I have seen and touched the OMODA 7 SHS and it has a detail inside that I have never seen in a car (video)
The OMODA 7 SHS is the latest major novelty from the Chinese Chery group for Europe and, beyond its plug-in hybrid technology, it has several details that I really liked after seeing it in person. But I want to highlight one of them above the rest.
A few days ago, I was able to attend the presentation in Spain of the OMODA 7, the third member of the Chinese brand's range for our market. The anticipation was high, with a hundred journalists and influencers in a venue prepared for the occasion in the center of Madrid. A sign of the enormous drawing power for a brand newly arrived in our country.
However, OMODA surprised us first by revealing the details of another of its novelties, which was none other than the self-recharging hybrid version of its best-selling model, the OMODA 5. The smallest SUV in its range debuted the SHS-H technology, which promises to also be a best-seller thanks, mainly, to its ECO label.
But the star of the event was the OMODA 7 SHS, another SUV that fits into the center of the range between the previously mentioned OMODA 5 and the larger OMODA 9, which also entered the European market on a good note. Here are some of my impressions after seeing and being able to touch a car that will arrive on our roads in November-December of this year.
OMODA 7 SHS, more than a plug-in hybrid SUV
The OMODA 7 is an SUV that goes straight to segment D. Its 4.66 meters in length places it more in between C and D, and it has a wheelbase of 2.72 meters. Like all OMODA proposals, it is a car that stands out for its high standard equipment and aims, although there are still no official prices, to have an excellent quality-price ratio.
Its front design is very elegant and I liked it, giving a distinctive touch compared to its siblings in the range, and the lightning-shaped rear lights and “Digital Pixel” technology give it a suggestive imprint.
The brand stated in its presentation that, while the OMODA 5 sought “uniqueness,” with the OMODA 7 they seek “quality, a step further”. We know that JAECOO, its sister brand from Chery, covers the premium gap in the market, but this OMODA 7 clearly has greater aspirations and will surely be very well received here in Spain.
We already know its plug-in hybrid technology as we have tested it in the JAECOO and the OMODA 9: the SHS system still has preliminary figures, but they already point to an electric range of over 90 kilometers and a combined range, thanks to its 1.5-liter gasoline engine, of more than 1,200 kilometers.
The battery is an LFP Blade, from BYD, while the mechanics as a whole have a power of 279 HP, adding the two electric motors located next to the car's transmission. And of course, it will have the CERO label from the DGT in Spain.
An interior that surprises
Inside, the finishes of the OMODA 7 are remarkable, featuring a new two-spoke steering wheel as the protagonist, the floating central console with a 50W charger for smartphones, integrated headrests in the front seats, voice control for 4 zones so that any occupant can use it, the 19 ADAS on board, remote parking control and via mobile, 540-degree camera…
But let me tell you about the detail that surprised me the most about the car, which you can see in the video that accompanies these lines. It is its floating central screen on the dashboard, the “Super Floating IP,” as the brand calls it. It accompanies the 12.3-inch instrumentation, also floating.
In the case of the central screen, it is generously sized and has a high resolution: 15.6 inches and 2.5K. But its distinctive feature is that it can slide! BYD already surprised us when it brought to Europe the screens that could rotate, being used horizontally or vertically, like a tablet.
The main screen of the OMODA 7 SHS can move from the center of the dashboard to the passenger side. We will surely have time in the future to make the most of the functions that the multimedia system will have, but undoubtedly this detail has not been seen in any other car on the European market.
We know that in China, specifically ZEEKR, has a similar system. In the case of the OMODA, it is enough to slide 4 fingers to one side for the screen, as if by magic, to change position. Once again, Chinese brands surprise us with their innovations.
