LUXURY DONE CHINESE
In recent years, we have come to know and accept Chinese car brands as a staple in the automotive industry, especially fully electric vehicles.
That puts the Filipino consumer in a better position as they have more choices now while observers quietly claim that the equipment level of many of these Chinese vehicles have forced the Japanese and Korean mass-market legacy brands to up their offerings. Things like better safety, security, entertainment and convenience features in an effort to keep up with lower priced, better (perceived) value and thus more accessible models from China.
But what if China suddenly offered a premium brand offering expensive, highly refined and luxuriously appointed models loaded with tech to rival the best that Europe and Japan have to offer?
Take the Zeeker 01 for example. Key features include a 100 kWh battery offering a claimed range of up to 620 km (WLTP), comes in both Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) and All-Wheel Drive (AWD) versions, with the AWD model boasting 544 horsepower and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 3.8 seconds all the way to a 200kmh top speed. This is the model I tested and the power is equally matched by its refinement and driving dynamics. Other notable features include air suspension, a premium Surround-sound audio system co-developed with Yamaha, and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).
It rides on massive 22-inch forged wheels wrapped with Continental Premium Contact tires. The go is matched by powerful 4-piston front brake calipers, although the regenerative braking energy recovery makes these massive stoppers somewhat redundant. Inside, the tech continues with an impressive Infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 15.4-inch center screen, 8.9-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 5.7-inch rear touchscreen round out the otherwise minimalist dashboard.
The electronics is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip with 16GB of memory and 128GB of storage. Zeekr Intelligent voice assistant further improves hands-free infotainment operation, minimizing distractions while driving. Interestingly, being part of the Geely Automotive Group, the Zeekr’s in-car electronics / infotainment look very similar to corporate siblings Volvo (the XC90 in particular which I tried abroad) and the Lotus Emeya and Emira EVs of which the Zeekr shares its Sustainable Experience Atchitecture platform or SEA.
There’s also a tactility inside more in keeping with many luxury brands from Japan and Germany, plus a sense of heft in the controls lightly damped to bury the notchiness and grit. It truly feels premium, a substantial piece of complex engineering, not a flimsy disposable gadget. You get a choice of charcoal black or stone grey leather matched with other soft touch fabrics, complete with nice stylish stitching on the very comfortable yet very supportive power adjustable seats. And there is oodles of space inside the Zeekr, with the brand pitching it as a more stylish alternative to a traditional van or cross-over with better efficiency, aerodynamics (0.23 drag coefficient anyone?) and of course driving enjoyment should you feel like taking the wheel. Despite the passenger space and physics bending pace, the 01 also comes with a huge 539 liters of trunk space and a secondary 80-liter front trunk or frunk space. Drop the rear seats and you expand capacity to a massive 2,144 liters
On the open road, the Zeekr’s dynamic behavior belies its 2,470kg weight; on fast sweeping and narrow B-roads going up to Tagaytay and further onto Batangas, the Zeekr 01 doesn’t miss a beat, transitioning left-right-left with confidence albeit with considerable effort. It stops as urgently as it accelerates, the full 544hp available from the get-go, and the brakes together with the regenerative braking energy recovery really tame the heavy shooting brake body style EV easily and confidently.
It is truly and definitely polished in the way one expects a proper luxury car. The tech works, the car feels tight and solid, and more importantly, well put together such that it feels truly expensive. No doubt the influence of fellow Geely owned brands like Lotus, Volvo and Lynk and Co.
Objectively, it’s worth every single centavo of its P4.2 million asking price for the top-spec AWD 544hp variant. But are you willing to pay that much for a Chinese branded car?
