Zeekr 9X - a Range Rover killer?
Discussion
The Zeekr 9X just broke my brain a little.
1,381 bhp. Zero to 62 in 3.1 seconds. A 70kWh battery that goes from 20 to 80% in nine minutes flat. Six seats, a 32-speaker Naim audio system, zero-gravity "floating cloud" massage chairs, 43,000 diamond-faceted tail lights, and an interior that makes a Bentayga feel like a tired old showroom car. It is absolutely, unashamedly magnificent.
And the punchline? It'll land in the UK at around £100,000 for the Obsidian top spec. The Cullinan starts at nearly £350,000. Nearly 4 times the price. For what, exactly?
I keep calling it a mini Cullinan - same imposing presence, same boulevard-clearing stance, same "I've arrived" energy - except designed by a guy who used to run design at Bentley, built on the same platform as Volvo and Polestar, and priced like it actually respects your intelligence.
JLR have done a remarkable job over the last decade rebuilding the Range Rover into something genuinely aspirational again. But honestly - once the 9X lands in British showrooms in 2026, the question has to be asked: who is actually going to justify spending £150,000+ on an RR when this exists?
The game has changed. Whether the incumbents want to admit it yet or not.
1,381 bhp. Zero to 62 in 3.1 seconds. A 70kWh battery that goes from 20 to 80% in nine minutes flat. Six seats, a 32-speaker Naim audio system, zero-gravity "floating cloud" massage chairs, 43,000 diamond-faceted tail lights, and an interior that makes a Bentayga feel like a tired old showroom car. It is absolutely, unashamedly magnificent.
And the punchline? It'll land in the UK at around £100,000 for the Obsidian top spec. The Cullinan starts at nearly £350,000. Nearly 4 times the price. For what, exactly?
I keep calling it a mini Cullinan - same imposing presence, same boulevard-clearing stance, same "I've arrived" energy - except designed by a guy who used to run design at Bentley, built on the same platform as Volvo and Polestar, and priced like it actually respects your intelligence.
JLR have done a remarkable job over the last decade rebuilding the Range Rover into something genuinely aspirational again. But honestly - once the 9X lands in British showrooms in 2026, the question has to be asked: who is actually going to justify spending £150,000+ on an RR when this exists?
The game has changed. Whether the incumbents want to admit it yet or not.
Its like baking a cake, you can add huge quantities of the right stuff in, but its all about the percentages, the way it is baked and finished off.
I am sure it s very impressive, but its not a Range Rover or anywhere near despite headline numbers, never mind a Rolls, these companies have been doing this for decades, nobody is going to catch up and surpass that in three or four years. I could learn guitar in four years, doesnt make me Johnny Marr, you cant just gloss over the heritage by copying stuff.
The Chinese brands will likely get there, but I don t think they are quite in that league yet despite all the right ingredients.
I am sure it s very impressive, but its not a Range Rover or anywhere near despite headline numbers, never mind a Rolls, these companies have been doing this for decades, nobody is going to catch up and surpass that in three or four years. I could learn guitar in four years, doesnt make me Johnny Marr, you cant just gloss over the heritage by copying stuff.
The Chinese brands will likely get there, but I don t think they are quite in that league yet despite all the right ingredients.
adamfawsitt said:
The Zeekr 9X just broke my brain a little.
1,381 bhp. Zero to 62 in 3.1 seconds. A 70kWh battery that goes from 20 to 80% in nine minutes flat. Six seats, a 32-speaker Naim audio system, zero-gravity "floating cloud" massage chairs, 43,000 diamond-faceted tail lights, and an interior that makes a Bentayga feel like a tired old showroom car. It is absolutely, unashamedly magnificent.
And the punchline? It'll land in the UK at around £100,000 for the Obsidian top spec. The Cullinan starts at nearly £350,000. Nearly 4 times the price. For what, exactly?
