Lets start with the design. The Xpeng P7 is a clean sheet design without copying any other car. It was uniquely designed as a sporty aggressive looking sedan but with the comfort of a family car! The design team were determined that if any detail reminded them of any other car, they would stop. The front and back of the car are dominated by the "Lightsaber" style headlight and rear lights. When you look at the car from the side, you can notice the longer than usual head while the car's tail is short, and that gives the P7 the sportback distinctive look.
After driving the P7 for a year now, the car still feels new. With the presence of OTA updates, the stylish unique design and the solid structure of the car, this car is meant to be driven for years yet having the feel of driving a new car everyday. During this year we already had 9 OTA updates (some major with new features unlocked), and we are going to have the 10th update within days. The technicians are working day and night to deliver better experience for P7 owners.
The car drives smoothly on roads, to the extent that you barely feel tired. With the presence of Xpilot 3.0 onboard, I had a road trip to Hainan Island (around 550km + 290km) were I was able to drive the 550km stopping only once for a quick charge and arrived at destination not feeling tired at all. NGP does make miracles, on highways (and some major in-city avenues) Navigation Guided Pilot takes the wheels and tells you to just relax and enjoy the ride. All you have to do is keep your hands on the steering wheel and have some attention for emergencies, NGP will set the speed limit, change lanes according the traffic, step on and off highways, handle traffic jams and avoid trucks and dangerous vehicles! It did do great in the 3000km Guangzhou to Beijing road test!
As for charging, Early P7 owners (who booked their car before 31st July 2021) enjoy hundreds of free charging stations around China limited for 3000kW a year (which averages around 20,000kms). My round trip to Hainan (around 2000kms) literally cost me around 200rmb charging fees (around 30$). Driving the P7 for this year did save me a minimum of 15000rmb in gas fees, which is a big deal! Currently, charging speed tops at 90kW or 250A hoping to be increased in future OTA.
The car is spacious on the interior, I never had someone complaining about space in the rear seat. NVH is above average, the cabin is quiet and drives well even on uneven roads. Though the car looks aggressive and sporty, it does give a comfortable feeling. I’m not an engineer but the suspension and car chassis does seem to be built for comfort not for racing! So the P7 combines aggressive looks and comfy driving experience which is exactly what I wanted.
The car trunk is huge (though the door opening is limited), it does fit three suitcases along with some small bags. There is also a front trunk (AKA Frunk) that can fit a 20” travel bag which comes in very handy in road trips. We did manage to fit 2*24inch suitcases + 20inch suitcase + many other bags and the 10 meter home charger that's always in the front trunk!
The infotainment system is great. Everything is neat and at your fingertips. Maps, Music, Bluetooth or 3rd party applications are all one or two steps away which makes is very easy to reach. Xiao P, the In-car virtual voice assistant is also available to do any task you need (sadly its only available in Chinese Mandarin for now). Literally “she” can do all tasks that you can see in the system to the extent that you could tell “her” to open for rear right window 30%!! “She” also supports continuous conversation meaning you just have to call “her” once and go on talking, replying, giving new orders, until you say goodbye. “She” also supports directional conversation meaning, when the driver is talking “she” just listens to the drivers and ignores the rest of the talking in the car, same goes for the passenger area. Recently we had the 2.6 OTA update bringing a brand Xiao P. Powered by XPeng’s new generation of large scale online neural network engine, the new voice and interaction is closer to life-like and does feel more like a real person. Hopefully we will have Xiao P to learn english in the near future as exports have started to Europe!
Another new feature recently added is the VPA (Valet Parking Assist). After entering a garage, the car will prompt you to learn the path to your parking spot. When the path is saved, the next time you enter the parking the car will prompt you again to activate VPA. Then the P7 will maneuver other cars, people or other obstacles and go directly to the saved parking spot and parks your car without you needing to touch the steering wheel. A short video below explains this?feature!
My P7 is the extended rear wheel drive version that is powered by a 196kW/390N.m electric engine. The car accelerates just fine and has enough torque for an electric car. I never felt the need for more power or faster acceleration yet the 4 wheel drive version is always available for speed lovers. Another new option of the 4 wheel drive version will be out soon with LFP battery and power boosted electric engine. As for the 670km range, well I never managed to drive that far on a single charge. Perhaps it’s time to abandon the NEDC standard and go for WLTP which is a bit more realistic. On slow charge, the car manages to get to 500km range on a single charge, which is ideal for basic needs. (no one drives for 500kms without having to rest anyway).
So to sum up, the P7 is the perfect choice for people who are looking for a spacious, good looking, comfortable electric sedan. It combines the best features from every car in market. It is a pleasure to drive! I hope more foreign friends would join the Xpeng club and I will be happy to help anyone who has any question about the P7!
