The Xpeng G6 is a Tesla Mannequin Y-sized electrical SUV and the primary providing in Australia from rising Chinese language automobile maker Xpeng, and it was on present for the primary time this weekend on the Electrical SUV expo in Melbourne.
Not solely was the automobile being showcased, however to my shock, I even received an opportunity to check trip in a single, or at the least be in a single as Tom from Ludicrous Feed took the controls.
However it was sufficient to get a way of the standard and the choices on this car, which in lots of respects will get nearer to the top-selling Tesla Mannequin Y than some other. It’s already out there for order, for a $1,000 deposit, however the precise worth particulars have but to be launched.
So listed below are some key takeaways from the expertise after spending round half-hour in a single, together with the take a look at trip across the streets of South Melbourne.
Beginning with the look, the design is extra angular on the entrance and rear of the automobile which might assist its effectivity of the automobile when on the highway, and it has indicators and working lights that assist it stand out from the pack.
This Lengthy-Vary mannequin which Xpeng calls simply “Lengthy” comes with a bigger 87.5 kWh battery providing a variety of as much as 570 km.
Contained in the automobile, there have been clear variations between the G6 and lots of different EVs in the marketplace. Initially, the software program which though appeared fairly “Tesla-like” had some distinctive options, together with full integration with Android Auto and Apple Carplay.
On high of that, the software program itself felt very intuitive and the menus had been straightforward to observe. One space which was fairly fascinating to watch was the animation that exhibits the motive force what lots of the settings will do to the automobile’s behaviour and dynamics on the highway.
Previous that, the customisation of the practically 15-inch panorama display screen was additionally fairly straightforward with Xpeng’s consumer interface (UI) providing plenty of variations to the app icons which seem on the backside part of the display screen whereas the automobile is being pushed.
On the highway, the consolation ranges and the cabin noise even over bumpy roads was fairly good and up there with many equally sized electrical SUVs.
In response to Tom, the regenerative braking was an enchancment over his BYD Seal and was very near that skilled in EVs that supply one-pedal drive.
On the drive, the automobile was in a position to choose up site visitors alerts and their standing together with bikes and different highway customers round it in actual time.
Inserting the automobile into reverse prompts a number of digital camera angles and even in low gentle circumstances of an underground automobile park, it offered a transparent view of the rear and repeater cameras on the primary infotainment display screen.
From the start of the drive, the automobile was in a position to see the whole lot round it and visualisations had been displayed on the centre display screen in addition to on the display screen behind the steering wheel.
As quickly because the automobile moved from the automobile park into the daylight, the infotainment display screen became gentle mode which a couple of well-liked EVs take a little bit of time to regulate to their setting. This was not the case for the G6.
The automobile’s moon roof additionally made the rear of the automobile fairly a spacious place to be in and the seats felt fairly tender and good.
That is probably the closest system to that seen on Tesla autos and supplies a number of confidence for after we can take a look at the autonomous capabilities of the G6 with an extended take a look at drive within the coming months.
The automobile’s moon roof additionally made the rear of the automobile fairly a spacious place to be in and the seats felt fairly tender and good.
After the preliminary take a look at trip, we sit up for spending a bit extra time with the automobile to see the way it performs on longer drives on Australian roads.
Full video of the test-ride expertise on YouTube
Riz is the founding father of carloop primarily based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV knowledge, perception experiences and developments. He’s a mechanical engineer who spent the primary 7 years of his profession constructing transport infrastructure earlier than beginning carloop. He has a ardour for automobiles, significantly EVs and desires to assist scale back transport emissions in Australia. He at the moment drives a pink Tesla Mannequin 3.