Zeekr 7X News

The mainstream mid-size SUV segment is one of the most hotly contested in the Australian market, as the prevailing family car of choice for so many.We’re truly spoilt for choice, with options available at many price points, and with the choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric, as well as from both old favourite brands and new challengers.While this has generally been a boon for buyers, it has also made this congested segment more difficult to shop in than ever before, so as part of our ongoing 2026 CarsGuide Car of the Year awards, we’ve distilled a top-10 shortlist of our highest-rated Medium SUVs starting under $60K.Our top three and winner will be announced on February 6, but you can see the alphabetically ordered shortlist below.The Cupra Terramar serves as the Spanish brand’s take on the Volkswagen Tiguan formula - a true mid-size SUV, although it offers a truly sporty take over the Tiguan’s more wide appeal.Priced from $53,990, it’s a surprising value player considering its sporty look and feel, although if you want the full performance on offer, you’ll have to spend north of the $70K mark to get the spicy VZ version.Still Cupra continues to impress us with its edgy designs and impressive driving dynamics compared to its other Volkswagen Group relations.Perhaps a candidate for the most improved model on sale in Australia, the new GWM Haval H6 moves up in the world from simply a value player to a more impressive mainstream offering.Packed with standard kit and tweaked across the board when it comes to drivability and tuning, this Chinese rival takes more direct aim at the segment-leading Toyota RAV4 than ever before.Available as a 2.0-litre turbo as well as a 1.5-litre hybrid in plugless or plug-in form, it also covers the gamut of powertrain options Aussie buyers are looking for.While the sharply-priced Lux is impressive value, the plugless hybrids are the pick of the range with their trim fuel efficiency and smooth electrified transmission.One of the original nameplates which kicked-off the mid-size SUV segment altogether, the CR-V continues to this day to be a stellar offering in the segment, with Honda as always doing an impressive job of moving with the times.The CR-V is also one of the better value options in Honda’s current range, priced much closer to its rivals than the HR-V or ZR-V which sit below it.Again, the pick of the range is the e:HEV hybrid, although you’ll have to fork out for the pleasure with the hybrid powertrain still only sitting atop the mid-sizer’s range, priced at $59,900 drive-away.While it exudes quality like other Honda models, it also isn’t as efficient as some of its rivals, and doesn’t offer a plug-in or all-wheel drive in its hybrid form.Another impressive car from Honda, the ZR-V is a right-sized SUV to fill the increasingly large gap between the ever-growing CR-V and the still diminutive HR-V below.Again sporting the same Honda characteristics of great build quality, sharp driving dynamics and a practical interior space, with a smaller overall footprint than some of its rivals the ZR-V should be on any buyers shortlist.However, while it is marginally more affordable than its CR-V sibling, the ZR-V suffers from the same problem of only offering the sleek and efficient hybrid system on only its top-spec LX variant, eliminating savings from its fuel sipping powertrain via a much higher starting price ($54,900 before on-roads).Hyundai’s current-generation Tucson now has a few years behind it, but continues to be a strong seller thanks to gradual updates and price tweaks which keeps it high on the consideration list alongside its Kia Sportage sister vehicle and the segment-leading Toyota RAV4.Now strongest-selling as a fuel-sipping hybrid, the Tucson continues to be offered in a range of variants at many different price-points, with both front- and all-wheel drive options.The latest major updates synced the mid-sizer up with the rest of Hyundai’s range in offering a new interior design approach with fresh software, and even an array of buttons and dials for climate and volume controls we always like to see.Nissan has been embattled by rivals in recent years, but its ever-improving X-Trail continues to deserve a look-in as possibly the brand’s most competitive current offering.Spacious, modern, offered with up to seven seats, and with an innovative electric-first e-Power hybrid option, the X-Trail has a lot to offer buyers as a rival specifically to the RAV4 or Honda CR-V.Plus, it gets ergonomic fundamentals right, as well as a good level of refinement and a solid array of well-calibrated safety kit to keep newcomers at bay.Czech brand Skoda, as always, flies under the radar, and the Elroq is certainly worth your consideration thanks to a myriad of factors, not least of which is its surprisingly sharp starting price of (now) $49,990 drive-away. Did we mention it’s fully electric?On top of that, the Elroq is right-sized, with a modest but well-utilised footprint, which is laden with the brand’s clever touches like plenty of storage areas, an umbrella hidden in the door, and plenty of storage organisation options in the boot.The Elroq rides on Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform and is offered with either a long-range 85kWh battery, and now a standard-range 60kWh option. All versions are rear-wheel drive, keeping them efficient, with the longer-range one said to travel up to 529km on the WLTP cycle.The Enyaq is the Elroq’s larger sibling in Skoda’s two-pronged mid-size electric SUV range, offering a sportier look and feel.Recently updated to wear the brand’s latest and more futuristic design language, the Enyaq also inherits a lot of the same brilliant packaging as its smaller sibling. It also offers the same battery variants, which are still relatively long range considering their capacities, with the smaller version travelling 410km on the WLTP cycle, and the larger one travelling up to 548km.Not as affordable as the Elroq, but still good value in the segment, the Enyaq has a lot of the right ingredients to tempt buyers away from other popular offerings in this electric space like the Tesla Model Y or Kia EV5.To be clear here, the RAV4 being considered for our Car of the Year is the current generation, as the next-gen model hadn’t arrived in time for consideration.As dated as this top-seller may be though, it’s remained a top-seller for a reason, namely that it’s well laid out, comfortable, versatile and backed by Toyota’s ever-sturdy reputation.Its quality finish and ever smooth hybrid drive are still some of the best on the market, emulated by many to varying degrees of success.The RAV4 still bests them all in the sales charts though, and some may even argue the styling of this outgoing car is more appealing than the new one, which will also bring with it a long-awaited plug-in hybrid.Zeekr’s long-awaited third model has proven to be its most hyped. The Zeekr 7X is a fully electric premium SUV at the price of a high-end mainstream combustion or hybrid one.Despite its keen price-tag, this is still an impressively specified vehicle, with plenty of high-end features, a big battery with long driving range, and dynamics on par with much more expensive rivals.It also impresses on the design front, with Zeekr’s studio in Sweden next door to those of Polestar and Volvo making the Chinese newcomer feel like much more than a first attempt.

