Its local market debut is still some time away, but Great Wall Motor (GWM) Malaysia has once again previewed the GWM Ora 5 HEV, continuing its build-up for the crossover ahead of its planned introduction sometime in the fourth quarter of this year.
Unlike the first local showing of the car, which was at KLIMS 2026 back in June, the latest static preview presented the vehicle in more exterior colour variations, four to be exact, meant to offer a view of the car from a different colour perspectives in what was a lifestyle integration showcase.
As such, there was nothing new from a specifications viewpoint, at least not beyond that offered previously. It was also indicated that the display examples were not representative of what will come our way, configuration-(and even colour) wise. Still, by and large, we already know what’s coming our way, because most of the salient points about the car are consistent on its global form.
Visually, the B-segment offering doesn’t seem very big viewed from a distance, but that perspective alters somewhat from a few paces away. It’s actually quite sizeable, measuring in at 4,471 mm long, 1,833 mm wide and 1,641 mm tall, with a 2,720-mm wheelbase, which puts it well placed in the mix from a dimensions viewpoint against segment competitors, being longer than the likes of the Jaecoo J5, Chery Tiggo Cross, Toyota Yaris Cross and Proton X50, with a lengthier wheelbase at that.
It’s also 236 mm longer, eight mm wider and 45 mm taller, with a 70 mm longer wheelbase than the Good Cat, with which it shares a rather common look, its proportions stretched and expanded in this case. Look closely and you’ll see some scoping from a particular German SUV, but with line flows projected in softer fashion, the form has a rather feminine nature to it, much like the Good Cat. It’s the perfect solution if you fancy the latter, but want it sized larger.
While there’s a BEV and an ICE version in China, the Ora 5 will only come our way in hybrid guise. Motive power for this one comes from a Hi2 hybrid system (‘H’ for hybrid, ‘i’ for intelligent and ‘2’, which represents two benefits, namely fuel efficiency and performance).
The ensemble behind the Hi2 system consists of a 1.5 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 150 PS from 5,500 rpm to 6,000 rpm and 240 Nm from 1,800 rpm to 4,000 rpm, mated to a two-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) with an integrated 190 PS and 236 Nm P3 direct-drive electric motor, with a 1.09 kWh battery providing the juice for it.
Combined total output is 223 PS and 476 Nm, which is capable of hauling the Ora 5 HEV from from standstill to 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds. Other claimed performance numbers include a 4.4 litre per 100 km (22.7 km per litre) fuel economy and a WLTP range of over 1,100 km, the latter reiterated with a distance measurement from Sarawak to Sabah on a backdrop during the preview, with the company suggesting that the car can do that run on one 55 litre tank of fuel.
The Ora 5 HEV rides on rather blocky looking 18-inch alloys, identical to that seen on the KLIMS and Bangkok Motor Show display units, clad with Prinx XNEX Sport EV tyres on the preview units. Meanwhile, the suspension layout is similar to that of the Ora 5 EV, with MacPherson struts in front and a multi-link setup at the rear. As for the braking system, you’ll find ventilated discs in front and solid discs at the rear.
Exterior kit for car includes automatic LED headlamps, LED daytime running lights, LED tail lamps, a rear spoiler with high-mount brake lamp, a manually operated tailgate, rain-sensing front wipers, power-adjustable exterior mirrors and roof rails.
Inside, the cabin is a progression from that of the Good Cat, both in styling elements and materials, translating to a more polished, mature-looking interior. Rose gold trim accents and ambient lighting lift the presentation further, and the Mini-style toggle switch array on the centre console is a nice touch, although some of the chosen functions don’t quite feel fully resolved from a practicality viewpoint.
That’s because while the array has AC and blower on/off selector switches, temperature and fan speed adjustments still have to be done digitally via the screen, which we feel is a missed opportunity – physical dials or switchgear for these would have completed the picture nicely, if the idea was to analogue that path.
Speaking of the screen, it’s a 14.6-inch touchscreen unit, and the Coffee OS 3.0 interface felt quick enough in response to input. It does however keep to the usual complication of tying everything to the digital domain, including often-used features such as driving mode selection and electronic parking brake, along with the controls for the sunshade on the fixed panoramic sunroof.
The rest of the kit count is par for the course – there’s a 10.25-inch instrument panel, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, app functionality, OTA updates, a 50-watt wireless mobile phone charger and leatherette upholstery. Also present, one USB-A and one USB-C socket in the front row, and one USB-C socket in the second row.
Elsewhere, there’s a six-way powered driver’s seat and four-way manual front passenger seat on the base model, but the higher-spec Ultra adds on three memory settings for the driver’s side unit and the passenger seat gains a powered function, along with ventilation for both. The preview units were Ultras, given the presence of the latter.
As for the 60:40 split rear bench, knee room is very decent, but the high floor in relation to the seat means that thigh support is lacking, which could prove tiresome for occupants on longer runs. Also, a single air vent for the rear means someone will miss out on airflow if two people sit at the back. Boot space is 272 litres with the seats up, which is not voluminous.
The higher specification does however increase the speaker count on the car from six on the base to a nine-speaker setup. Despite not being branded, the sound quality coming off the latter was good, with decent soundstaging and tonality on call during the quick test session with it.
In terms of driving assistance kit, ADAS is standard, including adaptive cruise control with intelligent cornering (intelligent ACC), front collision warning, AEB, traffic sign recognition, speed limit warning, lane centring assist, lane keeping assist, and lane departure warning.
The higher specification adds lane change assist, blind spot detection, door open warning, emergency lane keeping, rear cross traffic alert, rear cross traffic braking, front cross traffic alert and front cross traffic braking.
It remains to be seen if we will get the Ora 5 HEV in more than one trim level; GWM Malaysia says that specifications haven’t been finalised, hence there being no new info on the car during the preview, but the presence of the Ultra at the preview suggests that it’ll be present when the time comes.
There was no indication of anticipated pricing either. In Thailand, pricing for the Ora 5 HEV starts from 729k baht (RM90k), but given that our Ora Good Cat Ultra and Ora Good Cat GT are priced at RM110k and RM120k respectively, the car could come in at around the GT’s pricing level. To be competitive, the target to match is that of the Jaecoo J5, which goes for RM108k, and the Yaris Cross Hybrid, which is priced at RM110k.
