The crazed influx of Chinese cars is undeniably impressive. In just a short two decades, the Chinese automotive industry has completely reinvented itself, from one that mostly made knock-off Range Rovers, to making genuine world-beaters.
This boom, though, is not without its downsides. With so many players in such a confined space, the many Chinese brands all had to employ drastic measures to even appear in their prospective customers’ social media feed. This usually falls into two categories: a jam-packed spec-sheet, a ridiculously low price, or as we’ve seen so commonly, even both at the same time.
Obviously, they won’t be doing it unless it works. But in the race to the bottom, something has to give – and more often than not, that usually means a haphazardly thrown-together feature set, with none of them truly integrated beyond just existing in the car.
The Zeekr 7X, then, is almost a complete antithesis of the usual Chinese EV playbook. Because while it still has all the bells and whistles you’d come to expect, they’ve also committed to actually building a car, instead of just furnishing a spec sheet.
It’s an approach that’s imbued into every aspect of the car, from the well-calibrated brake feel – in spite of the car automatically switching between regenerative and friction brakes when you press on the pedal – to the dome lights inside with adjustable light temperature and brightness, and even the additional buttons in the cargo area to lower or raise the air suspension, making it that much easier to load heavier items.
The attention to the smallest details is often what truly separates a good and a great car, and the Zeekr 7X sure does many of the small things right. Of course, when you market a car primarily for the European market – one where its consumers are spoiled by established marques the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz – a well-engineered product is the minimum requirement.
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With its engineering department and global design studio based in Gothenburg, Sweden, then, it’s unsurprisingly that the Zeekr 7X espouses the typical European sensibilities, even in styling.
The 7X’s clean sculpted bodywork exudes a calm, reserved presence akin to many German SUVs, where even the weather strip for the windows are hidden behind the bodywork to give it an even more elegant appearance.
But it’s also not coy in displaying some personality, especially on this AWD Performance variant with its Stargate panel in front for customisable light signatures, and the bold 20-inch wheels, matched with the equally-loud Akebono orange brake callipers.
Similarly, the Tesla-esque minimalist cabin is also accentuated by the unique ambient lighting panels on the dashboard, adding a dash of pizzazz. And it’s not just style, either; helpful additions like the row of physical shortcut buttons give it actual usability gains, despite most of the controls still being governed by the massive 16-inch central touchscreen.
The storage drawers underneath the rear seats keep the mess at bay, and the false floor for the boot is also divided into segments for easier storage management. Again, it’s the little details.
And of course, you’ll notice the luxuries inside, too, with the seats on the Zeekr 7X AWD Performance variant wrapped in snazzy white-and-purple full-grain Nappa leather, and even the rear passengers get up to 10-degrees of recline, all done at the touch of a button. Ditto the powered sunshades on the rear doors.
You’d think that with such an emphasis on luxury, most of its buyers won’t be too concerned about performance. But with EVs making raw power so accessible these days, it’d almost be an insult if it didn’t have those headlining numbers. Here, then, the twin motors push out a combined 646 hp (475 kW) and 710 Nm of torque, dispatching the 0-100 km/h sprint in a brisk 3.8 seconds.
Its neck-breaking acceleration will put most supercars to shame in a traffic light drag race, but while that can be addictive, most owners would probably welcome its polished ride characteristics more.
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Sprung by an air suspension system, the Zeekr 7X AWD Performance emanates an air of maturity in its damping qualities. Occupants remain unperturbed by pot-marked road surfaces, and road undulations are handled with aplomb. Being an SUV, you’d expect it to lean in the corners, and indeed it does – but the 7X also never becomes unwieldy, even when driven with a little bit more passion in the normal suspension settings.
It’s a delightful balance of comfort and sportiness, one that those familiar with European cars would definitely appreciate – as long as you don’t push it to its extremes. And with 543 km of range (WLTP) from its 100 kWh battery, you’ll also be able to enjoy driving it for longer before needing to stop for a charge again.
Even then, with the 420 kW maximum DC fast charging capacity afforded by its 800V electric architecture, charging won’t take that long anyway.
By blending Chinese technology, world-class luxury, and European engineering, the Zeekr 7X has transpired into one of the most well-rounded cars in the segment, and perhaps even one of the best to come out of China. And all that, in a package that costs RM226,800 for this range-topping variant.
That, of course, is with the tax exemptions for fully imported EVs, which are expiring by the end of December. With year-end promotions aplenty, there might not be a better time to dip your toes into electrification than now, and the Zeekr 7X is pretty much the poster child for what an EV should feel like.
READ MORE: All-new Zeekr 7X launched in Malaysia – 3 variants, up to 610 km range, from RM180k
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