What you’re looking at in the image above is the Deepal E07 – a large SUV (similar in size to a Ford Ranger) that doubles as a pick-up truck (or a ute, if you’re in Australia, where the car is set to launch next). The car was being showcased at Everything Electric Sydney, the city’s biggest EV and electrification show, and it was one of the most interesting things on display. So of course, I just had to drive it.
The EO7 originally launched in China in late 2024 and was then made available in Thailand shortly after. When it first debuted, it started at CN¥199,900, which converts to about $27,500 / £22,000 / AU$44,000, but we won’t be surprised if it ends up costing a lot more than this, given its size and performance compared to other cars in these markets.
And in many ways, it feels like a slightly more realistic Cybertruck, but in a different way to the Telo MT1. It lacks the ugly rhombus-like design and goes for a more traditional aesthetic, mixed with a luxury interior that feels especially premium compared to other cars of this size and layout. The glass across the back that covers the tray gives it more of a large sedan feel, but when the glass slides above the car it looks more like a traditional pick-up truck or ute.
Here’s a view from the inside.
This isn’t something that’s necessarily meant to compete with the Ford F-150 or the Toyota HiLux. It lacks the tray practicality pick-up trucks offer, instead offering a very nice interior, a comfortable on-road feel and functionality that puts it in closer competition with large SUVs that skip the third row. It’s also much heavier than a Ford Ranger, given its large battery.
“This is a multi-versatile vehicle,” Deepal Australia general manager Cormac Cafolla told TechRadar. “If you want to take the vehicle to Ikea or Bunnings on the weekend… I could throw the bikes in the back, I could go on an adventure, you could go camping in it, if you wanted – the front seats also go flat with the whole interior, allowing you to use the car any way you want.”
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Specs |
Deepal EO7 |
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Dimensions |
5045mm L x 1996mm W x 1680mm H |
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Weight |
2398kg |
|
Range (manufacturer claimed) |
560 (RWD), 520km (AWD) |
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Storage capacity |
638L (boot/tray), 1,860L (with rear row folded) |
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Charging capacity |
7kW AC, 240kW DC (TBC) |
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Wheels |
20-inch, 21-inch |
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Touchscreen |
15.4-inches |
There’s also an outlet for a wall socket plug on the right side of the tub and tie-down points for bulky loads. The tray door can be folded down to extend your storage space. There’s no plan to add a spare tyre in the Australian model.
There’s still quite a bit we don’t know about towing capacity, and we don’t have a solid figure for range, though the manufacturer has estimated a maximum of 560km for the cheaper RWD model and 520km for the AWD trim. The AWD model will be capable of 0-100km/h in just four seconds, a pretty impressive stat for a car so big.
Something that won’t be coming to the Australian model is a scrolling light bar, which allows a message to be shown on the grille. It’s been replaced with a static panel to comply with local design rules. “We’ve softened it with a horizontal light bar on the front, so we don’t lose the front visual representation of the vehicle,” Cafolla added.
A badge will also be added to the front of the car before it launches in Australia later this year.
So how does it drive?
Deepal was offering test drives of the EO7 at Everything Electric Sydney, with showgoers able to hop in and take it for a lap around the Sydney Olympic Park suburb. I was one of the first people in line.
Nothing jumps out at you when sitting in the EO7 – it mostly drives like any other large electric SUV, with a smooth start-and-stop experience. A 15.4-inch touchscreen has been plastered to the car’s middle, which actuates in the direction of the driver when the car is in motion (this can be disabled and the screen set to face either the front passenger or sit neutrally against the panel).
The operating system is fast and it didn’t feel like there was anything getting in the way – which is fairly nice to say considering that the Deepal SO7, the company’s first Australia-launched car, has been getting bad press for its annoying driver monitoring system (Deepal says an update addressing this will release soon). While that car makes intrusive dings in the name of safety, the EO7 was more muted and chill.
Acceleration is punchy, and it has a pretty satisfying turning circle for its size. The seats are comfortable and the brownish-tan colour pictured was quite nice, but other colours will likely be available to order.
I thought of it similarly to the Kia EV9, where it’s a big car but it doesn’t feel big. It feels nimble and reactive, and there isn’t any sluggishness on the road.
The cover over the tray can be lifted above the car, over the roof racks, with either a physical button in the back or through the operating system. A button will also bring the dividing glass between the tray and back seats down. Once you manually pull the seats down, you’ve got full storage access between the back seats and tray. It’s great to have this functionality, which effectively gives you the choice between using a single or dual cab ute on the fly, minus the vertical access.
This arrangement also means you can drive with the rear window open, something that would be unsafe in a petrol car due to the risk of sucking exhaust back into the cabin.
One final note – this car isn’t a Tesla, but it has a feature called ‘Sentry Mode’ – a name used by Tesla with an identical purpose in its vehicles. It’s a security system that protects against folk that come up to the car and attempt to break in or vandalise the exterior. It’s fine to have a similar system, but I suspect they’ll name it something else before it arrives on the market. It even looks similar to Tesla’s feature in practice, with ‘Sentry Mode Enabled’ scrawled across the touchscreen. TechRadar reached out to Inchscape Australia (the local distributor) to ask if this feature will be present in the Australian model and if it’ll be changed in any way, and they replied saying that technical specs will be “revealed in due course”.
Overall, I’m intrigued by the Deepal EO7. I think this is the missing link between a lot of SUVs and pick-ups: a great option for folk that want handy size and space, but for those who want a nice interior and plan on using it less as a utility vehicle and more as a ‘big car’, while retaining though the ability to transport bulky items. My short time with it has me pretty excited for its local arrival.
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zac.kelly@futurenet.com (Zachariah Kelly)
