Newly launched in France, the Xpeng market is trying to establish itself in a market that has decided not to give it any gifts. To achieve this, the Chinese manufacturer has adopted a technique that might seem relatively simple, but above all, to assume it. Xpeng engineers have taken as a model the reference of the category, Tesla and its Model Y. Result: in many aspects, the G9, its premium SUV, does more than draw inspiration from its American model, it copies it outright. However, Xpeng is introducing another strategy, borrowed this time from other Chinese players who have broken through in new technologies, a strategy that consists of attacking a sector from the high end, while offering very aggressive prices for the category. Result? The G9 is an expensive vehicle certainly, but particularly well equipped. Is this enough to divert European users from traditional manufacturers?
Design: ordinary exterior, luxury interior
It is not by its exterior design that the G9 is the most surprising. The big baby may have been designed several thousand kilometers from home, but it remains very standardized in its aesthetic approach. Very classic in its style, the G9 is nonetheless impressive due to its large size. Nearly 4.9 m long, over 1.93 m wide and 1.68 m high, the Xpeng family vehicle is anything but discreet.
While it doesn't stand out on the outside, it does have some very pleasant surprises in store once you're on board. In this aspect, Xpeng leaves nothing to chance and shows remarkable seriousness both in the quality of the finishes and the choice of the different materials. We will appreciate or not the interior design, but we certainly cannot reproach it for lacking character.
The enormous central screen immediately attracts attention, as does the one dedicated to the passenger which is just as well integrated as the rest. The two 15-inch panels each are of very good quality. Finally, it is a general impression of space and comfort that emerges when you take a seat, and this is also the case in the back. In line with the high-end codes, the G9 does not forget to offer a massage session to its passengers or personalized air conditioning.
Several times during this test, we will draw a parallel between Xpeng and Tesla. And for good reason, the know-how of the latter has largely inspired the former in the development of its strategy and, let's be clear, in the manufacture of its vehicles. But if Xpeng has based itself on Tesla's approach, particularly on the software aspect, it has been careful not to repeat the youthful mistakes of the Californian brand, which has long been criticized for its questionable hardware quality once inside the cabin. On this point, the Chinese manufacturer is even at the opposite end and would rather tend to align itself with the level of quality of German premium cars.
Technology on board: worthy heir to Tesla
Enough suspense, it is in terms of technology that the G9 impressed us the most. First in the user interface. Anyone who has already ridden in a Tesla will immediately find a familiar environment as the interface and menus resemble what is practiced at the American manufacturer. But Xpeng has gone even further and while it doesn’t ignore all the buttons, it goes a notch higher in terms of customization.
It's simple, we could (and have) spent hours playing with the G9's menus as they are full of possibilities. Everything goes through the touch interface, whether it's for adjusting the height and depth of the steering wheel, the on-board temperature or the road behavior (driving modes and energy regeneration system, for example). Of course, it takes some time to get used to it and the ergonomics of the menus are not always the most obvious, but on this point, Xpeng's bias is completely assumed.
There is also technology under the hood, whether through the vehicle's 800 V architecture or in terms of driving aids. The first allows for explosive charging speeds, we will come back to this. As for the second, it gives the G9 a level 2 autonomy on paper, the transposition of which to use requires some adjustments. Indeed, adaptive cruise control and lane keeping work properly, but Xpeng still lacks that progressiveness in acceleration or a little delicacy in repositioning that makes the car's automatic movements resemble a "human" steering wheel touch.
Finally, the G9's latest technological touch is not in the car, but in its owner's pocket and more precisely in his smartphone. This is the Xpeng application which is simply one of the most complete and successful on the market. In addition to the usual features of displaying the battery status and pre-heating, the companion application allows you to open and start your car remotely (and therefore lend it to a third party), to maneuver the car using a remote control (ideal for parking in tight parking spaces) and also to check the charging speeds while drinking your coffee a few meters from the terminal. The only small downside of this application: a home page displaying advertising for other vehicles of the brand. We could have done without it.
