Zeekr X AWD 2025 review

With the Australian automotive manufacturing industry now a thing of the past, and thus any tariff protections also gone, our new-vehicle market has become one of the most heavily populated in the world.

Yet that hasn’t stopped the recent onslaught of (mostly electric) Chinese brands from arriving – almost a new one every month.

Names like Xpeng, Deepal, Leapmotor and Zeekr are all unfamiliar to Australian-born ears, yet you can expect to hear a lot more about Zeekr in the coming months.

A premium sub-brand of Geely – itself the owner of Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, which is set to launch its own Geely-branded EV, the EX5, here in February ’25 – the Zeekr line-up also includes the ultra-plush 009 electric people-mover and, later in 2025, the slick 7X electric SUV with 800-volt architecture, intended to show up the Tesla Model Y.

In the meantime, Zeekr’s premium-mainstream aspirations rest on the shoulders of the small-to-mid-sized X.

Riding on the same SEA platform as the Volvo EX30 (and the Smart #1 and #3), the Zeekr X shares its powertrains and outputs with those vehicles but has a highly unique aesthetic – both its sharply styled exterior and its plushly individual interior.

Two Zeekr X variants are available in Australia – a single-motor 200kW/343Nm RWD version (for $56,900 before on-road costs) and a dual-motor 315kW/543Nm AWD version (for $64,900 before on-road costs). We’re testing the AWD.

What are the X AWD’s features and options for the price?

Both Zeekr X variants are comprehensively equipped, though the $8K-dearer AWD version boasts a tempting array of additional extras, aside from its front electric motor. Our test car also featured an Interior Colour Package ($500) in Midnight Blue and Polar White.

Exclusive standard equipment of the Zeekr X AWD includes:

• 20-inch forged alloy wheels
• Intelligent B-pillar display
• Six-way electric front passenger seat
• Heated/cooled front seats with four-way electric lumbar
• Driver’s seat memory
• Heated steering wheel
• 24.3-inch augmented reality head-up display
• 13-speaker Yamaha surround-sound audio
• ‘Ice Block’ LED ambient lighting

This is in addition to the extensive equipment of the Zeekr X RWD:

• Two-tone paint (with black roof)
• Panoramic tinted glass roof
• Frameless heated/auto-folding rear-view mirrors
• Charcoal Black/Stone Grey two-tone cabin
• Six-way electric driver’s seat
• 8.8-inch HD instrument cluster
• 14.6-inch centre touchscreen
• Connected service network (5G/WiFi/WiFi hotspot)
• OTA upgrade capability
• Wireless Apple CarPlay
• Wired Android Auto
• Digital key
• Wireless phone charging
• Dual-zone climate control
• Rear B-pillar air vents

The optional $500 Interior Colour Package adds:

• Midnight Blue/Polar White or Mulberry/Rose two-tone trim
• Microfibre headlining (in Polar White or Mulberry)

How does the X AWD drive?

Riding on a 2750mm wheelbase – 100mm longer than its Volvo EX30 cousin – the Zeekr X is a less overtly sporting car than the sharp-handling, firm-riding Volvo.

Its intent is very much centred around refinement and effortless operation. But do its driving dynamics support its luxe appearance?

In terms of its powertrain, the Zeekr X AWD couldn’t be better served. Packing a serious 315kW and 543Nm, this slightly tubby 1960kg EV has a penchant for pace – but not uncomfortably so.

Unlike some of its contemporaries, which possess light-switch-style accelerator response and accelerative urge, the dual-motor Zeekr rounds off the edges beautifully.

At 3.8sec from zero to 100km/h, it’s a rapid machine, but it achieves this with well-calibrated progression and luxurious smoothness, rather than being slap-in-the-face brusque.

Its single-setting regenerative braking is also satisfyingly seamless, with not quite one-pedal-mode operation, though the ability to pause at standstill via an auto-hold setting. Given the Zeekr X’s intended station in life, it has an easy, breezy effectiveness that blends pleasingly with its excellent powertrain.