I keep calling it a mini Cullinan - same imposing presence, same boulevard-clearing stance, same "I've arrived" energy - except designed by a guy who used to run design at Bentley, built on the same platform as Volvo and Polestar, and priced like it actually respects your intelligence.
JLR have done a remarkable job over the last decade rebuilding the Range Rover into something genuinely aspirational again. But honestly - once the 9X lands in British showrooms in 2026, the question has to be asked: who is actually going to justify spending £150,000+ on an RR when this exists?
The game has changed. Whether the incumbents want to admit it yet or not.
Alrighty, you've quoted a lot of technical specs, but so what? What would the 9X be like to live with in the UK? How many Zeekyr dealers are there? How long does it take to wait for parts? 1,381 bhp. Zero to 62 in 3.1 seconds. A 70kWh battery that goes from 20 to 80% in nine minutes flat. Six seats, a 32-speaker Naim audio system, zero-gravity "floating cloud" massage chairs, 43,000 diamond-faceted tail lights, and an interior that makes a Bentayga feel like a tired old showroom car. It is absolutely, unashamedly magnificent.
And the punchline? It'll land in the UK at around £100,000 for the Obsidian top spec. The Cullinan starts at nearly £350,000. Nearly 4 times the price. For what, exactly?
I keep calling it a mini Cullinan - same imposing presence, same boulevard-clearing stance, same "I've arrived" energy - except designed by a guy who used to run design at Bentley, built on the same platform as Volvo and Polestar, and priced like it actually respects your intelligence.
JLR have done a remarkable job over the last decade rebuilding the Range Rover into something genuinely aspirational again. But honestly - once the 9X lands in British showrooms in 2026, the question has to be asked: who is actually going to justify spending £150,000+ on an RR when this exists?
The game has changed. Whether the incumbents want to admit it yet or not.
You've written that Range Rovers are aspirational.
So how many people in the UK who can afford to drop £150,000 on a luxury SUV "aspire" to a Zeekyr 9X?
The game hasn't changed as yet. Let's see the sales numbers for the 9X for the first 12 months before jumping to conclusions.
ninepoint2 said:
drmike37 said:
I ve just looked up photos of said car.
I wish I hadn t. ?
Me too, gopping thingI wish I hadn t. ?
When people are throwing around £100k+, they’re looking for more than just the product itself. They’ll want to know it can be fixed when something goes wrong, rather than waiting for months for a part like my brother is currently having to do with his Chinese EV. Intangibles like history, heritage, tradition and the badge are all important to many; it becomes a bit of an emotional purchase.
In any case, I’ve heard and experienced this so called Range Rover rivalling luxury before. I’d heard reviews of the Kia EV9 being a RR killer with reviewers fawning over the interior (presumably because it was part of the deal in exchange for a cushy day at the expense of the manufacturer!). And then I went in one. Not even remotely close!
No one in their right mind would buy this unless it’s dirt cheap on lease.
This is a Birkin handbag. It’s worth about £30,000. Lots of people want one and are willing to pay the price. It’s just a handbag and it’s easy to make a copy of one. A 10p Sainsbury’s carrier bag does pretty much the same job. But people will still want a Birkin because it’s a Birkin. A plastic bag isn’t going to kill the original.
[quote=Chubbyross]This is a Birkin handbag. It Costs about £30,000. Lots of people want one and are willing to pay the price. It s just a handbag and it s easy to make a copy of one. A 10p Sainsbury s carrier bag does pretty much the same job. But people will still want a Birkin because it s a Birkin. A plastic bag isn t going to kill the original.
Fixed that for you.
Fixed that for you.
tight fart said:
Chubbyross said:
This is a Birkin handbag. It Costs about £30,000. Lots of people want one and are willing to pay the price. It s just a handbag and it s easy to make a copy of one. A 10p Sainsbury s carrier bag does pretty much the same job. But people will still want a Birkin because it s a Birkin. A plastic bag isn t going to kill the original.
Fixed that for you.
