Dongfeng 007 Performance review: you can't get to 100km/h faster for less money

If you thought the Chinese car industry's export efforts were solely focused on egg-shaped SUVs, the Dongfeng 007 is here to prove otherwise.

The 007 is Dongfeng's flagship vehicle for New Zealand and while it's pure-electric, it's also ostensibly a somewhat traditional package in 2026 terms: low-slung and sedan-like. We say "sedan-like" because that's the vibe, but it's actually a 5-door hatchback/lifback/fastback. It's a lot of things.

The 007 is notable for its style, performance and value-for-money. We've already tested the 007 long-range RWD, but this time around it's the 400kW/640Nm dual-motor AWD that does 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds (that's what we mean about performance) and costs just $59,990 (that's what we mean about value). You won't go faster for less, but what's it like once that novelty has worn off?

On the outside: what are the Dongfeng 007 Performance's main design features?

The 007 could sell on styling alone. It's a pretty sensational-looking thing and doesn't really have a bad angle. It makes a Tesla Model S look a bit dowdy, actually; not that you can buy one of those any more (it'd be twice the price, regardless).

Think of this as a luxury cruiser with a surprising turn of speed and you're close to its true character. Problem is, zero-to-shrieking in less than 4 seconds can be so tempting.

It's a really clean, sleek shape, the only unnecessary adornment being a sliver of black spoiler on the bootlid. But it is just a sliver.

Note the flush doorhandles, which add to the svelte look. The 007 unlocks as you approach, but the odd thing about our car was that the handles don't pop out at the same time, so they're actually quite fiddly to operate, especially if you're carrying something. Apparently, cars of more recent build do now have that feature... so we'll stop complaining. Product updates happen quickly (but also often unexpectedly) in China.

The key thing about the Performance AWD is that it looks identical to the long-range RWD on the outside. That will appeal to some, perhaps not to others (former Holden Commodore or Kia Stinger buyers who might be attracted to something like this, for example).

Our 007 launch story back in February showcased the 007 Performance in a fantastic Orchid Purple colour. In case you're keen... that's apparently no longer available from the factory.

OVERVIEW

On the inside: what's the Dongfeng 007 Performance cabin like?

Both 007s are the same on the inside, too, except for one impossible-to-ignore thing: the Performance is resplendent in white interior trim, including the steering wheel. Pop some wipes in the glovebox, we'd say. There's some grey trim too, but not in the places you touch. The RWD is a lot more sober, with black-and-grey. 

We rather like the white actually, although only time will tell how it wears.

It's quite a classy-looking cabin environment, albeit straight from the Chinese-car playbook with no physical buttons on the dashboard or console (although there are some on the steering wheel). 

The 007 is a hugely spacious and practical car, but there's still some weird stuff going on in the cabin.

For all that, the infotainment OS is intutive and fairly simple, with a variety of shortcuts and swipe-down settings; the safety-assist settings are all presented on small graphic cards, which does speed things up when you want to configure ADAS features.

The screen-centric controls extend to the side-mirror adjustments, which is both common and usually very fiddly/irritating, especially if they don't auto-dip for parking (these don't). But in the 007, there's a quick swipe-down on the main screen to get the appropriate menu and even better, when you select reverse you get a pop-up to adjust the mirrors straight away (which you do with the steering wheel rocker switches).

There's still some weird stuff going on in the cabin. The 007 doesn't have heated seats, which is unusual for a BEV but hey, that's fine. However, it does have ventilated front seats, which seems an odd choice; a company spokesperson has suggested it's because the bigger export marklets for this car are in South East Asia, where it's usually hot and seldom cold.

Makes sense, although we'd prefer the heat for the Kiwi winter please. With the 007 heading into Europe, where snow is very popular, hot chairs may well be in the product plan.

The 007 is a hugely spacious and practical car, marred by one packaging faux pas: the rear seat is single-piece, not split, which means if you want extra loadspace, you can't have rear passengers.

While we're on the subject of that seat, the trio of massive headrests completely blocks your rear view, so you really have to pop one (or all) of them off. This car really needs a digital rearview display instead of a mirror.

Finally, the audio from the Wanos "panoramic surround sound music cabin" is tinny in all of the preset Live, Music Hall and Cinema modes. You can adjust individual elements with the equaliser, but we couldn't quite get to something satisfactory during our time with the car. We're assured it just takes time. 

INTERIOR

On the road: what's the Dongfeng 007 Performance like to drive?

