Zeekr 7X Is Star of the Show at our Coffee Morning

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We were all lined up outside the Caloundra Power Boat Club to see the arrival of the newly purchased Zeekr 7X. Joe and Kay have only owned the car for a week and are learning and loving it. They have purchased the two-tone AWD, top-of-the-range model with 543 km of range (WLTP), powered by a 100 kWh NMC battery. The LFP chemistry is available on the more affordable trims. The Performance AWD is advertised as being able to reach 100 km/hour in 3.8 seconds. With an 800-volt system, the 7X will charge at 420 kW. Hopefully there will be some chargers that can handle this on the Sunshine Coast in the near future. The cost? Over AU$80,000. Well worth it, they reckon.

As we sat having coffee, Joe was peppered with questions. I was impressed with his answers. It is early in his learning journey, but he is avidly exploring the dash features and the charging ritual of his 2.5 ton technology marvel. He loves the quiet drive, but his head is in a whirl getting used to the tech. The group understands — we have all been through the same process with our Teslas, BYDs, and MGs.

It was bought through Cricks Maroochydore. They found this was a positive experience. Although, they found the sales setup “a little green.” Like all new EVs that come on the market in Australia, Zeekr is still getting the app working seamlessly. “Zeekr is still sorting out the validation process,” Joe tells me. He has plenty to do, working through the various driver options. A Tesla owner comforts him by saying that once you set them up, you don’t have to touch them again. We have all been through this. 

Their Zeekr 7X came with a free wall charger. Once again, Joe had to work out how the thing operated. “An instruction manual would be good.” Like a 12-year-old playing with their first remote, he explored and he found. “The wall charger came with an RFID card, but no instructions.” Then he found the symbol on the charger, waved the RFID card over it, and hey, presto, it worked.

The car comes with a granny charger and a type 2 to type 2 cable. There is a 5-year warranty on the car and an 8-year/160-km warranty on the battery. As an early purchaser, Joe tells me that a range of “sweeteners” was included in the deal. He lists: 2 years extra warranty on the car, 5 years roadside assist, and 5 years standard connectivity.

He tells me that the Zeekr will have its first service in a year. I asked what other vehicles they considered. They ruled out Tesla due to Elon Musk’s political persuasion. They made enquiries at a BYD popup display but found the service unsatisfactory.
As Joe and Kay live on a semi-rural property, they have kept their Land Cruiser for tip runs and other menial tasks. Kay tells us that when she wakes in the morning, there are wallabies grazing outside the bedroom window. Ah, heaven. Heaven for Joe is his collection of classic motorcycles.

Who is Zeekr? The brand is owned by Chinese conglomerate Geely (which also owns Polestar and Volvo). Some say, tongue in cheek, that the name comes from a fusion of Generation Z and Geek. The 7X is roughly the same size as a Model Y, with a big boot and lots of storage space: drawers, cubbyholes, and shelves. Tony Davis, motoring writer for the Financial Review, tells us: “As for kit, there’s a 21-speaker sound, glass roof, head-up display, front seats that massage, heat and cool, powered sunshades in the rear, a huge central screen and all manner of electronics, including facial recognition to automatically adjust to driver preferences. The Nappa leather seating, though, doesn’t feel like a big leap up from the vegan trim on lesser models. The synthesised engine sounds include ‘Mechanical Era’, a distant V8 sound that will fool no one, and ‘Aerial Combat Storm’, which is pure video game stuff.” So, the car will impress the grandkids! But, no fart mode?

Here is a great gallery of the interior.

The Zeekr 7X is already a success, with approximately 3,000 orders on the books. Over 1,000 of those were placed in the first week. Frank Li, Vice President of Zeekr International and Managing Director of Zeekr Australia, said that most Zeekr buyers are transitioning from a luxury European petrol or diesel vehicle. I am looking forward to these sales moving the Australian penetration stats forward.

To get some more feedback, I have joined a couple of Facebook pages which appear to be full of photos of delivery (of those aforementioned 3,000 orders in Australia) and the usual questions about connectivity and insurance. Kay was been quite active on Facebook giving advice and sharing their story. The biggest issue appears to be getting enough communication from dealers about delivery dates and times. No biggie — I see this every time a new car is launched in Australia, all will be resolved with a little patience.

One new owner reported on using a fast charger. He was able to reach a maximum of 350 kW charger output and averaged at above 300 kW. The car charged from 20% to 85% in 15 minutes. Up till 80%, the charge rate averaged 300 kW, then dropped to 160 kW.

Although this was still slower than refuelling a car with petrol, it is pretty impressive, and he got to sit in his car rather than stand next to it holding a nozzle. And I would add — he didn’t have to breathe in poisonous fumes! Despite all new owners reporting that they were very happy with their vehicles, some suggested possible improvements, most of which could be managed by software upgrades — for example, automatic Sentry Mode activation on locking, a dashcam that functions automatically when driving. Others wanted the car to be V2G ready and a power point for V2L.

And there were several requests for an owner’s manual (so, it’s not just you, Joe). Apparently, the Zeekr 7X Owners Australia Facebook group has already begun to collate owners’ suggestions for improvements. Well done — people power at work. You can view the list here.

All in all, the excitement is palpable. Many are commenting that it has been a long time since there has been such excitement over the launch of a new ICE vehicle. Even my co-author, Paul, is considering buying one to replace his Tesla Model 3 Long Range. He prefers a car with a heads-up display and 360-degree camera. All electric vehicles are welcome on Australia’s roads. With an expanding range of quality cars and the maturing of the charging network, the future is bright and electric!