Deepal L07

Exterior

First off, the L07 looks pretty nice. It’s got your typical Deepal corporate face with slimline LED headlamps, LED Star Petal daytime running lights and the Deepal shield on the nose. That nose is sculpted in a way reminiscent of a certain Italian sports and supercar maker… The sleek lines continue towards the rear of the car, terminating in a full-width tail-lamp cluster that includes another Deepal shield plus what we’re told are LED Star Flame through-type taillights. Certainly, the Chinese are getting their marketing name game going! In terms of size, the L07 stands at 4.82 metres long, 1.89 metres wide and a mere 1.48 metres tall. It also has 150 millimetres of ground clearance which is decent for a sedan. Plus, we noted that its front and rear bumpers are a little higher off the ground, allowing you to navigate rough roads or sudden incline changes without scratching them, unlike some of its competitors.

Our tester wears a sleek coat of Comet White paint, but colours such as Eclipse Black and Lunar Gray are also available. Spot the astronomical naming theme there? Ravi from Senok tells me that these are the three colours they are offering, mainly due to market dynamics. However, I am sure if you ask nicely, you might be able to get some other shades. Certainly if I were to get myself an L07 it would be in a bright shade of red, orange or yellow. This would really complement the vehicle’s black and silver duotone alloy wheels which are 19 inches in diameter, shod in 225/55 tires.

Mech & Tech

The Deepal L07 packs a rear-wheel drive configuration which immediately pricked up my ears. Granted, for our market, it’s driven by a 99-kilowatt electric motor. Higher powered variants are available elsewhere, and you could probably get them down, albeit incurring a significant tax bill. Maximum torque stands at 320 newton-metres.

The motor gets its electrons from a 58.89 kilowatt-hour LFP battery pack that is said to offer a range of up to 475 kilometres. Everything else is pretty standard for your typical EV, with multi-link rear suspension, MacPherson strut at the front, electric power steering and all-round disc brakes.

Driving the L07

As you open the door, the driver’s seat motors all the way back for maximum ease of access, also called the Welcome function. Once you’re in, you can easily power-adjust it to your preferred mode and save these into memory. There’s 4-way power lumbar too, and I like the fact that you can get the seat really low. Another feature that appeals to me is the traditional gauge cluster in front of the steering wheel. It’s a 10.2-inch unit that offers the right amount of information. You can’t change display layouts, but you can toggle between light or dark themes. There’s also the obligatory Deepal heads-up display.

Select Drive via the column-mounted gear-shifter and away you go. The parking brake operation is automatic - meaning you rarely if ever need to interact with it. Thanks to its lower-slung design and resultant aerodynamics, the L07 scoots off with gusto. It’s got definitely more urge than the taller-riding SUVs with the same powertrain. You’ll keep flooring it again and again just to have some fun!

There are three driving modes – Eco, Comfort and Sport. There’s also a Customized driving mode that you can tailor accordingly. As you’d expect, Eco offers the least throttle response and most regenerative braking, while Sport makes the throttle very responsive and gives you the power earlier in its travel. Selecting drive modes is done via the touchscreen, but you can assign it to one of the two steering wheel-mounted hot keys.

The L07’s ride is geared towards comfort. That’s not to say that it floats like a boat in the corners but there’s definitely some roll if you really push it hard. That being said, most owners will likely never venture into this realm of dynamic testing. The brakes are also pretty intuitive, with the regeneration and disc brake action being blended very well. In fact, the previous day, we had tested another EV from a different brand which had overly grabby brakes – the L07 suffers from no such issues.

Living With The L07

The Deepal L07 comes with a nice array of tech and comfort features. The air conditioning system is a tri-zone affair, meaning that there’s a separate rear zone and control panel. Meanwhile, the front vents are motorized and can either be set to swing about merrily or positioned as you wish. I found this to be a minor irritant until I was able to set them in a position that didn’t freeze my fingers on the steering wheel. Then, I discovered that the centre console box was also cooled by the superbly powerful air conditioning (switchable) and would be a great place to keep your water tumbler, juice box or isotonic bottle! Oh, and if you need even more cooling, the driver and front passenger seats are ventilated. Thanks to these features, we didn’t get baked by the sun streaming in through the heat-resistant panoramic glass roof. There’s no in-built sunshade, but you can opt for a removable one if you desire.