In a milestone market share breakthrough vehicles manufactured in China accounted for one in five new cars sold in Australia in October this year.

Why Australia is becoming a battleground for Chinese premium brands.

Electric cars have come a long way in a short time, and China’s EV market has shown us just how far they’ve come.China is the world’s largest electric vehicle market — and the source of the majority of Australia’s EVs — and the latest data shows a remarkable stat.According to the China Passenger Car Association, the average driving range of an electric car on sale in China is 528km.That’s an increase of about 25 per cent in half a decade, according to the data.Those driving ranges are calculated via the more lenient China Light-duty Test Cycle (CLTC), rather than the benchmark WLTP used in Europe and Australia.The data still shows that electric car driving range has improved by about a quarter in a short time.In Australia the default range for a new EV is generally around 500km, dispelling the range anxiety myth.New EVs from China and sold in Australia, such as the Zeekr 7X have a driving range from between 480km and 615km, and Tesla has just launched a new Chinese-built Model 3 RWD Long Range with up to 750km of range.Deepal’s new E07 ute-SUV mash-up has a driving range of up to 550km and Kia’s China-sourced EV5 can be driven up to 555km, depending on the variant.There are even more on the way if China is a guide, with the data showing more than 30 EVs on sale there with a driving range of more than 600km and 26 more with a range of more than 500km.500km is the new expectation for buyers in Australia and manufacturers have responded with a wave of new models at or exceeding the range, with Chinese brands or China-sourced vehicles leading the charge.The massive jump in electric driving range isn’t reserved to EVs. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs).EREVs use a petrol engine purely as a generator to charge the battery, with the wheels driven only by electric motors. PHEVs use a combination of a petrol engine and electric motors fed by a battery to drive the wheels.In China a PHEV with 100km of driving range is the new expectation with the majority boasting an EV-only driving limit of more than the century mark.EREVs are even more, with the vast majority claiming an electric-only driving range of more than 150km.This kind of performance hasn’t been fully realised in Australia where PHEVs and to a lesser extent EREVs are starting to gain traction.Several new options from Chinese brands, such as BYD, Chery and MG are pushing the boundaries of the new tech.Chery’s new Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid has a driving range of up to 170km in Australia.What is even more astounding is China is doing it at a lower cost than rival makers, which is helping to boost the technology Down Under.

Newcomer brand Zeekr says it will engage with local engineering firms Walkinshaw and Premcar to investigate local suspension tuning for its vehicles in Australia. 

Zeekr has outlined its bold ambitions for Australia, confirming a string of new models and the launch of the Lynk & Co brand, the latter of which will likely be wrapped under the Zeekr umbrella.

Top EVs for first-time electric car buyers.

The Zeekr 7X is gearing up for sale in Australia, with the brand’s MD Frank Li revealing deliveries for the hotly anticipated model would begin on October 15.

Just weeks after Australian pricing was confirmed for the Zeekr 7X, the model has been updated in its home market of China.

At long last, Zeekr has revealed pricing and specifications for its upcoming 7X electric mid-size SUV.