Five years ago, Zeekr didn’t exist. Two years ago, it barely rated a mention in Australia — but that all changed with the arrival of the 7X in Australia’s lucrative midsize SUV segment last year, which landed at the right time to pinch sales from the (more expensive) Tesla Model Y.
The 7X is polished (enough), drives well (enough), and looks good (enough). Crucially, being fully-electric — like all Zeekrs sold to this date — the 7X is eligible for the huge tax break handed to EV buyers in the form of the Fringe Benefits Tax waiver.
Can that success be replicated by a bigger, squarer, and crucially not-fully-electric Zeekr crossover? That’s the experiment the brand is about to embark upon with its new 8X, which hides a 7X-sized battery beneath the axles…but which also bolts in a turbo-petrol engine.
The new model is one of the emerging ‘super hybrid’ breed. It’s an extended range PHEV that will offer an estimated 300km electric range before the combustion engine kicks in to power the wheels or generate juice for a further 900km of driving.
Other than the fact PHEVs can’t be used to reduce taxable income in the same way EVs can, ‘super hybrids’ such as the 8X are an appealing mix that supercharges the 100km-ish EV range of common European PHEV offerings like the BMW X5 xDrive50e ($154,900 plus on-road costs).
We mention the X5, because that is the car Zeekr will need to knock off as top dog of the large luxury SUV segment.
On our first drive near Zeekr HQ in Hangzhou, China, we were being softened to the idea of a mid-$80,000 starting price, but dramatic undercutting of the Germans despite lavish spec will be only one part of Zeekr’s attack plan.
The others entail the long electric range courtesy of 55kWh or 70kWh batteries packs (an X5 PHEV has just under 30kWh) and huge claimed system power (660kW or 1030kW is double or more than the BMW’s 360kW) leading to a 0-100km/h time of sub-four seconds.
Having had a chance to steer the dual-motor version of the 8X around a gymkhana course and take a passenger ride over a poorly surfaced outer suburban route, we can say that the 8X has a level of basic competency that should frighten premium SUVs.
What we certainly can’t claim yet is anything along the lines of “RIP BMW”, “GAME OVER”, or other incendiary remarks you might see on social media. Nobody, at least in Australia, has yet had enough time behind the wheel to make that kind of judgment.
Nonetheless, if the five-alarm-fire bells aren’t ringing in Munich, Ingolstadt and Stuttgart by now, you’d have to wonder what could possibly set them off.
How does the 8X drive?
First drives in China are a fascinating beast. Normally, they don’t provide a great foundation for judging a car.
Not always: there have been rare occasions when, by acquiring a temporary China driver’s licence and convincing PR handlers you won’t crash, an extended drive on real roads is possible, such as when Chasing Cars tested the 7X for the first time in Hangzhou a year ago.
The leeway given in 2025 was not to be repeated in 2026. Even bagging a short drive on a closed course of the 8X took hours of diplomacy and consisted of two full-throttle launches, two stops, four corners, eight speed bumps, and one (quite useful emergency swerve) ‘moose test’.
Our learnings were supplemented by a passenger ride in the back seats of an 8X around a 15-minute suburban loop where our driver helpfully aimed for drain covers, expansion joints and potholes while cycling suspension modes.
It’s from these experiences we piece together initial dynamic impressions. We labour this to make the point that final judgments are some way off.
First thing’s first: it’s fast. Our tester 8X was in Chinese-market ‘Ultra+’ black-pack trim: combining a hybrid-specific 205kW 2.0-litre turbo ‘four and one electric motor per axle, this 660kW version is second to the 1030kW triple-motor 8X Dawn in the hierarchy.
With 50 percent charge of the 70kWh battery and a full tank aboard, Zeekr says the Ultra+ is good for 3.7-second 0-100km/h sprints — a figure it impressively claims falls to only 3.9 seconds with a ‘dead’ battery thanks to a powerful 145kW ‘P1’ generator sitting on the engine side.
Bonnet rising into the air speedboat-style on full throttle and in its most dynamic mode, the 8X feels about that fast: it accelerates like a V8-powered X5 M50i, absent the appealing noise. There is some sound — the slightly coarse two-litre can be felt and heard when it is needed.
Zeekr has equipped the Ultra+ with beefy ventilated front brakes with four-piston callipers while the bonkers-fast Dawn steps up to six-piston Brembos — useful for when engaging that trim grade’s full-fat ‘Beast’ mode. Hauling down from 100km/h felt positive and prompt.
