landscape.The project rests on four pillars: emotionally driven design inspired by fluid, natural surfaces; an efficient and transparent hybrid system; an immediate digital experience; and a broad technology package accessible from the base trim.
The exterior adopts a language GWM calls “Full-Surface Fluid Sculpture”, with soft lines, biomimetic drop-shaped front headlights and a rear light signature integrated into the rear window — a design recognised with a London Design Award. The cabin is perhaps the most accomplished aspect of the entire package: ergonomic seats with low-VOC foams, 3D breathable mesh upholstery, odourless and antimicrobial materials, a cooled and heated compartment in the centre console, 33 storage compartments and an 8.8-inch illuminated vanity mirror for the driver. The 14.6-inch central display is among the largest in the segment; the Coffee OS interface responds with smartphone logic and sits alongside physical controls for the most immediate functions. Noise insulation is taken seriously, with multi-layer glazing and aerodynamic work that cuts wind noise even at moderate speeds.
On the powertrain side, the ORA 5 covers the full spectrum of demand: a 1.5 turbo petrol with dual-clutch gearbox and up to 1,200 kg towing capacity; a full hybrid producing 223 hp with 460 Nm of torque, claimed consumption of 5.1 litres per 100 km and a range of around 1,000 km on a single tank — no cable, no planning required; and an electric version with a 58.3 kWh battery, 435 km of WLTP range, DC charging up to 80 kW and AC charging up to 6.6 kW. All three variants share the same cabin with no compromise on space or ergonomics, confirming the solidity of the GWM One platform underpinning the project. The version that impresses most behind the wheel is the electric, thanks to a chassis developed by Racing Syn — the same motorsport engineering firm that worked on the Alfa Romeo Giulia — with MacPherson front and multi-link rear suspension tuned to deliver comfort without sacrificing precision.
The steering is direct, the car stays composed through corners, absorbs road imperfections without floating and remains genuinely enjoyable well beyond city limits. Rounding out the package: a seven-year powertrain warranty and eight years on the battery, an ADAS system with 23 active functions from the base trim, and a 540-degree camera with transparent chassis function. The GWM ORA 5 is not a car that stuns with a single gesture, but one that wins you over by accumulating details — and for the Europe<n market, it is a contender worth taking seriously.
Design is well done
The cabin is the real heart of the project, available in a range of colours and materials that wink at the fashion-conscious — particularly the version with pied-de-poule upholstery on the seats, dashboard and door panels, kept light to maximise brightness alongside the fixed panoramic roof. The seats use low-VOC foams and 3D breathable mesh upholstery — odourless, antimicrobial materials that actively improve interior air quality. Beyond that, the entire car benefits from a serious approach to noise insulation and suspension tuning, which makes for a genuinely comfortable journey. GWM has used multi-layer glazing and put considerable work into the aerodynamics to reduce wind noise at higher speeds — something you notice almost immediately behind the wheel.
The 14.6-inch display dominates the dashboard, but the Coffee OS interface avoids the classic pitfall of large screens: it doesn’t force you to search. It responds quickly, with a logic close to that of a smartphone, and works alongside a set of physical controls for the most immediate functions like climate.
The deliberately retro gear selector introduces a tactile element into an otherwise heavily digital interior. Rounding things out are 33 storage compartments of various sizes, useful for bags, phones, bottles and flasks alike. Particularly handy is the one built into the centre console, connected to the climate vents — cooled or heated depending on the season.
Plenty of choice
GWM’s approach and the GWM One platform have allowed the ORA 5 to be offered with a range of powertrains. The car we focused on is the electric variant, with a 58.3 kWh battery and up to 435 km of WLTP range. But we also drove the 1.5 turbo petrol with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox — the most capable in towing terms, up to 1,200 kg — and the full hybrid producing 223 hp, with 460 Nm of torque and a claimed consumption of 5.1 litres per 100 km: figures that rarely appear in the same sentence.
The hybrid requires no plug, no planning and no new habits, and can cover around 1,000 km on a single tank. There are no meaningful differences in interior ergonomics or cabin space across the three variants, which confirms how genuinely versatile this platform is.
How it drives
The version that left the strongest impression, however, is the electric. Credit goes to a chassis setup that reveals serious, recognisable work: the MacPherson front and multi-link rear suspension were tuned by Racing Syn, a motorsport engineering firm whose portfolio includes, among others, the Alfa Romeo Giulia. And it shows. The tuning doesn’t chase comfort at the expense of control, nor the other way around — the car absorbs road imperfections without floating, stays composed through corners without becoming stiff in everyday use. The steering is precise and direct enough for a SUV in this segment, without the vagueness that is often forgiven in urban crossovers but is simply absent here. The result is a car that inspires more confidence than expected, and becomes genuinely enjoyable well beyond the urban context it is primarily designed for.
On the charging front, the BEV accepts up to 80 kW on DC — meaning a 20–80% charge in around 35 minutes — and up to 6.6 kW on AC for overnight home charging. Figures that are par for the class, and more than sufficient for mixed use without any particular range anxiety.
