From a distance you would be hard pressed to distinguish the new Chinese XPeng G6 from a Tesla Model Y, and if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then the folks at Tesla should be feeling pretty chuffed.
They won’t be so impressed by the competitive threat the XPeng represents, however.
This relatively new Chinese manufacturer - its first EV was a compact SUV produced in 2018 - is offering its Tesla Y competitor at an entry price point of €42,000, while the Y has a starting price of €46,990. This leaves the G6 a shade under €5,000 cheaper.
Both cars offer essentially the same package - a big footprint, lots of interior space and a tech-centred driver and passenger experience - but after driving the G6 I think it fair to say that the Tesla has the edge when it comes to an engaging drive.
There are two versions of the G6 - a standard one with a 66 kWh battery and a long-range one with a 75 kWh battery. A range of 435km is claimed for the former and a range of 570km for the latter.
I drove the long range version and managed after a 204km test drive to have 224km of range remaining, which indicates an average consumption of about 18 kWh hours per 100km and a real world range of 428km. That’s pretty good for a car of this size and weight - it’s 4.7 metres long and almost 2 metres wide - and the weather was cold at the time. The return is not exceptional, however.
The charging time is impressive because of the G6’s capacity to get from a 10 to 80 per cent charge in less than 20 minutes on a very fast charger. You should also be able to get near enough to a full charge from five per cent capacity on a home charger in about seven and a half hours.
I’ve previously described the interior of the XPeng as innovative rather than interesting but it’s cavernous. It almost has more space than it needs to provide, even for families and tall rear seat passengers. There is simply no shortage of head and legroom for everyone.
The boot is also very generous at 571 litres capacity, so you won’t have to limit your load, and that capacity can extend to 1,374 litres with folded rear seats. There is no front storage space at the nose of the car as there is with other EV’s, however.
The driving position is impressively high and that overall sense of space is amplified even more by a panoramic sunroof.
There’s an almost bewildering level of technology controlling the majority of functions from the 15" infotainment screen that dominates the interior. This laptop-sized centre screen presents an array of functions and you touch your way around through a huge menu.
This even includes wing mirror adjustment. I’ve written before about the level of distraction I have experienced navigating these systems and, while they are right up to the minute, there are many times when simple functions - such as wing mirror adjustment - need to be more safely and quickly accessed.
The voice recognition system on the car can be erratic, even when one spoke with an emphasis on clarity, and some of the touch functions were not exactly instantly responsive.
The 10.2" driver’s display was also difficult to read clearly, especially in strong sunlight. The font size made it difficult to quickly reference information on the screen and a whitish background didn’t help.
The G6 has a preference for straight line driving rather than twisty roads and this isn’t helped by steering that can be quite light at times. Nor does is absorb rougher surfaces all that well. This isn’t unusual in EV’s, although the Tesla seems to have benefited from more road engineering input.
An example of tech advancement on the G6 is the 'sentry' mode - an AI-aided function - that watches whether you are showing any signs of drowsiness when driving, and you can also monitor, with all-round external cameras, your car when parked.
The G6 also has a long list of safety equipment such as lane centering, active lane assist, emergency braking, 12 cameras and virtually every other system you could imagine. All the tech is standard on both versions of the car.
It has already scored the maximum five stars in the EuroNCAP crash test programme too. There’s a five year warranty on the car and the battery is guaranteed for eight years.
The G6 represents an impressive package and for those seeking a coupe-styled SUV family EV that interior space is a major draw. That and the price advantage over Tesla - just don’t expect the most engaged driving experience.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
