Looked interesting when we first saw the previews but at that price and the limited range it's a non starter. The MG4 looks like better value for sure. And I like the look of it better.
I saw this car at a Wheels event in GY and fell in love with it. Took me back to owning a Mini Cooper back in th 60's and 70's. I've since driven it and will be picking up my ORA on Monday week in Norwich. Can't wait.
Excellent review. I was kind of excited about this car when it broke cover a year or so ago. £20-25k high spec, sunroof, good range etc. As usual those hopes have been dashed with a £5-10k price hike for a UK model that offers no sun roof, a limited battery size / range, no rear wiper & a small boot. Another review I saw of this car had a nice two tone interior which seems like its an extra cost option which is a shame because it was a good feature compared to the very dark interior of the MG4. Even though it has a few flaws I think the MG4 still has the upper hand - mainly on price for the SE LR model. I'm still waiting to find the ideal car for our first EV.
i agree with you , i think if the funky cat came out at the same time it did in china around 2020 end, it would have been a much better preposition , but since this is alsmost 2023 it seems kinda dated.
Not an extra for the 2 tone interior, it is the car colour that dictates whether you get it, so the red & darker green gets it. When you realize that a base fiesta is £19k why do folks expect a Focus sized car, fully loaded to be £20K? I think it was priced when you got £3k off for buying an EV so £28k-29k was about right, £32k for an 'unknown' is a bit cheeky. Build quality is better than MG and interior looks way better than ID3, boot is poor though.
I felt the same as you upon hearing about the Ora’s price hike and now seeing it’s small boot, it just doesn’t have the practicality or value for money the MG4 offers me.
The demographics this car targets is young urban female. In addition to the styling, color, performance and features, there are a few details to note, door handle position is a bit lower than regular car for Chinese ladies, a pocket next to wireless phone charger is for lipstick, the large beneath console pocket fits small purpose or cosmetic bag, high roof and no sharp edge entrance is for graceful in and out in tight dress and no scratch to stocking, the visor mirror is big and the camera monitor will alert the driver if she gets distracted by putting on eye shadow instead of road. For gentleman, ORA Lighting Cat is a better choice.
That's a killer ending, placing it next to the MG4! There was no MG4 when you first showed us the Cat and it looked interesting, not my sort of car, but interesting, although it was clear then, that the boot was too small. It's going to appeal to many, especially those who liked the Nissan Figaro quirkiness, but now the MG4 has arrived the Cat is relegated to the also rans I think. 🤔
Glad you enjoyed it. I agree, the Funky Cat is good, but it remains (for us at least) an "interesting" alternative. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.
I lease an e208GT - great small car, fast, quick charging, handles well - very happy with it.. When I change in a couple of years I’ll be looking at something a little bigger like an MG4/Ora Cat/other (not ID3 - tried one and horrible software!) and it’s good to see some good cars coming out in the EV market now. However it seems to me this car is going to date very quickly as I think expectations will be higher in 2 years and the range and price won’t be competitive by then. Shame - it’s good looking but I doubt in 2025 I’ll be wanting a car with it’s limitations.
Thank you for watching Ian, and continuing to support the channel. I agree with you on how fast it may date. The lower charging speeds and smaller battery will limit this in a couple of years time as we start to get more used to better things. For me, if they had come in a bit more basic on the equipment and charged circa £25k that we thought they were going to a year or so ago, then we might have been a bit more accepting. At that point, you establish the brand, build up the visibility of the car, then maybe push a higher spec car out. Let's be honest, people are having to watch what they spend these days, so value-for-money is a hot topic. And I think that the Funky Cat isn't quite there in terms of what it offers for the money against rivals such as MG with the new 4, or even established brands like your Peugeot and Renault with the Zoe. It will be interesting to see how residuals play out.
Might it be possible to include whether a car can accommodate a set of golf clubs in all your future reviews? This might need to include folding the back seats forward to see if they will fit. Thank you.
We normally use suitcases, a large, a medium and 2 carry-ons. We didn’t in this test as we were at the UK media launch and that isn’t practical to lug 4 suitcases around with us on the day. The reason we don’t use golf clubs is that none of us at AutoEV play golf, so we don’t have any clubs! But it is a point noted, and perhaps we will try to lay our hands on some to use in the future. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
I just got rid of my half set of golf clubs, trolley & accessories to a charity shop. They had been sitting in my garage for 35 years. Used them once. 🏌More to the point would you want to be seen in the golf club car park in a Funky Cat😸. Not me. A very feline looking car. Give me an estate car every time.
Ahhh! waited a long time for this to grace our shores. They've "hit the post" with styling (subjective I know), range, and charging. Scored with interior, and equipment, and missed with boot space, and pricing. It's a shame really. Why have a Cat over an MG4 se lr?
