There’s something innately cool about driving a car that people don’t recognise. The looks of bewilderment, peering eyes and the constant questioning. For this writer it was an evergreen source of amusement during a week with the Deepal E07 Multitruck.
Among the top questions were “What is that?”, followed by “What’s a Deepal?”. But the meat tray went to “So what’s the Cybertruck like to drive?”. The question came from an unassuming gentleman who walked straight past an A9/X Torana in Sydney’s Newtown.
Yes, there is similarity in the silhouette, and the branding on the centre caps of the 21-inch diamond-cut wheels teeters on the edge of copyright infringement, but I just couldn’t see it in the AWD Performance edition of the E07.
What’s indisputable is the conceptual likeness to Tesla’s Cybertruck. Take a large chassis with ample space, add a splash of luxury, overpowered electric drivetrain and a sliding rear hatch that reveals a storage area akin to a utility.
Which brings us to some truth telling. I fell for the E07, in a way that I found increasingly difficult to explain the further I got into the loan period. The first thing that hits you is the size – at over 5m long, just under 2m wide and under 1.7m in height.
I’s squat and wide in appearance. Up front, a full width darkened grille incorporates “C” shaped DRL’s, within which sit LED headlights that proved to be equally attractive and incredibly effective.
The optional Matte Hematite Grey paint works wonders on the high shoulders while creating the perfect contrast against the dark plastic wheel arches and those aforementioned wheels.
But it’s the rear that piques the most interest, with a deep rear bumper that meets with an upright glass panel within the “tailgate”. It connects with the hatch glass, completing what is a strangely handsome and stately design.
It continues inside where the pull of an electric door handle reveals the optional “Orange” interior. It will be a tad lairy for some, but it’s both well-crafted and finished, and provided a sense of occasion whenever we entered.
The colour is unbroken across the cabin, manifesting in Nappa leather accented seats, dashboard and door trims. Seating-wise, the front row gets heating and ventilation, along with massage functions.
Those outwardly attractive shoulder lines create a cossetted feeling of sitting low in the cabin. Even the steering wheel is covered in orange, with matte silver details and dark charcoal across the outer rim.
It sits ahead of a barren and stark dashboard, which feels odd to start with but adds to the feeling of opulence. A large head-up display for the driver is supplemented by a central 15.4-inch pivoting infotainment touchscreen.
Its bright and responsive, but it did take some time to work out the operating system. Simple things like air conditioning controls were a little bothersome to find; no moot point given the vents are hidden, and the screen is only way to adjust them.
This is beside the point that said vents have various electric sweeping functions. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available and clearly also require the screen. It did become easier, but we never really got used to it.
Simple things like window buttons were beautifully crafted, but switching was the reverse of what we’d expect to roll down. This oddity was repeated to roll back the sunshade, revealing the monstrous fixed-pane glass roof.
In the place of door handles was a button ahead of the window switch, an odd but usable solution that does have manual backups. Despite all this electric amenity, the 131-litre frunk is opened using a lever under the dash; we had to giggle.
Rear accommodations are just as plush, with a continuation of the Nappa accented theme. Heating, ventilation and massaging feature in outboard seats and charging ports are available for devices.
Both rows gain various “Scenario Modes”. Everything from a complete flat position with leg rests up front to a camping function that flattens the whole lot and displays a crackling campfire on the centre screen.
This was handy when we got sick of cycling through the 256 ambient lighting options. Finally, a Make Up mode for the front passenger reclines and raises the seat to the perfect position to use with the visor-mounted mirror.
Rear storage is accessed at the touch of a button, with the option to drop the tailgate and have the rear glass slide up in part, or in full. It reveals a 524-litres of storage space with the rear seats up, extendable to 1654-litres with them down.
Temperature management was an issue given the glass tailgate though. There is a divider between the cabin and the storage that can be dropped to expose the space to the air conditioning, but short of using a thermometer, we were unsure of the efficacy.
The glass on the rear tailgate can also be dropped to allow air to ventilate, but ultimately you wouldn’t want to leave anything perishable in there for too long on a hot day. Power comes from twin motors front and rear.
The combination endows the E07 with 440kW and 645Nm via an 89.98kWh battery pack, resulting in a staggering 3.9 second sprint to 100km/h. Dispatching this number isn’t without theatrics either.
The nose points at the sky and front tyres scramble for traction. Total range for the combination is a claimed 510km, with fast charging from 30-80 per cent in 15 minutes using a 240kw DC charger.
We found charging at home overnight would add roughly 100km of range. The E07 rides on air suspension all-round, with automatic adjustment based on selectable modes such as Sport, Eco and Off Road.
The latter can see a ground clearance of 223mm, though we question why you’d use such a vehicle in the dirt in any case. Unfortunately, when combined with the 2300kg kerb weight, neither the chassis nor the steering was a match for prodigious straight-line performance.
It was simply too soft and underdamped. Through fast long corners we could feel it compensate for roll, only to go too far. Then there was the steering calibration, which was too light, vague and long in ratio. It’s best to focus on the configuration’s happy place.
That is, ironing out the inevitable lumps and bumps of Sydney traffic. It was in this setting, with the 18-speaker sound system doing its thing while the air-conditioning system filtered micro-particles out of the in-cabin air, that the E07 was at its opulent best.
Safety is well covered with the expected array of functionality, although the Deepal is yet to undergo ANCAP testing. As a relatively new entrant, the brand is backing itself, offering a 7-years or 160,000km warranty. The battery gets 8-years or 240,000km.
Even more striking than the design and inclusions is the cost of entry. An exacting version of this E07 could be yours for a compelling $76,200 plus on-roads. So why did this writer fall for it? Well, it wasn’t the attention itself, but the reason for it.
The Deepal E07 Multitruck is totally different to anything else I’ve ever driven or am likely to drive anytime soon. It looks, drives and feels like nothing else on the road. I guess that’s part way towards the definition of “special”.
You can find out more on Deepal’s Australian website, or by talking to your local dealership. To get a low rate finance quote, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One. To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was provided by Deepal Australia for independent review purposes. Exhaust Notes Australia has not been paid to test this vehicle.
