Changan Deepal S07 review

Can the latest Chinese entrant make a dent in the Tesla Model Y's popularity?

Meet the Changan Deepal S07. Yup, that’s right, another Chinese firm has entered the UK market, and yes, I can hear your sighs from here. But bear with me, because Changan actually has heritage and its Deepal brand already has merits.

So, to clarify: Changan is the parent company here. It’s the oldest Chinese car manufacturer, no less, having been producing cars for its domestic market since 1984. Not only that, but it’s had a design centre in Turin since 2001, an R&D centre in the UK since 2010 and a further design centre in Munich since 2021 (the latter dedicated to the Avatr luxury brand, which will also enter the UK market in time).

For further evidence of Changan's dedication to its European and UK ventures, it has promised a €2 billion investment by 2030 and has been open about its intentions to open a manufacturing facility in Europe.

Changan launched the Deepal brand in 2022, and here we have its first UK-market model, the S07. This 4.75m-long, five-seat electric SUV uses a CATL-sourced 75kWh (usable) nickel-manganese-cobalt battery, for a WLTP range of 295 miles. Currently only available as a rear-wheel-drive model, it’s aimed squarely at the Tesla Model Y, Skoda Enyaq, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and BYD Sealion 7.

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DESIGN & STYLING

changan deepal s07 02

Changan's design bosses will tell you how the S07 uses a cross design on the front grille and styling cues inspired by the stars to make it stand out from its rivals. Not to mention the full-width light bar at the back, of course.

All of this is intended to make it look distinctive, apparently, yet we can’t help but feel that the S07 is, well, breathtakingly derivative. Depending on which angle you're considering, it looks remarkably like a Lotus, a Lexus, a Polestar, a Cupra, a BYD and plenty more besides. That’s fine, but distinctive isn’t the first word that it inspires.

There are five different body colours on the S07, including one called Nebula Green, which looks distinctly blue. Orange, white, grey and black make up the rest of the colour palette.
Vicky Parrott

INTERIOR

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The interior is a big selling point for the S07. It’s spacious and the perceived material quality is good, with a smart blend of materials, a tactile steering wheel and a generally solid feel.

There’s only one model available, and it gets everything you would want, including a huge panoramic glass roof, which obviously adds to the ambience.

The doors open electronically via a button on the door, with a mechanical release available as a back-up.
Vicky Parrott

There's no traditional driver's readout, but a head-up display offers speed readout as well as augmented sat-nav guidance. 

The S07 will certainly give Tesla a run for its money when it comes to perceived interior finish – and it will bring Tesla to mind in terms of the dash layout and infotainment functionality, too. There are no buttons to be seen, but the 15.6in portrait-orientated touchscreen can be set to swivel towards the driver or passenger if you want it to, which is a neat feature.

Within it, you will find the controls for the side mirrors, windscreen wipers and more, which is annoying, but at least a swipe-down shortcut menu allows quick control of many of the key features – including the speed limit warning and lane keeping assistance. Naturally, voice control is included, as are over-the-air software updates, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

As is often the case with Chinese cars, rear passenger space and comfort is a chief priority. There's tonnes of space in the back of the S07, and while the floor feels a touch higher than in equivalent ICE SUVs, it’s still a comfortable back seat. You even get your own control for the roof blind, as well as rear climate control and a centre armrest with cupholders and phone stand.

A 445-litre boot is adequate but a long way off the space you get in most of those rivals we’ve already mentioned. It’s a fairly shallow space, and the rear seats are short on versatility (they don’t slide, they only fold in a 60/40 split and there’s no seven-seat option), but the squared-off boot space will be fine for a standard single buggy. 

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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The S07 is rear-wheel-drive, courtesy of a 215bhp electric motor. That’s good enough to shove the 2075kg SUV from 0-62mph in 7.9sec, which makes it feel gutsy enough for quick motorway merges and junction getaways.

Sport mode makes a big difference to the accelerator response. In Eco and Comfort modes it feels neutered and is clearly prioritising efficiency, while Sport sharpens things up noticeably and makes the pedal much more responsive.

It's a pleasant surprise that the S07 isn't offered with an unnecessarily fast high-performance version, but I suspect that many buyers would appreciate a four-wheel-drive variant.
Vicky Parrott

There are two levels of regenerative braking. Both are fairly heavy and neither offers brilliant feel or modulation, so it can take a bit of time and some very accurate feathering to drive the car smoothly in stop-start traffic.

