2026 Zeekr 7X AWD Performance Review — Grand Is An Understatement

Offer price: 233340

Currency: MYR

• Appearance - 8/10
  8/10
• Efficiency - 6.5/10
  6.5/10
• Features - 9/10
  9/10
• Materials - 9/10
  9/10
• Performance - 8.5/10
  8.5/10
• User Experience (UX) - 9/10
  9/10
• Value - 8/10
  8/10

Summary

The Zeekr 7X AWD Performance is one of the most complete luxury electric SUVs available in Malaysia today at its price point, and its competitors should be paying attention to it.

Overall

8.3/10

8.3/10

Pros

• The Air Suspension Is The AWD Performance’s Defining Advantage
• 646 PS That Does Not Bully You Into Using It
• The Interior Sets A New Reference Point For This Price Range
• 800V Architecture And 420 kW DC Charging Are Class-Leading
• The Value Case Against Its Direct Rivals Is Difficult To Dismiss

Cons

• The Exterior Design Does Not Make An Immediate Statement
• The Steering Leans Comfortable Over Communicative
• The AWD Performance Premium Over The Long Range Is A Meaningful Jump
• Zeekr’s Service Network Is Still Developing In Malaysia

• Shopee

Walkaround

There is a particular kind of car that does not arrive loudly. It does not need to. The Zeekr 7X AWD Performance belongs to that category. At RM233,340 on the road without insurance, it sits below the Tesla Model Y in price while offering a cabin, a suspension system, and a door mechanism that the Model Y does not match. That is an unusual position for a car to be in, and it deserves more attention than it has been getting.

The 7X takes what Zeekr calls a Hidden Energy design philosophy, which in practice means a composed, mature exterior that does not try to grab your attention from across a car park. The silhouette is clean, the body lines flow with tension rather than aggression, and the proportions at 4,787mm long with a 2,900mm wheelbase place this firmly in D-segment SUV territory despite how it is priced. It is longer, wider, and taller than the Model Y it undercuts.

What distinguishes the AWD Performance variant visually from its stablemates is the Zeekr Stargate Integrated Smart Light Curtain, a 93-inch strip of 1,831 LED beads stretching across the front of the car with a 310-degree field of view and a 30 fps refresh rate that the driver can personalise through the infotainment system. It is genuinely striking in the evenings, and it is the one exterior element that breaks from the restrained brief the rest of the design follows. The 20-inch multi-spoke wheels paired with orange Akebono brake calipers are the only other visual tell that this is the performance-focused variant. The 0.247cd drag coefficient means the aero work is happening in places you cannot easily see.

The AWD Performance variant also gets one-touch frameless automatic doors, which open and close at a single press of a button and include proximity sensors that prevent them from striking objects in tight car parks. It is a feature that sounds gimmicky until you actually use it a few times, and it gives the 7X an identity that nothing else in the segment offers at this price.

Inside, the step up in material quality over mainstream electric SUVs is apparent immediately. Soft-touch surfaces are used extensively, the stitching is fine and consistent, and the cabin has a layered, considered feel that aligns the 7X with traditional luxury SUV interiors rather than tech-forward EV cabins. The centre console and dashboard layout are clean and functionally zoned, which means the 16-inch Mini-LED display dominates the screen real estate without the rest of the interior feeling like an afterthought built around it.

The AWD Performance adds electric rear-window sunshades over the already comprehensive standard equipment, which on the RWD Long Range already includes power leather seats with memory, an AR head-up display with a 36.21-inch projection area, front seat ventilation and massage, the Zeekr Sound Pro 21-speaker system, and a 50W wireless phone charging pad. All variants also come with a panoramic sunroof with electric sunshade, tri-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry, and a 13.02-inch digital instrument cluster.

The rear cabin benefits directly from the 2,900mm wheelbase. Head and leg room are genuine rather than technical, the flat EV floor makes rear seating comfortable across all three positions, and the seat cushioning uses thick foam padding that strikes a good balance between support and bolstering over longer drives. The boot offers 616 litres in standard form and expands to 1,978 litres with the rear seats folded, and the electric frunk adds another 62 litres at the front. The 36 storage compartments throughout the cabin make the day-to-day experience feel considered rather than just spacious, with the inner door panels featuring flocked hidden storage bins that are a small but genuinely nice detail.

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Build quality is tight and consistent. Nothing in this cabin feels assembled to a budget.

