Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
“It needs some getting used to,” I told my son Chevy as we drove out into a dark and rainy evening. I wasn’t talking about not being used to driving under a strong torrential thunderstorm. I was referring to the dark expanse behind the steering wheel where a brightly-lit, highly-legible instrument cluster should be. It is where any driver’s eyes would automatically and subconsciously look into but there’s no binnacle of gauges there. It just feels so, uh… empty and unusual, as if the panel shorted and blacked-out.
Behind the steering wheel, there’s no binnacle for gauges or an instrument panel. There’s just a big expanse of padded dashboard.
Bright Huawei xPixel projector headlights pierces the dark night effortlessly.
Thankfully, vital information, such as the speed in km/h, gear selected, electric power range and combined range in kilometers, was projected on the windshield by the heads-up display (AR-HUD) projector in my line of sight. Thus, I don’t need to take my eyes off the road just to glance at these. Besides, every other vital control or switch – gear selector, headlight switch, front and rear wipers – were within reach without taking my hands off the wheel. Even the control for the audio and HUD were mounted on the spokes of the D-shaped steering wheel.
We were getting ready to drive out into the night under a torrential rainstorm…
… with the vehicle’s speed (in km/h), the gear selected (D), the battery range (25 km) and combined range (657 km) are projected unto the windscreen by the AR-HUD.
New Premium Brand with Muscle
The vehicle that I was driving that stormy evening was the 2026 Deepal S05 REEV compact crossover SUV. In case you didn’t know, Deepal is the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) sub brand of Changan Automobile, which is one of the oldest and popular car brands in China. Deepal collaborates with tech giants like Huawei for its smart vehicle systems and CATL for its advance batteries. The Autohub Group, headed by Willy Tee Ten, who is also the current president of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), is the official distributor of Deepal automobiles in the country.
The 2026 Depal S05 REEV is a good-looking 5-door compact crossover SUV…
… that bucks the trend with the electric motor delivering power to the rear wheels. Yes, it has rear-wheel drive (RWD)! Alleluia!
As some of you may have already known, “REEV” is the abbreviation of Range Extender Electric Vehicle, which means that this Deepal is basically a battery-powered electric vehicle with an onboard gasoline-powered generator. An XTDM38 permanent magnet synchronous (PMSM) electric motor delivers 158 kilowatts (212 horsepower) and 320 Newton-meters of torque to the rear wheels through a single-speed direct-drive transmission. Deepal claims that the S05 REEV can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and reach a top speed of around 180 km/h.
Touch Me Not: A huge plastic cover hides the PMSM electric motor, 1.5-liter gas-powered range extender, and the control assembly. Sorry, there’s no frunk.
The lower front grill has active vents that open or close for cooling or aerodynamics, depending on the need or the speed.
LFP Battery Charges in 2 Ways
The electric motor gets its power from a 27.28 kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery pack that can deliver around 170 kilometers of pure electric driving range on a single charge. The onboard generator (a.k.a. range extender), which is driven by 1.5-liter Blue Whale 4-cylinder gasoline engine, automatically kicks-in when the battery’s energy has gone down to a programmed level, or around 15%, which we observed during our test drive. With a fully-charged battery and a full tank of gas, the S05 REEV has a combined range of up to 1,234 kilometers.
The S05 REEV has a pure electric range of 170 kms and a combined range of 1,234 kms. That’s enough to go around North Luzon!
The stylish 20-inch alloy wheels and 245/45R20 Continental Premium Contact V-rated tires demonstrate this Deepal’s performance potential and upmarket positioning.
The LFP battery pack can be fully charged in 8 hours using a 220-volt AC home charger, or charged from 30% to 80% in just 20 minutes using a direct current (DC) fast charger. Because of the spiraling costs of fuel, keeping the battery charged ensured less use of the internal combustion engine. Financial savings can be further augmented if solar panels or wind generators power the AC charger instead of the grid. Free and renewable energy for EVs helps keep the environment clean by not transferring pollution from tail pipes to power plant emissions.
