In a world where most new mainstream vehicles are built to fit a mould, the Deepal E07 brings with it a sense of innovation and risk-taking that Western manufacturers have long forgotten about.
The Chinese are definitely entering their golden era of automotive engineering. Like the Americans, Europeans, and Japanese before them, they are still willing to take risks, break away from tradition, and throw away the so-called rule books to bring to market cars that nobody asked for – but many may love.
Have a look at this walk around video on our Instagram.
The Deepal E07 is the sort of car that we can see being rejected at the boardrooms of so many automotive manufacturers (except the one-man show at Tesla). Still, the Chinese government-owned Changan group – which wholly owns Deepal – gave their engineers and designers the go-ahead to create what is essentially an SUV and a small ute all in one, and it’s coming to Australia.
It may not be the best SUV, and it certainly won’t be the most practical ute, but if you want a vehicle that is a coupe-like shape with a big tray, there is really no other option until the Tesla Cybertruck gets here (which will be significantly more expensive).
We flew to Deepal’s base in Chongqing, China, to inspect what can only be described as a world-class production facility and drive the brand’s new fleet of models heading to Australia, which include the Deepal S05 and the E07 (plus we anticipate the G318, a G-Wagen clone, will also find its way to our shores in the near future).
We saw the incredibly vast and detailed testing facility that Changan uses to develop its range of vehicles – which includes an incredible array of road loops, surfaces from all around the world and endless engineering validation that far surpasses many of those belonging to Western, Japanese, and even Korean manufacturers.
The Chinese government funds this particular facility, which is available not only to Changan but also other Chinese manufacturers such as BYD, which also develops its vehicles there. The point? The engineering going into today’s Chinese cars is lightyears away from where the country was even 10 years ago. It makes us wonder where they will be in another 10 years. But back to the Deepal E07 for now.
What strikes us first about the Deepal E07 is that it looks rather nice on the road. Photos don’t do it justice and that cyberpunk-style front digital display won’t pass our antiquated ADRs, but while it’s very easy to make concept-looking cars look cool, to get it to production and keep some of its inherent character is a challenge that Deepal has overcome.
In the Chinese market, the E07 is available as a pure EV (RWD and AWD) and as a range-extender. Australian specs for the vehicle that will come here will be confirmed in the next few weeks.
Yes it’s a cool car and the idea is great, but the real question for the E07 is whether any Australian will actually want to open their wallet for it? We spent a few hours with a Chinese-market E07 to get a better idea if they will.
How much does the Deepal E07 cost?
There is no price for the vehicle yet, but we suspect it will start in the $70,000s for the entry-level variant, and stretch will into the $80,000s or beyond for the top-spec flagship, although we hope to be pleasantly surprised.
What is the Deepal E07 like on the inside?
The Deepal E07’s interior is perhaps unsurprisingly great. It’s very typical of Chinese OEMs, with a 15.4-inch infotainment screen that is super high-quality and an operating system that is effective. Everything just seems to work – except Apple CarPlay, which is also not surprising for some Chinese OEMs.
The surfaces across the seats, doors and dashboard feel nice and supple to touch, and everything we could see and examine was finished with great alignment and attention to detail. Although we would need more time with the E07 to determine these factors comprehensively, we found the seats (front and rear) to be comfortable and supportive.
The ‘zero-gravity’ front seats are designed to take the pressure off the occupant’s spine during long drives and come equipped with heating and cooling.
We especially loved that you can engage different seating modes for your passengers, such as cinema mode, which allows the front passenger-side mounted screen to come down and allows your passenger to enjoy a movie in a relaxed setting with the front seat reclining dramatically.
Of course, Australian automotive design rules are such that some miserable government bureaucrat probably decided long ago – for no good reason – that this feature won’t be legal in Australian-delivered cars. But we can dream.
The E07’s real party trick is, of course, the transforming boot. The rear-end incorporates a vertical tailgate and an electrically powered retractable cover, enabling swift transformation into a ute or pickup truck configuration in about 10 seconds. You simply press a button and everything transforms, leaving you with a very accessible tray.
