Dongfeng 007 review: Seventh heaven for the towkay

Volt Auto’s 200kW electric fastback makes any local boss feel like a Chinese uncle version of James Bond double-O-seven.

I might have used the title “Seventh Heaven For The Towkay” more than twice in the past for a BMW 7 Series story or something, years ago when I was a writer/editor elsewhere. Motoring wordsmiths would probably agree with me that such a corny, Hokkieny title only works for a car with a 7 in its name.

The Dongfeng 007 qualifies, then, although I almost disqualify myself here as a creative who is able to think up a new and unique headline for each new car reviewed. With that editorial disclosure out of the way, let us return to the subject of this story.

The 007 is the flagship model of China state-owned automaker Dongfeng and its Singapore distributor Volt Auto. The newcomer is the second Dongfeng model to blow into town after the entry-level Box supermini and is positioned at the opposite, upscale end of the BEV spectrum where businessmen gather.

If the Dongfeng Box is a good hatchback for workers, then the Dongfeng 007 is a great fastback for bosses who employ the workers.

In my opinion as a gainfully employed worker, the 007 is currently the only car to make the driver feel like a Sino-Singaporean “James Bond”, at least for the duration of the test drive if you haven’t booked/bought the car yet.

There are several aspects about this number which blow me away like the machine guns of the Aston Martin DB5 in ‘Goldfinger’.

For starters, the 007 is as handsome as secret agent double-0-seven. That face is almost as striking as that of the Aston Martin DB10 in the James Bond movie ‘Spectre’. Those LED headlights are sleek and futuristic, their DRLs nestled within the stylised “boomerangs” at the edges of the designer bumper.

Best of all, you don’t need to be a secret agent to admire this handsome face every day in your carpark. Property agent, insurance agent, also can — as long as you’re successful enough to afford one of these as your daily drive.

Standing at 1.465 metres in height, the 007 is not quite as low as the BMW Z8 roadster in ‘The World Is Not Enough’, but it is certainly low enough for a five-seater sedan.

The Dongfeng’s aerodynamic profile sweeps nicely from the front pillars to the rear quarters, like a wonderful wind blowing from east to west, while the side mirrors look windswept and ready to flow through the air. Flush door handles keep the bodysides slick and slippery to minimise wind turbulence.

This particular body colour, Mystic Purple, makes the 007 even more stylo-milo. However, Volt Auto won’t be importing any more units with this paint job (the Wuhan factory has stopped producing this colour option), so it will be a rare sight on Singapore roads. It might be easier to spot a bright green Jaguar at Leng Kee Road inspired by the bad guys’ XKR in ‘Die Another Day’.

Not bad at all is the 007 boot. It is a slinky liftback with convenient electric operation and a roomy trunk, which opens up to reveal 452 litres of useful cargo capacity. Expand the boot space to over 1,000 litres by folding down the backseat. In this temporary two-seater configuration, you could put a lot of things in here.

The rear cabin looks and feels like a communist limousine for capitalist towkays. Prosperous passengers get the legroom of a limo, plus good shoulder space. Despite the swoopy roofline that arcs like a work of automotive art, there is decent headroom, along with a set of three supportive headrests.

Indeed, heads and shoulders can really stretch on the 007 backseat, and they can sleep well too, thanks to the broad centre armrest, soft vegan leather everywhere and excellent air-conditioning. The panoramic glass roof is surprisingly good at keeping the hot sun out, while giving cool views of the sky and all.

Behind the classy white wheel, the 007 cockpit has the bells and whistles you want in a modern electric sedan, without making things too complicated. Easy luxury is the name of the game, and you’re the game master in control.

The driver’s seat is easy to adjust, with physical buttons right where I expect them to be. It’s so comfortable once adjusted to my preference, including how cool I want my air-conditioned backside to be. However, the driver’s seat would be even more comfortable if it also had a tiltable squab and power lumpar support… oops, I mean lumbar support.

If I were a towkay, tired after driving around the whole day to expand my tutu kueh empire, I could snooze on demand in dreamland, thanks to the 007 cockpit’s Meditation Mode. It manages to recharge my body and mind like a Chinese “quantum of solace”.

The car even recharges my ears, thanks to a Wanos premium hi-fi system with surround sound and 19 speakers, including one in the driver’s headrest right behind my ears. 

Naturally, I tested the awesome 007 audio using James Bond 007 movie theme songs, including Nobody Does It Better and my all-time favourite Bond ballad sung by Sheena Easton, For Your Eyes Only.

Your eyes will love the main dashboard gadget, a 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen that’s big, clear and user-friendly. It has all the information, entertainment and customisation you need for driving, working and playing. Parking the 007 is easy, too, thanks to the seemingly all-seeing panoramic camera system.

Unlike James Bond, I don’t have a licence to kill. But I do have a licence to drive the 007.

The way it behaves on the road is like a vehicular version of agent double-0-seven. It goes so smoothly, no matter how rough the tarmac. It moves so quietly, no matter how busy the traffic. And it glides confidently from point to point and corner to corner, like a man who knows where he’s going but doesn’t need to rush there.

But the 007, whether man or machine, can really run when required. Whether it’s outrunning bad guys or overtaking bad drivers, the 007 is always good to go.

The 007 accelerates from a standstill to 100km/h in just under 6 seconds, which is pretty fast. If you want to go bloody fast, you’ll need to upgrade from the martini version of the 007 to the moutai version.

The standard martini version reviewed here is a single-motor 200kW rear-drive EV on 18-inch wheels. The stronger moutai version has dual motors with double the power (400kW) and torque (620Nm), propelling all-wheel-drive 19-inch rims.

Speaking of liquids, the powerful performance of the 007 includes the ability to wade through floodwater up to 1 metre deep. I tried this in Dongfeng’s Wuhan test circuit and remained dry, but I think I almost wet my pants during the activity because I cannot swim.

Undoubtedly, the Dongfeng 007 is capable of putting towkays in seventh heaven and making any boss (or his designated driver) feel like a Chinese uncle version of James Bond double-O-seven. In a Chinese walnutshell, the Dongfeng 007 is a high point in Chinese electric fastback design and technology.

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This article was first published in Motorist.