Some cars ask to be driven. Some beg to be thrashed on the twistiest road you can find or launched pedal-to-the-metal on a de-restricted stretch of road. The XPeng X9, however, doesn’t make such demands. It simply opens its sliding doors and invites you in. Not to drive. To recline.

Because while most cars want you in the driver’s seat, this one insists you experience it from the back row.

A future-focused ride

The X9 is huge, and unapologetically proud of it. Park it next to a Range Rover or even a Bentley Bentayga, and it stands toe to toe.

From some angles, it looks less like a car and more like a Star Trek shuttle pod, especially with its smooth, creaseless bodywork and futuristic proportions.

But don’t mistake the X9’s sleek silhouette for cold minimalism. It’s a first-class cabin on wheels. Pull open the powered sliding doors and you’re greeted by what XPeng clearly considers its pièce de résistance: the second-row captain’s chairs. These thrones recline, massage, heat, cool, and extend leg supports like they’re trying to outdo First Class.

Nestled between them is a central fridge for your beverages, multiple USB-C ports, wireless chargers, and tray tables. A screen large enough to host a Zoom call with every relative in your family tree folds down from the ceiling, and with five-zone climate control, everyone gets their own little bubble of comfort.

In most MPVs, the third row is where grandparents go to reconsider their life choices. Not here. In the X9, the last row is genuinely usable. Adults fit comfortably, and when you don’t need the seats, they fold completely flat into the floor, revealing a cavernous 2,500-litre boot.

That’s the sort of space you get in a small removal van, not a luxury MPV. You could theoretically pack for a long-haul family road trip and still have room for impulse buys from every shopping mall between here and Thailand.

Driving? Optional, But Surprisingly Pleasant

Of course, one still has to drive the X9 from time to time. Power comes from a single front-mounted motor making 315hp, drawing energy from a substantial 101.5kWh battery. Official range stands at 590km (WLTP), giving you a realistic 500km of useable distance, more than enough for a weekly commute.

Despite its size, the X9 moves with surprising grace. It takes just 7.8 seconds to get to 100km/h, which is quick enough to make it to your child’s piano recital even after realising you’ve forgotten their scoresheets at home.

Thanks to rear-wheel steering, it turns like something half its size. The turning radius borders on the comical, like watching a sumo wrestler pirouette. Tight U-turns, carparks, and multi-storey ramps are no longer any concern.

And when it comes time to park, just press a button. The car will park itself, smoothly and silently, like it’s checking itself into a spa.

A true tech tsunami

XPeng is, at its heart, a tech company that just happens to build cars. And you feel that in every part of the X9. There are menus within menus, letting you tweak everything from steering weight to ride height to how much regen braking you want on your daily jaunt.

It’s all very clever. But it can also feel like ordering coffee and being asked whether you’d like your beans ground clockwise or anti-clockwise, and with or without a hint of optimism.

Take the air-conditioning, for instance. Adjusting vents via the touchscreen is about as intuitive as painting with chopsticks. A physical dial or switch would have sufficed.

Despite the minor UI quirks and the inevitable learning curve that comes with all this tech, the X9 is a remarkable achievement. It redefines the MPV as something aspirational, not just practical. A car that can shuttle seven in absolute serenity, while looking like it just rolled off a sci-fi film set.

Your lounge on wheels awaits

In the XPeng X9, you don’t drive. You arrive.

And when you do, you’ll step out fully massaged, perfectly temperate, with your phone charged, your coffee cooled (or warmed), and your sanity intact, even with a full family on board.

If this is what the future of people-movers looks like, count me in.

Technical Specifications

XPeng X9

Powertrain: Single Electric Motor, Front-Wheel Drive
Power: 235 kW (315 bhp)
Torque: 450 Nm
Gearbox: Single-Speed (A)
Acceleration: 7.8 Seconds (0-100km/h)
Top Speed: 200 km/h
Battery Capacity: 101.5 kWh
Drive Range: 590 km
Energy Consumption: N.A.
Price: S$355,999 with COE (accurate at the time of this article)

Photo Credits: Sean Loo (@auto.driven)

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Some cars beg to be flung around a winding mountain pass, while others all but demand a full-throttle run down an unrestricted stretch of road. The XPeng X9, however, plays a different tune altogether.

The moment I laid eyes on it, my instinct wasn’t to grab the wheel, but to slide into the back and sink into one of the sumptuous captain’s chairs. Because when an MPV is this luxurious, the true experience starts in the rear cabin, where comfort reigns supreme.

You don’t need a membership to hop aboard

The XPeng X9 is enormous. At 5.3 metres long and a full two metres wide, it’s less MPV and more rolling condominium. Park it next to a Bentley Bentayga, and it might just eclipse it.

