Changan Deepal S07 Review

We wonder if Chinese car companies think we haven’t got much of a choice in the UK when it comes to electric SUVs. Amid an onslaught of new makes from Chery to Yangwang, there are seemingly hundreds of new models to learn and consider.

Except, we do already have plenty of great EVs to pick from – the Skoda Enyaq, Renault Scenic E-Tech, Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are merely the first few that came to mind. So what does the Changan Deepal S07 bring to the party?

Well, the Italian-designed styling looks premium – we love the ‘energy crystal’ third brake light. And Changan is one of China’s oldest car companies, so it’s no rushed startup operation. In fact, Changan already has one European connection – it's building the new Mazda 6e, which is coming to the UK shortly.

And the Deepal S07 is undoubtedly very safe. A glowing five-star Euro NCAP score is underscored by a 95% adult occupant protection rating – few cars achieve better. There’s a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, too.

But the boot isn’t particularly massive for the size of the car, the technology is completely under-developed, the range figure isn’t high enough, there aren’t many UK dealers yet and the driving experience is merely inoffensive. When Deepal is charging a whisker under £40,000 for the S07, you have to wonder who’s going to buy one over the Tesla and all the other impressive family EVs above. Expect big discounts once initial sales figures are published.

One minor upshot is that paint colours, alloy upgrades and interior colour changes are free, so it’s actually quite hard to break the £40,000 barrier where the luxury car tax comes into play.

Besides the fact you can get the upholstery in bright orange – which is naturally the best choice – the S07 follows the feng shui of most of the recent Chinese newcomers. There’s a steering wheel, a whopping touchscreen, a tray that’s wide enough for two phones and… little else.

On first inspection, the S07’s interior is a nice place to sit, with the quilted vegan leather seats feeling soft and premium. We’re less keen on the unconvincing and completely random application of the fake wood on the doors, though.

Then, you have to use the screen and that’s where things start to fall apart. Not literally, but it could do with several over-the-air updates before you don’t feel like tearing your hair out after five seconds of using it. It’s a shame, because the graphics and responses are superb.

The default setting is to have the giant screen show a wallpaper like an office computer, with the main functions like navigation and media playback relegated to a scrollable bar at the bottom. It’s an odd interface choice, but Changan isn’t alone in this – we also tested a couple of new BYD models on the same day and found the same curious layout. Apparently they’re completely different systems.

You can have the map there instead, but nothing else. You can’t see media playback info, nor driving information and efficiency.

Then you find that almost everything – including the windscreen wipers – is controlled through the touchscreen. That’s an accident waiting to happen in wet weather. And numerous functions that we’d want to get to quickly are buried within several menu layers – so you’re looking away from the road for too long and you get a telling off from the driver monitor.

The screen’s party piece is that it pivots towards the driver or passenger. But then, if your passenger has bagsied the screen, you’re reliant on the grainy head-up display that seems to hover four car lengths away from you. (Perhaps it could be adjusted if we spent more time with the car, as other users have praised it. As it was, we really disliked it.) The speed you’re going is also displayed in a tiny font on the top right of the screen.

Never mind, because the Deepal S07 has a voice control system. That works, right? Er, no. It’s very keen to tell you it’s there to assist, but the vast majority of commands we tried were stonewalled with words to the effect of ‘I can’t do that for you’.

Better is the generous list of standard equipment. There’s only one trim level, and the kit it offers would make an Audi or Mercedes blush. We’re talking about a nearly-two-metre-square panoramic roof, the ability to use your phone as a key and a 14-speaker sound system – including headrest speakers.

The Changan Deepal S07 is longer than most of its family SUV rivals, and its size benefits passenger space. Rear-seat passengers get limousine legroom – which is good for tall adults but bad for kids who want to kick your seatbacks! As an aside, the Isofix points are very easy to use. Headroom’s impressive, and rear-seat features include cupholders, seat pockets and climate controls.

Further back, the 510-litre boot is fine, if a bit short of the class leaders. It’s a big space that’s well shaped for large items, but there aren’t too many clever features and there’s no extra storage underneath. Happily, however, luggage space is boosted by a 125-litre frunk under the bonnet – useful for cable storage, soft bags or wet leisure gear.

In the front-row seats, there’s plenty of space to stash your bits and pieces away. As well as a big glovebox and a deep, cooled central armrest cubby, there’s a semi-hidden storage zone underneath the pair of phone trays and cupholders. One minor gripe – how difficult would it have been to swap the single wireless phone charging pad to the right-hand phone slot for right-hand-drive cars?

Like the trim levels, there’s only one powertrain option which makes things nice and easy. An 80kWh battery provides a quoted range of 295 miles, while the rear-mounted electric motor produces 215hp and a 0-60mph time of 7.6 seconds (0-62mph in 7.9). These are decent figures in isolation, but the likes of the Model Y, Enyaq and Scenic E-Tech can all go noticeably further on a charge.

The acceleration is insistent and unbroken, as you expect from an electric car, but it’s clear that it doesn’t feel as fast as a Model Y or EV6. Still, if this is your first electric car, it’ll feel quick versus a petrol or diesel SUV, and there’s plenty of power at any speed.

If only there was a bit more power in the charging system. A 10-80% charge is reported to take 47 minutes, whereas the big-battery Skoda Enyaq takes under half an hour and the class-leading Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 take just 18 minutes (albeit at a rare and costly 350kW charger). 

The S07’s driving experience is unlikely to offend you, but nor will it entertain you. It’s easy to drive and a bit forgettable – no bad thing for a family SUV that’ll be tasked with mundane journeys first and foremost. The overall feel is one of stability and no drama.

The steering feels artificial – it’s light and a little vague, and doesn’t give you any feedback about what the wheels underneath are doing. It’s happy on a curving road, but quick or sharp cornering is likely to upset it.

If it’s not sporty, you’d reasonably expect it to be comfortable. But it’s a mixed bag: the ride is good enough on motorways but it can feel bitty around town. High-speed refinement could be much better, too – with no engine to drown ambient noise out, the tyre and wind noise becomes apparent, even though the S07 comes with double glazing as standard.