Using solar panels or wind generators instead of the grid to power EVCS and home chargers can help the environment by not transferring pollution from tail pipes to power plant emissions.
Even with the gasoline-fed range extender/generator running, the S05 REEV runs smooth and quiet.
Goodbye, Range Anxiety!
But we digress: The best feature of REEVs is freedom from what EV owners fear the most – range anxiety. When the battery charge of an EV runs low during a drive, the driver must locate a EV charging station (EVCS) soon. Range anxiety creeps in when the nearest EVCS is still a long distance away. Thankfully, range anxiety is never an issue when driving the S05 REEV. The onboard generator extends the range as long as there is fuel in the 45-liter gas tank. Period.
The 1.5-liter Blue Whale range extender engine gets its gasoline from a 45-liter fuel tank.
Driving a Deepal S05 REEV means never having have to say, “Range Anxiety”.
Furthermore, the S05 REEV is built on Changan Automobile’s EPA1 platform, which is engineered not just to support multiple energy layouts, such as BEV, REEV, and hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, but also to attain up to 95% energy efficiency from the advanced CATL battery technology while optimizing the vehicle’s weight distribution and dynamic handling. Our weeklong test drive of this 5-door compact crossover SUV convinced us of this fact.
The Deepal electrified model line-up is built on the Changan EPA1 platform…
… to get 95% energy efficiency from the CATL battery while optimizing the vehicle’s weight distribution and dynamic handling.
Intelligent Cabin Technology
Engineered into the 4.6-meter-long, 1.9-meter-wide, and 1.6-meter-tall body of the S05 REEV is an intelligent and comfortable cabin that is deeply integrated with smart cockpit and driving solutions that include Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, Huawei HarmonyOS / DriveONE, and advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) safety suites. The 2.9-meter wheelbase and independent suspension provide the supple and controlled ride while disc brakes on all four corners provide the braking power in unison with regenerative braking system to further charge the battery while on the go.
Inside the S05 REEV is an intelligent and comfortable cabin that is deeply integrated with smart cockpit technologies and safety driving solutions.
The panoramic sunroof alone is worth the price of admission. It gives the cabin a vast airy feel.
The cockpit has a minimalist but highly functional vibe and understated eleagance.
The floating center console adds a second cubby hole to store small stuff. The USB ports reside below. The perforated leather seats are soft, supportive, comfortable and come with built-in ventilation.
The rear seats come with 3-point seatbelts and a folding center armrest with drink holders…
… the 60/40 seatbacks fold down to increase the luggage space from 464 to 1,250 dry liters (16 to 44 cu. ft.)
Aside from the AR-HUD, detailed vehicle info is provided by the central 15.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which includes a 540° surround-view parking camera and a transparent chassis view. A 14-speaker audio system with subwoofer provides a fantastic aural experience that is complemented by the S05 REEV’s advanced NHV (noise, vibration and harshness) engineering. The infotainment system is run by Deepal OS 3.0 and a Snapdragon SA8155P chip while the operating system can be updated OTA (over the air).
Apart from the AR-HUD, relevant vehicle data can be accessed through the 15.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system mounted in the middle of the dash.
The central infotainment touchscreen monitors the battery charge, and energy consumption, as well as control other functions such as the automatic airconditioning system, seat ventilation, headlights, interior and ambient lights.
The S05 REEV features a 540° surround-view parking camera with transparent chassis view and a recorder to capture significant driving situations, such as accidents, fender benders, unlawful flagdowns, road rage incidents, and the dreaded NCAP.
The Deepal S05 REEV is a great choice to get into electrified mobility while experiencing the latest and the best technologies.
And if you ever need to supply power in a remote location, such as a campsite, this RWD compact crossover SUV has a Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) output that can provide 6.6 kW of electricity. With a price range of P1,788,000, the Deepal S05 REEV represents not only advanced electrified mobility with freedom from range anxiety, but the ability to share the energy when it is needed most.
