At the launch of the Euro-focused Xpeng G6 in a storm-battered Portugal, representatives of the brand were on hand and keen to press journalists and influencers for their thoughts on the car that the company hoped would steal the Tesla Model Y’s thunder in Europe.
In a situation like this, it’s common to default to short but sweet answers, keeping them relatively generic so as not to offend anyone and saving the really juicy stuff for the resulting article. But that’s not what Xpeng wanted to hear.
Its crew of engineers wanted real talk on the noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), the ride comfort, the quality of the interior and the capabilities of its myriad advanced safety systems —they wanted the good, the bad and the ugly.
Fast-forward less than a year and it becomes clear as to why our small group was quizzed for such answers, as a revised model landed in the UK sporting no fewer than 20,000 incremental developments, fresh battery chemistry, faster charging times and improved performance.
Not wanting to be left behind by Tesla’s recent “Highland” refresh, even the interior underwent some relatively seismic changes to improve the overall ambience, making it feel like a more premium proposition… a bit like Tesla did.
Where legacy automakers typically adhere to a seven-year lifecycle, where models might receive an update or facelift three or four years after the vehicle first enters mass production, Chinese manufacturers seemingly play by a different set of rules.
The updated Xpeng G6 is real proof of China's speed and real proof that the company wants to be more than a ‘Temu Tesla’. It wants to usurp it.
Fresh styling
The model that Xpeng is pushing in the UK and the one I recently drove is the All-Wheel-Drive Performance Black Edition that, quite predictably, mixes potent dual motors with sporty touches that help it keep up with those performance-orientated models from another well-known EV brand.
In fact, the 480bhp produced by the system is capable of propelling the shapely SUV from 0-62mph in a shade over four seconds, which would see it just about hold its own against a Model Y Performance.
You also get striking 20-inch alloy wheels, a smoked black exterior trim and a more subdued grey-tone interior that is upholstered in a soft touch suede for a more premium and performance-orientated ambience.
It’s not offensive in any way, but it's a shame Xpeng didn’t carve out its own distinct design direction when it entered Europe
For an outfit that wants to be known as “a tech company that also makes cars,” it comes as no surprise that this updated version also comes with a full-width light-bar… although this time it’s at the front, as opposed to Tesla’s rear.
The refresh makes the vehicle look more futuristic and tech-focused, but it also feels very generic.
It’s not offensive in any way, but it's a shame Xpeng didn’t carve out its own distinct design direction when it entered Europe.
With European brands such as Renault, Mini and Peugeot all pushing for unique styling that often nod to the past, the Xpeng feels very much like an appliance.
Changes under the skin
As previously mentioned, Xpeng says it has employed some 20,000 ‘intelligent refinements’ over its predecessor, with things like chassis and suspension tuning tweaked to better handle the UK’s rutted roads, improved sound deadening and more predictable powertrain behavior.
In essence, much of the feedback from the initial European car launch likely surrounded the way it drove and handled, with Xpeng subsequently tweaking things to address this.
As a result, the accelerator now pedal feels more predictable and allows for better modulation, while the suspension set-up feels a little firmer for improved body control through corners.
There’s still a distinct lack of feeling through the steering wheel and firming it up through the central touchscreen still makes it feel overly heavy, but the overall ambience in the cockpit is improved thanks to the work on noise, vibration and harshness, particularly at highway speeds.
The cabin has undergone some of the most sizable changes, with the dashboard and pillars now trimmed in more premium feeling leather-effect material, an ‘optimized’ steering wheel design (although I couldn’t tell the difference) and ambient lighting throughout the cabin.
Occupants in the rear still get masses of head and leg room, while the huge amount of glass makes the cabin feel airy and spacious... like a Tesla.
Those sitting in the front are also treated to swanky new seats that feature heating, ventilation and massaging functionality. Apologies if the parallels with a certain Californian EV company are getting boring, but yes, this is exactly what happened with the recent Model 3 and Model Y.
Smoother technology
The previous generation G6 impressed me with its battery technology, offering 354-miles of range from the larger battery pack and an 800V architecture that facilitates the sort of ultra-rapid charging that Tesla is yet to roll out.
That said, Xpeng has gone with a new 80.8kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery in the update, eliminating the need for precious metals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese, it claims.
Xpeng has gone with a new 80.8kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery in the update, eliminating the need for precious metals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese, it claims
As a result, range is down to 316-miles in the AWD Performance model on the official WLTP cycle, while RWD Long Range variants get a max range of 326-miles, which generally feel like more realistic numbers anyway.
This new chemistry does allow for a peak charging power of 451kW, seeing off 10-80% top-ups in as little as 12 minutes from the appropriate outlets.
That’s up there with some of the fastest charging cars currently on sale in Europe, marking it out as a clear leader in its segment.
The Xmart operating system has also received an upgrade, with a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chipset improving the speed and responsiveness of the infotainment system.
New features, same problems
While the improvements in cabin quality and a reduction in charging times are both welcome, many of the other updates have had very little impact on the way the G6 drives or feels like to live with everyday.
It remains massively roomy, nicely airy inside and very easy to hop in and drive, but it does very little else beyond that.
There’s absolutely no emotion here, very little driver engagement and the added performance of the, erm, Performance edition is a waste of money, unless you really enjoy going very fast in a straight line.
Sure, the infotainment might be slicker to operate, but it also remains deeply frustrating to use at times, with simple functionality buried within submenus. Despite driving the original, I still couldn’t fathom how to change the angle of the door mirrors.
Asking the “Hey Xpeng”voice assistant didn’t help much either, as it didn’t understand the term ‘wing mirror’, so I had to use several variations of this phrase until it took me to the correct menu.
The infotainment might be slicker to operate, but it also remains deeply frustrating to use at times
It is a similar story with the numerous autonomous driving and parking features that, on the whole, work fine but certainly not seamlessly. The Xpilot Driving aggressively tries to keep the car in a lane when activated, leading to a ‘jerky’ feeling when traveling along the highway at speed.
Similarly, the autonomous parking typically picks out a space quickly, but then lacks the speed or finesse to execute the maneuver with confidence. So I stopped using it.
This latest iteration is tangibly better than its short-lived predecessor, but it also possesses a lot of the same problems. With no real character of its own, it just looks like a cut-price Tesla, without the added bonus of that marque’s extensive Supercharger network.
Again, it’s perfectly fine if you want to boycott Elon, or simply save some cash, but this is yet another Chinese EV that feels remarkably generic.
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