I tried the Ebro S700 and I'll tell you why the new Chinese SUV "Made in Spain" is a good buy
Antonio Roncero @roncero_antonio
17 February 2025
9 min. 
With the S700, Ebro is putting on the market an SUV that fits perfectly as a family car thanks to its comfort and interior space, and that stands out from its rivals for an excellent value-for-money balance between price and equipment.
From its founding in 1954 until its disappearance in 1987, Ebro manufactured buses, vans, off-road vehicles, tractors… Almost three decades after passing into the hands of Nissan and disappearing as a brand, Ebro announced its return in 2023 with a vehicle that, in principle, fitted perfectly with the brand’s roots: the Ebro Pick-up, adapted to modern times by featuring 100% electric propulsion.
The move looked promising, but it never quite took off… until barely a year later, EV Motors, Ebro’s parent company, signed an agreement with the Chinese giant Chery to resume activity at the Zona Franca factory in Barcelona and manufacture SUVs under the Ebro brand. The first two models assembled at the now renamed Ebro Factory are the S700 and the S800, and we have already taken the wheel of the first of them. We will soon be driving the S800 too, and it will not be the brand’s last new release this year: both models will feature plug-in hybrid powertrain variants, which will reach the market before summer. And at the end of 2025, a third, smaller model will be added to the range.
Now, after driving the S700 at the national presentation of the model in Barcelona, we can not only confirm the good impressions it left us regarding finish and interior space during a first static encounter, but we can also assure you that this is an SUV that is going to make a strong impact. These are the reasons why, as I anticipated in the headline, I think the S700 could be a very good buy.
An eye-catching exterior design
At 4.55 metres long, 1.86 wide and 1.69 tall, the S700 has a pleasant design. It is one of those cars that does not grab attention, but that nobody dislikes. Compared with the §6Cheryh23§ and the Jaecoo 7, two other SUVs with which the Ebro shares its platform and mechanics -Omoda and Jaecoo also belong to the Chery Group- the Ebro is, so to speak, the most “conventional”, the one with a design that, in my opinion, can appeal to everyone.
Its main signature feature is the large octagonal grille, topped by the brand logo. Another distinctive trait is the C-pillar, which is painted black to create a floating roof effect. At the rear we find the light clusters joined by a light bar, a roof spoiler that integrates the brake light, a diffuser and two vertical ribs that house the reflectors.
Its look changes considerably depending on the body colour chosen: personally, I like it much more with the two-tone finish that combines the Khaki white body with the carbon black roof, although it is an extra that costs 550 euros and can only be ordered with the most luxurious trim. The remaining optional paints, in phantom grey and carbon black, carry a surcharge of 300 euros over the standard colours.
A spacious and high-quality interior
The sound of opening and closing the doors, the feel of the various controls, the visual appearance of the materials and their presence, and the different finishes used on the trims and upholstery make it clear from the moment we get into the Ebro 700 that this is a car with a finish quality well above what you would expect given its price. That feeling is even greater in the case of the top-of-the-range Luxury trim, which lives up to its name.
It is no coincidence that the dashboard of the Ebro S700 recalls that of the aforementioned Omoda 5 and Jaecoo 7, with which it shares many controls and switches and, especially, the instrument and multimedia system screens, placed one after the other and in both cases measuring 12.3 inches. Nothing new here: good definition (the resolution is 1,920×720 pixels in both), easy and sufficiently fluid operation through the various menus, and connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which can be wired or wireless.
But one of the main assets of the Ebro S700 is its good balance between exterior size and interior roominess. It is a shame that it does not have a rear bench that can slide fore and aft to favour legroom or boot volume as needed, but both the rear seats and the boot are up to what is expected of a family car, in line with the category average. Ebro quotes a boot capacity of 500 litres, expandable to 1,305 litres by folding down the rear seatbacks. The boot’s shapes are very regular and usable, and an emergency spare wheel can be fitted in the space under the floor. The rear seats, for their part, stand out for their usable headroom.
A petrol engine and a chassis that suit any kind of use
The Ebro S700’s platform is internally known as T1X, which many models in the Chery Group use. This means it inherits both their virtues… and some of their flaws. The main one is steering with excessive assistance, even when selecting the sportier steering setting on the multimedia screen. This can be an advantage when parking or manoeuvring in town, but it works against you on winding country roads. It does not affect safety at all, and in many everyday driving situations you will not miss greater precision at the wheel. But the overall result could be better if the steering conveyed more clearly what is happening between the tyres and the road surface. Otherwise, it is comfortable over potholes, and yet the suspension tuning is not soft, which helps keep body movements well under control.
As for the engine, it is more of the same and what we already know from the Omoda and Jaecoo: the 1.6 TDGi four-cylinder turbocharged unit, producing 147 CV, delivers performance that is more than reasonable for this type of car, backed by a dual-clutch automatic gearbox that works more than adequately as long as you don’t ask it for “manual” gear changes, which it does not lend itself to, as there are no steering-wheel paddles or a lever that can be operated sequentially for manual use. The pleasure of use it provides is notable because the engine runs smoothly and delivers its peak torque very early, at 275 Nm.
On the less positive side, it has no hybridisation of any kind and therefore has to make do with the C environmental label from the DGT, like its close relatives. Fuel economy is not its main strength either, although it is not difficult to stay around 8 l/100 km in mixed use without worrying too much about driving style. There are three modes, Eco, Normal and Sport, which slightly alter the throttle response and the engine speed at which gear changes occur.
A very competitive price that, with offers, is almost irresistible
Ebro offers the S700 in two trim levels, Comfort and Luxury, with a recommended retail price of 29,990 euros for the Comfort and 32,990 euros for the Luxury. With the discounts available, the entry version comes down to 27,640 euros if bought outright, and the most luxurious one to 30,400 euros. And if you finance the purchase, you can have an S700 Comfort from 24,990 euros, a very competitive price considering the standard equipment.
Make a note, because for that price you get the S700 with 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and push-button start, a camera, a six-speaker sound system, sport seats, a twin 12.3-inch screen for the digital instrument cluster and the multimedia system, voice recognition and a comprehensive package of driver assistance systems, including adaptive cruise control.
The Luxury adds around 3,000 euros to the bill, but the equipment it adds is worth much more: among the highlights, 19-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, power-operated tailgate, interior ambient lighting, folding heated exterior mirrors, head-up display, synthetic leather upholstery, front seats with electric adjustment, memory, and heating and ventilation functions, a panoramic camera, a 50W wireless phone charging tray and a Sony audio system with eight speakers.
Among the similarly sized, family-oriented SUVs that rival the S700, its main price rivals are models such as the Dacia Bigster or the MG ZS, although the Ebro is also an alternative to the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Jaecoo 7 or Nissan Qashqai.
A wide sales network and a 7-year warranty
Doubts when buying a vehicle from a new brand, however Spanish it may be and however much its models are assembled in Spain, can come when assessing reliability or where and how to receive servicing. To answer the first point, Ebro does not hold back and offers, from the outset, seven years of warranty -or 150,000 km- on all its models.
As for the second, you can also rest easy: Ebro already has more than 30 dealerships spread across Spain, and the brand’s plans are to keep growing to reach 50 dealerships by mid-year and 80 by the end of 2025. In addition, the supply of spare parts is guaranteed within 24 hours to any point on the peninsula thanks to the brand’s warehouse in Guadalajara. And among the services the brand offers is a courtesy car for a week should your vehicle need to visit the workshop for any repair.
EBRO S700 – Image gallery
Technical specifications of this car
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