13/04/2025

MOTORING XIV ON SUNDAY APRIL 13, 2025

Visually there are four exhausts but in actual fact there are only two.

A full sized spare wheel is becoming increasingly rare.

Generous boot space.

tures and then selling them at unbeliev able prices. And the Omoda C9 delivers on this as well. The interior comes with a massive 24.- 6-inch curved screen that houses the info tainment system as well as the instrument cluster. In fact, it looks similar to the one found on the Omoda 5. You also get a 14-speaker Sony sound system with one speaker embedded into the driver’s headrest for a truly splendid audio experience. Besides that though, you get the usual set of features such as ventilated front seats, shift paddles, heads-up display, electronic seats, 540° surround view cam era and even powered rear seats with a reclinable back rest. On the topic of back seats, what we truly like though it the b-pillar mounted air-conditioning vents. That is truly the way vents should be mounted at the back. In terms of safety, the SUV comes with a Level 2.5 ADAS safety suite that gives you all the safety nets you could need in a car. Verdict? If you are already considering the C9 but still unsure, consider this review a gentle nudge towards you signing on the dotted line. Refinement and comfort are the stand out features of the C9 and the fact that it offers as much tech as it does is the sweet cherry at the top of a very nice cake. SPECIFICATIONS Engine: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo charged Transmission: 8-speed automatic Power: 261PS Torque: 400Nm Suspension: Multilink with Continuous Damping Control Price (As tested): RM188,800 We like: Refinement, Comfort and tech. We don’t like: Matte paint job not easy to maintain.

paintjob is to have it wrapped in a similar colour so that scratches do not affect the original paint job. Its size is the other attraction because it truly is a big car, which makes it an interesting proposition for those with a family. Overall spaciousness is impressive while the boot space comes in at a mas sive 660-litres, which is expandle to 1,783 litres with the seats collapsed. And then there is the operational fac tor. Powering the C9 is a 2.0-litre, turbo charged, four-cylinder engine making 261PS and 400Nm of torque. That is more than plenty to get the C9 up to 100kph in just 8.6 seconds. Not par ticularly explosive, but the car does weigh-in at an eye-popping 1,876kg. In terms of fuel-consumption, all wheel-drive powertrains (AWD) tend to naturally be on the higher end of the con sumption spectrum. And that is true for the C9 AWD as well. While the claimed fuel consumption is rated at 8.5-litres per 100km, the real world figure that we saw during our drive puts it at about 9 litres per 100km. Range though is quite decent, with the 65-litre fuel tank providing an official range of 765km, but we were seeing a range of between 570km to 640km dur ing our drive. So, it is not a particular expensive car to operate on day-to-day basis. And the AWD layout can be regarded as a safety system as well, particularly in slippery conditions. It is also worth pointing out that the C9 rolls on 20-inch wheels, which look great and truly suits the overall design of the car. But big wheels and their tyres can be expensive to maintain over the long run. Having said that though, we should also mention that the C9 comes with a spare tyre. This may not seem like a big deal, but more and more manufacturers are opting to swap the spare tyre for a tyre repair kit,

The dash is minimalistic yet elegant.

This suspension system works elec tronically to adapt the suspension to road conditions. You might think that this works like any other adaptive suspension, and you will not be all wrong, but the CDC system of the C9 works more seamlessly. It works by calculating speed, steering input, body pitch, roll, bounce, road sur face conditions and even brake and throt tle behaviour. It then adjusts the internal fluids of the suspension, thus softening and stiffening the suspension as needed. And all this happens in mere milliseconds. The great thing with the CDC is that it works seamlessly, and you often do not feel the suspension stiffening or softening (which happens when you select one of the seven drive modes) unless you try to consciously feel for it. While it will take an entire article of a thousand words to explain how it works and what makes it different than others, all that matters on the road is that it gives you a supple ride quality and when you want to get serious about cornering, it gives you superb control. What about its features? This is something that Chinese cars truly excel at – loading their cars with fea

and the last thing you want is to be stranded on the roadside not knowing how to use a repair kit. So, this is a plus point. But how is the car really like? It is a gem that just needs to be pol ished to be appreciated. While Chinese cars get a lot of praise for their design, powertrains and overall features, they can’t yet get overall ergonomics. But we truly believe that it is just a matter of time, and Chinese cars, includ ing everything from Omoda, will be per fected in just one product cycle. The ergonomics we are ranting about is the positioning of the centre console. It pushes your left knee inwards which makes the sitting position feel a little awkward when you want to rest your left leg. The centre console is also placed a lit tle too high for this writer’s preference as well. But that’s just a matter of personal preference. The one thing that makes the C9 stand out from the rest of the crowd though is its suspension system. The C9 comes with a multi-link sus pension setup with adaptive suspension called Continuous Damping Control (CDC).

Seven driving modes to choose from centre dial.

14-speaker Sony sound system.

Air-conditioning controls for rear passengers.