Infotainment is taken care of by a 14.6-inch Sunflower touchscreen and backed by a 14-speaker Sony sound system. You’ve also got the funky external speaker feature that lets you turn your L07 into a mobile boom-box. The spec sheet talks about wireless Apple CarPlay too, and there’s a 40-watt wireless phone charger, multi-zone voice control and LED multi-colour dynamic ambient lighting. Oh, and that central screen swivels! Its motorized and can be set at a pre-defined angle. Or you can set it to point towards the driver or front passenger depending on seat occupancy.

The rear seat is pretty comfortable, and can take up to three adults, evidenced by the three head rests. If you choose to just stick with two, you can lower the arm rest and access two cup holders. Rear headroom is less than an SUV because of the sporty shape of the car, but average-sized adults like myself fitted easily. Those north of six feet in height may prefer the front seat. Legroom is also decent, but because of the lower seating position, your legs tend to extend further outwards than you would in, say, an SUV with a higher-set rear seat. However, you can slide your feet under the front seat. I must also mention that the Welcome function for the driver seat results in it motoring quite far back, which may startle a passenger sitting in the right-hand side rear seat. In this case, pre-warning them would be ideal.

Storage space is pretty ample in the L07. You’ve got a glove-box, a lower centre console area and that aforementioned air-conditioned console box. At the rear, door pockets are present too. Lifting the powered rear liftgate reveals a 473-litre trunk with some underfloor storage too. If that’s not enough, you’ve got an extra 70 litres in the front trunk, or frunk, which is opened in the same manner as popping the hood on a traditional vehicle – via a lever low down on the driver’s side of the dashboard. Oh, and if you don’t want a black interior, you can also specify a light-coloured one. Be warned, though, lighter coloured interiors in any car will require more frequent cleaning.

Safety and ADAS Features

The L07 we get in Sri Lanka is pretty well equipped with active and passive safety features. The list of intelligent driver assistance systems in the brochure contains no less than fourteen items. Highlights include intelligent adaptive cruise control with follow, stop and go, front and rear collision warning, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert and braking, automatic emergency braking, lane change assist and traffic jam assist, plus more. 

Then, there’s a 360-degree camera system with transparent chassis view, as well as auto tilt-down mirrors when reverse is selected. You’ve also got a tire pressure monitoring system, a full suite of airbags, hill hold control, automatic door unlocking after a collision and child seat anchors. Nothing wanting in the safety department. A feature I’d have liked to see would be a side camera feed showing in the gauge cluster whenever a turn signal is activated – like how some other manufacturers do it. I didn’t notice this in our test L07. Given that the hardware is present, it’s likely a software tweak away.

Range and Charging

The Deepal L07 is equipped with a 58.89 kilowatt-hour battery. This is rated to give up to 475 kilometres on the NEDC cycle. Of course, it depends on how you drive. Judicious throttle application will reduce this, while smoother driving with more regeneration in urban traffic will help things. The car supports fast charging and can be topped up from 30% to 80% in as little as 35 minutes at a compatible DC fast charger. Deepal Sri Lanka also provides a 7-kilowatt home charger and a portable charger as well. Plus, Sri Lanka’s EV charging infrastructure is improving on a monthly, or even weekly basis.

Price and Warranty

At the time of testing, the L07 is available in one trim level, and retails for Rs. 19.8 million. It’s backed by a 5-year / 120,000-kilometre warranty on the vehicle. The electric drive system’s coverage extends to 8 years / 150,000 kilometres, while the battery is also covered for 8 years / 240,000 kilometres.

Final Words

EV sedans are thin on the ground in Sri Lanka, but there’s a notable smattering of the slim pickings already visible in the country. Interestingly, I have seen more EV sedans in Kandy than Colombo. This goes to show that not everyone wants an SUV, and being a sedan/wagon fan myself, I am inclined to agree. On that token, the Deepal L07 makes for a fine choice, with its rear-drive layout, generous feature set and surprisingly spacious cargo compartments – yes plural because of the frunk. Moreover, its comfortable ride will play well for those who don’t want an overtly sporty machine, especially when your daily commute takes you over less-than smooth roads. Now I just wish Senok would jazz things up with a broader colour palette. Over to you, then!