Zeekr 001: road test. Many comforts, not excessive price | Video

Zeekr 001 is the perfect match for Zeekr 001. a car that will give; more of a headache to traditional manufacturers converting to the EV world, but that's a big deal. also able to challenge electric giants such as Tesla because they are able to compete. it even manages to be an almost transversal model to the classic segments, offering something similar to a Model 3 Performance (in terms of price and performance), but able to wink at those who would like a Model S but cannot; reach the figures requested by the Americans for the flagship. And in the thermal world? It launches the challenge to the big E-segment sedans, those like the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series, to be clear: it won't have a chance. the luxury of some models in terms of materials, but try to offer something new, which the premium clientele could accept since it has all the comforts.

In short, finding itself facilitated in a world where segments are disappearing thanks to modular electric platforms, Zeekr 001 tries to propose its recipe: win over customers from the thermal world by offering them a spacious electric unit that can attract acolytes both from below (who comes from the D segment for example), and from above, i.e. those who come from the E segment but are looking for an electric car with lots of autonomy and full options without spending 80/100,000 euros. Will it work? We will see it, meanwhile I'll tell you …

comfort and technology

The experience on board immediately starts off on the right foot. Of Zeekr 001 impresses the quality; perceived inside the passenger compartment, while speaking of a first approach that cannot be necessarily take into account the "test of time". I don't see luxury at Mercedes-Maybach, but I see (and feel) the will to do it. to offer well-made upholstery, quality assemblies, little plastic and all hidden, lots of suede fabric and a good alternation with leather on the doors, dashboard, central tunnel and so on.

Compared to the Zeekr X, which has yes; good assemblies but a less serious and elegant look, you can see the difference. But, in reality, even starting from the of cars the chromatic choices are enough to make the Zeekr 001 look like a car different from itself. Here it is with the dark interior…

… and with the clear ones who choose to combine blue leather and suede with white of seats and various other leather details.

Linked to the premium world, and aimed at comfort, then there are those accessories typical of the premium segment: massage seats are not like the cheap ones that we often find on mass-segment cars, here we note that they get closer; to those of a Mercedes rather than being inspired by the Opel world…

The air conditioning is; tri-zone on the Privilege which offers those sitting behind a screen with independent adjustments, in addition to the side vents for a better diffusion of the air flow since they work together with the central ones that we usually find on the lower segments. In short, the attempt is successful: try to propose a complete package that can take the place of the "old" premium brands which, in turn, are instead moving towards luxury, an example is; Mercedes with its upward-pointing strategy.

The infotainment undeniably copies the Tesla interface, but at the same time it evolves it, and it is not the same thing. a bad thing indeed. On the left we find the classic menu with all the options, including the first quick settings screen that allows us to get to everything that can be found in one click. serve urgently while avoiding too many distractions. In addition, however, there is the also a “home” type screen, with customizable widgets. In this it is; the perfect fusion of the Tesla structure with that of the most advanced infotainment; traditional, and always from the world of "legacy" we find the digital instrumentation behind the wheel.

This isn't the only thing you've ever done. customizable, but still offers us all the useful information, accompanied by an excellent high-resolution head-up display: bright colors, excellent readability and easy access. and projects directly onto the street.

ROAD TEST

A premise must be made before talking about the driving dynamics of this Zeekr 001, that is; that the car was still a pre-production example with several parts of the software in beta (including the navigator) and without the ADAS. In addition to this, it must be considered that in Italy will arrive a number of students. probably in 2025, and there could be several updates and optimizations.

Having said that, Zeekr 001 is a great choice. a car that can; have yes; a lot of power, but its (current) driving setting is; more similar to the grand touring world, a road driver who wants to be comfortable and who doesn't offer us a sharp and super direct steering wheel. Just the steering wheel, and the steering, seem to be the points on which we need to work to refine the project, especially because; the steering has a not exactly rapid return and I was often forced to manually correct the steering wheel angle when exiting a bend or in particularly slow manoeuvres.

Although it is a generously sized sedan, 4.95 meters with a wheelbase of 3 meters, the Zeekr 001 is well balanced, easy to handle and pleasant even when we pick up the pace, given that it still has to carry 2,450 kilograms of weight with it in the all-wheel drive version whole wheat.

However; power is; many, she delivers it with arrogance and the wow effect is amazing! definitely guaranteed. Here, precisely with regard to the arrogance with which it unloads its 544 hp to the ground, Zeekr 001 shows a small defect of youth; in the calibration of the accelerator, nothing that a little study and an OTA update may not fix.

Comfort, on the other hand, is; maximum: the adaptive suspensions do their job well, the car easily absorbs the bumps and bumps. of the road, filters out various rolling and aerodynamic noises well and very kind to the back of the occupants.

In this it is really pleasant and well livable, while the long wheelbase and low center of gravity make it inevitably planted on the ground and not inclined to have the electronic controls intervene, except in really forced driving situations where the mass becomes an inertia with to reckon with, but we are talking about very fast load transfers which are more appropriate to a hot-hatchback whipped on a kart track (not even a car) rather than a sedan on the street.

The hook I throw at Zeekr, given the time available and given that they have the skills, is a perfect one. going to work on the accelerator curve to maintain performance but soften its brutality: this would make it possible to have a smoother car. manageable by everyone, even by the less expert driver and in particularly tortuous scenarios.

BATTERY AND CHARGING

Zeekr chooses the SEA platform shared with the Geely group and works at 400 volts, therefore without focusing on higher speeds. charging with huge peaks like other competitors do. Is not serious; necessarily bad if it succeeds; to work on the charging curve, and Tesla has so far lived quietly with 400 volts without any particular problems.

Zeekr 001 offers us a DC recharge of up to 200 kW peak and the usual 30 minutes to go from 10 to 80%, only that here we are talking about percentages relating to a battery< /strong> which is not from 70/80 kWh, but; from 100 kWh. They are not few, they are positioned more; on the Model S and Mercede EQE segment to be clear (Model 3 has 82 kWh in fact), but obviously they also serve to support a weight that is; important, more of 2,400 kilograms.