After an initial attempt to officially enter the market in 2021, Great Wall Motor has refined its strategy for Europe and is now ready to arrive in Italy as well—doing so with its most “chic” model: the GWM ORA 5. We visited its home in Baoding to drive it, and it indeed has many fashionista-friendly features. The cabin is the true focal point of the project, available in various color schemes and materials that appeal to style-conscious buyers—especially the version with houndstooth upholstery on the seats, dashboard, and door panels, in light tones to enhance brightness alongside the fixed panoramic roof.
The seats use low-VOC foam and breathable 3D mesh upholstery—odorless, antimicrobial materials that improve interior air quality. Beyond that, the entire car benefits from excellent sound insulation and suspension tuning, contributing to a very comfortable ride. GWM has used multi-layer glass and worked extensively on aerodynamics to reduce wind noise at higher speeds—something you notice almost immediately when driving the car.
The 14.6-inch display dominates the dashboard, but the Coffee OS interface avoids the typical issue of large screens: it doesn’t force you to search. It responds quickly, with logic similar to smartphones, and is complemented by physical buttons for more immediate controls like climate settings. The deliberately retro physical gear selector adds a tactile element to an otherwise highly digital interior. Finally, the picture is completed by no fewer than 33 storage compartments of various sizes, useful for holding bags, phones, as well as bottles and flasks. Particularly practical is the one in the center console, connected to the climate vents, which can be cooled or heated depending on the season.
GWM’s approach, together with the GWM One platform, means the ORA 5 can be offered with several powertrains. The test car is the electric version with a 58.3 kWh battery and up to 435 km of range. However, we also tested the 1.5 turbo petrol with dual-clutch transmission and the 223 hp full hybrid, without any substantial differences in the interior, ergonomics, or onboard space—confirming the extreme versatility of this project.
