2025 Deepal E07 Multitruck review: Australian first drive

It can be a challenge to maintain enthusiasm and interest as you wade through a constant stream of same-same SUVs, as the Australian market groans under the burdensome, continuous flow of new makes and models.

There are a few interesting blips on the radar from time to time, but you can feel that a lot of the new and established brands are playing from the same rulebook, hitting the same notes and providing a similar overall experience.

So when something like the Deepal E07 Multitruck turns up – ripping up the rulebook and chucking the shreds out the window – you naturally lean in with intrigue.

You could call the Multitruck an SUV, and that's probably the most honest one-word definition of what is going on here. But, that would also be underselling it. There is a lot more going on.

The boot area can open up to the heavens through a sliding glass roof, effectively transforming it into a dual-cab ute.

But taking things even further, the rear bulkhead and second row can be folded flat to open up that rear load space all the way to the two front seats.

There is an unheralded amount of versatility and packaging genius at play here, providing a fresh and compelling alternative to the current SUV/wagon/ute/van segments that have little inter-segment blend.

It's audacious, confounding and potentially quite confusing. Does it all come together in a harmonious way though, or does it feel like a science experiment gone wrong?

There are two trim levels of Multitruck to choose from, which are mostly differentiated by power and powertrain.

While the 90kWh ternary lithium battery is shared between the two trim levels, the cheaper of the two is rear-wheel drive only, priced from $64,900 before on-road costs, with 252kW and 365Nm available to push the 2320kg (tare) vehicle from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds.

Spending $9,000 more before on-road costs gets you all-wheel drive via an additional electric motor, which nets you 440kW and 645Nm, more weight (2440kg) and a hair-raising acceleration time of just under four seconds (3.96 seconds is the official claim).

While it is undoubtedly scary fast in this trim level, I'm not convinced it can achieve the 0-100km/h dash in such a fast time, based on my seat-of-pants experience, due to excessive lag in the accelerator's response.

Otherwise, both the E07 RWD and E07 AWD get a high level of standard equipment. This includes a 15.4-inch infotainment display (which can tilt from side to side), heated, ventilated and massaging front seats and rear outboard with memory and fourteen different directions of adjustment up front, an 18-speaker sound system, nappa leather interior trimming, a dual-zone climate control system and a head-up display in lieu of an instrument cluster.

Standard fitment also includes height-adjustable air suspension, 21-inch 'diamond cut' alloy wheels, LED headlights, daytime running lights and rear combination lights, a fixed panoramic sunroof, adjustable interior ambient lighting (one mode is called Peach Oolong), a 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors, wireless phone charging and some double-layered insulation glass up front.

Of course, both variants get the same trick packaging setup with an electric-folding second row and rear bulkhead, two sets of electric sliding glass at the back, an electric rear tailgate and the rear lid that slides forward and up over the roof.

So, if you were hoping for a more pared-back E07 Multitruck which doesn't have as many bells and whistles, you'll be disappointed.

Up front, the E07 presents an interior that is similar to a Tesla Model Y in many regards, with a pared-back design that goes without a lot of the interface stuff that you might expect of a regular car. For example, there are no traditional air vents, nor is there an instrument cluster in front of the driver.

Instead, the air vents are hidden from sight within the dashboard design, and are adjusted electronically through the big, visually dominant infotainment display. At 15.4 inches in size, this can tilt towards either the passenger or the driver.

You'll either dig it, or you won't. But from the point of view of build quality and features, there is little room for criticism. It feels very well made and succinct for both big ticket items and attention to small detail, and there are more features here than you would expect from something European at twice the price.

The seats don't offer the last word in wonderful seating comfort, and the bolstering is slightly flat. But they are good enough and claw back points for the huge amount of features you get: heating, ventilation, and massaging, which operate on the seat base for an aptly-named Buttocks mode. There's also a zero-gravity seating function (with a fold-out ottoman for under your calves) and a wide range of adjustments available.

The second row is good for legroom and headroom, owing mostly to the generous overall proportions of the vehicle. It's over five metres in length after all, and the wheelbase is similar in size to what you get in a lot of four-wheel-drive utes. There's a lot of equipment, and the level of quality in terms of materials and fit-out is consistent.

Of course, we now finish on the flummoxing, shape-shifting load space of the E07. In regular everything-closed mode, there is a helpful 524L of load space available. The space is all hard-wearing as well, with tie-down points, some extra storage space underneath the floor (along with an inferior tyre inflation kit).

