We like
Upmarket presentation, value for money, wafting demeanour, generally settled and comfortable, sophisticated chassis, luxe rear seating, 800-volt charging speeds, Performance model’s pace, RWD model’s price

Room for improvement
Underpowered air conditioning, occasionally leaden low-speed ride, flat front seats, base model’s limited range, limited dealer network, it’s heavy—and it feels it, some fiddly driving-assist tech

Overview

 

Observers of the Chinese car industry may have noted storm clouds brewing for Geely Automotive Holdings (GAH)’s Euro-luxury brand Polestar—but things appear to be full steam ahead for GAH’s China-luxury marque, Zeekr, which is now making its presence felt in Australia.

 

While GAH is certainly not ready to give up on the Nasdaq-listed Polestar, the momentum both at home and abroad feels like it is currently with Zeekr—which GAH delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in December to convert it to a fully-owned subsidiary.

 

With Zeekr’s internals now hidden from prying eyes, GAH now appears to be ready to spend big on getting the premium Chinese brand established in various export markets. For Australia, the next push will be to get the highly relevant 7X midsize battery electric (BEV) SUV established here.

 

Initial customer deliveries of the 7X started last month from Zeekr’s nascent retail network that consists of a combination of seven permanent stores and seven ‘pop-ups’, with Hobart and Darwin the only capitals not covered; Geelong and Canberra are the sole rural points for now.

 

Measuring 4787mm in length (on a long 2900mm wheelbase), 1930mm in width and 1650mm in height, the 7X is easily Zeekr’s most relevant local model, contesting the same medium BEV segment as the Tesla Model Y (from $58,900 + ORCs) and BYD Sealion 7 (from $54,990 + ORCs).

 

While the $57,900 + ORCs entry point of Zeekr’s three-pronged line-up splitting the difference of those other two Chinese-made SUV rivals, the 7X mainly aims to differentiate itself from the Tesla and BYD via very different execution: it looks conventional and, to a degree, feels luxe.

 

Value on paper is strong, with the entry RWD bundling 19-inch wheels, powered/heated front seats and heated rear seats, glass roof with shade, 16-inch touchscreen and 13-inch digital instrument panel, 10-speaker stereo, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and car connectivity.

 

The RWD grade also fits 50-watt wireless device charging, dynamic ambient lighting, 360-degree camera, autonomous parking, sentry mode, heated steering wheel, three-zone climate control and LED headlights. While the steering wheel is leather, seat upholstery is PU (vinyl).

 

Mechanically, the base 7X RWD uses a 310kW/440Nm rear motor with silicon carbide inverter, 71kWh (usable) lithium iron phosphate battery with 480km (WLTP) claimed range at 14.7kWh/100km. Suspension is double-wishbone front and multi-link independent at the rear.

 

A middle-tier model descriptively called the Long Range RWD ($63,900 + ORCs) is a $6K step up. Outputs remain the same but a 94kWh (usable) nickel manganese cobalt battery ups claimed range to a more practical 615km at a marginally thirstier 15.2kWh/100km.

 

Long Range RWD specification also sees a few extra conveniences added in the form of cooled and massaging front seats, premium 21-speaker stereo, power-adjustable steering wheel and rear privacy glass plus the choice of mid-grey leather instead of the RWD’s sole-choice black.

 

Finally, a Performance AWD tier adds a front motor to up total outputs to 475kW/710Nm while also adding forged 21-inch alloys, adaptive air suspension, nappa leather seat upholstery (with a white leather option), rear sunshades, and fully electric opening/closing doors.

 

The extra power and content of the Performance see it consume more energy. Using the same 94kWh NMC battery as the Long Range, the quickest 7X has 543km claimed range at 17.3kWh/100km.

 

The 7X uses 800-volt batteries, unlocking fast peak DC charging speeds of 450kW (71kWh) or 420kW (94kWh). Australia only has a small number of 400kW charging stations but as they grow, 10-80 per cent charge times of 13-16 minutes should be possible. AC charging is possible at 22kW.

 

Standard exterior paint is solid Onyx Black, with metallics and pearls—the appealing Forest Green is proving to be the most in-demand colour—attracting a $1500 upcharge. Similarly, for Long Range and Performance, optional grey or white leather colourways cost $1500.

 

Servicing intervals are 24 months/40,000km, with the first priced at $605 and the second at $1150. Optional 12 month/20,000km health checks are available; the first of those is free but after that the optional pit-stops will cost about $300.

 

Warranty arrangements are five years/unlimited kilometres for the vehicle and the expected eight years/160,000km for the traction battery. Five years of data connectivity are included with the 7X.

 

Driving impressions

 

Under the skin, the 7X is based on GAH’s SEA3 modular architecture. This chassis can support both BEV and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) applications. Based on how different in feel the 7X is to other corporate models that use versions of SEA, this platform is capable of substantial adaptation.

 

We tested several evaluation units for this road test, but a brief test drive is all that is required to get a sense of what Zeekr tried to do with the 7X’s driving dynamics: this is a comfort-biased SUV that utterly rejects the faux-sporting pretence of so many rivals.

 

This decision is most welcome and a point of real differentiation in the midsize BEV segment, particularly given Zeekr mostly succeeded in its development goals.

