2024 Zeekr X SUV Review
We test the Zeekr X ahead of a possible launch in a couple of years.
We test the Zeekr X ahead of a possible launch in a couple of years.
Review
Pros: top-quality interior, strong performance, good refinement
Cons: some ergonomic issues, average boot, so-so handling
Zeekr X Design
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) company Zeekr, part of the same group that’s home to Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, is something of an unknown quantity in Europe right now, so the carmaker has done its best to make the X – described as an urban luxury compact SUV – stand out with edgy detailing. Highlights include a big diagonal crease on the doors, which informs the shape of the rear window line, as well as LED light clusters front and rear which mimic the line in the company’s bisected-rectangle logo, an illuminated ‘Zeekr’ emblem at the rear, black detailing for the sills, wheelarches and the roof, and then flush-fitting door handles which pop inwards when you need to access the cabin. Zeekr will sell the X in one of four main body colours, while there are either 19- or 20-inch alloy wheels, depending on whether you’ve gone for the single-motor model or the dual-motor version. Overall, it’s a relatively interesting piece of design, if still some way short of being classically beautiful.
Zeekr X Interior
If there’s any ambivalence about the exterior of the Zeekr X, there should be none regarding the excellent passenger compartment. In terms of material finishing, the X scores highly. Everything you look at and touch has been rendered to a high standard, and you can search and search, but you won’t find cheap plastics anywhere. Vegans will also be pleased – there’s nothing inside the Zeekr SUV which is made from animals.
Technology levels are impressive too, with an 8.8-inch instrument cluster and 14.6-inch proprietary infotainment screen complemented by a swish augmented-reality head-up display (AR-HUD) for the driver, which features overlaid graphics to help you navigate junctions and so on, without taking your eyes off the road. OK, so some of the infotainment menus take a bit of familiarisation, the window switches feel like they’ve been put in the wrong way round, and the joysticks on the steering wheel which adjust features such as the exterior mirrors and more are odd, but generally everything is fairly intuitive to use in the Zeekr X.
In terms of space, it’s not quite as generous in the back as some of the X’s main rivals, but it’s fine and the quality of the fixtures and fittings is no less opulent than it is in the front. The boot is modest, though, measuring 362 litres. It also has a high floor/loading lip and a relatively narrow access aperture, so loading big items into it isn’t going to be a doddle.
Zeekr X Performance & Drive
Zeekr offers the X in two simple-to-understand specifications. First there’s the Long Range RWD, which has one motor on the rear axle producing up to 272hp and 343Nm, allowing it to run 0-100km/h in 5.6 seconds and go up to 445km on a charge of its 69kWh battery pack. Above that is the Privilege AWD, using the same battery but adding another motor on the front axle and increasing outputs to 428hp/543Nm, in turn reducing both the 0-100km/h sprint and the one-shot range to 3.8 seconds and 425km, respectively.
It’s the higher-output Zeekr we tried and the omens for it are very good indeed. While the handling is a little bit woolly at the limits, and the regenerative braking system could do with a touch more retardation when you lift off the throttle, otherwise this is a mighty pleasant and highly refined little SUV to travel in. The suspension is fairly soft, so it soaks up lumps and bumps smoothly – even on its large 20-inch alloys – while the two-year-old company appears to have got the hang of EV steering well before many of its considerably more established rivals; it makes driving the X an easy and enjoyable experience. It is also, as you might expect of something with so much power and torque, a remarkably quick vehicle if you need a burst of acceleration.
Charging times for the X’s battery are almost as fast as the car is. On its maximum 150kW DC connection, it’ll take 29 minutes to go from 10 to 80 per cent charge, while a 22kW AC charger can replenish the battery in just four hours.
Zeekr X Pricing
The Zeekr X is not confirmed for sale here yet, which is a shame. The hope is it will land sometime before 2026, and in the two European markets where it is available to buy at the moment, its equipment levels and prices are highly competitive in the luxury compact EV SUV sector. Here’s hoping this can be preserved for the arrival of right-hand-drive versions on these shores.
Carzone Verdict
Entering a difficult marketplace populated with talented rivals such as the BMW iX1, Audi Q4 e-tron, Volvo XC40 Recharge and, of course, the Tesla Model Y – among more – the Zeekr X will have a tough job on its hands to convince EV buyers to try something new. But one or two minor foibles and gripes aside, the Chinese firm seems to have given its SUV many of the tools needed to succeed in its task, such as a superb interior, great performance and useful driving range. A lot will hinge upon its pricing once it is confirmed, but if Zeekr gets that right then the X should definitely be on your EV shopping list.