I've always said that electric cars are like microwaves: efficient, fast, and soulless. You press a button and it's done. But something interesting just happened in Brussels. The Chinese, Zeekr to be exact, have thrown the Zeekr 7GT on the table. And lo and behold, they claim to have made a car for us dinosaurs who actually care about how the steering wheel behaves in a corner.
I admit, I was skeptical. I thought it would be another one of those “boxes” that marketing departments call a “coupe crossover” to excuse the fact that it looks like a failed jelly experiment. I was wrong. Zeekr 7GT not a hybrid Thank God it's not an SUV. It's the automotive equivalent of an expensive Italian suit - low, wide and tailored to accentuate the muscles, not the belly. It's a true GT wagon for the modern age.
Let's be honest. Most modern crossovers it looks like soap that you left in water for too long. Zeekr The 7GT, however, is different. It's low, it's brash and - pardon the expression - it's damn wide. At 2,070mm (81.5 inches) wide, it's wider than many luxury SUVs, meaning you'll be squeezing your butt on narrow European streets and looking like the king of the road on the motorway. Measuring 4,817mm (189.6 inches) long and 1,456mm (57.3 inches) high, it has that classic "Shooting Brake" silhouette we used to admire from the British, before they started making SUVs.
Inside, they haven't gone down the path of complete minimalism, where you have to enter three submenus to open the glove compartment. No, the ergonomics here are focused on the driver. The seat is low - so low that you might need help getting out after a big lunch, but that's the price of a sporty feel. There's still plenty of room for five people and 456 liters (16.1 cubic feet) of luggage. Just right for a weekend trip to Tuscany or hauling bags of cement, if you're that kind of person. But not huge!
Technology that makes the competition laugh
Now for the numbers that will give German engineers a headache. The Zeekr 7GT is based on an 800-volt architecture. For those of you who haven't graduated in electrical engineering: that means speed. Brutal charging speed. With a charging power of up to 480 kW, you can charge the battery from 10 to 80 percent in just 13 minutes. You gain 340 kilometers (211 miles) of range in ten minutes. That's faster than the average gas station stop while you wait for the lady in front of you to decide which sandwich to buy.
Two batteries are available: 75 kWh and larger 100 kWh LFP battery. The Chinese know that we in Europe don't have time to wait, and with this model they have solved the biggest problem of electric vehicles - charging anxiety.
Capabilities: When the family wagon turns into a rocket
If you think this is just another slow "eco-friendly" train, you're wrong. Zeekr 7GT accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) in absurd 3.3 secondsThat's faster than most cars with a horse or bull on the back. Top speed is limited to 210 km/h (130 mph), which is perfectly decent for an electrician, unless you're driving down the German Autobahn at 3 a.m. every day.
But the real magic is supposedly hidden in the chassis. Double wishbones at the front, multi-link axle at the rear. This is a recipe for a sports car, not a taxi. The developers tuned the car in Europe, specifically for our bumpy and winding roads. And since Zeekr is part of the Geely concern (owners of Volvo and Lotus), we can suspect that they “borrowed” some knowledge from the guys who know how to make a car that sticks to the road like a bench.
The digital world and… a towbar?
The driver stares into a 35.5-inch (90 cm) augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD), which is probably bigger than your first TV. There’s also a 13-inch (33 cm) digital instrument display. But Zeekr hasn’t forgotten about practicality. The car can tow a trailer, has special camping programs, and even a “winter mode.” Yes, with this Chinese technological marvel, you can actually take your skis to the Dolomites without looking ridiculous.
Final Verdict: Zeekr 7GT
The Zeekr 7GT is coming to the market with a price of 45,990 euros. For that money, you get a head-turning design, organ-shaking acceleration, and charging technology that's years ahead of the competition. Sure, the badge on the nose won't tell strangers anything. They might ask if it's a new vacuum cleaner. But when you leave them in a cloud of dust at a traffic light and charge the battery before they can fill up, you won't care.
This is a car that takes the modern world's cynicism about electric vehicles and slaps it with pure performance. Is it perfect? Probably not. Is it fun? Hell yes, it is. And in a world of sterile electric eggs, that's all that matters.
