2024 XPeng G6: International first drive

The rise of XPeng, pronounced ‘X-Pong’, as one of the halo brands of electric vehicles in China has almost directly coincided with the nation’s incredible journey from shoddy copycat merchant to arguably the world’s leading force in electric vehicles.

Just a decade on from its founding, XPeng is now bringing its futuristic brand of intelligent electric vehicles to Australia starting with the XPeng G6, a somewhat egg-shaped competitor for the world’s best-selling electric car, the Tesla Model Y. 

But with an onslaught of new electric products from China entering the Aussie market, XPeng now needs to convince consumers here that its reputation as a technology leader, both in autonomous driving systems and in-cabin infotainment and intelligence, is something that should appeal to them.

Ahead of its launch on our shores, we took it for a spin in China to get a taste of what we can expect when right-hand-drive sales begin later this year. 

Aussie prices haven’t yet been revealed, and it’s hard to say if the recently announced prices for the right-hand-drive Hong Kong market are any barometer for Australia, given the starting price there is the equivalent of around $57,000. That figure sounds a bit too good to be true for us, but don’t be surprised to see the G6 come in under the $70,000 starting price of the Tesla Model Y.

XPeng has already announced that it will only be offering a pair of rear-drive variants from launch, so the dual-motor version we drove isn’t coming here yet. But we will get a choice of batteries with range of between 435 and 570km on WLTP, and powertrains of 190kW and 210kW of power, topping and tailing the 196kW of a rear-drive Model Y.

Model Y comparisons are going to be fairly prominent throughout here, because the G6 is almost identical to its American rival in every dimension. However, to these eyes at least, it’s certainly the fresher looking of the two. It’s an SUV, despite being cleverly disguised to look more like a coupe SUV, and features XPeng’s X-robot face, which is a full-width lightbar across the front and headlamps lower down. Frunk enthusiasts needn’t apply since there isn’t one here.

At the rear, there’s a fixed high-level spoiler and an additional active one that pops out beneath a comically small rear window. If any car were a candidate for the rear-window delete that Polestar opted for on the Polestar 4, the G6 is it. On the plus side, it does a great job of blocking out drivers unnecessarily using their high beams behind you.

Our test car came in the more sedate white colour, but we suspect most customers will plump for the luminous orange simply because it looks pretty epic. And mercifully, it seems XPeng will offer only the five-spoke 20-inch alloys which, while sporting less profile and thus reducing ride quality a bit, at least look like they’re made for the car, unlike the smaller options available in China.

You may notice that our test car comes equipped with a pair of lidar units in the lower bumper. They probably won’t make it to Australia given we won’t have access to the full XPeng Navigation Guided Pilot (XNGP) autonomous drive system in Australia – at least not for a few years.

But we should still get highway Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP), which can operate based on a plethora of cameras and sensors to achieve adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and automated overtakes, as well as automatic parking. There’s an NVIDIA Orin-X chip included to help handle all that.

If it all sounds a bit high-tech at this point, you’d be right, and the G6 was XPeng’s first car developed on its SEPA 2.0 platform, an 800-volt system that offers greater efficiency, faster charging times, and more cabin space thanks to cell-to-body battery mounting, and features giga-casted parts to make it lighter and stronger.

XPeng interiors have come a long way since early models, and the G6 is the perfect embodiment of that, with a blend of premium materials, soft-touch surfaces, and homely touches such as the fabric inlays across the dash and doors, as well as big comfy seats with adequate levels of adjustment. 

It’s a car that you’ll find you get along with very quickly, with even the electric door release buttons falling to hand quite intuitively. Of course, as with many electric cars, the G6 goes the route of minimalism, so the only switchgear you’ll find is on the doors, the seats, and the steering wheel, but it doesn’t feel quite as spartan as a Model Y.

