XPeng X9 review: Too big to fail
[SINGAPORE] I had two ambitions as a boy: to marry Christie Brinkley and to become a spaceship pilot, though not necessarily in that order. Alas, fortune declined to smile on the Uptown Girl, but spending time with the XPeng X9 made me feel like my star captain fantasies finally came true – especially when it comes to the whole 'space' thing.
The X9 is vast both inside and out, so much so that it could obscure a Bentley by pulling up alongside it. At 5.3 m long and 2m wide, it would have its own postal code if it didn't have wheels.
Despite all appearances, the XPeng is not a building but a pure electric Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV). It has seven seats and a 320 horsepower motor for the front wheels, drawing power from either an 84.5 kWh or 101.5 kWh battery, with up to 500km or 590 km of range, respectively.
Zero to 100 kmh involves 7.7 seconds and a polite whoosh. That makes it roughly as quick as a good 3.0-litre car, which is handy if your kids are running late for their golf lessons.
The X9 has seven seats and a 320 horsepower motor for the front wheels, drawing power from either an 84.5 kWh or 101.5 kWh battery, with up to 500km or 590 km of range, respectively. PHOTO: BIG FISH PUBLISHING
But numbers alone don't explain this car. To understand it, you have to realise that XPeng was founded by a software engineer, and then imagine that the X9 is what happens when you ask a bunch of tech bros to design the ultimate family car. They scratch their heads, then throw the latest Qualcomm 8295 chip at the problem, along with 30,000 lines of code. Then they add all the hardware they imagine would suit a big, plush car.
The result is a sort of maximalist people mover. The second-row thrones not only recline, they heat, cool and knead your spine six different ways. There are tray tables, motorised legrests, individual cupholders and USB charging ports, plus a rear screen that's bigger than some desktop monitors.
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The X9 features tray tables, motorised legrests, individual cupholders and USB charging ports, plus a rear screen that's bigger than some desktop monitors. PHOTO: BIG FISH PUBLISHING
The X9 also has five-zone climate control, meaning it's literally big enough to have its own microclimates. The fridge between the front seats keeps drinks at 0 deg C or heats them to 50 deg C, depending on whether you're transporting milk tea or soup.
The third row isn't just there to make up the numbers, either. Adults fit, and when you don't need them, you can fold the seats away to create a proper flat floor, a task done entirely with buttons. Do that and you get an enormous 2,554-litre boot. There's a photo out there of five bicycles parked inside the boot with the second-row chairs still upright, which is five more bicycles than you can stuff into most Ferraris.
Yet, for something this large, the X9 is surprisingly nimble. It's the first MPV I know of with rear-wheel steering, which lets it pull off U-turns with ridiculous ease. The XPeng's sheer size means it will never be agile, but the steering is light enough to make it feel wieldy.
The X9's sheer size means it will never be agile, but the steering is light enough to make it feel wieldy.
Parking it would have been stressful, except I didn't have to do it myself. Hit a virtual button and the car slots itself neatly into a space without fuss or human input. Another clever trick is how, when the rear screen is down and blocks your view, the rearview mirror becomes a camera feed so you can still keep an eye on what's behind you.
Where it borders on digital overkill is in how endlessly tweakable the whole thing is. There are three settings each for accelerator response, steering weight, brake pedal feel, suspension stiffness and power steering effort. There are four overall drive modes, four levels of regenerative braking and five for ride height. It's like the tech guys couldn't help themselves.
One thing I didn't like was how the air-con takes a while to get going, and that someone decided that aiming the vents via touchscreen was a good idea. That person should be suspended. Preferably from the ceiling, by their thumbs.
It's worth mentioning too that XPeng released an updated version of the X9 in April, with redesigned second-row seats, a new battery and other tweaks. That version hasn't reached Singapore yet, but it's something to consider if you're thinking of buying one now. Early adopters may feel a twinge, but that's how it goes in the tech world – even when the product in question is an MPV that looks like it belongs in an intergalactic fleet. XPeng moves so quickly, it's almost as if it thinks it's in a space race.
XPeng X9 Long Range
Motor Power/Torque: 320 hp/450 Nm
Battery Type/Net Capacity: Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt/101.5 kWh
Charging Time/Type: Approximately 10 hours (11 kW AC), 20 minutes 10 to 80 per cent (317 kW DC)
Range: 590 km
0-100 km/h: 7.7 seconds
Top Speed: 200 kmh
Efficiency: 19.8 kWh/100 km
Agent: Premium Automobiles BEV
Price: S$335,999 with COE
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