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Changan Deepal S07

by Andrew Walker

Coming at us faster than a cannonball is another Chinese car brand, this time it’s Changan who have just launch their first UK model, the Deepal S07. We popped along to their midlands HQ to take a look.

Tell me more ?

Changan may be a name that’s gone under your radar but it’s actually a large Chinese carmaker who has been making cars for over 40 years. Realising that Europe has the best car designers & engineers, it opened a design studio in Turin in 2001 & an engineering centre in Birmingham in 2010, giving it a strong base to attack the European market

Deepal S07

The brands first UK launch is a mid-sized SUV that will compete with the likes of the Tesla Model 3 & BYD Sea Lion 7. On the plus side it looks a lot like plenty of cars in the sector & will appeal to the SUV obsessed British customer. On the down side by being so vanilla it doesn’t stand out, looking like a combination of a Cupra, a Nissan & a Lexus amongst others.

Drivetrain & performance

It’s electric so will have kerb appeal in the fleet sector, courtesy of an 80kWh battery. This produces 218bhp fort a 0-62mph time of 7.9 seconds but like most similar electric cars feels sprightlier.

Range & charging

Claimed range is 295 miles which is lower than you’d expect from a battery that size. And coming with a charging speed of just 90kWh it would take 48 minutes to go from 10-80% of range on a public fast charger., which currently isn’t very competitive. Better news is that an on-board 11kW charger is included along with a heat pump.

Inside

This is where the S07 shames Tesla. With its similarly sparse dashboard & finishes made up of soft touch plastics, fake wood & fake leather, it’s definitely better than a Model 3. The dashboard top & front, the doors & all of the stuff at eyeliner feels very nice.  Cheaper stuff though, adorns the areas you can’t see as easily namely the centre binnacle sides, door pockets & seat sides.

Cabin practicality

You open the doors by pushing tiny buttons located on them, there’s a useful split opening armrest, good sized glove box, twin centre cup holders & hidden  low down two USB inputs with more storage in front,  plus a wireless charging pad.

Infotainment

Adopting the less is more touchscreen controls all, means that you’ll need a week or two to get used to the myriad of menus, options & general controls. However the Infotainment which is a Huawei system with a 15.6-inch screen, does have a few tricks up it’s sleeve, namely that it can be tilted towards the driver or front passenger for easier access. And  Changan has sensibly included within it configurable short cut bar so you can at least adjust climate for example more easily.

You also get a head up display. And whilst you get used to the screen menus you’ll at least benefit from clear graphics, a decent response time & an excellent 14 speaker’s stereo.

Spec & price

A strong suit, with the single model featuring 19”alloys , LED headlights with automatic high beam, an electric tailgate, adaptive cruise control, dual-zone air conditioning & heated & ventilated front seats, all from £39,990.

Comfort & boot

In the cabin you get plenty of space up front as well as in the rear, where taller passengers have masses of legroom. Boot space is average at 445 litres but a 125 litre frunk is plenty big enough to store charging cables & some more. A low load lip & 60:40 rear seats make the boot space easy to use as well.

Safety
The S07 comes fitted with pretty much everything including, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert & rear collision warning. The good news is that with one swipe of the screen, you bring up the safety features list where you can easily turn off the ones that most annoy you.
Warranty
Seven-year/100,000-mile standard warranty,  while the battery is covered by a separate eight-year/120,000-mile warranty. They’ve also established a central England part’s warehouse aware that parts supply has been a hindrance for other Chinese brands.
Driving
On a mix of urban & motorway roads it performed very much like an electric SUV should. Around town it’s quiet & on decent tarmac it rides nicely, similar in many ways to plenty of other electric SUV’s.
All around vision is aided by the reversing cameras as the large C pillars & rear headrests limit the view backwards. A camera that shows your view when you indicates a good idea although it does obscure your SatNav. It’s easily turned off.
Whilst the drivers seat adjustments are great you still sit a little higher than I personally like, again very much as you do in a Tesla, to accommodate the battery. The leaning screen is a really good idea making the myriad of menus easier to reach & despite our short time on board, Apple CarPlay connected easily & the shortcut screen menus indicate when this is on, another good inclusion. As is the head-up display, where you can check your speed unlike in a Tesla or Volvo.
Head out onto the open road & the S07 even with double glazed glass starts to get noisy. It’s the tyres mainly at fault here & as you increase speed you’ll notice this more. The steering is well balanced but over poor road surfaces, the cars weight sends a vibration through to the steering wheel which got a bit annoying.
As for regeneration, the S07 features three drive mode, Eco, Normal & Sport. Eco & Normal work just fine although the difference in the driving feel between the two is minimal. Sport mode though does make things tighter & the steering especially feels nicer & more precise. These also act as the cars de-facto regeneration tools, so Eco adds more weight to the braking, Normal less & so on. None can be described as one-pedal but will add some extra miles if required.
Motorway
A quick sojourn along the M42 saw us reach 70mph & the S07 sits nicely on the motorway. The ride is smoother & the speaker system rises to the occasion. Adaptive Cruise Control enables easier control on Smart sections & we’ve no doubt longe journey’s with the ample space on board would be comfortable.
Pros
A lot of car for the money. Well apportioned & company car friendly.
Cons
Fidgety ride at lower speeds, generic looks,  too much controlled by the touchscreen.
Verdict
The Deepal S07 felt very much like plenty of other Chinese EV’s & with those cars current sales success, beginning with MG & moving on to BYD & Omoda, it will undoubtedly find customers especially in the fleet sector.
Inside & out it does a good job of fitting in alongside its competitors & whilst looks wise it doesn’t stand out, it’s a decent looking car.
It’s good to know that the brand has a UK dealer network, 20 & counting & a parts centre, so aftersales has support. And with a UK based engineering centre, any new Deepal models should improve on the S07’s ride quality. If you currently drive a Model 3, a Kia EV6 or A Skoda Enyaq coupe, are you likely to swap into one ? That all depends on leasing prices which should be attractive. For now anyway the S07 is a competent start.
A decent first effort 3.5/5

 

About Andrew Walker

Andrew 'Max' Walker is a member of the Northern Group of Motoring Writers & has been reviewing cars & vans since 1991. He has supplied stories for Fleet North, MSA Newslink, Health Fleet Management, Local Authority Fleet Manager & various Chamber of Commerce & lifestyle publications. He launched Company Car & Van in April 2010 specifically for SME fleets, who are the backbone of the UK economy. His favourite car of all time is the original Citroen DS & like most motoring writers, he loves to drive a van.