Absolutely. I knew it was small when I first saw it last year, but when we thought it was £25k, it could perhaps have been overlooked. Not at over £31k however. For a young family, no room for pushchairs/buggies/prams and too awkward to load.
I was incredibly hyped on this car when first hearing about it some time ago, sadly like most EVs it's become stupidly expensive. MG are without doubt way better value but for me I've just gone with another frugal petrol vehicle as I just can't justify the current insane pricing of EVs, electricity prices and the coming VED.
Well seeing DVLA have deemed my eye sight so poor I cannot drive my car, I have been banned, so hopefully today will see its demise as I sell it on. What does this mean? Will I stop watching car reviews, as after my eye operations have been carried out and my eyesight hopefully better than the late years, I can again regain my movability in maybe an EV.
A shame. Maybe a facelift will fix these issues? I understand that BMW has a significant involvement with Ora, and the chassis platform is the same as will be used in a new Mini?
Good review as per normal. IMHO this car may not be aimed at the class of Mini, Fiat 500 etc but that is the type of buyer that would like this car. As for the boot I'm sure my wife's handbag is bigger than that boot so no way could it be classed as a "family" car. Maybe their next car which I've heard will be larger may have a decent boot. Also, no rear wiper what is the matter with car designers nowadays do they not drive the cars when it rains>
Great review of an interesting car. I like the look of the ORA Funky Cat. This does NOT look like the kind of car that you would loose in a car park. But the small boot and lack of paddles for brake regeneration means that I am looking to a Kia for my first electric car.
It is a good car, but others do it better. I think you are correct in saying that it's an interesting proposition, and many will want something a bit different to the norm, which this provides. But there were just too many downsides at this price level for us to give it a top score.
Serious missed opportunity ORA had the chance to be like what MG did to get were they are and DACIA but they have put a serious over priced price tag on a below par non realistic liveable range
@@AutoEV Yes I do believe Chevrolet as a brand, that was sold here during 2016-19, is tarnished. I believe those cars came from Korean subsidiaries of GM & were marketed here as a cheap & cheerful Chevy brand which is the total opposite of what most people know Chevy for e.g. American muscle cars. GM tried a similar exercise earlier with Daewoo & earlier still with Opel which were sold alongside Vauxhall in the UK all of which ended in tears leaving Vauxhall as the only GM brand in the UK before GM pulled out of Europe completely. To bring back Chevrolet to the UK/EU as an all Electric brand might work but it would depend entirely on what range of cars were being offered. From What I can see the 2023 Chevy Bolt is a Med sized crossover so it could find a market over here & the EU. However, they would need more than a 1 car line up to get a foothold (Ora Funky Cat has a similar problem). The EU LHD drive market would be the obvious one for Chevy to go for because conversion to RHD adds cost & has a more limited worldwide market which is why we would probably not see them back in the UK unless GM have some Chinese subsidiaries that can make RHD models. It sounds like the rumour I heard is just that, a rumour. Ex GM UK employee here so I have a soft spot for Vauxhall & Opel models of a certain age.
I think that they have definitely overpriced this car and the MG 4 is definitely the better of the two. It's a shame the MG doesn't have the Ora cats instrument layout that would just make it perfect.
I do like this car, no dealer near me 😢 but presently I have an EV with no rear wiper, first car in years without a wiper, not buying another car without rear wiper… 😳
That rules out a lot of newer EV's. Seems to be a trend like, burying all the important controls deep inside the infotainment systems instead of having simple switches. These designers obviously don't watch YT reviews or read the comments.
That is pretty much how I would sum it up. I really like the cabin of the ORA. It feels special in its design, like a MINI, or Honda e, and the quality is really very good. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.
In China this car called Good Cat. The other ORA cars are Lightning Cat, Punk Cat and Ballet Cat
Ordered mine Ora waiting for the delivery very soon! Absolutely fell in love after the first drive
Looked interesting when we first saw the previews but at that price and the limited range it's a non starter. The MG4 looks like better value for sure. And I like the look of it better.
I saw this car at a Wheels event in GY and fell in love with it. Took me back to owning a Mini Cooper back in th 60's and 70's. I've since driven it and will be picking up my ORA on Monday week in Norwich. Can't wait.
Good review, But I don't see any thing here that makes me doubt my MG4 luxury order
Good review thanks ! One thing to note is no heated seats on first edition which is only model currently on sale .
Excellent review. I was kind of excited about this car when it broke cover a year or so ago. £20-25k high spec, sunroof, good range etc. As usual those hopes have been dashed with a £5-10k price hike for a UK model that offers no sun roof, a limited battery size / range, no rear wiper & a small boot. Another review I saw of this car had a nice two tone interior which seems like its an extra cost option which is a shame because it was a good feature compared to the very dark interior of the MG4. Even though it has a few flaws I think the MG4 still has the upper hand - mainly on price for the SE LR model. I'm still waiting to find the ideal car for our first EV.
i agree with you , i think if the funky cat came out at the same time it did in china around 2020 end, it would have been a much better preposition , but since this is alsmost 2023 it seems kinda dated.
