Zeekr 7X Reviews

America wants to see a station wagon comeback, but it won't be as easy as it sounds.

Newcomer Chinese brands are making a real impact on Australia's new-car market, with several household name brands falling behind in November.

China’s Zeekr has been spied testing a new large SUV in its domestic market ahead of an expected reveal before the end of 2025.As reported by Car News China, this new SUV will be called the Zeekr 8X, slotting between the electric 7X and plug-in hybrid 9X.It will reportedly be based on the Zeekr’s SEA-S hybrid platform, which underpins the 9X, meaning the 8X will likely be a plug-in hybrid.Power will reportedly come from a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with dual electric motors, producing a projected total system output of 400kW and 700Nm. This allows for a projected 0-100km/h sprint in 4.9 seconds.The electric motors will reportedly be fed by a 70kWh ternary-lithium battery pack, allowing for more than 400km of electric range, according to an undisclosed testing cycle. A smaller 55kWh will also reportedly be offered but will have less EV range.Total range in the 8X will reportedly be more than 1200km with the larger battery pack option and a full tank of petrol.The vehicle will reportedly operate on a 900V electric architecture, allowing for a 10-80 per cent battery charge in around 15 minutes.It’s understood the 8X will offer a three-row seating configuration with second-row captain’s chairs, bringing the total seating capacity to six. All the seats will reportedly be upholstered in Nappa leather.Standard equipment will reportedly include an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.6-inch central touchscreen multimedia system.There will also reportedly be semi-autonomous driving capabilities thanks to a LiDAR sensor, multiple cameras, as well as radar and ultrasonic sensors.This large hybrid SUV segment has been growing in China specifically and there is now plenty of competition in the domestic market. This includes the Li Auto L8 and the Aito M8.It’s unclear whether the Zeekr 8X will ever come to Australia.Zeekr has been selling vehicles in the Australian market around 12 months now, launching initially with the small X electric SUV and then the 009 electric people mover.The Chinese carmaker recently launched the mid-sized 7X electric SUV in Australia, also confirming it won’t receive any updates for the next 12-18 months.

Zeekr has lowered the price of entry to its 009 electric people mover range by $20,000 with the addition of a new model grade.

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.

Zeekr says there are too many brands already available in Australia to risk offering yet another one, but we'll get its cars anyway.

Zeekr's updated flagship four-door coupe can charge up in nearly the same time it takes to refuel.

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.