Try convincing the people who pay that price. Me? I don’t think it’s worth anything near that amount. Hell, I don’t even use a handbag. Well, not often anyway. Fixed that for you.
Interesting points of view for me the X9 would be my Daly driver - it doesn’t need to be an impressive brand. It needs for me to be technically impressive and I kind of disagree on the looks. The Cullinan isn’t a good looking car though it’s wonderful to drive and I think that the same will be true of the X9 anyway we’ll see I think sitting on your laurels and saying in four years they won’t get to a place that JLR have in decades is a very very dangerous opinion we asked the Chinese to build our cheap toys and consumer goods and in the process they turned into sublimely capable manufacturers…….
Good luck to the makers, these things are probably a bargain if you like that sort of thing.
Those who buy repeat new Range Rover Bentley Rolls Royce are quite obviously not remotely interested in bargains when it comes to the machines they roll around in.
Some brands come with a certain status helped in no small order by not just the price tag but the ongoing costs of upkeep and the vehicle's inevitable depreciation, they simply can't be bought repeatedly unless you are in a certain wealth band, those brands have history even breeding if you like, you can't just magic 70+ years of expensive motoring history for the well heeled only out of thin air.
Those who buy repeat new Range Rover Bentley Rolls Royce are quite obviously not remotely interested in bargains when it comes to the machines they roll around in.
Some brands come with a certain status helped in no small order by not just the price tag but the ongoing costs of upkeep and the vehicle's inevitable depreciation, they simply can't be bought repeatedly unless you are in a certain wealth band, those brands have history even breeding if you like, you can't just magic 70+ years of expensive motoring history for the well heeled only out of thin air.
Phones are much more relatable & current to this, for me.
Off AliExpress, a platform I use enough to trust it, I can buy a giant killer of a phone. On paper it has better everything, bigger everything, and a fraction of the price.
However.... I couldn't possibly consider it. If something goes wrong I'm screwed, if that final 10% of hardware quality or software isn't up to scratched I'll know instantly... When I want to insure it, repair it or sell it... People will look at me blankly and ask where I found it. When I absolutely need to trust it to not let me down... I know there's a compromise in there somewhere that could leave me stranded.
Hence... I'm planning on a refurbished Samsung with a decent warranty, and I'll be very happy.
Edit.... One article suggested the Zeekr was closer to £50k in other markets.... That's kind of mind boggling....
Off AliExpress, a platform I use enough to trust it, I can buy a giant killer of a phone. On paper it has better everything, bigger everything, and a fraction of the price.
However.... I couldn't possibly consider it. If something goes wrong I'm screwed, if that final 10% of hardware quality or software isn't up to scratched I'll know instantly... When I want to insure it, repair it or sell it... People will look at me blankly and ask where I found it. When I absolutely need to trust it to not let me down... I know there's a compromise in there somewhere that could leave me stranded.
Hence... I'm planning on a refurbished Samsung with a decent warranty, and I'll be very happy.
Edit.... One article suggested the Zeekr was closer to £50k in other markets.... That's kind of mind boggling....
Edited by Andeh1 on Sunday 10th May 07:32
Yes, I really think they are going to displace Range River and Cullinan (in extremis) because it s technically superior and people get into that wealth bracket where they can afford range Rover s Rolls-Royce s et cetera because they understand economics and they understand value and the Zeekr is extreme value with superior tech and build quality in my opinion.
Edited by adamfawsitt on Sunday 10th May 07:30
The Chinese arrival is like the Japanese arrival all those years ago, but there was still a demand for Rolls Royce's and Range Rovers back then and there still will be.
Lexus was always niche in the UK compared to the traditional offerings and that will be the same for the expensive Chinese brands as well, where at the cheaper/mid end just like the Japanese they will do very well.
Lexus was always niche in the UK compared to the traditional offerings and that will be the same for the expensive Chinese brands as well, where at the cheaper/mid end just like the Japanese they will do very well.
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