The 007 Performance has double the power and torque of the RWD model, and that one's hardly slow. The Performance, um performance party trick is the Combat (yes, really) drive mode, which is separate from the Eco/Normal/Sport selector and requires a long press on the screen, just so you're sure. Once activated, the word "Fight" (yes, really) appears on the instrument panel.

With great power comes great responsibility: switch out of Combat mode into Sport, and the 007 Performance is a much better drive.

Combat turns everything up to 11. The power delivery is brutal, allowing you to showcase that 3.9-second 0-100km/h time. And yes, it's quite something: enough to scare unsuspecting passengers and/or make everybody feel a bit queasy.

It is primarily a party trick, though. For brisk open-road driving, Combat is overly aggressive and tends to upset the balance of the chassis: the suspension is still quite soft and lacking in body control under duress. Get carried away and the power yanks the front-end into understeer. 

With great power comes great responsibility: in Sport mode and with a more considered driving style, the AWD provides plenty of traction and the 007 does grip with quality Continental tyres, albeit low-rolling-resistance EcoContact hoops.

Sport mode still serves up astonishing rolling acceleration, but the 007 is not the most satisfying fast sedan to drive quickly: the chassis gets untidy quite quickly and the brakes don't offer the strength a 400kW car might demand (despite the sporty red caps on the calipers).

Think of the 007 Performance as a slick-looking luxury cruiser with a surprising turn of speed to be deployed occasionallly, and you're closer to its true character. Problem is, zero-to-shrieking in less than 4 seconds can be so tempting.

There are ADAS annoyances, especially lane-keeping. With the adaptive cruise enabled, the lane-assist is automatically on at full strength and absolutely fights you to try and bounce between lane markings.

However, help is at hand: touch the button in the centre of the speed control on the steering wheel (which also acts as a climate adjuster when the cruise is not in use, clever) and you get a message saying "Smart Pilot" is deactivated. Which basically means lane-keep is disabled.

There's still some residual steering-wheel fussing with a lane-departure warning function remaining active, but it's tolerable.

What's not tolerable is the way the cruise control slows dramatically for even a gentle curve on the motorway, from 100km/h to as little as 60km/h, enraging the traffic behind. This is not a problem unique to Dongfeng (looking at you, Geely), but local calibration is urgently needed.

SPECIFICATIONS

On ownership: what's the Dongfeng 007 Performance warranty and servicing situation?

The vehicle is covered for 6 years/200,000km, or 8 years/200,000km for the traction battery. Servicing is required every 12 months/15,000km.

On the whole: what do we think of the Dongfeng 007 Performance?

There are some weird equipment/packaging choices in this car and ADAS issues which should not be excused, but the staggering value-for-money embodied in the 007 is arguably sufficient to help you live with them.

According to the local Dongfeng team, the single-motor RWD 007 is the one that's resonating with buyers more than the crazy-fast Performance AWD.

That seems right: this car has too much power for the chassis and brakes to cope with, and the lower-powered model is a better-balanced, more resolved package. It probably helps that they look identical, save that white trim for the interior.

And yet. The extra motor and extreme performance potential of the Performance only add another $5k to the price, and it's still less than $60k. That gives the 007 a real USP, because you honestly cannot get to 100km/h faster for less money. (Or there's extra traction on winter roads if you want something sensible to tell your spouse).

We should know better, but we'd probably still go for the Performance, despite the lack of dynamic polish. And then drive quite carefully.

Dongfeng 007 Performance FAQs

What kind of car is the Dongfeng 007 Performance?

A 5-door fastback/liftback (although lots of people think it's a sedan)

Does the Dongfeng 007 Performance have hybrid or EV technology?

It's pure-electric (BEV).

How efficient is the Dongfeng 007 Performance?

A claimed 16.8kWh/100km, with a range of 389km.

Is the Dongfeng 007 Performance safe?

The 007 has not been tested by ANCAP or NCAP. It's rated 5 stars under NZ's VSRR system.

What safety and assistance features does the Dongfeng 007 Performance have?

What are the Dongfeng 007 Performance's main rivals?

• Tesla Model 3 Performance ($86,900): Smaller but similar concept and super-fast.
• BYD Seal Performance ($77,990): Smaller but similar concept and super-fast. You get the idea.
• MG4 XPower ($55,990): A small hatch, but similar super-perofrmance at a bargain price.
• Leapmotor C10 AWD ($64,990): Another EV sleeper that also does 0-100km/h in under 4sec.
• Toyota Camry ZR ($58,190): A humble 137kW hybrid, but just an example of what kind of large sedan this money buys you with other brands.