XPENG P7 first drive review

The original P7 was arguably the car that put XPENG on the map - at a time when Tesla was getting all the attention, XPENG beat it at its own game with an even more stylish sedan that was even available with electric scissor-doors.

This time round, XPENG invited us to its hometown and put us behind the wheel of the all-new, next-generation XPENG P7. And I've only got one word for it - stunning.

About as handsome a sedan can get

While the old P7 featured smooth lines - design elements that can still be found on models like the G6 that we are familiar with - the new P7 is a much sharper car featuring an almost wedge-shaped front end.

The P7 has a roofline that tapers towards the angular rear end in a smooth line, resulting in an incredibly sleek silhouette

With a roofline that tapers in a taut line towards the angular rear end, the P7 has a silhouette reminiscent of the equally handsome Polestar 5. But unlike the Polestar, the P7 features some uniquely designed light signatures with thin lines that creates an X on each end.

You might even mistake the slim head and taillights as black trim pieces on the P7 when they aren't lit

The slim light elements create the illusion of a car without any head or tail lights upon the first glance, especially when the lights aren't lit. While extremely stylish and impressionable, the P7 doesn't just look good - with a minimum drag coefficient of 0.201Cd, this is a highly efficient design as well.

The cabin is exactly what you'll expect from XPENG - minimalist, well-built and high-tech

Minimalistic quality

The cabin is exactly as we've come to expect from XPENG - from our previous experiences with the G6 and X9, we've noticed a particular attention to build quality and choice of materials, along with the pursuit of minimalism, clearly inspired by Tesla.

Like the past XPENG models, the P7's cabin is largely devoid of buttons - most controls are accessed via the large central touchscreen

All these details can be observed within the new P7 - entirely devoid of buttons, except for those on the steering wheel, all of the P7's features are accessed via the large central touchscreen infotainment display. Unlike Teslas, however, the P7 retains a driver's display, albeit one that is markedly slimmer than what most might be familiar with.

Vital information, including navigation information, is also transmitted to the driver's vision via a sharp and informative heads-up display.

Cabin space is generous, with sufficient headroom despite the sleek profile of the P7

Space within the cabin is well-judged, with sufficient wiggle room for four adults to commute in comfort. While the sloping roofline encroaches into headroom, there's still sufficient clearance for most thanks to the angle of the rear seats.

Most surfaces are upholstered in soft materials and leather, creating a premium space within - rear seat passengers can also be entertained by a touchscreen display on the centre console, like what you'll find in the facelifted Tesla Model 3.

A test drive with minimal driving

My experience with the P7 is rather intriguing: Despite spending around 40 minutes behind the wheel, I had only driven it for five minutes or so. A large part of the drive was actually geared towards experiencing XPENG's NGP (Navigation Guided Pilot), an advanced driver assist system with L3 autonomous driving capabilities.

XPENG's NGP system was capable of navigating through traffic and complex scenarios with minimal driver intervention 

So, for the most part of my drive on the route that included city and expressway driving, the car was doing the driving. XPENG's AI-powered NGP system was able to navigate through traffic, stop and move off at traffic lights, make the correct turns, overtake slower vehicles, and allow faster vehicles to pass - just like an actual driver.

And it does it without issues for the most part - there were instances where I had to take over control as the car was headed towards the wrong route - but the system was otherwise quite dependable. In fact, the system allowed me to take my hands off the wheel at times to adjust my action camera, and allowed me to record my experience with minimal stress - I'll definitely struggle without it.

Brembo brakes, aluminium die-casted front and rear chassis structures, double-wishbone front suspension, rear multi-link suspension and a dual-chamber air suspension setup result in a sweet drive

As for the actual driving, the P7's steering is on the lighter side, but remains precise. Fitted with Brembo brakes, there was sufficient stopping power and modulation was pretty good as well. Despite being a rear-wheel drive single motor variant, there was enough power to overtake and get up to speed with ease - 362bhp and 465Nm of torque is no slouch. Body control and handling felt taut and well sorted as well, all thanks to the technology that went into the car.

A stylish future to look forward to

Although XPENG's NGP won't be available in Singapore for the foreseeable future - the NGP system is currently only available domestically, and Singapore only allows up to L2 autonomous driving systems - the next generation P7 is slated to arrive in Singapore in the future.

We have been told that the P7 will be displayed at the upcoming Singapore Motor Show in 2026, so you can have a close look at this stunning sedan then. While there is still no information on when the car will officially be launched in Singapore, it will be the first sedan from the Chinese tech company to be offered here. And from my experience with it, I'm certain many will be impressed by it.

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