Sliding the roof forward gives you the ability to fit in something tall with a ute-like space that is open to the heavens, but note some of the tie-down points have a meagre 10kg load limit and cannot be willfully reefed upon with a ratchet strap or trucker's knot.

Continue pressing on the array of buttons, and you'll see the second row seats slowly fold forward, followed by the rear bulkhead with disappearing piece of glass. In this mode, you've got a load space that extends all the way to the back of the front seats.

Although, the E07 Multitruck cannot match a four-wheel drive ute for payload. Going off the listed tare mass of the AWD variant, you've got 610kg of payload to play with. Don't forget, this includes everything (including vehicle occupants).

In terms of towing capacity, you've got a relatively low braked limit of 1500kg, and an unbraked limit of 750kg. This means you've got the capability to drag some smaller caravans and camper trailers, but drivers will need to ensure they stay under the limit.

While the packaging of the E07 Multitruck is a strange thing to get your head around and understand, the driving experience is quite out of the ordinary as well.

Firstly, you've got some incredible performance available in the all-wheel-drive variant. Outputs of 440kW and 645Nm give a claimed 0-100km/h dash time of just under four seconds.

While this might be possible, there must be a trick to avoid the noticeable lag in the accelerator pedal to get a hard launch off the line. In regular Sport mode, stamping the accelerator gradually brings torque on in a smooth manner, rather than giving a vertebrae-snapping response off the line.

For the rear-wheel drive version, you've got a more sedate sense of acceleration, which would still be enough for most users. The difference is most noticeable when you're rolling, where the all-wheel-drive version feels particularly potent, and a bit unhinged on a twisty road.

I say unhinged because of the suspension and steering setup. Active, height-adjustable air suspension – something you normally get in a luxury SUV at three times the price – allows for a soft and absorbed driving experience. Arguably, that's what you want in an SUV: the ability to soak up lumps and bumps instead of feeling every crease and edge in high definition.

The Deepal E07 is not a dynamic driver's car in any sense. While there's supercar-rivalling power available, the rest of the car cannot really keep up.

That soft suspension – even when stiffened up and lowered – struggles to keep the body controlled over larger hits and through corners. Bodyroll exhibits itself like a felled tree, slowly tipping more and more as you negotiate through the corner.

While the soft suspension is appreciated most of the time, larger hits and increased pace make it lose composure quickly and gracelessly. Suspension tops out noisily, steering rattles around through mid-corner bumps, and mid-corner adjustments feel speculative.

This is only a problem when you start pushing things a bit hard through corners and on lumpy country roads. When you're at a more sedate pace, the Multitruck is more agreeable.

This nature is helped by excellent refinement overall, mostly through impressive noise insulation through the tyres and suspension even at highway speeds.

In terms of efficiency, we aren't entirely sure what everyday drivers can expect from the E07 Multitruck. Our figures of around 16-19kWh per 100 kilometres are a starting indication, but one that is based more around the open and flowing driving that we mostly did. If you incorporate more urban stop-start driving, there is a chance that it can be trimmed back a bit.

A big 90kWh battery means the claimed driving range of over 500km for both variants is in the right ballpark, and 240kW charging is good (but not as fast as others out there). Once again, we'll learn more about these details as we get to spend more time with the vehicle.

However, it's worth noting that AC charging is relatively slow at 7kW, instead of the 11kW you get in other models. So if you've splurged on a more powerful home charger, it would be in vain if you're using it on a Multitruck.

It's an impressive science experiment, a car that side-steps convention neatly and provides Australian buyers with a genuinely different alternative to the regular options.

From a packaging point of view, it works. There's a dizzying amount of electrically opening glass panes and panels to allow for the transformation, but the SUV-turned-ute works well enough in both directions to make sense.

With a staggeringly high level of standard equipment, you are getting a lot of bells, whistles and metal for your money. Some might still baulk at the idea of spending so much on a relatively unknown brand in the Australian market, but at least this car has a unique offering that isn't matched anywhere else.

The big shortcoming for me is through the driving experience. While it can be often soft and cushy with excellent refinement, it grows increasingly flustered and uncontrolled in more demanding conditions.

But still, the underlying versatility and value of the Multitruck, along with its genuinely unique positioning in the Australian market, mean it will get the attention of many buyers in Australia.

Sam Purcell has been writing about cars, four-wheel driving and camping since 2013, and obsessed with anything that goes brum-brum longer than he can remember. Sam joined the team at CarAdvice/Drive as the off-road Editor in 2018, after cutting his teeth at Unsealed 4X4 and Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures. Off-road writer of the Year, Winner - Sam Purcell

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