Not an extra for the 2 tone interior, it is the car colour that dictates whether you get it, so the red & darker green gets it. When you realize that a base fiesta is £19k why do folks expect a Focus sized car, fully loaded to be £20K? I think it was priced when you got £3k off for buying an EV so £28k-29k was about right, £32k for an 'unknown' is a bit cheeky. Build quality is better than MG and interior looks way better than ID3, boot is poor though.
I felt the same as you upon hearing about the Ora’s price hike and now seeing it’s small boot, it just doesn’t have the practicality or value for money the MG4 offers me.
The demographics this car targets is young urban female. In addition to the styling, color, performance and features, there are a few details to note, door handle position is a bit lower than regular car for Chinese ladies, a pocket next to wireless phone charger is for lipstick, the large beneath console pocket fits small purpose or cosmetic bag, high roof and no sharp edge entrance is for graceful in and out in tight dress and no scratch to stocking, the visor mirror is big and the camera monitor will alert the driver if she gets distracted by putting on eye shadow instead of road. For gentleman, ORA Lighting Cat is a better choice.
That's a killer ending, placing it next to the MG4! There was no MG4 when you first showed us the Cat and it looked interesting, not my sort of car, but interesting, although it was clear then, that the boot was too small. It's going to appeal to many, especially those who liked the Nissan Figaro quirkiness, but now the MG4 has arrived the Cat is relegated to the also rans I think. 🤔
Glad you enjoyed it. I agree, the Funky Cat is good, but it remains (for us at least) an "interesting" alternative. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.
I lease an e208GT - great small car, fast, quick charging, handles well - very happy with it.. When I change in a couple of years I’ll be looking at something a little bigger like an MG4/Ora Cat/other (not ID3 - tried one and horrible software!) and it’s good to see some good cars coming out in the EV market now.
However it seems to me this car is going to date very quickly as I think expectations will be higher in 2 years and the range and price won’t be competitive by then. Shame - it’s good looking but I doubt in 2025 I’ll be wanting a car with it’s limitations.
Thank you for watching Ian, and continuing to support the channel. I agree with you on how fast it may date. The lower charging speeds and smaller battery will limit this in a couple of years time as we start to get more used to better things. For me, if they had come in a bit more basic on the equipment and charged circa £25k that we thought they were going to a year or so ago, then we might have been a bit more accepting. At that point, you establish the brand, build up the visibility of the car, then maybe push a higher spec car out. Let's be honest, people are having to watch what they spend these days, so value-for-money is a hot topic. And I think that the Funky Cat isn't quite there in terms of what it offers for the money against rivals such as MG with the new 4, or even established brands like your Peugeot and Renault with the Zoe. It will be interesting to see how residuals play out.
Might it be possible to include whether a car can accommodate a set of golf clubs in all your future reviews? This might need to include folding the back seats forward to see if they will fit. Thank you.
We normally use suitcases, a large, a medium and 2 carry-ons. We didn’t in this test as we were at the UK media launch and that isn’t practical to lug 4 suitcases around with us on the day. The reason we don’t use golf clubs is that none of us at AutoEV play golf, so we don’t have any clubs! But it is a point noted, and perhaps we will try to lay our hands on some to use in the future. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
@@AutoEV You could call it ‘Mala’s golf club test’ 🙂There are plenty of golf sets in most charity shops 🏌️
I just got rid of my half set of golf clubs, trolley & accessories to a charity shop. They had been sitting in my garage for 35 years. Used them once. 🏌More to the point would you want to be seen in the golf club car park in a Funky Cat😸. Not me. A very feline looking car. Give me an estate car every time.
@@colingoode3702 then you’ll enjoy next week’s review!😉
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. We appreciate the support.
@@AutoEV Let me guess. Facelifted MG5?
Am I the only one who wishes the brand were bought out by the Hyundai group, just so they could give us the Kia-Ora Funky Cat? 😃
See what you did there......😂
... ' Too orangey for crows '
Great 👍 video : quality as always- Thanks 😊
( MG4 still is my favourite )
Glad you enjoyed
I have an MG4 on order, and i think that that is the better bet over this car
We agree.
Ahhh! waited a long time for this to grace our shores. They've "hit the post" with styling (subjective I know), range, and charging. Scored with interior, and equipment, and missed with boot space, and pricing. It's a shame really. Why have a Cat over an MG4 se lr?
Looking forward to seeing the Punk Cat review!
Have you heard: ORA have abandoned the name 'Funky Cat' in the UK? It is now to be called the ORA 1.
Funny how this is considered a family car in the UK. Where I'm from it would be a small compact city car.