The X’s steering maintains this well-polished vibe with consistent weighting and nicely measured turn-in response – in contrast to the ultra-sharp EX30 – which enables the Zeekr’s steering to be left in Sport mode (instead of Normal or Light) without any muddiness or heftiness detracting from the driving experience.

Sport’s meatier weighting disguises any numbness at straight ahead, and it seems to blend with the Zeekr’s chassis best.

Once the rounded-square steering wheel approaches or passes through a quarter-turn of lock, the Zeekr X begins to engage its suspension – bringing the multi-link IRS into play for a satisfying degree of cornering poise and involvement.

But that only really applies on smoothly surfaced roads. Add bumps to the mix – as per huge swathes of Australia’s country-road network – and the Zeekr’s composure quickly diminishes.

Unfortunately, this is yet another EV that doesn’t ride particularly well, even though it appears to have the suspension travel and decent sidewall height from 245/45R20 Continental tyres. It just never quite settles, and the more you ask of it ride-wise, the greater its composure shortfalls.

In a straight line, the Zeekr X reacts off bumps, defensively deflecting itself when it should be quietly absorbing. And this is exacerbated in corners, where the Zeekr becomes quite flustered as it attempts to maintain its handling balance while trying to smooth the road surface.

Ultimately, it achieves neither … though the ragged outcome can be perverse fun.

It transmits a degree of suspension noise as well, with rear passengers more audibly and physically affected by this bump-thump, and when all four wheels are pattering away underneath, all four frameless-door windows creak away against their rubber seals.

The Zeekr X’s rubberiness and seeming lack of travel on bumpy roads points to a need for a complete suspension retune. And yet it somehow doesn’t feel too underdamped or lacking in body control like many Chinese contemporaries.

There’s clearly a disconnect between its superb powertrain, promising suspension hardware and underdone dynamic ability, and the classy Zeekr X deserves a thorough solution.

What is the X AWD’s interior and tech like?

Once you pulse its hidden door release (behind an auto-retracting flap), notice the frameless windows drop slightly and swing the Zeekr’s door open, its money shot is revealed – its interior.

From its diamond-patterned dash-top that looks like rain droplets to its fully upholstered doors and soft-touch armrests, there’s a feeling of subtle expense inside the Zeekr X that will likely appeal to many people – not just design aesthetes.

That said, the Zeekr’s liberal deployment of rose-gold finishes – best displayed by its aircraft-inspired, zinc-alloy power window switches – is proudly Chinese in its aesthetic, though the treatment is reasonably subtle.

The standard interior features a Charcoal Black dashtop, outer steering-wheel rim, and lower dash and door inserts, contrasted with refreshingly light Stone Grey everywhere else.

But cough up another $500 and you could have the Midnight Blue and Polar White like our test car – supposedly inspired by antique Chinese porcelain – which introduces a real point of visual difference, as well as luxuriously soft microfibre headlining and sunvisor trim.

In an era of depressingly dark and unimaginative interiors, even the standard black/grey two-tone is a revelation.

And the materials feel high-quality as well – backed by superb six-way electric front seats with heating/cooling and surprisingly supple perforated fake-leather trim, plus excellent bottle holders in the front doors.

There’s good room in the rear-seat, too, as well as more interesting design elements and a properly tinted all-glass roof.

Thing is, none of the Zeekr’s side glass appears to have any tinting – meaning no upper tint grading for the windscreen, or rear privacy glass. And in bright sun or extreme glare – aspects that define Australian weather – the Zeekr X demands very dark sunglasses to compensate.

Most controls are relatively straightforward and the Zeekr’s 14.6-inch touchscreen is quite classy and easy to use.

Snaps for the absolutely superb vision ahead of the B-pillars (if not over-the-shoulder due to the rising beltline); brickbats for the Zeekr’s maddening unmarked steering-wheel controls.