Specifications

Energy Efficiency

During our review period, we received the Zeekr 7X AWD Performance at 94% battery life and drove for 205km in a 60/40 urban to highway mix. By the end, I had 52% battery life left, which means I used up 42% of its 100 kWh battery, which equals to 42 kWh. This means we got an energy efficiency of:

During highway drives, there were a number of times where I drove around the 120 to 130 km/h mark, mostly because the acceleration was addictive given the sheer power this EV was packing but also to test out if it can comfortably hold up higher speeds or if it will feel like a struggle. Combine that with the fact that this is a dual-motor AWD model and it has a lot of toys inside, we’re not surprised to see energy usage to be on the higher side.

What we got is roughly 10% off from the claimed WLTP figures, which is reasonable enough as I’m certain you can reach very close to those claimed figured if you generally drove more reasonably. I also can’t say that it’s bad as it’s par for the course given how big the Zeekr 7X is. That being said, if you find the range a bit lacking, then the AWD Performance variant is simply not the one for you. In which case, you will be better off with the RWD Long Range model instead as it packs the same 100kWh NMC battery and has a claimed WLTP figure of 615km.

The Good

The Air Suspension Is The AWD Performance’s Defining Advantage

The ZEEKR Magic Carpet Air Suspension with Continuous Damping Control is exclusive to the AWD Performance variant, and after spending time with it on everyday Malaysian roads, it is clearly the feature that most separates this version from the rest of the range. In its default comfort setting, the suspension filters out small surface imperfections, expansion joints, and the kind of broken secondary road surfaces that define daily driving here, with a suppleness that larger, more expensive European SUVs would not be embarrassed by. The body stays composed rather than floating, and the ride quality at both city speeds and highway cruising is one of the most convincing things about this car.

Switch the car to Performance mode and the suspension firms up noticeably, the body sits lower, and the 7X adopts a more planted, purposeful character without the harshness that track-oriented suspension tuning often introduces. The ability to shift between these characters on demand, rather than being locked into one compromise, is what makes the air suspension addition genuinely worthwhile rather than just a specification upgrade.

646 PS That Does Not Bully You Into Using It

The numbers are significant: 646 PS, 710 Nm, 3.8 seconds to 100 km/h. What is less expected is how the 7X manages those figures in daily use. In normal driving the power delivery is linear and measured, building speed smoothly without the sudden shove that makes some high-output EVs feel aggressive in traffic. Even in Performance mode, where the dual motors deliver their full output with urgency, the delivery extends fluidly through the mid and late acceleration range in a way that feels controlled rather than violent.

The braking matches this character. The pedal feel starts linear and becomes progressively firmer as travel deepens, which gives the driver a natural sense of how hard the car is slowing down without requiring adaptation. At higher speeds under hard braking, the body posture stays stable with no noticeable nose-dive. The combination of composed power, composed braking, and composed body dynamics gives the AWD Performance an overall character that is best described as performance held in reserve. It does not force you to engage with what it is capable of, and that is precisely the right approach for a luxury SUV aimed at buyers who want capability available without it defining every journey.

The Interior Sets A New Reference Point For This Price Range

The Zeekr 7X’s cabin is where it most clearly pulls ahead of the segment. The material quality, the stitching, the consistency of the soft-touch surfaces, and the layered visual depth of the dashboard all sit comfortably alongside luxury SUVs that cost considerably more. The 21-speaker Zeekr Sound Pro system delivers concert-hall depth and clarity that makes the audio hardware in most rivals at this price feel like an afterthought, and the AR head-up display with its 36.21-inch projection area keeps navigation and driving information at eye level without demanding attention away from the road.

The AWD Performance exclusive electric automatic frameless doors are the cabin’s most theatrical feature, opening and closing with a single press and closing themselves when the car detects they should. The proximity sensors prevent contact with adjacent vehicles in tight spaces. After a few days with this feature, manually opening a door on any other car starts to feel like a step backwards.

800V Architecture And 420 kW DC Charging Are Class-Leading

The 800V high-voltage system underpinning the Zeekr 7X allows DC fast charging at up to 420 kW, taking the 100 kWh NMC battery from 10 to 80% in approximately 16 minutes. The 22 kW AC charging capability, which is also included in the purchase with a home wallbox, handles overnight charging comfortably. For a car of this size and battery capacity, these charging speeds are at the top of what is available in Malaysia today, and the 543 km WLTP range means most buyers will only interact with a public fast charger on longer inter-city drives. The 3.3 kW V2L output adds the ability to power devices and appliances from the battery, which is a useful addition on top of the charging credentials.

