By Jonathan Crouch

The Omoda 5 aims to offer something just a little different for customers seeking a Qashqai or Kona-class compact family SUV. There's a choice of combustion or EV powertrains, striking design and a strong value opposition. If you like the looks, it might be tempting.

Omoda is determined that fashionable design should be a major selling point of its models, which is why you'd be unlikely to mistake the Omoda 5 for anything else. Certainly not the two cars this 4-metre-long compact family crossover is primarily pitched against, the Nissan Qashqai (which is slightly longer) and the Hyundai Kona (which is a little shorter). The main visual talking point is a huge grille which is almost completely flush with the front bumper. The rear gets a full-width light bar and if you opt for the plusher 'Noble' spec level, you get various, red-coloured external trim elements. All models have a rakish profile with blanked-out C-pillar. And the EV version gets a bespoke front grille and modified side wings.

Inside, where everything is of surprisingly high quality for a mainstream brand, there's a high-mounted 10.25-inch infotainment screen. And a digital instrument cluster of the same size built into a single wide panel mounted on top of the dashboard. You're going to need to like smudge-worthy gloss black-trimmed panelling, but everything is decently screwed together and the things you interact with regularly are soft to the touch. Plus there's adjustable ambient lighting that varies itself with the selected drive mode.

The core Omoda 5 models are the most affordable 1.6-litre petrol version and the EV variant. This design has been engineered to accept a petrol Hybrid unit too, so most of the major bases seem to be covered. The conventional petrol version uses a 1.6-litre four cylinder turbo unit with 187bhp and 275Nm of torque transmitted through the front wheels via a 7-speed dual clutch auto gearbox. The 62mph from rest sprint occupies 7.8s. A four-wheel-drive version is offered in other markets but there's no sign yet of that being available here.

There are various drive modes provided: obviously, to get anywhere near to the quoted efficiency stats, you'll need to spend most of your time in the 'Eco' setting. On that subject, if you'd prefer to look at the EV version, you'll find it powered by single front-mounted 204bhp motor. That's energised by a 64kWh battery that when fully charged is claimed to be able to take the car up to 280 miles.  Later, a 48kWh variant with a lesser 134bhp motor will also be offered.

The Omoda brand is here for the long haul. This 5 model will shortly be joined by the Omoda 3 (Puma-sized) and the Omoda 7 (Sportage-sized), before the model line-up is completed by the Cayenne-sized Omoda 9. Chinese owners are often referred to as 'Omoders' and get access to a special 'O-Club', a social platform for 'brand experiences' that will be replicated in Europe.

The kind of 'brand experience' you can expect from an Omoda 5 is likely to see you in possession of a car with rather striking looks. It'll be fully equipped, well-warrantied, decently built and probably metronomically reliable. It's also just a little bit different from the Qashqai or Kona-class compact family SUV you might just have been about to sign up for. Which makes this Chinese newcomer worth a look.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Omoda 5

PRICES: £24,000-£27,000 {1.6 petrol}

CATEGORY: SUV-FAMILY HATCHBACK-BASED (C-SEGMENT)

INSURANCE GROUP: TBC

FUEL CONSUMPTION: 31.4mpg {1.6 petrol}

CO2 EMISSIONS: 170g/km {1.6 petrol}

PERFORMANCE: 0-62mph 4.5s / top speed 130mph

BOOT CAPACITY: [litres] 380

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height mm 4,400/1,830/1,590 mm

WHO TO SEE: Visit GroupM53 Omoda, Rossmore Road East, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 3BR

Or visit online

www.groupm53.co.uk/omoda