FULL ON FELINE FUN
THiS is one cat that’s got the cream. For Funky Cat is the name of the eye-catching pure-electric car from new Chinese electric-only brand ora. i had people giving thumbs-up signs and stopping me in the street to talk about it. Priced from £31,995, the four-door, five-seat First Edition launch model is cleverly packaged and well-stocked with lots of standard kit and a simple line-up with minimal options or ‘extras’.
i had great fun driving it through warwickshire — it was relaxing at pace on motorways and mastering twisty country lanes during a deluge.
The car proved a delight with plenty of power in reserve for swift and effective overtaking.
Riding on 18 in wheels, the electric front-wheel drive car’s 48kwh battery develops 171 hp (126 kw) allowing it to accelerate from rest to 62mph in 8.3 seconds up to a top speed limited to 99 mph and with a range of 193 miles. The spacious cabin and roomy rear has a premium feel, softtouch material trim and exposed stitching. The flexible boot is compact but extends with the rear seats down.
it’s a geek’s delight for connected electronic fun with a 10.25in infotainment screen, keyless entry, wireless charging, voice control commands for setting satnav destinations, seeking the nearest charging station, or setting the interior temperature; and an app with which to control features remotely from your smartphone, such as pre-heating or cooling your car.
But it can also be a bit of a controlling nanny, telling you off if you risk doing wrong or momentarily breaking the rules of the road, or appear to be fatigued or failing to pay attention. Steering could be tighter and satnav graphics can confuse.
it scores a top five-star safety rating and charging times (to 80 per cent) range from five hours 24 minutes on a standard home charger, to three hours 12 minutes on a public charger — and just 42 minutes 30 seconds on a rapid 100kw dC charger.