In the past 3 years of exploring into BEVs realm and shopping for a company car, I have often received comments like: “Doc, get the Zeekr 7X, it’s the best handling vehicle from the Chinese brigade.” Also superlatives like: “Go check out the Zeekr 7X’ interior, it sports one of the finest looking cabins out there!”
Imagine the enthusiasm and utmost lofty expectations when I picked up a top-spec 7X Performance AWD from ZEEKR Malaysia. And I can report that this premium Geely-owned Zeekr branded SUV delivered where it matters!
Now why do I say that?
First, its interior in creamy-white and steering in dual-toned soft leathers scream high-class opulence. It makes you think of Volvo (which is also in the Geely group) and IKEA’s influence, that Swedish DNA in its execution and finishing. The seats are ergonomically shaped, comfy and plush. Wrapped in real Nappa leather, with miniscule centre section perforations allowing ventilation. With a massage function thrown in as well, it reinforces its upmarket and high-end intent.
Ride comfort leaves almost nothing more to want, thanks to the chassis riding on active and adaptive air-suspension at all four corners. Very reminiscent of the Jaguar i-Pace I reviewed some 2 years ago, just in a lighter and softer package – less infinitely adjusted for higher degrees of comfort-plus-handling balance.
Nonetheless, it’s an excellent complement for the finest powertrain of dual motors (providing AWD) churning out 475 kW (646 ps) and 710 Nm of maximum torque which comes in almost from standstill, as is typical of electric motors.
A simple switch of the drive mode button into SPORT firms up the body control, while acceleration is super-duper rapid like a bat out of hell. Yet, in perfect composure and shooting straight like an arrow.
In the other two modes – Comfort and Standard – the 7X is still very quick. What’s good is that there’s nearly none of that uncomfortable lurching of earlier model BEVs acceleration. You know… that rocket-blast off feeling, ruffling your tummy or your ears’ vestibular labyrinth (the body’s balancing organ) which can cause a feeling of car sickness for some.
I suppose this boils down to perhaps a slower 0 – 20 or 30 km/h thereabouts, with acceleration picking up more aggressively only in the later part of the spurt in velocity. Very much like how occupants do not get nauseous or giddy in an ICE 6.5-litre V12 naturally aspirated crossover doing 3.3 seconds to the century sprint.
To me at least, that’s technical innovation and refinement of BEVs in the fast-changing last 5 years or so. Ditto for regenerative braking that doesn’t feel like you’re a prized catch being reeled up on to a fishing boat.
Remember a certain tagline from a famous tyre brand: ‘Power is nothing without control’? Well, the 7X lives and breathes that slightly corny tagline and is an epitome of how its massive twin motors properly grasp and effectively put those massive power to the tarmac, every time.
That said, I still wish for that little extra body control in its upper range, to tackle KL’s bad road surfaces while moving at faster speeds.
The other thing that could be the most memorable and lovable of the 7X Performance is its power management efficiency, ie frugality, thereby preserving its indicated range, making it more believable and achievable in real-world driving environment.
Being a true high-performance BEV SUV, it only sips a maximum of 20.6 kwh every 100 kms – even on those repeated high-speed drives over medium distances. Trundling sedately, the average consumption figure can go down to 17 kWh/100 kms, nearer to a single motor model of another premium Chinese BEV SUV.
Good effort by ZEEKR but…
So far, it would seem that I’ve been singing praises for the 7X but it’s not entirely perfect and there are some areas which are not great.
The rather bland exterior, jelly-mould shape has a bit too much rounded edges, especially on the clamshell design bonnet cover giving that illusion of lack of width. This makes the 7X look rather tall and slim when viewed directly from the front.
That ‘Darth Vader hat-like’ floating roof slant on to the D-pillar also doesn’t do justice to its upper-class design ambition. From the side, the nose of the Zeekr is also a little too rounded to my eyes, even a little duck beak in profile. Maybe that’s deliberate to house the cutting-edge Stargate interactive light bar – exclusive to this 7X Performance, a stodgy design that gets duplicated throughout the range. But to be fair, aesthetic inferences can be very subjective, so I guess it could be just me.
Thankfully, the simple and slim rear light bar with a sharp profiled boot provides some sleekness deserving of an SUV of such high-performance and calibre.
Reversed ‘polarity’ power window switches are quite the rage now with some Chinese brands. These fore-aft rocker switches challenge our fingers’ muscle memory, opposite the usual convention of pull-for-up and push-for-down. Baffling or for some justifiable logic unknown to most of us?
I found that, for some reason, being seated at the front you’d be wondering what has happened to the width advantage of a D-segment SUV (personally I wished for more elbow and shoulder room). Rear passengers are decently pampered though, with generous legroom, headroom and all.
The ‘ZEEKR SOUND’ speakers could do with better performance. The central metallic-domed tweeter on the dashtop looks nice, like a Volvo B&W item. However, the system lacks the clarity, detail and depth of bass offered by another same segment competitor’s DYNAUDIO.
The centre screen interface is a little fiddly compared to that offered by the two other big Chinese brands, while the voice command system is quite poor to recognize simple and common voice commands. Perhaps an OTA update will get the job done better.
Last but not the least, road noise from the original Michelin Pilot Sport EV 20-inch tyres can get a little intrusive on some dry and hard road surfaces. A little nit-picking here, likely due to the fact that EVs are getting too silent with no engine, drivetrain and exhaust noises.
To be fair, the negatives above are definitely not deal-breakers. The 7X is indeed one of the best BEV SUVs currently available in Malaysia. At about RM240,000, it has the near-credentials of a base-model Lotus Eletre AWD – at a fraction of the Lotus price. And it’s marginally quicker with all that stomping performance.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and are not necessarily shared by MotaAuto.com.