 

Most of the time, the 7X in any of its trim grades is an easy, relaxing and laidback SUV to drive that shamelessly brings waftability to the core of the driving experience, evident in smooth acceleration, long-travel suspension, slow but precise steering, and graceful chassis movements.

 

We were impressed by the consistency of feel shared by the RWD variants and the Performance AWD, despite significant mechanical differences, namely the variation in wheel/tyre package (255/50 R19 vs 265/40 R21) and suspension (passive steel vs adaptive air).

 

Both packages essentially feel like they are in ‘comfort mode’ all the time, with an appealingly isolated and cosseting ride quality across most lumps and bumps. Only over tougher sharp-edged imperfections and expansion joints does the 7X abruptly reveal the strict limit of its ride quality.

 

While the Performance AWD does not fully solve that leaden-footed feel over the worst urban bumps, what the air-sprung top-tier 7X brings to the table is greater bandwidth to handle more of the cornucopia of Australian road surfacing more deftly, with adjustable ride height part of the mix.

 

It’s a shame that the Performance’s package of continuous control dampers and air suspension is not available, even as a cost option, on the considerably more efficient Long Range RWD. We reckon that the air-ride system combined with the LRRWD’s 19-inch wheels would be peachy!

 

RWD and AWD versions share languidly slow but precise steering which is a good match to the long-travel suspension. Surprisingly, the extra motor of the Performance barely corrupts front-end feel despite carrying around an extra 120kg (in total) over the Long Range RWD version.

 

Speaking of mass, the Zeekr 7X is not the worst example of GAH’s difficulty in reining in vehicle weight, but this crossover is heavy for a five-seater. Kerb weight clocks 2245kg in the RWD, 2265kg in the Long Range RWD and 2385kg in the Performance AWD.

 

That weight is part of the reason performance is average (by BEV standards), with Zeekr claiming a 0-100km/h time of 6.0 seconds for the single-motor grades. The Performance feels (and is) far quicker in the real world with the benchmark sprint taking a claimed 3.8 seconds.

 

All versions feel remarkably at home on country roads. While a final polish for extra compliance wouldn’t go astray, the 7X maintains a solid footing on B-roads and can be quite entertaining. Push on and you find a poised chassis that will elegantly pivot its rear to help point the nose.

 

On the highway, the 7X is settled if a touch loud—road noise is much more pronounced in the Zeekr than in a facelift Model Y, while we also found that our test cars were not keen to enter their highway driving assistant mode unless road conditions were perfect for it.

 

Blended braking is reasonably slick in the 7X, with normal/sport settings for the regenerative braking (including a one-pedal setting that isn’t too aggro). Those settings are selected through a dynamics section of the 16-inch central touchscreen.

 

Mercifully, the screen is bright and—unlike many Chinese cars GoAuto tests—features logical menus with like functions placed together, while permanent screen-based shortcuts for favourite features and climate control alteration makes common adjustments simple enough.

 

Wireless smartphone mirroring worked well in our testing though stereo quality from the 10-speaker unit fitted to the RWD was murky. The 21-speaker ‘pro’ stereo fitted to the top two grades is better but still short of the Bowers & Wilkins units deployed in GAH’s Volvo and Polestar models.

 

Cabin presentation is appealing, with sufficient technology present but not in-your-face. Some additional physical shortcuts would not go astray but real stalks have been retained for indicators and rain-sensing windscreen wipers and there is a column shifter for direction selection.

 

With nearly all secondary cabin surfaces covered in neoprene-like soft material, there is an ambience of ‘premium’ rather than ‘luxury’ in here, but at such an attainable price, that is agreeable.

 

Of more concern are two big shortcomings inside. The first, being weak air conditioning, is unacceptable in Australia; the second, being flat and generally unsupportive seats covered in vinyl (other than the leather-clad Performance) are ‘disappointing’ rather than ‘dealbreaking’.

 

If anything, while the first row is salubrious, row two is the place to be in the Zeekr 7X—especially for kids, who will be flabbergasted by the amount of room on offer, plus the deep seat cushioning that makes the second row incredibly comfy for long trips.

 

Boot space measures an acceptable 539 litres, expanding to 1978L with the second row folded, supplemented by a relatively small 66 litre frunk in the RWD models (42L in the Performance AWD).

 

Our efficiency naturally differed by trim grade. In the RWD model, we saw around 15.0kWh/100km in town and 18.0kWh/100km on the highway—the 100km/h figure providing solid 522km road-trip flexibility for the Long Range but a more marginal 394km in the most affordable RWD model.

 

The Performance is thirstier but not by an awful lot. However, its relative efficiency reversed, indicating it engages its front motor on take-off but shuts it off quickly when cruising. We managed 19.7kWh/100km in town and 18.1kWh/100km on the highway.

 

In the 7X, Zeekr has developed one of the more appealing BEV options currently on sale in Australia. The price is approachable for the RWD versions, and even the fully loaded Performance AWD is still extremely reasonably priced in our view. Value is a major strong suit.

 

While Zeekr must address the underpowered air conditioning as a matter of urgency, we think the other slightly rough edges of the 7X are forgivable considering the SUV’s positioning against its rivals. No matter how you look at it, this is an impressive entrant to the local market.