Even when you do rely on the brake pedal, it’s an inconsistent response that doesn’t fill you with confidence.

As for the range and charging stuff, the official WLTP range of 295 miles is okay-ish, but many rivals offer longer range. Charging speeds are underwhelming too, lagging behind most rivals at 93kW, meaning that a 10-80% rapid charge will take around 45 minutes. AC charging at 11kW is standard, though, as is an efficiency-boosting heat pump and vehicle-to-load charging.

RIDE & HANDLING

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The ride and handling in the S07 is disappointing. Changan tells us it has re-engineered the suspension for UK and European tastes, chiefly by making the passive dampers (there are no plans to offer the active dampers for now) stiffer to tighten up the primary ride, over the soft suspension favoured by Chinese buyers.

It may have gone a little too far, though, as the result is restless vertical damping that has the S07 thumping and bobbing over expansion joints and the corrugated surfaces typical of the UK’s roads. Added to the heavy body lean and slightly peculiar lateral suspension movement that you get in faster direction changes, this makes the S07 feel wobbly yet very lumpy, which isn’t ideal.

Changan's engineers tell us they're working on steering-by-wire for future vehicles, although it will be a while before it makes it to production.
Vicky Parrott

At least the steering response is predictable, and you can weight it up in Sport mode, while traction is fine and the nose feels confident enough when you want to swing through a fast roundabout.

In short, the handling of the S07 feels perfectly okay in the every day muddle, but that ride on the standard 20in wheels and Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres is very wearisome.

A turning circle of 11.5m also can make the S07 feel a tad unwieldy in tight spots, although the high-definition 360deg camera is impressive and goes a long way to alleviating parking anxieties.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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If incohesive dynamics and laggardly charging speeds are chief reasons not to buy the S07, the price and standard equipment are the biggest points in its favour. There is only one trim, it costs just under £40,000 and gets everything: keyless entry, a semi-autonomous drive mode, leatherette upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, 10-way electric driver’s seat adjustment, ambient lighting, a panoramic roof, voice control, a 10-speaker sound system that talks at you through the driver’s headrest and can play your tunes through external speakers, a light show, Dog mode, Camping mode, Nap mode… The list goes on. There’s even a Smoking mode that opens the windows for you. No, really, there is.

Make of that what you will, but the S07 isn't short of equipment, and it’s all included. Even the jazzy metallic paint colours are standard, as are any of the three interior finishes. 

The only option is a retractable tow bar. If you add that, the S07 can tow a braked trailer of up to 1500kg.
Vicky Parrott

A vehicle warranty of seven years or 100,000 miles is good enough to make even Kia and Hyundai pause in their world domination, while a battery warranty of eight years or 125,000 miles is better than most.

Changan currently has 20 dealerships across the UK and expects to have up to 50 by the end of 2025 (courtesy of established multi-brand franchises), so it won't be long before you will be able to buy one somewhere near you.

CAP expects the S07 to have best-in-class residual values for this genre of electric SUVs, but you will forgive us for being a little sceptical of that, given the newness of the brand. Only time will tell.

VERDICT

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The S07 is a convincing first offering from Changan. The costs, tech and interior finish are impressive and to many buyers it will feel like a lot of car for the money – especially if those monthly PCP finance deals are right.

But there are also a whole host of alternative electric SUVs out there that are better to drive, faster to charge and have a more useful boot.

So while the S07 has some persuasive aspects, it’s going to be a while before it’s troubling Tesla.

Vicky Parrott

Vicky Parrott

Vicky Parrott has been a motoring journalist since 2006, when she eventually did so much work experience at Autocar that it felt obliged to give her a job.

After that, she spent seven years as a features and news writer, video presenter and road tester for Autocar, before becoming deputy road test editor for What Car? in 2013. After five years with What Car?, Vicky spent a couple of years as associate editor of DrivingElectric and then embarked on a freelance career that has seen her return to writing for Autocar and What Car? as well as for The Daily Telegraph and many others.

Vicky has been a Car of the Year juror since 2020, and the proud owner of a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300-SL 24V since 2017. She aspires to own an Alpine A110 and a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo.