Geely EX5 2025 review

Until now, Geely was rarely mentioned without Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Zeekr and other subsidiary brands in the same breath. At least, that is, in Australia, where the Chinese carmaking giant has had very little providence (outside the blip of the forgettable 2010-2013 MK small car) and, because of it, equally scant brand recognition.

That’s set to change in March, when Geely formally launches its brand Down Under, complete with a sole, two-variant midsize electric SUV model, the EX5, joining an exploding sub-segment of attainable Chinese-branded electric choices.

So what is EX5? And why should it draw your attention away from middleweight electric SUVs alternatives from China and beyond, including MG, BYD, Hyundai, Kia, Leapmotor, XPeng, Deepal, Toyota, Subaru and, yes, it’s very own Volvo and Zeekr, as well as, of course, Tesla and its Model Y?

That second question is a particularly curly one at the time of writing this review, literally hours after having driven the higher-spec of two available variants, the Inspire, at the EX5’s Australian launch program over a couple of hundred kilometres. That’s because exact pricing is yet to be revealed. And because Geely has yet to disclose any sort of Australian release road map.

Slipped through the intel cracks, though, is that the entry EX5 Complete – so why would you want more? – variant will lob a fistful of cash under $50K, while the flagship Inspire, as tested here, is around $55K. And that, Geely Australia promises, “there’s more exciting things to come,” with announcements at the brand’s formal launch in March.

Back to the ‘what’ bit. The EX5 is built off a new GEA platform, having made its world debut at EX5’s domestic Chinese release in August 2024. Both variants share the same technical setlist: front-wheel drive, 160kW and 320Nm, 400-volt architecture, a 60kWh gross lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and a DC fast-charging peak of 100kW.

The simpler Complete brings 6.9sec 0-100km/h and 430km WLTP range claims, while the fruitier Inspire flagship is 0.2sec slower (7.1sec) and has a 20km shorter (410km) range peak.

As a broad snapshot of credentials goes, the EX5 looks adequate and where it needs to be competitive. Including price points. But there are no dangling carrots nor any apparent benchmarking.

Styling is neat if unadventurous. Beyond the tidily ‘blank’ front fascia, neat six-rectangle brand logo badge and slit headlights, it really could be any midsize SUV from any conservatively leaning brand. The Inspire’s one-inch-larger 19s – Complete fits 18s – are a nicer fit for what’s an inoffensive and stolid aesthetic that might lure buyers with conservative tastes.

But there’s evident quality abound. The neat flush door handles compliment heft doors that shut with a solid ‘thunk’, revealing a cabin space with real opulence. In either the standard blue-black Midnight or optional bone-grey Cloud two-tone themes, it looks rich and sumptuous, suiting the neat minimalist design very nicely indeed.

The materials are pleasing and tactile – more Volvo than Volkswagen, say – minting a fine sense of quality. From the trendy two-spoke, two-tone ‘squircle’ wheel’s silver switchgear to the frameless mirror, and from the asymmetry seat trim design to the tiny badging in seat backs, it’s impressively neat, tidy and stylised.

Nothing that looks leather or metal is genuine – the faux hide is called GeeLuxe – but still, the level of presentation is a knockout.

Pride of place is the whopping 15.4-inch high-definition media screen, the cabin’s real centrepiece. It’s complemented by a floating 10.2-inch rectangular LCD driver’s screen and, in Inspire spec, a 13.4-inch head-up display. All are bright, clear and offer crisp resolution.

The sheer neatness brings penalties. Tiny fonts, defaulted to grey over white backgrounds, are very hard to read if you have dodgy eyesight (though reversing out to white font/black background improves legibility).

The media system does pack pace through impressive processing power, though the HD screen isn’t quite touch sensitive enough, demanding repeated prodding to activate buttons and menuing.

It bundles in a host of connective services – 4G networking, voice assist, live traffic for the proprietary sat-nav – but the stinger is that the EX5 launches without Apple CarPlay (coming Q3) or Android Auto (later in Q1 2025), via over the air updating. The flagship also boasts a 16-speaker 1000-watt stereo that, in practice, isn’t quite the audiophile’s ear candy that its maker claims.

Elsewhere, the EX5 Inspire continues to be a mixed bag. The console rotary dial is configurable to different functionality – very clever – but the driver’s screen and HUD both display that Tesla-like vehicle proximity monitoring that should’ve stayed put in the Pointless Ideas bin. The large under-console storage cubby is plastic lined, where oddment tends to clatter about.

The front seats themselves are fundamentally decent, with neat perforations and both heating/cooling in Inspire spec. But there’s no lumbar adjustment whatsoever for either front pew, perhaps due to the multi-mode massage functionality packed into the flagship.

