[HardwareZone] The Deepal S07 is proof that BYD and Tesla aren’t the only ones making good electric SUVs

LIFESTYLE | CARS by Kenny Yeo

Yes, it’s stylish and has great range, but the best thing about it is that it’s not another BYD or Tesla.

Purchasing a car is about the heart as much as it is about the mind. Style and the way a car makes you feel matter just as much as how much it costs to run and what your monthly payments are going to be. And if you tend to let your heart rule over your head, the Deepal S07 could be the EV to tug at your heartstrings.

The Deepal S07 is a mid-sized SUV that’s set to go up against the likes of the BYD Sealion and Tesla Model Y. It comes from Deepal, a new EV player in our market. Although Deepal is new to us, it’s really an established player in its home ground, China, where it’s a subsidiary of the state-owned Changan Automobile group.

At this point, it’s probably a good idea to address the name, because I had numerous people tell me it sounds goofy. It’s not entirely clear how the name Deepal came about. The brand’s name in its native tongue is 深蓝 (shēn lán), which, if directly translated, should be Deep Blue. The model name, S07, doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue either. But if you can look past this matter, there’s a lot to like.

To start, I think the styling is a highlight. Sure, it still looks somewhat generic—there’s a slight whiff of Tesla and BYD about it—but most people I showed it to said it looks handsome. It helps that it comes in interesting colours. Sadly, the test car was Comet White, which I don’t think is the best. I saw units in Sunset Orange and Cosmic Yellow in the showroom and thought those looked considerably more attractive.

Happily, the test car came with the Orange interior, which I’m fond of because not only does it liven things up, it also stands out from the scores of dull grey, black, and white interiors that plague modern cars. It’s also reminiscent of the tan interiors that you find in Ferraris, which probably isn’t all that surprising because Deepal is keen to point out that the S07 was designed in Turin, Italy. The gigantic glass roof helps accentuate the space inside. My only gripe is that while everything looks chic, the aircon vents are placed far too low and don’t do a good job of cooling your face and head on a very hot day.

Like most modern cars, the driving environment is sparse. There’s no conventional instrument cluster. Instead, an informative HUD shows critical information like speed and navigation to help drivers keep their eyes on the road. Then, there’s a huge 15.6-inch touchscreen display for your infotainment and HVAC controls. There are no physical buttons.

The system is powered by a Qualcomm 8155 chipset and runs Deepal OS, which feels like a tablet OS being shoehorned into a car. Settings are hard to find, and the entire interface isn’t the most intuitive. Even so, I have to concede that it’s likely owners will eventually get used to it over time. If it’s any consolation, at least the system feels fast and responsive.

Inside, families will be pleased with the practicality on offer. There is loads of space for your limbs and storage for your stuff. The amount of rear legroom is fantastic, easily rivalling larger cars. Up front, the frunk offers 125L of capacity, which is very usable and will easily accommodate most shopping; the rear boot has a capacity of 445L, which can be expanded to a massive 1,385L by folding the rear seats down.

Unlike its rivals, the S07 is only available in a single variant. You get 218hp and 320nm of torque. Its performance won’t keep you pinned in the seats, but it’s sufficiently quick for our roads. It’s more potent than the Cat A version of the Tesla Model Y (147hp), but it’s down on power when compared to the extended range version of the Sealion (308hp) that is the base model here in Singapore. The upside is that its road tax remains somewhat manageable at S$1,853 a year.

The ride is mostly good—only the most poorly paved roads will unsettle it—and the cabin lets in very little wind and road noises. Owners will also be delighted to learn that it has adjustable regenerative braking, so it’s possible to get the S07 to coast like a traditional ICE car when you are off the throttle, though this will likely cost you some range.

Deepal claims a range of 475km based on the WLTP standard, and that claim seems entirely tenable. Over a weekend, I recorded an average energy consumption figure of 15.1kWh/100km over 335km of driving. And this is with its regenerative braking set to a lowly 20%. Since it has an 80kWh battery, that means it’s quite possible to manage over 500km on a full charge. That’s more than the Cat A Model Y I tested, though, to be fair, that car has a much smaller 60kWh battery.

My main annoyance with the way the S07 drives is with its overly eager safety systems. The lane departure system is especially heavy-handed and will intervene at the mere suggestion that you are straying close to the lines. What’s equally annoying is that you have to disable it every time you start the car, and that means diving deep into the car’s menus and settings.

In a market flooded with many same-same electric SUVs, the Deepal S07 stands out for its more interesting interior, stylish looks, and overall practicality. Crucially, with prices starting at S$218,999, it’s priced competitively too. If you are shopping for an electric SUV in this price category, it’s prudent to pay Deepal a visit first. You might not need to go down to the BYD and Tesla showrooms thereafter.

THE VERDICT

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