Deadlines with up to a ten-year warranty.
Zeekr 001 (in blue) and Zeekr X are the first two models from the Chinese giant Geely’s new brand Zeekr.
KameraStein Jarle Olsen / Tek.no
Published July 4
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Gothenburg (Tek.no): You don’t go more than a couple of hours away from the Norwegian border before you find yourself in an ever so small car melting pot.
The giant Chinese conglomerate Geely has built both a design and a development center in Gothenburg, naturally with the background that both Volvo and partly Polestar have existed here for a long time.
New Volvo sister
Now a new Geely brand is on its way to our latitudes, namely Zeekr. They position themselves as the most luxury and technology-oriented of the Geely brands, and aim at a younger audience than both Volvo and Polestar.
– Geely has a horizontal division between the brands, not a vertical one, as for example with Volkswagen. We share a platform, but otherwise the brands are quite free to carve their own path. Volvo focuses mostly on safety, Polestar on tough design and Zeekr is younger and more technology-focused, says Zeekr’s European manager Spiros Fotinos to Tek.no.
The Zeekr X was first shown at the Shanghai Motor Show in April. Now the company has just opened its doors in Europe.
KameraStein Jarle Olsen / Tek.no
First in the Zeekr venture are Sweden and the Netherlands, where the possibility of pre-ordering was opened before the weekend, but Norway is in the “next wave” during 2024, Fotinos says.
We were invited to the Swedish car capital to take a closer look at Zeekr’s first two models; the sleek station wagon Zeekr 001 and the compact SUV Zeekr X.
The former – which we also got to test drive – we don’t get the chance to talk about yet, so the focus in this matter will be the smaller and more affordable Zeekr X.
The Zeekr X is relatively identical in length to sister brand Volvo’s XC40 – but slightly less tall.
KameraStein Jarle Olsen / Tek.no
Compact SUV
The X is a compact SUV built on Geely’s SEA platform, which it shares with the Smart #1 and Volvo’s upcoming small SUV EX30, among others.
In terms of size, however, the Zeekr X is at least as comparable to Volvo’s XC40, with a length of 4.43 meters – and not least the Mercedes-Benz EQA, which is about the same length, only slightly taller.
KameraStein Jarle Olsen / Tek.no
The X comes in one version with rear and one with four-wheel drive, and the latter in particular is extremely agile. 315 kilowatts/428 horsepower and 0-100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds are the key figures. It is otherwise the same driveline as in the aforementioned EX30, but it is even slightly smaller and lighter and manages 0-100 in 3.6 seconds.
The rear-wheel drive version of the Zeekr X, on the other hand, gets 272 horsepower and still needs a fairly brisk 5.6 seconds for the 0-100 sprint. Both models can also tow a trailer of up to 1,600 kilograms.
KameraStein Jarle Olsen / Tek.no
Up to 440 kilometers WLTP
Also the battery pack of 69 kilowatt hours is apparently the same, which in the Zeekr X gives an estimated range of 440 kilometers in the rear-wheel drive variant and 400 kilometers in the four-wheel drive.
It must be said that these are not insanely impressive figures – the sister model Polestar 2, for example, squeezes out 495 kilometers of WLTP range from the same battery of 69 kilowatt hours and rear-wheel drive.
Another competitor, the Mercedes-Benz EQA, on the other hand, has 436 kilometers in its four-wheel drive version – and that from a battery of 66.5 kilowatt hours net.
Charging is done with up to 150 kilowatts, which should give 10-80 per cent in a scant 29 minutes under optimal conditions. On-board charger of 22 kilowatts is standard.
Cream, blue and rose gold give the interior of the Zeekr X a distinctive character.
KameraStein Jarle Olsen / Tek.no
Nice interior
On interior quality, the Zeekr X is apparently a notch above most of its closest competitors, with a very tasteful mix of cream leather, blue plastic trim and rose gold accents. This is a great place to be!
The interior is also elevated by a relatively gigantic panoramic glass roof that extends all the way from the windscreen up over the heads of the rear seat passengers. Zeekr X is also “packaged” impressively well when you look at the external dimensions, and it is clear that the SEA platform provides good conditions for interior space.
KameraStein Jarle Olsen / Tek.no
It is primarily spacious in both the first and second row of seats, and the rear seat passengers can also push the seats slightly under the front seats. The seat cushion is low and does not have much thigh support, but it is still a relatively comfortable place to be.
The panoramic roof also makes it airy in height, and with my 184 centimetres, I have to sit completely straight in the back for my head to hit the roof at the very back.
A slightly less boxy design than in the XC40 provides somewhat less luggage space (stated at 362 litres), but you also get a few liters in a space under the hood with space for charging cables or a shopping net or two.
Speech assistant in Norwegian
As mentioned, Zeekr also has a rather high focus on technology, which is shown, among other things, by the fact that the various USB ports around the cabin are marked with wattages.
Under the infotainment screen, for example, there is a 27-watt USB-A port and a 60-watt USB-C port, in addition to the wireless charger in the armrest delivering a solid 50 watts. We found the seats to be very comfortable, and you get heat in both front seats and ventilation in the driver’s seat.
50 watt wireless charging.
KameraStein Jarle Olsen / Tek.no
In addition, you get something Zeekr calls “stress relief vibration”, which means that sometimes quite powerful vibration motors in the seat and back provide a kind of alternative to massage. Admittedly, we have to doubt how much stress relief it provides – but you also get proper massage seats in the top Privilege model.
Plenty of space in the back seat – and an almost completely flat floor.
KameraStein Jarle Olsen / Tek.no
Zeekr has also chosen not to go for the Android Automotive system used by sister brands Volvo and Polestar, which we are told is partly about the fact that they themselves want to have control over the entire interface. We found the 14.6-inch infotainment screen easy and intuitive to navigate, with mostly flawless performance.
The car also comes with what should be a fairly advanced voice assistant in nine languages right from launch – including Norwegian.
Zeekr X comes without the traditional driving modes that most electric cars tend to have. Here you can set all parameters yourself.
KameraStein Jarle Olsen / Tek.no
Almost half a million
In terms of price, the Zeekr X starts at SEK 550,000 in Sweden, including VAT, while the version with four-wheel drive costs NOK 595,000. Customers who pre-order also get three years of service included.
As you know, in Norway we only have VAT on the amount that exceeds NOK 500,000, but NOK 550,000 is about exactly the same as a Tesla Model Y starts in Sweden, so we can perhaps use that figure as an estimate of what the car will cost in Norway .
A small screen on the B-pillar can tell you, for example, that the charging port is open.
KameraStein Jarle Olsen / Tek.no
A Model Y starts at approximately NOK 430,000 here on the mountain, after weight tax. By comparison, it has a range of 455 kilometers and does 0-100 in 6.9 seconds, but at the same time has far more interior space.
However, Zeekr tempts with a potentially very good guarantee scheme. A five-year warranty (or 100,000 km) is standard, but you can extend the warranty for up to a further five years (or 100,000 km) by having an annual service carried out at a Zeekr-approved workshop.
The battery warranty, on the other hand, is eight years or 200,000 km.
Apple experience
Fotinos in Zeekr also says that they currently do not want to be more specific than “2024”, all the while there are many things that need to be put in place before they enter a new country.
He also says that they initially do not want to use the Volvo network, as they seek to offer a “premium experience” that is inconsistent with outsourcing to external partners.
Mobile service is part of that, and where Zeekr does not have direct coverage, they aim for an “Apple model” with authorized partners.
Published July 4, 2023, 6:24 p.m
2023-07-04 16:24:01
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