The 13-speaker Yamaha audio sounds reasonably strong, scattering metal-meshed speakers throughout the interior.

And the 362-litre boot isn’t too bad for a 4.4m-long small SUV – accessed via an electric tailgate with one of the simplest push-button arrangements in the business.

Is the X AWD a safe car?

The Zeekr X received a five-star rating when independently tested by the ANCAP safety authority in 2024 – scoring 91 percent for adult occupant protection, 87 percent for child occupant protection, 84 percent for vulnerable road user protection, and 84 percent for safety assist systems.

Standard safety equipment on the Zeekr X:

• Seven airbags including front centre airbag
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
• Automated Parking Assist (APA)
• Automatic High Beam (AHB)
• Blind Spot Detection (BSD)
• Door Opening Warning (DOW)
• Digital Video Recorder (DVR)
• Driver Performance Support (DPS)
• Evasive Manoeuvre Assist (EMA)
• Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
• Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM)
• Front Cross Traffic Assist (FCTA)
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
• Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
• Parking Assist System (PAS)
• Parking Emergency Brake (PEB)
• Rear Collision Warning (RCW)
• Rear Cross Traffic Assist (RCTA)
• Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• 360 Visual Park AssistLow-Speed Pedestrian Warning Sound

While most of these active-safety systems are well-calibrated, particularly the adaptive cruise control, which works well in Australian road conditions.

However, the speed-limit recognition is flawed, the ‘Distractive Drive Carefully’ attention alert frequently calls false negatives (and fumbles its English), the forward distance alert is infuriatingly conservative and the Digital Video Recorder must surely be a joke. Take a corner with even the tiniest amount of verve and the Zeekr starts filming you!

What are the X AWD’s ownership costs?

Zeekr’s quoted official electric range of 470km for the X AWD is measured according to the misleading ADR81/02 or NEDC standard, not the more realistic, increasingly common WLTP standard. In WLTP terms, the Zeekr X AWD is rated at around 400km, while the rear-drive version achieves 440km.

In comparison, Volvo’s smaller and 150kg-lighter EX30 Dual Motor is quoted at 445km WLTP.

Based on our total mileage in the Zeekr X AWD, which included quite a bit of freeway driving, we averaged 19.1kWh/100km, which calculated to around 335km of range on a full charge.

But in a purely urban context, the energy consumption we achieved worked out at 410km, so in its favoured environment, the dual-motor Zeekr appears capable of matching its 400km of WLTP range claim.

A 10-80 percent charge takes around 30 minutes, at a maximum DC charge rate of 150kW. The AWD can also be fully charged via an 11kW wallbox, which takes around seven hours.

Recommended service intervals are every two years or 40,000km, which is impressive, though you’ll pay $690 for that service when it arrives. Zeekr Australia currently doesn’t offer any service packages, though these are in the works, along with future capped-price servicing costs.

Zeekr’s new-vehicle warranty in Australia is five years/unlimited kilometres, with included five years of roadside assistance and a five-year connected services subscription.

The honest verdict on the X AWD

Ultimately, it’s not so easy to pin down the essence of the driving personality of a Zeekr X – perhaps because it doesn’t really have one. That’s a pity because an EV with a powertrain as polished and punchy as this deserves to complement that with great ride and handling.

And much the same applies to its interior finish and comfort – both of which are deeply impressive, for the most part.

A car as classy and seat-comfy as the Zeekr X really should support that with a suitably plush ride, but it fails here as well. Not by a huge margin, but enough to leave you with a degree of disappointment.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be judging the Zeekr X’s dynamic failings according to its undoubted wins elsewhere, though it’s hard not to when a thorough suspension makeover might completely transform it.

Perhaps we should be judging the Zeekr X against its Chinese contemporaries because few rivals come anywhere close to matching its high-design, high-quality, highly individual interior, or even its distinctive styling.

Many buyers are going to utterly adore the Zeekr X. But this promising EV is still one comprehensive makeover away from achieving greatness.