What's the difference?
Large family-friendly luxury SUVs tend to be handsome in design but somewhat restrained. Until now. BMW has introduced a major facelift for its flagship SUV, the six- or seven-seat X7. Emphasis on face.
The new X7 adopts the striking but controversial front-end from the new 7 Series sedan, but the big, bold SUV is hiding some rather significant changes under the skin. Aside from a beefier diesel that now comes with mild hybrid tech, there’s also a redesigned cabin, massively upgraded tech, more standard features, oh, and a price increase.
Zeekr is a new electric brand and the X small SUV is one of its first cars to come to Australia.
Owned by the Chinese carmaker Geely, which also has a big stake in Volvo, the X is designed in Sweden, built in China and now sold here.
Rivals to this little electric SUV include the Smart #1, Volvo EX30 and Xpeng G6.
The Zeekr X line-up is currently very simple - there’s the rear-wheel drive version and the all-wheel drive we tested.
When lined up against its direct rivals, the expensive X7 xDrive40d represents reasonable value for money.
It has a unique and bold look and a sumptuous, visually striking and well-appointed interior that has acres of space for family, friends, or for ferrying frequent flyers to the airport.Â
That wallop of performance from the big beefy diesel is the cherry on the top. This is how you do a mid-life update.Â
The Zeekr X all-wheel drive surprised me in a great way. Not only is this the first Zeekr I've driven, it's also one of the best small electric SUVs I've ever driven. There's so much to like - from the good price and quality design to the high level of safety and how easy it is to drive.