Note that this review is based on our initial drive of the Ora Funky Cat. Our full review and verdict (complete with the car's overall score, plus scores for safety, reliability and more) will be available to Which? members once all our extensive lab and road tests are complete.
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The Ora Funky Cat is currently available in just one engine and trim combination, called the ‘First Edition’. This has a 171hp electric motor powered by a 47.8.kWh battery pack, which drives the front wheels through a single-speed automatic transmission. It has a claimed driving range of 193 miles.
All driver and infotainment information is displayed by two 10.25-inch landscape-orientated screens. Standard kit covers most key equipment, including a wireless charging mat, sat nav, rear view and 360-degree cameras, electrically adjustable seats and automatic climate control.
Smartphone mirroring through Apple CarPlay/Android Auto wasn’t available at the time of testing, but Ora has announced that it will be introduced in the future through over-the-air updates to the car’s software. You do get Bluetooth and USB connectivity, though.
What's it like to drive?
171hp doesn’t sound like a lot, particularly for a relatively heavy electric car, but the Funky Cat’s performance is ideal for easy everyday driving. In typical EV fashion, it feels especially spritely at low speeds, and has sufficient reserves for safe overtaking and acceleration even at higher speeds.
Power delivery is smooth (even for an EV) and linear, and the throttle pedal is well calibrated. Select ‘sport’ driving mode to increase the pedal’s sensitivity, or ‘eco’ mode to reduce it.
It’s hard to fault the single-speed transmission, aside from the fiddly rotary dial and the slight delay when switching between drive and reverse.
The top speed is limited to 93mph but, unlike some electric cars, there’s still plenty of oomph at higher speeds. This makes the Funky Cat feel just as at home on the motorway as in town.
The electric motor is commendably quiet, with only a slight buzzing perceptible from the driver’s seat. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to the rest of the car – wind and tyre noise become particularly prominent at motorway speeds. We also noticed that the driver’s seat creaked, quietly but consistently.
During cornering, the Funky Cat feels both agile and predictable, and the steering is responsive. Particularly quick cornering does cause a fair bit of body roll, though, which limits its overall precision. It’s been set up for safe handling in emergency manoeuvres such as a swerve, and will understeer (lose grip from the front axle) at the limits of grip, rather than losing traction at the rear (which could risk a spin). The car’s electronic stability system intervenes heavily in such situations, but ensures the car remains controllable.
The pleasing handling is tarnished slightly by a steering setup that’s too light, regardless of what driving mode you’ve selected. This reduces the feeling of control on a challenging road, but the benefit is effortless manoeuvring at lower speeds or in a tight spot.
The suspension has been tuned to prioritise comfort over body control, but isn’t especially impressive in either regard. It’s best at low speeds, although larger bumps or potholes can still make themselves felt, particularly through the rear axle. At higher speeds, bumps such as motorway expansion joints also filter their way into the cabin. Body roll and pitch are less apparent than with most compact SUVs of a similar size, but still noticeable, especially given the direct steering and the car’s relatively quick low-speed acceleration.
The interior controls have room for improvement. For instance, the on/off button and drive-mode selector are obscured by the steering wheel, and the infotainment system's fonts and graphics are small. The system also requires precise finger-prodding to operate – not ideal when the driver-assistance monitor is nagging you to keep your attention on the road. You can opt to control it by voice commands, although this too can be frustrating, due to it not recognising commands accurately. The system has the potential to be improved quickly via over-the-air updates, but currently it’s complex and distracting to use while driving.
The rest of the interior has a high-quality ambience thanks to decent materials and a good choice of cabin colours. This doesn’t apply to the boot area, though, which is lined with incongruously hard and scratchy plastics.
How reliable is the Ora Funky Cat?
How comfortable and spacious is it?
The Funky Cat may look like a conventional hatchback, but it’s tall compared with most of its competitors. It has a high roofline and relatively high-set front seats (around 50cm from the road in their lowest position), making it very easy to get in and out. This is helped by low door sills and large door openings front and rear.
Front passenger space is generous – passengers up to around 6ft 6in ( 2 metres) tall should be able to get comfortable. The cabin’s width is on the narrow side, though, but the standard panoramic glass sunroof does make it feel light and airy.
There’s a decent amount of legroom in the rear seats, although it’s likely taller passengers will find headroom more of an issue. As in the front, the cabin’s width limits the feeling of space, and makes seating three adults abreast something of a squeeze, although that’s typical for a mid-sized hatchback.
Seating comfort is a mixed bag. The front seats are generously sized, comfortably padded and offer a good degree of lateral support. The range of adjustability is limited, though: the angle of the seat base, the position of the centre armrest and the height of the seatbelt on the door pillar are all fixed in place. The door armrests are only thinly padded, too, which can become annoying on longer journeys.
The boot isn’t particularly impressive, either for its size or layout. The boot sill is very high from the road for a hatchback, and has a wide and high load lip to negotiate, making it annoying to load heavy items. The amount of usable space is reduced by protruding trim (made from a cheap-feeling hard plastic). Compounding matters, the rear seats leave a large step (around 10cm) in the boot floor when they’re folded down.
How economical is it to run?
Ora claims the car’s 47.8kWh battery is sufficient for a range of 193 miles. This isn’t particularly impressive, given that real-world range is typically lower than the manufacturer’s maximum stated values, according to our tests.
Claimed energy consumption is 16.7kWh/100km (62 miles), which is good for a car of this size, although we’ll have to wait until we can lab-test the Funky Cat to see if this is achievable in real-world driving.
A maximum rapid-charging speed of 64kWh is nothing to write home about. At this maximum capacity, a 0-80% recharge should take around 45 minutes.
How safe is the Ora Funky Cat?
The Funky Car received a full five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP when it was crash-tested in 2022, making it a reassuringly safe choice as a family car.
There’s a decent tally of standard active safety and driver-assistance tech, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control with integrated lane keeping and traffic-jam assist, as well as rear cross-traffic monitoring, which warns the driver and can apply the brakes should it detect an unseen car while the driver is reversing.
While this all stands the Funky Cat in good stead in official assessments, and works unobtrusively in practice, not all the functions are particularly user-friendly. The Driver Attention System quickly becomes annoying, as it barks orders at the driver to pay attention to the road if it detects them averting their gaze for even a moment. It’s possible to turn this off, but only by delving into the infotainment system’s menu, and you need to do it each time you restart the car.
In terms of more conventional safety kit, the Funky Cat has a reasonable number of airbags: at the front and side for front-seat passengers, a centre airbag between the front seats, plus front-rear curtain airbags. Unlike some rivals, though, there’s no driver’s knee airbag, and no side-impact airbags for rear-seat passengers.
It’s also worth noting that while you can adjust the front headrests for good whiplash protection for passengers up to around 6ft 2 in (1.9 metres) tall, the rear headrests will only sufficiently protect those up to around 5ft 7in (1.75 metres) in height.
Is there anything else I should know?
To its credit, Ora was quick to rectify the situation by issuing a software update (to both new and existing Funky Cat cars), which prevented the cable being removed while still live. Existing owners should contact their dealer.
Ora Funky Cat: Which? first drive verdict
Price:Pros: Cons:It’s not perfect, but the Ora Funky Cat is a credible new addition to the UK EV market from a fledgling manufacturer. It will appeal for its nippiness and agility, but its suspension comfort, ergonomics and infotainment system need polish to bring it up to standard of the best cars in class. What we can’t argue with is the car’s safety credentials, which are impressive.
Drive smarter and cut costs using our expert advice.source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/ora-funky-cat-first-drive-review-aH86A8K6M3WI