mReview: Zeekr X Standard RWD – New Kid On The Block

After sampling the Zeekr X in China a while back, I finally got to try a Singapore-spec version, and it’s just as good as I remembered.

In the last few months, the Zeekr brand has moved from outside-looking-in to a bona fide competitor in the ultra-competitive EV market. They’ve opened a permanent showroom and released the X and 009 as their opening salvo. 

The X is available in Singapore in two variants, the Standard (single-motor, rear-wheel drive) and the Flagship (dual-motor, all-wheel drive). Our test car is the Standard variant this time, after having already tried the Flagship version in Hangzhou in June 2024. 

18-inch rims come standard on the Standard with 19s standard on the Flagship.

After that initial taste test of the Zeekr X, I remember being very impressed with how the car handled and how well balanced it was out on track. The good news is that I was similarly impressed with it after driving around our city streets. 

The ride quality is lovely, soaking up bumps and the many imperfections in our roads with ease and subtlety. It manages to accomplish this without losing any of the aforementioned good balance either, so it still holds its own through the twisties should you feel sporty. 

The interior comes in three two-tone colourways.

Though this might not be the 422hp, 543Nm, 3.8 second 0-100km/h, all-wheel drive version of the Zeekr X, our RWD test car is hardly a slouch. It still has the same 66kWh battery mated to a single electric motor on the rear axle that makes 268hp and 343Nm of torque, enough to hit 100km/h from nought in 5.6 seconds. That’s plenty rapid and firmly in hot-hatch territory. 

“The Zeekr X isn’t a hatchback though!” I hear you cry. Frankly, although the X is officially an SUV, in my eyes, it falls under the same category as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, that being somewhere in between an SUV and a hatchback. 

Pedantics aside, the X is an interesting looking vehicle, with thin, almost insect-like DRLs and a gaping maw of a front fascia. The body lines are sharp, taking inspiration from the lines of the Zeekr logo. At the back, the electric tailgate houses a rear LED light bar as well as a fancy 3D “Zeekr” emblem. 

Under-armrest-centre-console storage is a cubby on the Standard and a fridge on the Flagship.

The interior is straight out of the modern EV design textbook, with almost no buttons and a giant screen dominating the dashboard. The cabin is minimalist to the max, the door handles have been reduced to a single unlabelled button and not even the steering wheel buttons have any labels.

Interior quality is up to par with the premium positioning that Zeekr has given itself. The fit and finish are all pretty good with an upscale feel and nice materials used for all the major touch surfaces. Some cheap-feeling plastics detract a little from the experience but I’m splitting hairs here. 

Up to 1,182 litres of boot space with the rear seats folded down.

Despite being a compact SUV, the Zeekr X has plenty of space in the rear for taller passengers. The floor is totally flat, which helps with wiggle room but the centre console does jut out a bit into the legspace of the centre seat which means some manspreading may be required.

As with any other modern EV, especially those from China, the Zeekr X has a whole host of features that come as standard with the car. Things like adaptive cruise control and a 360˙ camera are fairly common nowadays but still nice to have and they work very well on the X.

The only car I've ever seen with a built-in PA system.

Where the X stands out feature-wise is its AI assistant. Unfortunately, Eva has died. The “Hello Eva” voice command I saw in China to wake the AI assistant has been replaced by “Hello Zeekr” instead. Functionally, the AI assistant still works the same, it’s able to operate the windows, sunroof, air-conditioning and much more. The X also has a funky external loudspeaker function that you can use to broadcast music, your voice, or assorted sound effects to people outside the car. 

Just as I did several months ago in China, I came away from my Zeekr X drive very impressed with what the Geely group have managed to pull off with the young Zeekr brand. This is dynamically one of the best Chinese EVs I’ve driven to date and it's a proper quality product all round too. 

At around $220k with COE for the Standard and $235k with COE for the Flagship, the Zeekr X is also tremendous value with a killer dollar-to-horsepower ratio. Welcome to Singapore, Zeekr, I think you’ll enjoy your stay. 

Read More: mPreview: Zeekr 009 – Comfy Tiger, Happy Dragon

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