Test Drive Xpeng P7: Elegant Smoothness
It does not lack external elegance, and at the IAA at Königsplatz, even the top version with scissor doors was on display: The Xpeng P7 was considered the spearhead of the startup at its premiere: minimalist like Tesla on the inside, with flowing elegance on the outside, positioning itself subtly different from the Americans – and also distancing itself from the eternal startup competitor Nio. We were able to "experience" the P7, which is also set to come to Germany in the future, for some time now.
Elegant, well-crafted bodywork
Xpeng, pronounced "Shao-peng," can do bodywork too: clean gap dimensions, well-closing doors – meeting Europe's standards here. The cW value? A favorable 0.24. The P7 is also well-crafted on the inside, though it haptically resembles Tesla more than Nio and, in our opinion, does not feel quite as inviting as the ET models from the Chinese competitor. But you can quickly find a good seating position here too, and there is enough legroom even in the rear, although the roof does pull down quite a bit for tall passengers. The P7, like all coupe sedans of this type, has to make small compromises here. This also applies to the trunk hinges, which would have limited headroom in the rear so much that it was left with a small "lid" behind which moderate 440 liters of volume are available. There is a frunk for the charging cable.
We set off and enjoy the calm driving behavior, which is somewhat stiffer compared to Nio but not as direct as Tesla – once again, Xpeng positions itself in the middle of the competitors here. The displays remain classic: behind the steering wheel on a 10.25-inch screen. The same goes for operation: all functions are fundamentally controlled via the 15-inch touchscreen, unfortunately including the air flow direction of the air conditioning. Here, less would have been more, but: the menu is relatively easy to navigate and turn signals, gear selector, window switches, and wipers are operated as learned via steering column stalks and buttons. You just have to remember that the hazard light switch is in the headliner – logically paired with the emergency call button also located there.
Stylish: The Dynaudio system, which can also turn the P7 into a boombox
The Dynaudio speaker system with Dolby Atmos ensures good sound quality. The inherently good idea of additional external speakers, turning the P7 into a boombox, is distinctly Chinese.
You can choose between three driving modes that change the pedal response curve – steering and suspension are less affected. As mentioned, the driving behavior remains consistently benign; those who push it too far are quickly reined in by the driving assistants, as fun or true driving dynamics are less in demand in China. Here, a Tesla is noticeably more agile. The base model starts with a 276 HP electric motor, while the all-wheel-drive version increases output to 473 HP and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds. In Germany, the top speed is limited to 200 km/h.
Ready for semi-autonomous driving – theoretically
For this, Xpeng also upgrades the driving assistance: The "XPilot" driving assistant uses five HD millimeter-wave radar systems, 12 ultrasonic sensors, four surround-view cameras, and seven highly sensitive cameras to scan the surroundings and drive semi-autonomously up to Level 2+, which worked to some extent. The lane change assistant and voice command were only partially available. However, it was less aggressive in constantly reminding the driver – we've encountered much more annoying systems from China.
Of the up to 576 kilometers range (505 kilometers with all-wheel drive), we had about 400 kilometers remaining, which is acceptable for the 86.2-kWh battery: Depending on the weather and driving style, consumption averages around 20 kWh, and on our rather moderate summer drive, it can even have a one in front. Peak charging can reach up to 175 kW, and the charge from ten to eighty percent is supposed to be done within 29 minutes.
All in all, these are attractive values, although you can see in details that the P7 has been on the market for a few years, especially in direct comparison to the more modern SUV G9. But the price is also attractive: The nearly 4.9-meter-long slim sedan could start in Germany from under 50,000 euros (gross) as of 2024. However, exact information on when and where and with which dealers will start is still somewhat awaited.
What does this mean?
The Xpeng P7 impresses with elegance and avoids major blunders, but: it also doesn’t set any striking highlights that would make you prefer it over another brand. What is typical for China is the competence in body and design along with an average chassis and equally average digitalization. This is why the P7 integrates seamlessly into the range of affordable yet elegant business sedans – with a starting price of under 50,000 euros definitely helping its cause.
Translated automatically from German.
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