Part 1: The Omoda C5-X Series with its youthful edge
Some cars motoring journalists obsess over, and then there are cars the rest of the world won’t stop asking you about. Omoda falls into the latter camp. Since the brand landed in South Africa in 2023, I’ve fielded questions from colleagues, friends, family, even people at braais I barely know: “What do you think of the Omoda?” Clearly, the Chinese newcomer has tapped into something.
The C5 is the poster child for all of this intrigue. This is Omoda’s small crossover and is the kind of car that slots into the lifestyle of young families and sharp-dressed execs who aren’t yet ready to settle into something too grown-up. It looks the part. It has sharp lines and a revised grille that draw attention, while the black alloy wheels on the C5X Lux model I drove add just enough menace to balance the glamour.
Slip inside, and the cabin feels premium for the price. Soft-touch materials, large screens, and comfortable seats set the tone. The space feels considered in its design. Rear legroom is decent, the boot has grown, and if you fold the seats down, you’ve got space for bikes, surfboards, or whatever else fits into the “active lifestyle” Omoda is selling.
The C5 has a smooth and sharp driving experience, and its 1.5-litre turbo engine is willing. However, there’s some lag if you stamp down hard. The engine’s outputs are 115 kW and 230 N.m.
Ride quality has also improved thanks to a revised multi-link rear suspension. Safety systems are more politely integrated than on many rivals, and annoying alarms don’t shout at drivers for daring to change lanes.
The C5 offers a solid mix of style, practicality, and kit. It’s not flawless, but it feels a world apart from the glue-smelling Chinese cars of old.
Part 2: The Omoda C9 SHS is grown-up Luxury
If the C5 is for the rising exec, the C9 is what you graduate into once the title on your business card has a “Chief” in it. It is bigger, sleeker, and loaded with tech. We had the C9 Plug-in Hybrid on test. This is Omoda’s attempt at playing with the established European heavyweights. And here’s the surprise: it’s not out of its depth.
The styling is striking, bordering on architectural. A light bar stretches across the nose, flanked by sharp LED headlamps, while a sloping roofline keeps it sporty rather than stodgy. It turns heads everywhere you go.
Inside, the C9 switches things up from the darker interiors we’ve expected. The cabin feels stylish while thoughtful touches such as the climate-controlled storage bin hidden beneath the cupholders, reveal a sense of practicality you didn’t know you needed until you had it. The tech story continues with dual 12.6-inch displays, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a charging pad for your phone. It’s slick and mostly intuitive, although some deeper menus require a bit of patience.
For the C9 SHS Omoda has paired a 1.5-litre turbo engine with an electric motor and a chunky 34.5 kWh battery. The result is a combined 440 kW and 915 Nm, enough to fling this sizeable SUV from 0–100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds. That’s sports car territory in a plug-in hybrid family hauler. The C9 delivers power almost instantly. Need to pass a truck? You’ll be gone before your passengers realise what happened.
Charging is relatively painless. A home wall box will see you from empty to full in around five and a half hours, while a DC fast charger cuts that to just 25 minutes for a healthy top-up. And because it’s a PHEV, you can still fall back on the petrol engine when needed, which should help mitigate any range anxiety. 
There’s also adaptive suspension, multiple drive modes (including off-road settings), and a surround-view camera, It’s the kind of tech-laden package that would have felt unimaginable from a Chinese brand a decade ago.
Of course, it’s not perfect. Some trim pieces could use a touch more refinement, especially when you’re pitching it against premium German rivals. And while safety systems are comprehensive, with adaptive cruise control, lane-keep, blind-spot monitoring, and the lot, they can feel a little overzealous. But those are small criticisms in the bigger picture.
At just shy of R1million for the flagship PHEV, the C9 isn’t cheap. Yet it undercuts most established rivals by a margin that makes you sit up. Factor in Omoda’s extensive warranties, including a 10-year unlimited-kilometre battery guarantee for the first owner, and the value proposition is difficult to ignore.
My final thoughts
Omoda’s rise has been quick, and if the C5 and C9 are anything to go by, it’s also deliberate. These vehicles are confident, distinctive, and surprisingly refined. The C5 makes a strong case as a stylish, practical crossover for everyday life, while the C9 is a statement SUV that shows just how far the brand has come in a short time.
Once upon a time, people laughed at Chinese cars. Now they’re asking about them at braais. That tells you everything