With its clean panels and slightly alien silhouette, the X9 looks more like a monolith from a sci-fi film than something you’d ferry the kids to school in.

Open the power-sliding doors and you’re greeted by thrones. The second row is the real show here: plush captain’s chairs that recline, massage, heat, and ventilate on command.

Your calves rest on powered leg supports. Your devices charge silently via wireless pads. Your mid-journey coffee stays chilled (or warmed) in a proper, functioning fridge between the front seats. No one here is roughing it.

There’s a rear screen the size of a studio apartment window, multiple USB ports, fold-out tray tables, and five-zone climate control. Yes, five. Each occupant gets their own weather forecast.

The third row isn’t an afterthought either. Adults fit comfortably. And when not in use, those seats disappear into the floor, revealing over 2,500 litres of cargo space. That’s enough room for a whole holiday’s worth of suitcases.

How does she roll?

XPeng is a tech company first, and that DNA is baked into every pixel and panel. The X9 feels less like a car designed by engineers and more like a gadget conceived by a team of over-caffeinated software developers who just discovered luxury travel.

Power comes from a front-mounted motor with 320 horsepower, fed by a sizeable 101.5kWh battery. Official range is between 500 to 590km, though most buyers will care more about how chilled their bubble tea is than their WLTP stats.

Still, 0-100km/h in 7.8 seconds is no slouch for something this size. Handy when you’re late for your child’s piano recital across town.

Rear-wheel steering gives the X9 a U-turn radius that defies physics. The steering is light, the ride supple, and the sheer ease with which it manoeuvres makes lesser MPVs feel like cruise ships.

And when it is time to park this leviathan, press a button, and it parks itself. Smoothly, silently, with all the precision of a valet at The Ritz.

Of course, with all this tech comes the inevitable side effects. The car is very customisable. You can adjust steering weight, brake feel, accelerator response, ride height, and regenerative braking, each with multiple levels.

It’s impressive. It’s excessive. It’s a bit like ordering coffee and being asked whether you’d like your beans ground anti-clockwise or with a hint of optimism. Some people like it, but I suspect most people won’t bother going through the hassle.

Then there’s the air-conditioning interface. Adjusting the vents via touchscreen feels like trying to thread a needle in zero gravity. The team responsible may need to rethink their UI priorities.

A rolling statement

Still, these are quibbles.

The X9 is an experience after all. A rolling statement that family motoring doesn’t have to mean compromise. It redefines the MPV as something aspirational, desirable, and cool.

So, if you’ve ever dreamed of a living room that takes the school run in stride and does it with more tech than your actual living quaters, the X9 is it. It’s sci-fi luxury for the real world, complete with its own fridge.

Technical Specifications

XPeng X9

Powertrain: Single Electric Motor, Front-Wheel Drive
Power: 235 kW (315 bhp)
Torque: 450 Nm
Gearbox: Single-Speed (A)
Acceleration: 7.8 Seconds (0-100km/h)
Top Speed: 200 km/h
Battery Capacity: 101.5 kWh
Drive Range: 590 km
Energy Consumption: N.A.
Price: S$340,999 with COE (accurate at the time of this article)

Photo Credits: Sean Loo (@auto.driven)

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on YouTube and on TikTok!

At 5.2 metres long and 2 metres wide, the XPENG X9 is built on the brand’s cutting-edge SEPA 2.0 platform, boasting an impressive 800V architecture that offers charging speeds up to 330kW. Enough to juice the battery from 10% to 80% in just 20 minutes.

Buyers can choose between two battery pack options, delivering ranges of up to 480km (84.5 kWh) or 575km (101.15 kWh) on the WLTP cycle.

The standard and long-range variants generate 235kW of power and 450Nm of torque, achieving a respectable 0–100km/h sprint in 7.7 seconds. With a top speed of 200km/h and a turning radius of just 5.4 metres, the X9 is agile in city traffic.

True to XPENG’s futuristic ethos, the X9’s aesthetic is made from a 83% high-strength steel-aluminium hybrid, offering class-leading safety features such as 70.9-litre side curtain airbags and exceptional rear collision protection.

Its interior is equally captivating, transforming seamlessly from a family hauler to a spacious four-seater SUV, catering to a diverse range of needs.

Folding the third-row seats with a single click transforms the boot space from 755 litres to a cavernous 2,554 litres. 

Following its Motorshow debut, the XPENG X9 will grace the brand’s showroom at 281 Alexandra Road, available for purchase from late January 2025.

Cindy Tanaga, General Manager of Premium Automobiles, summarised the brand’s ambitions perfectly: “The launch of the XPENG X9 showcases the brand’s commitment to deliver the future of mobility across the globe, with incredible intelligence and versatility, we are confident that the X9 will be the next choice of car for families here.”

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