Deepal Australia is looking for a metal tray option to make the rear space practical for our market. As it stands right now, you wouldn’t want to get it too dirty, given it’s so beautifully carpeted.
In terms of dimensions, the E07 measures a substantial 5045mm in length, 1996mm in width, and 1680mm in height, with a substantial wheelbase of 3120mm. In SUV mode, the trunk offers 638 litres of space, expanding to 1860 litres in pickup mode (with the second-row seats folded flat).
Other features of the E07’s digital platform include over-the-air (OTA) updates, a 50W wireless phone charger, remote car control, in-car monitoring system, NFC card key and a digital key.
The benefit of so many Chinese OEMs being almost forced to work together by the state is that these digital platforms have been tested on scale, and so reliability has become a non-issue.
Many prospective buyers will no doubt wonder where their data is going, if their car is listening to them and whether they can trust a vehicle that is manufactured by a company owned by the Chinese government. If you are looking to us for an answer – we haven’t got one. It’s a personal question for each buyer.
What’s under the bonnet?
In the Chinese market, the fully-electric E07 is offered with rear- and all-wheel drive configurations. The RWD variant is equipped with a single permanent magnet synchronous motor, delivering 252kW of power and 342Nm of torque, enabling claimed 0-100km/h acceleration in 6.7 seconds.
Additional performance is available via the all-wheel-drive version, which adds an asynchronous front motor, increasing the total output to 440kW and 645Nm – enough for Deepal to claim 0-100 km/h sprint time of just 3.96 seconds. The RWD tops out at 201km/h, while the AWD reaches 210km/h.
Both variants are powered by a 89.98kW ternary lithium battery, offering an estimated range of up to 640km on a single charge for the RWD and 590km for the AWD. The 800V electrical architecture supports fast-charging capabilities, allowing the battery to charge at 240kW on a DC charger. Strangely, the AC charging speed is capped at 7kW rather than the 11kW we would like to see.
The range-extender plug-in hybrid E07 (still to be confirmed for Australia) couples a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with two electric motors utilising a 39kWh battery. Total system output of that variant is 362kW and it can manage around 230km of pure EV driving range, with total of 1130km in combined mode.
How does the Deepal E07 drive?
The E07 is a big car, and for our brief drive we didn’t get an opportunity to really test the transformer ute out in the manner that would give us the confidence to recommend without pause. First impressions were very positive, but we will reserve judgement until the vehicle shows up on Australian roads and we can see how it goes with tackling some typical Australian roads and managing the extensive potholes we all have to put up with.
Although not confirmed for our market, the E07 sold overseas has a kerb weight of 2230kg for the RWD EV and 2325kg for the plug-in hybrid. For comparison, the Toyota HiLux SR5 4×4 has a kerb weight of 2165 kg.
The E07’s adjustable air suspension provides ground clearance of 183mm – which isn’t what many would need for their use cases – so this is definitely a suburban-friendly SUV/ute and not a car you would take on outback adventures.
Our test vehicle rode on massive 21-inch wheels and never felt harsh or jarring in its ride. We were also impressed by the steering system, which gave plenty of feedback and made the driving experience far more enjoyable than we had perhaps anticipated from an EV.
Is the Deepal E07 safe?
There is no independent safety data for the E07 at this time.
However, Deepal’s other vehicles have so far scored very well across numerous safety tests and, as such, we suspect the E07 is also likely to carry through that high standard when and if it gets crash-tested.
How much does the Deepal E07 cost to run?
No price is currently available for the E07’s servicing costs.
However, like the S07, we believe that service intervals for the E07 will be set at 20,000km, with a time-based interval of 12 months. Like other EVs, but not the potential range-extender variant, this seems more in line with keeping the dealer network happy and busy, rather than any requirements for the vehicle itself.
CarExpert’s Take on the Deepal E07
Our minimal time in China with the Deepal E07 was a very positive experience. Put simply, we love the idea, and we love the execution. We remain very much open-minded about the possibility that the E07 won’t translate well to Australian roads, but that is taking an extremely cynical view.
Our gut feel is that if Deepal distributor Inchcape can get the price right, the E07 will be a runaway success. But that’s a big if.
Click the images for the full gallery
MORE: Everything Deepal
