First drive (sort of): Zeekr 7X on gravel, mud and race track

Zeekr is officially on its way to New Zealand. The 7X, a premium five-seat electric SUV from Geely’s premium EV arm, will be available here from later this year through NordEast — the Giltrap Group’s new distribution division that now houses six Geely brands under one roof.

NordEast has set itself a big goal: 5000 electrified vehicles in New Zealand within three years, and the 7X is the one leading the charge.

Three versions are coming to our market. The entry rear-drive model is priced at $69,990, the long-range RWD at $79,990, and the flagship Performance AWD tops the line at $94,990. The Performance packs 475 kW and 710 Nm for a 3.8-second 0–100 km/h time, while the Long Range variant claims up to 615 km on the WLTP cycle.

All use an 800V architecture offered in both 75kWh LFP (Zeekr’s so-called “Golden Battery”) and 100kWh NCM packs. It’s capable of charging from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 13 minutes on a 360 kW fast charger, with a massive peak of 450 kW.

We already covered a full walk-through in Sydney last month, so this time is all about driving impressions.

Off-road first impressions

Because compliance delays have kept cars off public roads in Australia, my first taste came at The Bend Motorsport Park in Adelaide. And instead of motorways, we began in a quarry.

On gravel, the AWD model impressed me straight away. The traction software was almost too clever at times — no matter how much I tried, it simply refused to let the car get properly sideways. It stayed locked to the line I’d asked for, where other SUVs would have pushed wide. The ride quality was supple, soaking up ruts without rattles, and the cabin stayed quiet with hardly any gravel pinging up from below. The active air suspension in the Performance model kept it calm and composed even on standard road tyres.

Sand and mud followed, where we raised the suspension to its highest setting — up to 45 mm taller. With throttle response softened, regen braking dialled back and hill-descent control standing by, the 7X climbed sandy ruts and waded through a mudhole without complaint.

No-one’s going to buy this SUV as a rock-crawler, but it’s reassuring to know it will get through a snowy ski field carpark or a soggy polo-club driveway.

Track laps

The real fun started once we rolled onto the circuit. I began in the long-range rear-drive. This so-called slowest 7X still picked up briskly, felt surprisingly light, and had a firm, confidence-inspiring brake pedal. It was smooth and composed, behaving almost more like a sports saloon than a family SUV. Honestly, you wouldn’t dream of throwing a standard Tesla Model Y around a circuit in this way, but the Zeekr 7X seemed perfectly at home.

Then came the Performance AWD. And wow. Plant your foot and you feel all 475 kilowatts. It surged past 200 km/h on the main straight. The brakes held up across lap after lap, and the steering gave enough feedback to trust the car. Everything happened quicker than in the RWD, but it still felt planted.

Suspension and drive technology

The trick lies in the platform. Built on Geely’s SEA architecture, the 7X is designed as an EV from the ground up, with its batteries slung low in the floor to keep the centre of gravity down. The RWD and Long Range versions carry a single 310 kW motor on the rear axle, tuned for efficiency and balance, while the Performance pairs two compact motors — one at each axle — for 475 kW, instant traction and true AWD. Software constantly monitors grip and shuffles torque in milliseconds, whether you’re launching off the line or scrabbling on gravel.

On higher trims, the active air suspension with continuous damper control allows the car to hunker down on track or lift itself up for rougher ground, adjusting stiffness and ride height on the fly. From my seat time, the calibration is what really impressed. On gravel it tracked straight and true, and on the circuit, dropping the suspension and stiffening the dampers made this big SUV feel far closer to a sports saloon than a two-tonne family hauler.

Inside the 7X

The cabin lives up to the premium promise. There’s the kind of space you’d expect from a full-size SUV, with 539 litres of boot space and another 62 litres in the frunk. The Performance variant adds powered doors and heated, cooled, massaging seats up front. Tech is everywhere, led by a 16-inch central screen running off Qualcomm’s 8295 Snapdragon chip, with an optional 36-inch augmented reality head-up display. Driver aids include adaptive cruise, cross-traffic alerts, surround view, and full auto-park, all of it kept fresh with over-the-air updates. It was too early to test those features in Adelaide — the software wasn’t fully updated, and of course, there were no public roads to try them on.

Verdict (for now)

We still need to get the Zeekr 7X onto Kiwi roads before passing final judgement. But after a day of mud, gravel and hot laps, I’m impressed.

The balance, refinement and sheer ability of this SUV stood out, and the value stacks up neatly against Tesla — especially with the Performance model undercutting the equivalent Model Y by about ten grand.

If NordEast delivers the service and support to match, Zeekr’s second SUV here could be a genuine disruptor.