Review Zeekr X Long Range (2023) - is the big brother of the Volvo EX30 also the smartest choice? - AutoReview.nl

What is striking about the Zeekr X Long Range?

First of all, you wonder what Geely hopes to achieve with all those brands in Europe. Volvo has long been an established name and the Volvo XC40 is doing excellently. Both with a combustion engine and the electric variant. The sales of the Polestar 2 also run well and the expectations regarding the Volvo EX30 are highly tense.

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Not long ago, the Smart #1 made its debut and now the electric Zeekr Sounds like the recipe for cannibalism within the Geely family and that doesn't benefit anyone.

In our opinion, the Zeekr His designer is also a Swede. The headlights do show something Lynk & Co-traits. Not surprising, because he is also a member of the Geely clan. The rear is somewhat reminiscent of the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric. Of course, an illuminated brand name is not missing here. And in profile, the Zeekr Polestar 3but one that is quite crumpled together.

The interior is minimalist and light. The latter is not only thanks to the standard panoramic roof, but also to the light upholstery materials. A few red copper knobs or accents here and there give the cabin extra cachet.

What is good about the Zeekr X Long Range?

Anyone who has anything to complain about the equipment of the Zeekr A Yamaha sound system with 13 speakers, electrically heated and adjustable front seats, heated rear seats and steering wheel and an electrically opening tailgate are all standard. As a relative of Volvo, the Zeekr

The power of the Zeekr X Long Range is 272 hp and that guarantees excellent performance. The rear-wheel drive sprints from a standstill to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds. The more expensive Zeekr And the already effortless intermediate sprints will also be even smoother.

The car is as quiet as you would expect from an EV, although some tire noise is clearly audible on the coarse Swedish asphalt on which we drive the car. Under normal circumstances the chassis offers excellent comfort. The 69 kWh battery (gross) provides a WLTP range of 445 kilometers and fast charging is possible with a maximum of 150 kW. That's not absolute top value, but it's more than a lot of competitors in this class. It takes just under half an hour on the fast charger to boost the battery pack from 10 to 80 percent.

Unlike many other EVs in this segment, the Zeekr The question is what remains of the range.

What could be improved about the Zeekr X Long Range?

Zeekr wants the X to be the sportiest boy in the class within Geely, but the chassis is a bit too soft for that. With large bumps, the rebound stroke of springs and dampers is very large. If you put the socks in and the bumps follow each other, then you have the Zeekr dancing. The car is anything but tight and becomes jumpy like a lamb in the spring meadow. Maybe active dampers are an idea.

A minimalist interior design can be beautiful, but in the Zeekr You can operate numerous functions with the two unmarked buttons on the steering wheel, but it is quite a search in the menu of the large touchscreen to find out what is there. And then the screen texts are often too long and the letters too small. That's too distracting. It is therefore a mystery to us why Zeekr does not use the same Google-based system as Volvo and Polestar.

With a car with such a hip design that is also packed with electronics, you expect a lightning-fast navigation system. In reality, it seems designed for a car with the acceleration times of an indirect injection diesel, rather than a lightning-fast EV. With many side roads in a row, this is quite confusing.

The safety systems were also not convincing. For example, the lane assistant makes a few completely unnecessary steering interventions and the fatigue assistant behaves like a panicky co-driver without a driver's license. If you just look in the right exterior mirror, the system already thinks that you are too distracted. And then that lady who constantly complains about the speed limit. Even though all the screens showed that we had disabled her, she kept whining.

When will the Zeekr X come to the Netherlands and what is the price?

The ship with Zeekrs If all goes well you can admire it in the Flagship Experience Center at the Rokin in Amsterdam. They ask 45,990 euros for the Zeekr X Long Range, but the tax value is 1000 euros lower. This means that he is eligible for 2,950 euros from the SEPP subsidy pot. This does not apply to the four-wheel drive Zeekr Privilege with 528 hp, because it must cost 50,490 euros (tax value 49,490 euros). In addition to more power and AWD, the Zeekr X Privilege has 20-inch wheels instead of 19-inch ones.

What do I think of Zeekr X?

The Zeekr I certainly don't think the design is bad, although I believe that the designer made a mistake regarding the C-pillars. Too many body panels and seams come together here and it looks unfinished. Although fast, the Zeekr

In addition, the question is who is waiting for the Zeekr It is certainly more spacious than its brother, the 20 cm shorter Volvo EX30. But with the same battery pack it is also about 3 grand more expensive. On the other hand, you will have to spruce up the Volvo with a few pricey packages if you want to raise the equipment to the same high level.

But it remains to be seen whether the Chinese will win over the European customer. In this price range I wouldn't expect so. Europeans are simply 'bad' consumers. Especially in the higher price range, we attach more value to status and history than to value for money. The fact that Tesla gained a foothold here so quickly is due to the fact that it was a forerunner and a trendsetter. Zeekr is just a trend follower, and one with competitors within its own family.