The XPeng X9 is offered in base Standard Range, with front-wheel drive and a 95kWh battery, and Performance AWD flagship guise with a 110kWh battery. Both feature air suspension with adjustable heights and active four-wheel steering (4WS), a panoramic roof, electric sliding side door, Nappa leather upholstery, big central touchscreen, electric seats, 20-inch alloy wheels… the works.

Other luxuries run to powered, heated and ventilated bucket seats with massaging function in the front and second row, five-zone climate control, a heated and refrigerated drawer, a rear multimedia screen, premium audio with 27 speakers, a heated rear bench that folds electronically into the boot floor, soft-close front doors, powered sliding side doors and tailgate, remote-control parking for getting in and out of tight spots without the driver actually needing to be inside and a 6kW Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) appliance powering capability, thanks to an 800V EV architecture that allows for ultra-fast charging.

The XPeng X9 is one of the longest and widest electrified MPVs on the market today, and that also helps make it one of the most spacious. Once inside the vast, airy, opulent and eerily quiet cabin, the sameness of the dash presentation is a tad disappointing, especially considering how bold the exterior styling is. Ahead of the driver is a modest electronic instrumentation binnacle that is augmented by a 21-inch head-up display. To the right is a 17.3-inch central touchscreen that houses all the multimedia, connectivity, navigation and vehicle settings controls. There are no physical buttons.

A two-level console features cupholders and charging pads on top, a lidded cubby behind and storage/USB-C ports underneath. The second-row features two bucket seats that fully recline, and are aided by an ottoman providing what XPeng calls “Zero Gravity” seats. Other first-class accoutrements include heating, cooling and massaging functions, climate-control access, window shades, phone charger, a sturdy tray table, a 21.4-inch monitor that descends from above to provide a cinema-scopic multimedia experience and a refrigerated drawer that slides out from behind the front-centre console.

The XPeng X9 features a permanent magnet traction electric motor. In the Standard Range, it sends 235kW of power and 450Nm of torque to the front wheels only, via a single-speed transmission. Moving to the X9 Performance AWD ups the ante with 370kW and 640Nm. These are combined outputs, thanks to a second motor on the rear axle, for all-wheel drive.

The XPeng X9 is a three-row, seven-seater multi-purpose vehicle (MPV, or people mover), with a 2+2+3 front-to-rear seating configuration. The first two rows feature a pair of powered, heated and vented reclining and sliding bucket seats. These are almost identical in design and execution and are finished, as is most of the upholstery, with Nappa leather upholstery on the seat faces.

The middle row of bucket seats add an ottoman for extra reclining comfort and they electrically slide forward automatically when the third-row, three-seater bench needs to be accessed. The third-row bench is split 60/40, with both portions of the powered backrests reclinable for added luxury. Their headrests also raise and lower electrically. When additional cargo capacity is required, a press of a button for each section sees the third-row bench lifts forward then tumbles backwards into a cavity in the floor.

The XPeng X9 Standard Range can accelerate from zero to 100km/h (0-100km/h) in 8.2, while the Performance AWD drops that down to just 5.9s. Both have a 200km/h top speed.

The XPeng X9 Standard Range features a 94.8kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate battery pack, providing a WLTP range of 542km, while the Performance AWD switches to a 110kWh Nickel Cobalt Manganese Lithium-ion battery pack, upping WLTP range to 580km. On the European cycle, their official combined average energy consumption ranges between 17.4 to 20.2kWh/100km and 18.6 to 20.8kWh/100km, respectively.