The Value Case Against Its Direct Rivals Is Difficult To Dismiss

At RM233,340 the AWD Performance goes up against the Tesla Model Y, the XPeng G6, and the BYD Sealion 7. Against the Model Y, the 7X offers a demonstrably more premium interior, better NVH at highway speeds, air suspension that the Model Y does not offer, automatic frameless doors that nothing in this segment matches, and a 21-speaker sound system against the Model Y’s far more modest audio setup. The Model Y retains its edge in software ecosystem depth and brand recognition, but buyers who prioritise interior quality and ride refinement over software integration will find the 7X makes a compelling case for its price.

The Bad

The Exterior Design Does Not Make An Immediate Statement

The Zeekr 7X’s design philosophy prioritises maturity and restraint over first-glance impact, and on the whole it succeeds at that brief. The result, however, is a car that does not generate the same immediate visual reaction that some of its rivals do. The Stargate light curtain on the AWD Performance goes some distance toward addressing this, and the overall proportions are solid and well-resolved, but buyers who want their SUV to declare itself loudly from across a car park may find the 7X quieter in person than its specification list suggests it should be. This is a design for buyers who appreciate it on longer acquaintance, not those who want instant head-turning impact.

The Steering Leans Comfortable Over Communicative

The light steering calibration that makes the 7X effortless to manage in urban traffic and during long highway stretches is the same calibration that limits engagement when the road gets more interesting. The Sport mode adds weight to the wheel without meaningfully improving what the steering communicates about the road surface or the front tyres. For buyers whose priority is a composed, easy luxury daily driver, this is entirely appropriate. For anyone who wants the steering to be part of the conversation on a twisting road, the 7X does not offer that, and it is worth knowing before making a decision that is partly based on the AWD Performance’s acceleration figures.

The AWD Performance Premium Over The Long Range Is A Meaningful Jump

The step from the RWD Long Range at RM195,175 to the AWD Performance at RM233,340 is RM38,165. What that buys is the air suspension, the automatic doors, the electric rear sunshades, the orange brake calipers, and the second motor that takes the 0-100 time from 6 seconds to 3.8 seconds. For buyers whose primary concern is daily comfort and long-range efficiency rather than outright performance, the Long Range at RM195,175 with its 615 km WLTP range makes a strong case for being the variant that most people should actually consider. The AWD Performance is the right choice for a specific buyer, and that buyer should be clear about which of its exclusive features they actually want before committing.

Zeekr’s Service Network Is Still Developing In Malaysia

Zeekr is a newer entrant in this market, and while the product itself is well-executed, the brand’s service network footprint here is still developing compared to established players. For a car at this price point, where ownership experience extends well beyond the initial purchase, the service network question will be relevant for any buyer doing their due diligence. Zeekr’s customer support channels exist and are responsive, but prospective owners should verify service centre accessibility relative to their location before committing.

Zeekr 7X AWD Performance Verdict

The Zeekr 7X AWD Performance is one of the most complete luxury electric SUVs available in Malaysia today at its price point, and its competitors should be paying attention to it. The air suspension is genuinely excellent, the interior material quality sets a benchmark for what buyers at this price should expect, the electric automatic doors are an exclusive feature that changes how you think about getting in and out of a car, and 646 PS with 3.8 seconds to 100 km/h delivered through a refined, composed chassis gives the AWD Performance a capability ceiling that its daily character never actually pressures you into approaching.

What it is not is a car for buyers who want their luxury SUV to arrive with a strong visual identity or a communicative steering rack. The design is composed rather than dramatic. The steering prioritises ease over engagement. And the RM38,165 premium over the Long Range variant is a real number that warrants honest consideration of whether the air suspension and automatic doors are the features a specific buyer actually wants.

For those who want a large-space luxury electric SUV that handles the realities of Malaysian daily driving with genuine refinement, charges faster than almost anything else in the segment, and offers an interior that competes with European rivals charging significantly more, the Zeekr 7X AWD Performance has earned its price and our coveted Gold Pokdeward.

Big thanks to Zeekr Malaysia for loaning us this car for the purpose of this review.