XPeng's X9 Seven-Seater Is a 430-Mile of Range MVP for Under $60K That You Can't Have

XPeng launched yet another EV, the X9 seven-seater MPV, and the most striking feature of the environmentally aware ‘soccer mom’ van is its alleged maximum range of 436 miles (702 kilometers). That is, obviously, the best possible scenario – the car is equipped with the largest battery pack available, the least demanding motor (read ‘weakest’), and drives under ideal road and weather conditions.

Also, let’s not forget that the specifications are based on the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC) measurement system and may vary (sometimes significantly) from European and American standards. But even so, we’ve learned from experience that the differences aren’t so dramatic, so we should not consider the X9 as a long-range battery-electric vehicle.

Granted, Chinese automakers – just like their counterparts from other parts of Planet Wheel – tend to augment the capabilities of their products, always hunting for the opportunity to grab a slice of the market share pie. So, take the specs with a pinch of salt.

The Chinese MVP is already available for the Chinese market (for now), so we’ll have to train our patience before we can see/test/buy it outside the big Asian country. Apart from its manufacturer-claimed long-distance autonomy, the van offers heaps of cargo space, thanks to its electrically foldable third row of seats. From the standard 755-liter, the trunk triples in volume when only four or fewer occupants are on board.

With the three back seats down, the luggage space offers 2,554 liters of bag-stacking capacity – enough to fit in ‘29 20-inch suitcases,’ according to the manufacturer. With sophisticated technology ranging from complex driving aids to augmented-reality-monitoring of its surroundings, the XPeng X9 is also a competent vehicle. See a thorough preview of the van in the video below, shot before the car’s official market launch on January 1, 2024.

Dual steering (front and rear wheels) allows it a turning radius of 5.4 meters (16.5 feet), challenging the stereotypes about traditional MPV handling. For passenger comfort, the X9 has in-car hot and cold smart storage, a 21.4" family infotainment system display, and zero-gravity reclining sofas. And, to top it off, the Chinese introduced the world's first wrap-around integrated central air conditioning that offers every passenger the same level of comfort (or so the carmaker says).

‘A driving experience more comfortable than an MPV and greater flexibility than an SUV’ is the XPeng X9 MPV mantra. The car’s operating system, XOS Tianji, features single-screen multi-tasking, a customizable XDock, a real-time SR (surrounding reality) display, all-around safety warnings, and an AI smart voice assistant.

The big car measures 208 inches (5,3 meters) in length, 78 inches (two meters) in width, and 70 inches (1,8 meters) tall, with a wheelbase of 124.4 inches (3,16 meters). The vehicle boasts a class-leading floor space of just under 82 square feet (7.7 square meters).

Even at its full occupancy of seven passengers on board, there’s still room left for camping and sports equipment. And, with a top speed of 124 mph (200 kph), the X9 MPV is quite capable of getting to those camping sites at a reasonable pace.

The vehicle offers a single-motor, front-wheel drive setup or the more potent AWD dual-motor architecture. The base powertrain develops 235 kW of power and 450 Nm of torque (332 lb-ft). In comparison, the 4x4 adds a smaller second motor on the back wheels (135 kW, 190 Nm – 140 lb-ft), putting the total output to 370 kW and 640 Nm (472 lb-ft).

Depending on its configuration, the X9 can cover between 610 and 702 kilometers (379 to 436 miles) in single-motor mode. At the same time, the fast one settles for a middle-of-the-road rating of 640 km (398 miles). Now, the Chinese company has skipped the battery's specs, only settling to state that it’s a Silicon-Carbide unit with 800V that can gain 300 kilometers (187 miles) of range after a ten-minute charge.

The powertrain’s efficiency tops 16.2 kWh per 100 km (62 miles), and the acceleration from zero to 100 kph (62 mph) is achieved in 7.7 seconds by the FWD model. The beefed-up version slices two full seconds off that time, thus needing only 5.7 seconds to get to the magic number.

Apart from the mentioned industry firsts, the XPeng X9 also brags of being forged by the world's largest mass-produced die-casting machine (12,000 tons of clamping force). The MVP premieres the front- and rear-integrated aluminum die-casting body structure. For those who absolutely love nerdy details, the torsional rigidity of the aluminum bulkheads peaks at 46,000 Nm/deg (33,927 lb-ft/degree).

The safety cage is rated at 2,000 MPa, thanks to its 19 ring-shaped safety designs, with the body comprising an array of high-strength steel and lightweight aluminum elements. According to XPeng, the X9 meets or exceeds the mandatory rear-collision safety standards of China, the U.S., and Europe. The price of the family-carrier XPeng starts at ¥359,800 ($52,250 at the time of its January 2024 launch) and goes all the way up to ¥419,800 ($58,640).