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Is the Xpeng G9 be better than the KIA EV6 AWD?

Having changed from a EV6 AWD, where 60000km were performed faultlessly, I was concerned if the Xpeng G9 could match the high standard set by the KIA. So lets see how the G9 has done so far!

Buying a Chinese Car. Never having thought of owning a Chinese car, it was going to take a lot of convincing to move from the KIA experience to Xpeng which is literally just starting to launch cars in Europe. So we spent several hours test driving, charging and checking the comfort / functionality of the car. Checking a review made by Autogefuhl (Sep 2023) who reckoned the hardware (Build Quality) was great but the software needed improvement. Well Xpeng have significantly improved the Software and although there are some bugs the overall quality of the navigation (developed by TomTom), self driving and self parking is really on a par with the best that there is. Finally, the support and service availability. 

Well, starting with the design of the car(4/5), at first I have to say that the EV6 was more sporty looking. The G9 design is imposing,  in a practical, understated and solid way. Perhaps not a bad thing when you need a reliable form of transport, that can cope with all your daily demands.

External Build Quality(5/5), something that Tesla and some other have struggled with.  Cleaning the car, is in my opinion the best way to find out how the good the quality is. Washing the panels you see how good the paint is, how well the components are fixed together, how even the panel gaps are, how smooth the inner joints / edges are and of course are all the bits well screwed on. After 40+ years of car washing , the G9 is the best “put together” car I have ever had. It seems to demonstrate the attention to detail that Xpeng have show at the factory.

Internal Build Quality(5/5), again the fit & finish, standard of materials used, e.g. Nappa Leather seats, soft touch on the dash and doors, are all way above what one expects from this price level of car. Mercedes, BMW, Audi, none of these give a better feeling of comfort and quietness – traditional western manufacturers need to look out.

Comfort(5/5). Having test driven the main competitors, the G9 just made you feel very comfortable in those heated, ventilated & massage 8 program) seats.  All 4 seats have heated and massage, rear seats miss out on ventilation. Having Radio, Apps (including You Tube), media options there is no shortage of options for playing / watching high quality audio on the superb speaker system. Quietness in the cabin is very good, with wind noise etc. minimal.

Performance(5/5)  For a medium large SUV the performance is outstanding. 0-100km in 3.9secs is incredible plus the range of 500km (summer) is staggering especially when the charging rate is up to 330kw with a good charging curve. Lane Centre Control(LCC) provides a good level of driving assistance when on the motorway and the overtaking function is smooth and quick. Parking Assistance is 1st class as with one button the car quickly finds available spaces and once selected is quick and accurate even in extremely tight spaces.

Range(5/5) Having driven over 2500km mixed driving, motorways, country roads and inner city, with daytime temperatures 17-24c, charging to 90% gives a real range of 425km. Extrapolating to 100% charge the range is approx. 470km, not quite 520km, but given this includes high speed motorway driving, this is great.

So after 5 weeks and one Over The Air(OTA) update, the experience has been outstanding and although the Kia EV6 is a great EV the Xpeng G9 is the clear winner.

Congratulations to All At Xpeng – G9a great EV