The Zeekr 001 is a Chinese car built in China, but I feel very little Chinese about it. This is because it was designed in Sweden, home to Geely brand Volvo and Polestar. It has been sold in China for about 5 years, but it has just become available in Europe, where I have come to live with it for a week. This is not equal to the new, only Chinese model, but this five-year-old Chinese EV is still feeling ahead of the pack in Europe. The new 001 you can buy in China today is a renewed model with an upgraded 800 volt architecture; it charges faster and more European 001 is an old 400 volt version and lacks the improvements seen in the Chinese version.
It feels like a lot of high quality cars for a starting price of €58,500 here in Romania. Before driving it, I thought of the 001 as an alternative budget to the Porsche Taikan Sport Turismo it is in many ways. But after spending some time with it, I realized that it's not trying to imitate Porsche or any other brand, it may be a premium brand built around precision engineering, but it's more than just a Porsche rival. It's not perfect, and there are some things I want to change about it, but it should worry legacy luxury brands. The 001 has a distinctive LED daytime running light streak, with headlights hidden behind the smoke panel below, making it look sporty and a bit sinister.
Even though it is almost the same size as the Porsche, it's really amazing how big it looks close to the Taikan Sports Turismo as it looks like a size-class vehicle on top.The Zeekr has a width of 1.3 inches (3.3 cm), a height of 6.1 inches (15.6 cm) and a wheelbase of 118.3 inches (3.005 m), which is 4.1 inches (10.5 cm) longer than the Porsche wheelbase.These numbers explain why the Zeekr sits much higher and why the rear seats have much more capacity. It's about the same height as the Makan EV, but it can well hide the extra height when viewed from the side. My tester had an optional height-adjustable air suspension that transforms the look of the car when set to its low settings.
Read More: Pebble Flow Review: I Experienced the Future of EV Camping
But the best part of the design is its rear end. The sporty, sloping fast-back rear end has a full width light bar with a cluster of blade elements that lights up individually, giving it a very sleek look. Of course, it has animation when you lock and unlock it, using extensive rear lighting to full effect. The privilege tester of my best range came with some impressive diamond-cut 22-inch wheels, a phantom black look and really I thought it made the car look a little more modest than some of the lighter available shades, but people couldn't take their eyes off it. I got a couple of thumbs from a few people on the sidewalk. When was the last time you drove something with this attention from an established premium brand?
My privileged trim Tester had everything you could ask for. There are even more expensive sports edition trims, but they do not add extra toys.Orange brake calipers, unique 22-inch wheels, orange interior theme, etc., just bring cosmetic changes. The car I drove was a black and gray interior with copper detailing, with little to criticize. Copper accents (including contrasting stitching) give the cabin a unique atmosphere and a lot of personality, giving it a nice look and feel. Only the steering wheel has real leather, but the animal-friendly alternative used throughout the cabin feels good and does not spoil its luxurious aspirations.
The steering wheel is comfortable in the hand and looks pretty sporty, while the Prong's 2 touchpad looks like a bad idea. Just touching the area on either pad will show the function of the head-up display, and over time you will learn where to press to raise or lower the media volume, but that just seems unnatural. Zeeker addressed this and gave the wheel face lifted 001 (available in China) a physical button. I can't wait for that update to make it here. Adjusting the driving position to fit my six-foot frame with fairly long legs, I had to have a seat closer to the pedal than I felt comfortable because it just didn't come as close to me as I wanted that there wasn't enough reach adjustment for the steering column.
I could have used the extended thigh support to feel even more comfortable. But this was not a deal breaker and after a while I got used to driving positions. It's not as good as a BMW or Porsche, where you can sit much lower and get the steering wheel much closer, which is what you want if you are an avid driver. Overall, the fact that the driving position of the 001 is closer to the crossover than the sports car can not be avoided. I'm not a big screen fan stuck in the middle of the dashboard. But you need to use one in 001 for most car features. When switching menus, it sometimes hangs for seconds, but the 15-inch unit looks and runs fine, with good graphics and minimal lag.
Read More: Hyundai Ioniq 9 Performance Review: Smooth, Powerful, and Surprisingly Agile
It should run smoothly, too, because the car gets a little bigger and better OLED screen in China which has more processing power. I have to give the backseat a shout, it was great. The franchise electrically tilts the rear backrest just enough and allows you to recline to really relax on long trips. The rear seats are also heated, and there is a 7.7-inch touch screen where you can adjust the climate and media settings, or change the color of the surrounding lighting.You would expect an electric car the size of 001 to be heavy, and you would be absolutely right. The 7X and 7GT operate at 800 volts and have the highest charging power of any EV available in Europe, while the 001 does at peak charging speeds of 400 volts and 200kW.
That's not a bad figure, and between 30-10% in 80 minutes is still a good thing. But there is a much better kit on the shelves of Zeekr and I hope the 800 volt 001 upgrade will come here soon. Depending on how you drive, you may find yourself charging 001 quite often, especially if you take it to the highway or speed limit. Before I took out the car on a faster road my average was just driving around town about 2.37 miles/kWh (26.2kWh/100km), i.e. 220 miles (360km) on a full battery. The suspension of the 001 was really impressive. My best range tester had a height-adjustable adaptive air suspension that ironed road defects remarkably well, even with the 22-inch wheels that come as a privilege standard.
The car was really good at dipping bumps and even going on bad roads. The suspension went about its business in a very quiet way It's not as good as the BMW i5 Touring M60, but it's more sporty than any other Chinese car I've ever driven and has its own character. The steering is very light and almost completely without feedback even in sports mode, but this is true for most new cars today. The soundproofing was also very good. Buying a 001 in Europe makes a lot of sense given how much it costs and how much (a very premium feeling) the car you get for the money The base car here in Romania starts at € 58,500, and if you need an all-wheel drive powertrain of 544 hp, it is an extra € 5,000. It's a good idea.
My privileged tester costs €68,000, but this is pretty reasonable for what you're getting. The top trim, the sports version, bumped the price to €70,500, and it's worth considering its cosmetic changes that give the car a more positive attitude. It's definitely a worthy rival for a car that costs over €100,000, and it leaves me wanting in very few areas. It is also a much rarer sight on European roads than anything from a Porsche or BMW, making it a unique choice. Already, it is one of the few large and sporty electric fastbacks you can buy today. Having experienced Zeekr cars before and knew the standards they were aiming for, I had high expectations for the 001. Despite that age, Zeeker still left me quite impressed.
Read More: 2027 BMW X5 Hybrid and iX5 EV Review: A Bold New Era for BMW’s Iconic SUV
Comments
Post a Comment