Central to everything is a 15-inch screen running the XPeng Xmart OS system, which gets regular over-the-air (OTA) updates and is clear, quick, and relatively easy to use for first-timers. We don’t yet know what apps we’ll get for Australia, but we’d be surprised if popular apps like YouTube, Spotify and Netflix weren’t included for when you’re topping up or partaking in a drive-thru. 

There’s also a whole bunch of AI intelligence offering a wide range of voice commands for vehicle functions, as well as things like local tourist information, AI picture generation, and even more. There’s even a karaoke function for when road trips get a little boring. 

All of this is supported by the XOpera sound system, which consists of 18 speakers capable of producing 960 watts in 7.1.4 surround sound, so you may just find yourself wanting to spend a bit more time in the car than you expected. 

There are also twin 50W vented wireless chargers up front and a few USB-C and USB-A sockets front and back, as well as ambient lighting to set the mood and heated and ventilated front seats for good measure.

Rear-seat passengers aren’t left behind. In fact, you’ll find comfort levels pretty high with acres of foot, knee and head room, as well as added space by virtue of a manually adjustable backrest. The feeling of space is enhanced too by the full-length panoramic roof; however, there’s no sunblind built in, so you’ll need an aftermarket one to keep Australia’s raging sun at bay.

As mentioned, there’s no front trunk, but with 571 litres of space in the trunk you’ll find most large items fit pretty well, including chunky prams. But it’s not particularly low, so while it’s an ideal height for nappy changes, it’s not great for lifting heavy items in. For larger items, the rear seats fold 60:40, albeit not completely flat, to unlock up to 1374L of space. There’s additional storage under the boot floor for things like charging cables.

Our test car was equipped with the dual-motor, 358kW drivetrain, so it’s hard to state exactly how the rear-drive variants will feel, although you are able to adjust the distribution 100 per cent to the rear, which brings things a bit closer. 

In Australia, both 190kW and 210kW rear-drive variants produce 440Nm of torque and are capable of outsprinting a rear-drive Model Y comfortably, with 6.6- and 6.2-second 0–100km/h sprints quoted. 

That means the G6 is quite sprightly on the move, and while the steering isn’t exactly tuned for sporty prowess – it’s typically light and fairly dull for the most part – the chassis is plenty capable of handling a brisk pace and most corners you can throw at it.

Much like the interior, the overriding impression is that the G6 is designed for comfort and ease of use, and if you take it at that, it’ll reward you immensely. Ride quality is every bit as good as you’d hope, power delivery is smooth and linear, and braking is easily modulated to avoid harsh stops. It’s also plenty quiet on the move with no motor whine and little wind noise due to that egg-shaped exterior, so you can enjoy that high-powered sound system to the full. 

XPeng quotes WLTP range of 435km with the 66kWh lithium ferrophosphate (LFP) battery and 570km with the 87.5kWh nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) battery, and these numbers feel quite accurate in real-world driving. Depending on how spirited you drive, you might lose an additional five per cent on those figures, but they should match up quite well. 

With the 800-volt platform, one of the big benefits of the G6 is charging times, and with the right charger you’ll be able to charge from 10–80 per cent in less than 20 minutes. XPeng has told us it is looking at building out its charger network abroad, but it’ll be some time before Australia is included.

Taking into account the Model Y is the world’s best-selling electric car, you’d have to say the G6 is in the right market to make a potential success of itself, although much will come down to XPeng getting bums on seats and raising brand awareness.

Based on our experience, the G6 has all the ingredients to go toe-to-toe with the Model Y with a comfortable and spacious cabin, top-notch infotainment and technology, decent practicality, and a very amenable driving experience. 

It may be a tad adventurous on styling for some, but it’s undoubtedly eye-catching and offers rapid charging, excellent range, and better performance than the Y. If XPeng can emulate Tesla’s market integration and ease of ownership, there’s no reason why the G6 shouldn’t find a level of success in Australia, particularly with a favourable price tag.

We’ll be getting our hands on an Australia market version very soon, so stay tuned for our local test drive.