What We Like
What We Dislike
If you ever wanted to drive a car with massive road presence and the ability to intimidate other road users, while still being able to cosset passengers, you'd probably want a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Its sheer size, coupled with the badge, will make anyone think twice about cutting you off.
A Cullinan, however, is out of reach for most folks. But if you still want to drive a menacing and luxurious car, one option is a Zeekr 009 Flagship in black. It's the most powerful MPV available in Singapore, with 450kW (a stunning 603bhp) and a century sprint time of 4.5 seconds. These figures alone are enough to scare off even some high-performance cars.
But for most drivers, this is a tad much. It's fun and quite the flex, but a bit much, especially when it's time to pay the annual road tax. Fortunately, the 009 can also be had in this more practical Deluxe variant.
The entry point
The 009 Deluxe is the base model in the lineup, although at $345,999 (at time of writing) it's hard to imagine anything basic about this MPV. It's also equally hard to spot any differences between this, the mid-spec Premium, and the top-spec Flagship variants.
In fact, all three versions look identical and even have the same wheels. There's nothing different about the badging either.
A check with Zeekr reveals that there are only two things that the 009 Deluxe doesn't have: Soft-closing doors (or suction doors), and an electrically adjustable steering wheel and column. These can hardly be called deal-breakers.
The rest of the interior is as upmarket as expected. Supple leather is used to upholster the seats and soft-touch materials are found where you expect them. The captain's chairs in the second row remain the best seats in the house, offering ventilation, massage, and one-touch functions for enabling access to the third-row seats.
I enjoyed the ambient lighting and 30-speaker Yamaha audio system as well. However, Zeekr's infotainment system needs more tweaks/updates because wireless Apple CarPlay isn't so seamless. It suddenly stopped working and wouldn't function even after I deleted and re-synced my phone. It only started working again after the infotainment system was restarted.
Another perplexing thing is the third-row seats. Considering how upmarket and luxurious the 009 is, it's odd that these seats aren't electrically folding. The ones in the rival XPENG X9 are, and they also fold into a compartment to give you a flat loadspace for luggage.
A swell drive
Unlike its dual-motor, all-wheel drive siblings, the 009 Deluxe has a single motor and is front-wheel drive. It is also substantially less powerful, with just 250kW (335bhp) and 373Nm of torque. As a result, it takes 7.9 seconds for it to go from rest to 100km/h.
Let's put things in perspective though. The 009 Deluxe weighs in at a hefty 2,770kg and yet still accelerates quicker than many other cars. It's just as quick as the aforementioned X9, which is lighter (2,590kg) and has more torque (450Nm).
Where the 009 Deluxe shines, though, is in how it rides. Its air suspension keeps everyone cocooned, gliding creamily over woolly surfaces and ironing out speed bumps. Yet you still feel like you're part of the proceedings. This isn't a sports car, but it does feel more involving than the X9.
Punch the accelerator at low speeds and the 009 Deluxe surges forward and past slower traffic with ease. But unlike the Flagship variant, which rockets you towards the horizon, the performance is more suited to everyday drives. So, you worry less about exceeding speed limits.
I found that setting the suspension to 'Standard' and the drive mode to 'Sport' under the Individual option suited the car best. 'Comfort' makes the damping too soft to the point that the car sways over speed bumps and hard turns.
I also set the regenerative braking level to 'Strong' as it helped slow down the car, while still requiring me to use the mechanical brakes to bring the car to a halt. This accords me a bit more control when stopping. A one-pedal driving function is available, too, if that's what you prefer.
Nice surprise
I initially thought the 009 Deluxe would feel lacking in comparison to the Flagship model. Instead, it showed that adequate power is fine, too. And when properly applied, delivers performance that most drivers will find easy to deal with. The 009's dimensions after all, are already challenging.
But the key thing to note is this: Despite being down 200kW (268bhp) and 320Nm of torque, the 009 Deluxe can still intimidate other road users with its sheer size, and make would-be bullies think twice about cutting you off.
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