Row two is very roomy, with a flat floor, rear amenities such as third-zone climate and device power, and there’s also a really cool underseat storage drawer. The fine presentation up front extends through to the rear as well – add the generous glass area and it’s a pleasant place to spend trips in, be they long or short.

The 410-litre boot is well proportioned and decent enough for the midsize class, but there’s no spare wheel – you get tyre pressure monitoring and a goo kit.

If there are two apparent constants with the new wave of Chinese electrics, it’s that a) you’ll find some bizarre feature somewhere and b) some so-called assist/safety/convenience feature that’s almost impossible to defeat will be out to annoy you. And in EX5, it’s one and the same thing.

At low speed, the Geely broadcasts a quiet lullaby that sounds a) a bit like Mr Whippy way off in the distance or b) uncannily like the intro to Radiohead’s deep-cut track No Surprises. It’s audible outside the car, as a sonic warning to nearby pedestrians…and it also permeates throughout the cabin every single time the EX5 slows to crawl.

It is noticeable because in almost every driving situation, the EX5 otherwise runs almost silently. Not only does it suppress extraneous noise extremely well, there’s virtually no suspension or undercarriage foibles and the 235mm 50-series rubber – the low-grade gets 225/55 – are free from thrumming on even rougher surfaces.

Geely’s local arm claims that the suspension and steering tune has arrived after some extensive Australian-condition R&D, and 12 months went into active safety and assistance system calibrations. And the combined result is an experience that’s…mostly promising.

The EX5’s chassis is what we’d describe as ‘lopey’. It’s quite softly set, with a cushioning compliance that even Tontine would approve of. But, thankfully, there’s enough discipline in the damping to stop just short of being wallowy. While some pitching and diving is evident, the chassis is generally settled enough.

The only time it seems to get caught out is the odd slap or thump across separation joins in the road surface.

It’s certainly comfy, without dropping the ball with accuracy through the steering and front end, at least around town. And out on the open road – a 90-minute stint along the Hume Highway on cruise control – it settles into the touring role with aplomb.

But dive into twisty country curves and the chassis gets flustered. The soft nature of both axles aren’t in synchronicity with one another and there’s little in the way of grip from the tyres or balance for a package that weighs in at a relatively thrifty 1800kg-odd.

It’s no corner carver but really not to a major foul. The EX5 is best served in the urban confines and on the highway, which is really where this package is best pitched.

The 160kW and 320Nm from the single front motor offers ample enough usable stonk – it’s as punchy as it realistically needs to be. If there’s a shortcoming, it’s traction. The EX5 is too keen to spin up the unloaded front wheel, out of roundabouts, lunging for gaps in traffic, etcetera.

Safety and assistance? Geely quotes 16 separate systems fitted to EX5 – plus seven air-bags – so it’s loaded with assistance kit. It’s also amongst the slew of current Chinese and Korean offerings that demands switching some annoying functions off before every drive, for the sake of driver sanity.

With systems active, it bings and bongs with disapproval at normal Aussie driving behaviour constantly. As seems customary in this current era, it’s the driver-attention ‘smarts’, speed recognition and lane departure warning features that constantly reprimand.

However, the Geely is more real-world co-operative, passive and less overbearing than the woeful systems found in Deepals and Cherys, to name two examples of (far too) many. But turning key annoyances off, every trip and via digging through submenus, is mandatory.

The form guide states an average consumption claim of 16.6kWh/100km (15.8kWh for the Inspire) for, again, a best case of 410kms of range. On test, the worst the onboard computer displayed was circa 15kWh, at best high 11s.

So the jury is out on real-world range until we can put the EX5 through our own efficiency test.

Charging? Geely quotes a 20- to 80-percent (100kW peak) DC charge of 28 minutes, but using more the commonly adopted 10- to 80-percent measure, it’s likely to be 36 minutes at least, which is a bit behind the segment game.

Like on paper specs, the EX5 experience is mostly where it needs to be, little of it outstanding or all that exceptional. But it’s very good in some areas – interior presentation and sense of occasion, features list – and, importantly, it’s easy to settle into and spend time in.

There’s a bona-fide quality to the Geely. Which is more than can be said of some of its direct competitors…

What makes it difficult to recommend the Geely over many of its rivals relates to unknowns. The value equation will become clear with actual pricing. And trust in Geely’s commitment to the local market will be strengthened by disclosure in its future model road map beyond the EX5, electric or otherwise.

That’s clarity that should arrive at Geely’s brand launch in mid-March. Watch this space…