The Geely Starray EM-i sounds like something out of an old sci-fi movie.
But it’s not and if you think that name is quirky, what if it had been the Geely Galaxy Starship 7 as it is sold in other markets. Beam me up, Scotty.
The medium-sized five-seat Starray is the plug-in, petrol-electric counterpart of the fully-electric EX5 that we tested earlier this year with which it shares a platform.
In fact, it’s the first vehicle in Geely’s Starship series and the first to get the second generation NordThor EM-i 2.0 plug-in hybrid powertrain – sorry make that super hybrid.
Plug-in hybrids can operate in fully-electric or petrol-electric mode and have really taken off in the Australian market since the arrival of cheaper Chinese alternatives – of which this is one.
But cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean lesser.
STYLING
Geely’s EM-i (E-Motive Intelligence) system is designed to offer an EV-like driving experience with added flexibility and convenience for Aussie buyers.
We’re told it’s the first purpose-built plug-in hybrid in its segment, although other manufacturers might have something to say about this.
There are two grades – Complete ($37,490) and our test vehicle the top of the line Inspire ($39,990), both figures before on-road costs. Premium paint adds $600 to the price and applies to all colours apart from Alpine white.
Two interior colour options are available: Ebony Black is standard while Ivory White is exclusive to Inspire.
Complete comes with synthetic leather trim and climate air with rear vents, plus heated and power-adjust front seats.
There’s also keyless entry and start, all-LED lights, automatic high beam, speed sign recognition, intelligent cruise control, rear parking sensors, dusk sensing headlights, rain sensing wipers and rear privacy glass.
Stepping up to the Inspire adds cooling to the front seats, driver’s seat memory, auto-dimming mirror, 256 ambient colours, 16-speaker Flyme sound, front parking sensors, panoramic sunroof, and power-operated tailgate.
Starray is covered by a seven-year, unlimited kilometre vehicle warranty, with an eight-year unlimited kilometre warranty on the high voltage battery pack.
Get the car serviced by Geely and you also get seven years of roadside assistance.
Service is due every 12 months or 15,000km.
INFOTAINMENT
A 15.4-inch touchscreen fronts the infotainment system which runs Geely’s Flyme operating system, with Bluetooth, voice control, built-in satellite navigation, FM and DAB+ digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and six-speaker sound.
Android Auto is absent but set to follow via an over-the-air update in the first quarter of 2026.
There’s also wireless phone charging, USB-A and C ports front and back, along with a 12-volt outlet.
The 16-speaker Flyme sound system in Inspire includes speakers for front seat headrests.
Geely Connected Services access is complimentary for the first two years. This includes enhanced voice assistant, 4G network connection, live traffic for satellite navigation, over-the-air updates (OTA), Geely app store, online media streaming and remote vehicle functions.
SAFETY
Starray is yet to receive a crash rating here but has been awarded five stars by Euro NCAP.
There are seven airbags, including a centre airbag for the front to stop occupants knocking heads in a side impact, plus a surround view monitor and a multi-collision braking system with automatic emergency braking.
Add to this blind spot detection, lane keeping assist with lane changing assist and emergency lane keeping assist, collision mitigation support front and rear, rear cross traffic alert and brake.
There’s also driver fatigue alert.
Inspire adds a 13.8-inch head-up windscreen display.
ISOFix and child-seat tethers are provided.
ENGINES/TRANSMISSIONS
Starray EM-i is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine together with an electrified, dedicated hybrid transmission (E-DHT) that integrates both the generator and drive motor.
The hybrid system produces a combined 193kW of power but undisclosed amount of torque (ICE 125Nm/electric 262Nm), with drive to the front wheels in both variants.
Supporting this hybrid system is an 18.4kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, with Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability of up to 6kW.
DRIVING
The styling is contemporary and the interior looks and feels upmarket, especially in the optional white trim, but this colour is unlikely to have much family appeal.
Rear legroom is excellent and so is headroom despite the full-length glass roof, with 428 litres of luggage capacity that increases to 2065 litres with the rear seats folded.
The ergonomic front seats feel comfy, but the squab side bolsters tend to dig in a bit.
The 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster looks positively tiny in comparison to the central 15.4-inch touchscreen, with the addition of head-up display in this model (but, as usual, it is virtually invisible with polarised sunglasses).
Dark mode provides a more appealing and usable interface, but the touchscreen is slow to respond and often requires multiple prods.
Physical controls are provided for air and volume.
It beggars belief that this car does not support Android Auto, wireless or otherwise – at least not yet.
There’s also no AM radio, so no emergency broadcasts in Sydney tunnels.
Starray has a combined range of 943km and can travel up to 83km (WLTP) on electric power alone. With a 51-litre tank it takes premium 95 unleaded and has claimed fuel consumption of 2.4L/100km.
The EM-i system enables the driver to select from three mode, Pure Electric:
smoothness and maximum cost efficiency. Hybrid: seamless switching between electric and petrol for maximum range. Power: electric and petrol work in tandem for maximum performance Starray can be plugged in and charged via AC (6.6kW) or DC (30kW) power, and can be charged from 30-80 per cent in just 20 minutes using a DC charger (that’s only 50 per cent).
Regardless of the state of charge, Geely says the driving experience remains
consistent.
As well as the usual drive modes, there’s adjustment for brake and steering feel and the level of regenerative braking.
Inspire rides on 19-inch wheels with 235/50 profile rubber and has a 0-100km/h time of 8.0 seconds, not lightning quick but fast enough for the average motorist.
With independent rear suspension it’s a smooth operator around town, but the ride tends to deteriorate on secondary roads (it’s not alone on this score).
If Geely was fair dinkum, the suspension would benefit from local tuning as other car makers have clearly demonstrated, but we’re small fry.
Of more concern, however, we nearly came to grief soon after getting into the Starray, waiting to turn left at a roundabout.
The gear selector in this car is a stalk on the right side of the steering column; the indicators on the left.
Putting on our indicator on the turn left we mistakenly used the gear selector, which is not normally a problem – but it is if you happen to have your foot on the brake at the same time.
Unknowingly, this moved the transmission into reverse and as the car in front started to move forward, we found ourselves going backwards – almost hitting the car behind.
It was our mistake, but it should not have been possible.
Lane assist continually tugs at the wheel and becomes tiring, while the driver fatigue monitor verges on annoying, but can be turned off.
The thing is you need to do so each time the car is restarted.
Unlike other such hybrids that we have driven (without recharging), this one doesn’t seem to be able to maintain its charge, using only regenerative braking or power from the engine with just five per cent charge remaining upon its return.
We clocked up 460km behind the wheel at a rate of 6.3L/100km with little assistance from the electric motor.
The long-term average, at more than 4000km, showed 5.2L/100km.
A tyre repair kit is supplied in the event of a puncture.
SUMMING UP
Suddenly we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to plug-in hybrid SUVs.
The Geely Starray EM-i is one of the cheaper options but it doesn’t present as, or feel like, it.
The boot could be a little small for some families, but it has a lot to offer otherwise.
Just be careful of that rogue gear selector, because the insurance company is unlikely to see it your way.
Once Starray has been rated for safety by ANCAP it could push our text score higher than it is at present.
RATINGS
Looks: 7.5
Performance: 7
Safety: 6
Thirst: 7
Practicality: 7.5
Comfort: 7.5
Tech: 7.5
Value: 8
Overall: 7.2