There’s a surprisingly big difference between drive modes: while air suspension is standard for the 8X, high-spec versions like this one pick up a superior dual-chamber system with continuous damping and a 48-volt instantaneous anti-roll system.
In comfort mode, there is some body lean when cornering, but this sensation is more or less eliminated in Sport-Plus mode where the electromechanical anti-roll system is brought to bear.
Set up that way, the 8X belies its 2800kg heft with a flat, crisp cornering demeanour. There’s a sense it is leaning on its Michelin Pilot Sport 5 Energy tyres fairly heavily, but the Ultra+ could be pushed very hard indeed through the simulated moose test.
The chassis feels rigid and deftly tuned, though it takes half a beat to get a response from this big and heavy vehicle and the steering is quite slow and vacant in feel.
We were only able to experience the 8X on 22-inch wheels. The ride quality was terse over urban imperfections (even in comfort mode) as there simply isn’t enough profile in the tyres to absorb square-edged bumps. Sticking to 20s, or 21s, could be a good idea.
How is the 8X’s interior?
Zeekr isn’t forcing buyers into one exterior or interior treatment, and the 8X can look quite different based on the spec chosen.
Displayed on the show floor at this year’s Beijing Motor Show were two ‘luxury-spec’ versions dripping in chrome and aluminium brightwork and trimmed with light caramel and beige leather interiors.
Ultra grades can be blacked-out for a more menacing look — which our tester paired with a red leather interior — and the performance-grade Dawn is exclusively available with the dark theme.
Inside, a further choice relates to screen count. While the car industry appears to believe “the more, the merrier” when it comes to this factor, the 8X can (refreshingly) be ordered with a passenger screen delete if buyers so choose.
Doing so considerably reduces the visual noise of the 8X dashboard, which looks ‘about right’ equipped with the same 13-inch thin driver’s panel as the 7X, and a standard 16-inch 3.5K, mini-OLED central touchscreen.
Chinese-market versions run their own edition of Zeekr’s operating system, fitted with systems specific to that country. Expect the Australian version to retain connectivity features while adding wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
A second 16-inch screen is fitted for front passengers by default, but going without it provides a pleasant view of the dashboard, which features a faux leather pad and open-pore wood trim on most models.
Design-wise, the cabin of the 8X neatly splits the difference between the vaguely premium 7X and the luxury-grade 9X hybrid — the six-figure, big brother to the 8X that is also on its way to Australia.
Some key components are lifted from the 7X, including the stalks and steering wheel (with attractively compact boss), and limited physical shortcuts for volume, drive modes and demisters, though Porsche Cayenne-style central grab handles are unique to the 8X.
Build quality on our tester seemed very good, with no rattles on our short but bumpy urban loop, though the nondescript-yet-soft door and dash surfacing is perhaps not a total match for the stitched soft leathers you can add to an X5…at vast additional cost.
The use of soft-touch upholstery is noticeably more generous on the 8X than its smaller sibling, with the (powered) doors incorporating trapezoidal perforations, acres of wood trim and Mercedes-type door-mounted controls for seat power, cooling, heating and massage.
Those seats offer inflatable side bolsters on some grades, which is a good call as the standard pews feel a laterally flat and unsupportive — as they do on the 7X.
Of significant note to premium audio fans will be availability of a 29-speaker Naim Palace stereo upgrade. It’s a $10,000 option in China, replacing the standard Zeekr Pro unit that still claims 23 outlets.
At launch the 8X is a five-seater but a compact third row will be an option. Back seat passengers are treated, in China, to extensive power adjustment and tray tables, but it remains to be seen how many of these features are fitted for Australia.
Boot space in our five-seat tester was impressive. Zeekr claims 1113 litres behind a standard power tailgate, though this could include the space above the window line.
The honest verdict
We’re cautiously optimistic about the Zeekr 8X. Just as the midsize electric SUV segment has been crying out for solid alternatives to the capable-but-polarising Tesla Model Y, the large luxury crossover space has drifted into unattractively expensive territory over the years.
If Zeekr can secure solid specification for the Aussie-market 8X at a price of less than $100,000, local buyers who see practical appeal in the ‘super hybrid’ formula and are happy to divorce the old guard could have an interesting option here.
The SEA-S platform beneath the 8X is also fully capable of supporting fully electric options, and Zeekr is understood to be developing a BEV version of the 8X for future release.
What we need to do is drive the 8X on local roads — or any road, really — to start coming to grips with how this SUV drives in the real world, away from the closed course that defined our first taste.
Only then will we have a good idea of which rival SUVs the 8X will indeed be capable of roughing-up.