It really does fall down quickly at nearly all the hurdles; with a dedicated ev platform where did they lose the space? - the boot is abysmal.
Absolutely. I knew it was small when I first saw it last year, but when we thought it was £25k, it could perhaps have been overlooked. Not at over £31k however. For a young family, no room for pushchairs/buggies/prams and too awkward to load.
I was incredibly hyped on this car when first hearing about it some time ago, sadly like most EVs it's become stupidly expensive. MG are without doubt way better value but for me I've just gone with another frugal petrol vehicle as I just can't justify the current insane pricing of EVs, electricity prices and the coming VED.
Well seeing DVLA have deemed my eye sight so poor I cannot drive my car, I have been banned, so hopefully today will see its demise as I sell it on. What does this mean? Will I stop watching car reviews, as after my eye operations have been carried out and my eyesight hopefully better than the late years, I can again regain my movability in maybe an EV.
A shame. Maybe a facelift will fix these issues? I understand that BMW has a significant involvement with Ora, and the chassis platform is the same as will be used in a new Mini?
Good review as per normal. IMHO this car may not be aimed at the class of Mini, Fiat 500 etc but that is the type of buyer that would like this car. As for the boot I'm sure my wife's handbag is bigger than that boot so no way could it be classed as a "family" car. Maybe their next car which I've heard will be larger may have a decent boot. Also, no rear wiper what is the matter with car designers nowadays do they not drive the cars when it rains>
Great review of an interesting car. I like the look of the ORA Funky Cat. This does NOT look like the kind of car that you would loose in a car park.
But the small boot and lack of paddles for brake regeneration means that I am looking to a Kia for my first electric car.
It is a good car, but others do it better. I think you are correct in saying that it's an interesting proposition, and many will want something a bit different to the norm, which this provides. But there were just too many downsides at this price level for us to give it a top score.
Serious missed opportunity ORA had the chance to be like what MG did to get were they are and DACIA but they have put a serious over priced price tag on a below par non realistic liveable range
Some mum's will like this over the MG4. That MG is a better deal, though.
Byd atto3 vs mg zs ev 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
If we got the BYD in the UK, we would test it. However, we don't.
@@AutoEV The 2023 Chevy Bolt looks interesting. Any truth in the rumour that GM/Chevy are returning to the UK/EU as an all electric brand?
@@colingoode3702 oh, not that we have heard. Would it work? Is the brand too tarnished here? Discuss…..
@@AutoEV Yes I do believe Chevrolet as a brand, that was sold here during 2016-19, is tarnished. I believe those cars came from Korean subsidiaries of GM & were marketed here as a cheap & cheerful Chevy brand which is the total opposite of what most people know Chevy for e.g. American muscle cars. GM tried a similar exercise earlier with Daewoo & earlier still with Opel which were sold alongside Vauxhall in the UK all of which ended in tears leaving Vauxhall as the only GM brand in the UK before GM pulled out of Europe completely. To bring back Chevrolet to the UK/EU as an all Electric brand might work but it would depend entirely on what range of cars were being offered. From What I can see the 2023 Chevy Bolt is a Med sized crossover so it could find a market over here & the EU. However, they would need more than a 1 car line up to get a foothold (Ora Funky Cat has a similar problem). The EU LHD drive market would be the obvious one for Chevy to go for because conversion to RHD adds cost & has a more limited worldwide market which is why we would probably not see them back in the UK unless GM have some Chinese subsidiaries that can make RHD models. It sounds like the rumour I heard is just that, a rumour. Ex GM UK employee here so I have a soft spot for Vauxhall & Opel models of a certain age.
I think that they have definitely overpriced this car and the MG 4 is definitely the better of the two. It's a shame the MG doesn't have the Ora cats instrument layout that would just make it perfect.
I was thinking exactly the same !
I was thinking exactly the same
Or the Cat's interior. MG4 is very dark inside.
Too flawed, particularly the boot, and not cheap enough to outway them
I do like this car, no dealer near me 😢 but presently I have an EV with no rear wiper, first car in years without a wiper, not buying another car without rear wiper… 😳
That rules out a lot of newer EV's. Seems to be a trend like, burying all the important controls deep inside the infotainment systems instead of having simple switches. These designers obviously don't watch YT reviews or read the comments.
Its interiorn design is superior to mg4, other aspects are not. Mg4 would be perfect if it has a slightly better quality cabin.
That is pretty much how I would sum it up. I really like the cabin of the ORA. It feels special in its design, like a MINI, or Honda e, and the quality is really very good. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.
Eine Shrunken Porsche.
Very Porsche but falling out of the seat not my cupra tea.
It’s electric, looks ridiculous and has a name you’d deny. And I wonder why I’ve never seen one on the roads?
😂😂
A Catastrophic disaster
See what you did there, tiger……