Revealed only last week, the Xpeng G9L is now open for pre-orders in its home market in China, which means we now have full details on the five-seater luxury SUV. Sitting at the top of Xpeng’s lineup alongside the six-seater GX, this car is of relevance for Malaysia as one of the candidates for the “large SUV” earmarked for our market.
As the name suggests, the G9L is a larger redevelopment of the G9, which debuted four short years ago in 2022 and continues to be on sale. It has grown significantly – measuring 5,120 mm long, 1,999 mm wide and 1,782 mm tall, it’s 229 mm longer, 62 mm wider and 112 mm taller, while its 3,100 mm wheelbase is 102 mm longer.
The extra length is evident in the design, which is sleeker and more elegant, transposing the GX’s almost Range Rover-like minimalist styling onto a sportier and more dynamic body. The inspiration from its sibling is most obvious in the full-width front and rear light bars and the organic surfacing in the flanks, made more dramatic here.
The wraparound windscreen remains but is paired with a lower-slung roofline, body-coloured D-pillars and a faster rear windscreen rake, having been shorn of the need to provide headroom for a third row of passengers. Meanwhile, the main headlights are mounted very low on the bumper, flanking an active grille shutter that helps deliver a drag coefficient of just 0.238 – nearly identical to that of the supposedly aero-focused forthcoming Audi A2.
Keeping the side profile unadorned until needed are the deployable side steps that work alongside the projected light curtain to welcome occupants into the vehicle. The G9L comes as standard with 20-inch aero alloy wheels and is available with 21- and 22-inch options, the latter with staggered sizing and tyres.
The G9L maintains the impressive first impression on the inside, with a plush cabin said to be inspired by first class airline cabins. The layered dashboard features lashings of metal-look trim and an illuminated starry pattern, a motif repeated in the doors.
The upper decor strip incorporates a slimline 8.88-inch instrument display, which is coupled with a massive 17.3-inch infotainment touchscreen and an 88-inch augmented reality head-up display. The cantilevered centre console houses dual 50-watt Qi wireless chargers, while the threaded connectors on the dashboard for attaching accessories – pioneered by Xiaomi and all the rage in China these days – can send another 50 watts of power.
As previously reported, the front seats – which by the way, come with 22-way power adjustment, heating, ventilation and 16-point massage – use AI to adjust its 27 airbags to achieve the ideal posture. The G9L’s sheer length also means the pews can be fully reclined without removing the headrests, instantly turning the cabin into a bed.
The 10-point massaging rear seats, on the other hand, feature recline and even lumbar adjustment as standard, with either one or both of the outboard seats being available with a one-touch “zero gravity” recline function and a built-in ottoman. The centre seat can be optioned with an executive console – when folded, it can be opened up to reveal a flip-out table. A rear Qi wireless charger is also standard-fit.
Other features include the obligatory rear fridge, powered sunshades for the rear panoramic glass roof and side windows, a 21.4-inch roof monitor, an eight-inch control touchscreen and a surround sound system with up to a whopping 33 speakers – including in each outboard headrest. The boot measures a healthy 1,152 litres, including 230 litres of storage under the reversible water-resistant boot floor; a 109 litre front boot is also included.
The G9L is available in pure electric and PowerX range extender forms, with the former coming in single- and dual-motor forms. The rear-wheel-drive version makes 367 PS (270 kW) and 465 Nm of torque and accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 200 km/h. With a 91.9 kWh LFP battery, it delivers a range of up to 702 km on China’s lenient CLTC cycle; expect a WLTP figure of around 570 km.
The all-wheel-drive models boost outputs to 585 PS (430 kW) and 695 Nm, slashing the century sprint to 4.6 seconds but dropping the range to 660 km (around 540 km WLTP). A 110 kWh NMC battery option brings this back up to 755 km (circa 620 km WLTP) and cuts the zero-to-100 km/h time to 4.45 seconds.
With an 800-volt electrical architecture, the G9L boasts “5C” DC fast charging (so, around 500 kW), topping up the 91.9 kWh battery from 10 to 80% in just 10.7 minutes and the 110 kWh pack in 11.7 minutes.
The G9L AWD can also be had with a 1.5 litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine under the bonnet. This is solely used as a generator for the electric motors, detuned to 503 PS (370 kW) but still able to bring the car to 100 km/h in 4.95 seconds.
The 63.3 kWh battery provides a pure electric range of 435 km (around 350 km), and when combined with the 60 litre fuel tank, this PowerX variant is claimed to be able to travel a whopping 1,602 km. It too has an 800-volt electrical architecture, and with the same “5C” charging support (around 300 kW) it can be topped up in the same 10.7 minutes.
Under the skin, the G9L rides on double-wishbone front and multilink rear suspension, with standard dual-chamber air suspension, adaptive dampers and hydraulic bushings. Also standard is 15 degrees of rear-wheel steering that shortens the turning radius to 5.4 metres.
The G9L features three of Xpeng’s proprietary Turing AI processors to power its second-generation Visual-Language-Action (VLA 2.0) driving assistance model, now with a major update to version 6.3.0. This enables highly-autonomous highway and city driving functionality, and unlike other such systems in China, the company has already confirmed that VLA 2.0 will be introduced in Malaysia within the next two years.
Prices have yet to be released, but it’s been confirmed the G9L will start at 259,800 yuan (RM157,500). Would you like to see this leviathan in Malaysia? Let us know in the comments.
