New Changan Deepal S07 2025 review: a smart but dull Chinese SUV
What do you get when you cross Italian styling with British chassis tuning and Chinese everything else? The Changan Deepal S07.
Verdict
Electric Chinese crossovers are like Sabrina Carpenter songs – they stick to a very predictable formula. True to form, the Changan Deepal S07 has lots of kit, loads of space and passable performance, all at a competitive price. But the underlying ride quality and unimpressive efficiency allied to slow DC charging are considerable debits. The S07 may be better to drive than some Chinese contenders – but overall it’s a pretty unremarkable car.
Another day, another Chinese electric crossover, this time pitched at the large family car market and up against the BYD Sealion 7 and Peugeot E-5008 for size. Unlike the versatile E-5008, it’s strictly a five-seater costing £39,990 – £7k cheaper than the Peugeot and BYD, with even more savings to be had through the Auto Express Buy a Car service.
It’s the car to launch Changan in the UK. Reportedly China’s oldest car company originating in 1984, it hails from the world’s biggest city, Chongqing, harbouring 30 million people and covering the size of Austria. Plenty of customers that set Changan on its way.
More than 20 years ago it began to establish operations overseas: design in Turin and Munich, powertrain R&D in the UK. And the result is the S07, from the sub-brand Deepal (another EV brand, Avatr) is set to follow). If you think Italian design encompasses voluptuous curves and iconic details, Deepal’s studio disagrees: the S07 is a nicely proportioned, aggressive and angular crossover – which could be from any one of those Chinese start-ups.
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Cash £18,600The interior is more agreeable, with stitching criss-crossing vegan leather upholstery like ski tracks in deep snow, and a clean uncluttered dashboard. Tesla hasn’t been so much an inspiration as a to do list: there’s no driver’s display because an impressive Head-Up Display (HUD) relays info, the touchscreen menus look like a Model Y’s have come Over The Air into the wrong car, and the side mirrors are infuriatingly adjusted using a steering wheel pad.
Unlike in Teslas, there is an actual indicator stalk – glory be – but its action is so indistinct and noise so quiet you’ll forever see Deepals trundling down the motorway with lights annoyingly blinking away. With the occupants probably being annoyed by the ‘Hey Deepal’ voice assistant: as you open the door, he gratingly advises he’ll be with you all the way (steady on Deepal, we’ve only just met), thereafter refusing to leap into action at simple requests. Sheeez.
A nice touch is the way the touchscreen swivels towards the passenger or driver, for ease of use. It’s typically fast-responding and pretty easy to understand, but you can switch to the standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto if you don’t like it.
Grab the pretzel-shaped steering wheel and we’re off. The driving position is ludicrous – less seat, more bar stool and uncomfortably close to the header rail. Great for seeing eye-to-eye with the drive-through barista though.
A 215bhp electric motor spins the rear axle. It can be a bit hesitant from standstill, but the motor delivers good, smooth acceleration around town, with noticeably diminishing returns as you pass 60mph. There’s enough punch for overtaking, though. People driving their first electric car will be pleasantly surprised, but 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds feels about par these days.
The UK-tuned suspension set-up is lucky dip: body control is great over speed bumps, but every road contour is transmitted into the cabin, making the S07 fidget like a teenage maths class. And in fast corners, it rolls noticeably, making things a bit ungainly at times. But the brakes feel fine, even though a one-pedal mode wouldn’t go amiss.
We trundled the S07 peacefully through central Birmingham with the double glazing keeping the hustle and bustle at bay. At 70mph, however, there’s quite a lot of tyre rumble from the 20-inch Dunlop Sport Maxx rubber, and a bit of wind noise too.
Over 79 miles of stop-start city driving and some rural pottering, the S07’s trip computer posted an unimpressive 3.13 miles per kWh. And charging is off the pace: 35 minutes to get from 30 to 80 per cent (a cheeky head start as most manufacturers typically quote from 20 per cent) takes 35 minutes.
But what you do get is a spacious cabin – rear legroom is epic, and the standard glass roof makes it feel nice and airy back there – and the back benchers have their own heated seats, air-con and roof blind controls. The 510-litre boot is wide, shallow, devoid of underfloor storage, but unobstructed by a load lip.
The range is incredibly simple – one model, one price, dripping with kit. Highlights include a 14-speaker stereo, ambient lighting, gesture control (great for operating the in-car selfie mode, a popular Chinese passtime) and a hi-def parking camera. All the gear, otherwise nothing to see here.
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| Model: | Changan Deepal S07 |
| Price: | £39,990 |
| Powertrain: | 1 x e-motor, 80kWh lithium-ion battery |
| Power/torque: | 215bhp/320Nm |
| Transmission: | single-speed auto, rear-wheel drive |
| 0-62mph: | 7.9 seconds |
| Top speed: | 112mph |
| Economy/CO2: | 3.34 miles per kWh/0 g/km |
| EV range: | 295 miles |
| Size (L/W/H): | 4,750/1,930/1,625mm |
| On sale: | Now |
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