Geely EX5
I think it’d be fair to say that if you’re struggling to keep up with the influx of new-to-the-UK Chinese brands over recent years, you wouldn’t be on your own. The MG badge was familiar enough but the link with the company that brought us the B GT and the Midget pretty much starts and finishes with exactly that; the badge. We were just about getting used to BYD when the floodgates opened and now we’re all apparently buying Jaecoos, with the likes of Omoda and Chery waiting in the wings for the even more adventurous.
So, what’s this then? It’s the Geely (pronounced Jeely) EX5 – an all-electric mid-sized SUV and it’s currently one of two models Geely sell in the UK, alongside the slightly larger Starray PHEV with a third, smaller EX2 coming along soon.
Sound Familiar?
Anyone who feels the Geely name rings a bell is absolutely right. The company’s 40 years old now and the links you may remember best stem from when they acquired the automotive behemoth that is Volvo in 2010 and then the ‘constantly on the brink of extinction‘ Lotus brand seven years later.
How far & how much?
As you’d probably expect, the EX5 sits at the more affordable end of the spectrum. In SE Spec you get a 60kWh battery (68kWh in Ultra spec) driving the front wheels that’s good for 267 miles WLTP range (officially). You get the obligatory giant central touchscreen and not much else on the dashboard, wireless CarPlay and charging, plus the steering wheel & synthetic leather front seats are heated. All of this for £31,990 which undercuts competition such as Kia‘s EV3 and Skoda‘s Elroq by £1,000 & £2,000 respectively.
If a grand or two isn’t a tempting enough saving for you, it might be worth considering that not only is the EX5 cheaper than the aforementioned competition, it’s also a good few cm larger in every aspect, and that’s possibly most noticeable when sat in the rear seats as it’s impressively spacious back there.
Geely hasn’t scrimped on the battery tech, either. Its Short Blade Battery is described as best in class (by Geely, admittedly), and it supports up to 135kW DC charging meaning a 30-80% can take as little as 20 minutes. That’s pretty-much the same as much of the competition, though, so possibly not quite as much to write home about there.
Not unpleasant, if not overly original either
The styling of electric cars has until fairly recently taken a back seat, with aerodynamics and ultimately range firmly taking priority. The realisation that the car-buying public doesn’t necessarily want to be seen in a wheeled soap-dish is undoubtedly filtering through, though, and the success of the likes of the Renault 5 and BMW‘s electric offerings has hopefully made manufacturers sit up and take notice and realise we’d happily lose a few miles of range for the sake of desirability.
Unfortunately nobody at Geely seems to have read the memo, though, and despite their claims of ‘design features inspired by ancient Chinese architecture and furniture design’, the EX5 could easily get lost in a crowd with only the Porsche-like full-width rear light bar being noteworthy at all.
We’ve already touched upon the EX5’s industry-standard minimalist interior and it is another area where many other manufacturers have seen the error of their ways but Geely seems a tad behind. There is a smattering of actual buttons on the dash and steering wheel but most of the controls are buried deep within the central screen’s menus and are only accessible via either a clickwheel or prodding the screen itself. Of course, Geely would like you to say ‘Hi Geely‘ and issue your demands verbally but, as usual, this can just be a source of frustration and tech for tech’s sake.
Impressively roomy inside
On the plus side, the seats are large and comfortable and they even lie-flat should you wish to have a nap in your EX5. There’s cubby holes aplenty dotted around the cabin and the boot which appears diminutive at first glance hides a whopping 461 litre bin under the floor to add to its 302 litres of storage. A heat pump comes as standard which is very welcome, as does vehicle-to-load charging as well as vehicle-to-vehicle.
The EX5 certainly isn’t the first word in out-and-out performance but, to be fair, do you need to get from 0-62mph any faster than 6.9 seconds in a family SUV, anyway? When you count a brand like Lotus amongst your repertoire, you may as well make the most of them so the EX5’s chassis boasts some of their knowhow. And it’s not that bad; there’s minimal crashing over bumps and body roll isn’t too bad. Just a shame there’s absolutely zero feel through the steering wheel.
One irritation of modern-day driving that Geely’s taken notice of is the dreaded beeping and bonging safety systems make, many to the point of distraction. The EX5 is jam-packed full of them, as you might expect, with 360 degree camera, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise, emergency manoeuvre assist amongst others all coming standard. Geely make a point of them not being overly intrusive, though, and they’ve got it just about right to be fair.
Should I buy a Geely EX5?
The Geely EX5 boasts an impressive range, decent tech and is actually very comfortable. It might not be the absolute bargain-basement option anymore but it is slightly larger than the direct competition. Plus it comes with an 8-year warranty that also covers the battery and that might be enough to sway some outright buyers.
By Ben Harrington
The Geely EX5 is available now, priced from £31,990. For full details go to: www.geelyauto.co.uk
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