Performance: almost only good surprises
After the first good impression, we were eager to see what the G9 had in store, especially since we were able to take the wheel of the Performance version, the one with two engines and a total power of 551 hp... all the same. But here again, Xpeng did not just line up the numbers and embellish its technical sheet. Of course, a 0 to 100 km/h in less than 4 seconds is impressive for such a pachyderm, but stopping at this kind of value would be to misunderstand the intentions of the Chinese brand. An example: in this version, the most prestigious, the manufacturer opted for air suspension. This simple addition (not so simple in reality) gives the G9 quite impressive behavior. Among other things, they allow comfort to be raised to a very interesting level, even when the road is somewhat degraded. On the highway, the G9 handles even more easily and we are then surprised by the silence on board, proof that the brand's engineers have done a good job in terms of insulation from air and rolling noise.
On the other hand, we will be more reserved about the steering, rather bland, which sometimes prevents us from taking full advantage of the power available.
Driving in town is relatively easy, despite the massive size of the machine. Its turning radius of 11.8 meters does not allow it to work miracles on small maneuvers and it will certainly take several days for future owners to take the measure of the dimensions of their large SUV. But once that is done, we find ourselves sailing in an urban environment without any real difficulty. Of course, on the secondary network and on the highway, it is a formality.
Finally, a word about the driving aids, very numerous and constantly displayed on the on-board computer which scans the G9's environment in real time. On this point, the SUV demonstrates mastery, but it proves to be somewhat intrusive in its alerts, particularly on fatigue or attention. Indeed, every yawn triggers a fatigue alert and every second spent on the central screen, which is nevertheless essential for changing certain settings, ends with a symbolic slap on the wrist. The same goes for the recentering in the lane which lacks a little naturalness at times, but these kinds of small defects are incidental and could evolve with the help of an update.
Autonomy: fortunately, there is the 800 V
This is the shock argument of this SUV like no other, an 800 V platform still rare on the market (especially at this price level) which allows you to recharge at lightning speed and therefore makes long motorway journeys possible and less painful. It must be said that the Chinese manufacturer is right to bet on its speed in terms of recharging, because in terms of pure consumption, its size and its 2.3 tonnes on the scale do not allow it to work miracles.
Indeed, our test of the G9 lasted almost a week, during which we made many classic journeys, but also a long trip of almost 1000 km (473 km there and the same on the way back). If in the city consumption can be stabilized at a little over 20 kWh/100 km, it literally explodes on the highway where the Xpeng SUV is constantly close to 30 kWh/100 km.
Performance that is barely respectable if we take into account the beast's enormous 98 kWh battery. It should be noted in passing that the manufacturer has opted for NMC (Nickel, manganese, cobalt) chemistry, which offers better energy density. Ultimately, in terms of autonomy, the figures announced by the manufacturer are not so far from reality: 21.3 kWh/100 km in mixed use, this is roughly what we were able to observe on our most classic journeys. On the other hand, on the motorway, at 130 km/h, you should not expect more than 350 km of autonomy, which could be a weak point given the size of the battery, but which turns out to be painless as the rapid charge manages to erase this defect.
Verdict of the test:
After a full test that allowed us to drive more than 1,300 km with the G9, it is fair to say that Xpeng's SUV is one of the great surprises of the year. We knew that the young brand was capable of feats, particularly in terms of technology, and we were delighted to see that these also applied to the road with high-flying performance and comfort worthy of the best electric SUVs of the moment. What is impressive, apart from the G9's performance level of course, is the speed at which the Chinese brand has managed to reach this level. It only took Xpeng 10 years of existence to offer one of the most complete electric SUVs on the market, at a competitive price to boot. Even Tesla needed more time to reach the Chinese brand's level of interior finishes. Of course, it's easier when the second comer copies the first, but it's no less impressive.
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