Big change for Aus’ ‘most annoying car’
It’s the Aussie car that made headlines for all the wrong reasons and became the epitome of everything wrong with modern tech. But now it’s a completely different car.
This is the sort of redemption arc storyline that Hollywood producers dream of.
The car we previously labelled “Australia’s most annoying” could now be one of “Australia’s most agreeable” electric SUVs.
That’s because Deepal’s local team, based at importer Inchcape, have worked hard to make this better than it was. And by golly, it’s almost like driving a completely different car.
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Previously, the Deepal S07 had cutesy quirks like the fact it would introduce itself to you each time you restarted the car. Now, you can switch that off, and it’ll stay off. And that’s the general vibe for this update – switch off, stay off.
Because the car’s ultra annoying safety systems can now be disabled, and they’ll stay off, too. So, the overbearing driver monitoring camera system can be silenced. You can also disable the speed sign recognition bing-bongs. And the lane keeping can be switched off, and it’ll stay off too.
Previously, that was something you’d need to do each time you drove the car. But now, it’ll remember that YOU make the decisions, and it’ll stay as you set it.
According to Deepal Australia’s local boss, Cormac Cafolla, the team in Australia worked closely with safety watchdog ANCAP to ensure that those adaptations to the software “do not impact the five-star rating”.
Now, what about the drive experience? It’s considerably more enjoyable. Like, this time around, I found myself gravitating to taking the Deepal to do errands, whereas last time I frankly didn’t want to get back in it. It’s not the most dynamic or thrilling thing to drive, but with a rear-mounted electric motor and steering that has a few different weight settings, it isn’t a bad thing to spend time in.
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That could be a big, big plus. And it might make some other brands rethink their God-like reverence of ANCAP ratings.
The model I drove featured the optional 20-inch wheel package with better Dunlop tyres, and while the low-profile rubber does throw a few more bumps into the cabin than the standard 19s with Gitis, the firmness makes it feel a bit more connected.
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There’s ample power on offer, and despite the fact it has a relatively slow claimed 0-100km/h time of 7.9 seconds, this 2000kg machine hauls when you plant your foot for overtaking moves between 30 and 100km/h. t’s easy to park, too, with a surround-view camera system and parking sensors all around, plus there’s a built-in surround dash-camera system too.
Inside you’re getting an unchanged experience, meaning a five-seat layout with a massive amount of back seat space and a 445-litre boot, a huge panoramic glass roof with sunshade standard, fake leather seat trim, three-zone climate control, heated and ventilated front seats with electric adjustment, and a heated steering wheel.
The 15.6-inch centre display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is hooked up to a 14-speaker Sony stereo, and it has a little speedo readout in the top-right. The driver doesn’t get an info screen, instead there’s a head-up display projected onto the windscreen. Multi-colour ambient lighting will keep the kids happy, and there are 2x ISOFIX points and 3x top-tethers in the back, too.
Warranty cover is seven years/160,000km for private buyers, but commercial customers like ride-share and taxi operators need to be aware that the warranty for them is just 12 months/120,000km … the shortest duration on the market! Battery warranty is eight years/240,000km (one of the longest), and there is a revised capped-price servicing plan that has intervals set at 12 months/20,000km between visits.
Officially the price remains $53,900 plus on-roads, but there are plenty of these cars in stock at $50,000 drive-away or thereabouts – and those models will have seen the same software changes as this car.
Verdict: We criticised it. They listened, and they fixed their problem.
3.5 stars
