Entry-level envy: Omoda C9 2.0 TGDI 400T Inspire review

· The South African

First impressions are the Omoda C9 2.0 TGDI 400T exists purely to sell you onto the next one up the food chain. This happens regularly when a manufacturer engineers a vehicle with a specific drivetrain in mind. Then after patting themselves on the back, the accountants jump in and start to amortise.

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They motivate to interchange existing parts and broaden the market offering. More models, more sales. And at a relatively affordable R785 900, the Omoda C9 2.0 TGDI 400T non-PHEV is that car. It’s the cheapest way into the C9 range. Sadly, and we’ll get it out the way early, it’s not the best way into the range in our opinion …

OMODA C9 2.0 TGDI 400T

Very attractive front end with full light bar turns heads no matter the time of day. Image: Ray Leathern

We recently drove the C9 PHEV Explore AWD and walked away genuinely impressed. Refined, quick and properly premium inside. Now, the Omoda C9 2.0 TGDI 400T Inspire shares that same handsome body with cool start-up light show. However, underneath, it’s a different, lesser beast.

Gone is the hybrid trickery. Gone is the instant torque fill and the seamless switching between electric and petrol power. Instead, what’s left is an internal combustion engine (ICE) 2.0-litre turbopetrol. It produces 192 kW and 400 Nm of torque (hence the 400T nomenclature). While almost exactly half of what the C9 PHEV puts out, on paper at least, those numbers look perfectly respectable. However, in practice, not so much …

NUMBERS ONLY SAY SO MUCH

Materials are less premium to the touch, but the clever, well-thought-out cabin architecture remains. Image: Ray Leathern

Upon pull away, there’s a noticeable hesitation before anything happens. Then power arrives in a loud lurch, not a wave like it does in the PHEV. It’s the kind of jerkiness that makes passengers quietly grip the door handle. Ask for an overtake and the eight-speed automatic gearbox seems to deliberate before committing, like it’s checking with head office first. The ICE’s auto stop/start is highly lethargic, too. Moreover, the Omoda C9 2.0 TGDI 400T Inspire is front-wheel drive only, unlike the PHEV AWD. So, torque steer tugs at the steering through the front wheels under acceleration.

Under load, the engine turns pretty noisy, certainly in a way the PHEV never does. There’s none of that hybrid hush and warm, swelling torque fill in your back. Just four stressed-out-sounding cylinders, working away with little refinement. The claimed/combined fuel consumption sits at a fairly high 8.2 l/100 km. However, according to our real-world test, that number belongs in a fairytale. Daily Cape Town’s stop-start traffic will deliver a double-digit figure with monotonous regularity. We’re talking 10 l/100 km, sometimes more …

THE VERDICT

Distinctive curved and slashed styling remains on the base-spec Inspire, even if it is slightly less adorned. Image: Ray Leathern

Step inside and the Inspire still borrows the same handsome cabin architecture as its up-town sibling. Largely the same soft-touch, quilted surfaces, the big-screen layout remains. Plus, the general sense of design wellness translates across. But without the PHEV’s electrical polish, it simply doesn’t feel as tailored a driving experience. Which is why, if you’re eyeing the C9 range, skip the entry-level ICE entirely. Find that extra budget and go straight to the PHEV Explore AWD. The price difference is R200k, admittedly. But so is the step-up in refinement, drivability and efficiency. Pennywise, pound foolish, as the well-worn saying goes …  

The PHEV isn’t just a better engine option, it increasingly feels like the car this C9 platform was originally engineered around from day one. Everything about the way it manages power delivery and hushed quiet suggests hybrid-first thinking. Nevertheless, credit where credit is due. Even in base Inspire spec, the Omoda C9 2.0 TGDI 400T still looks the part. Chery’s design team clearly nailed the exterior brief regardless of what the accountants lobbied for in the end.

OMODA C9 2.0 TGDI 400T INSPIRE FIGURES

  • Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol
  • Power: 192 kW
  • Torque: 400 Nm
  • Drivetrain: Front-wheel drive / eight-speed automatic
  • 0-100 km/h: 8.5 sec (estimated)
  • Fuel Consumption: 8.2 l/100 km (claimed) 10 l/100 km (tested)
  • Price: R785 900

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