► New Geely-owned brand is set to launch in Europe this year
► Zeekr 001 could hit the UK by 2025
► High-spec, high-gloss, highly annoying ADAS
Give Chinese car brands their due, they move fast. Zeekr – a child of the vast Geely empire – launched just two years ago but already up past 150,000 sales in its native China and growing fast.
Zeekr’s next plan is to expand into Europe through 2024, with right-hand drive and UK sales possibly starting in 2025. And it’ll kick proceedings off with two all-new electric cars. The Zeekr X compact SUV and this – the Zeekr 001.
It’s a fairly large shooting brake affair, similarly proportioned to the Kia EV6 with a bulbous rear and just enough of a raised ride height to feel commanding without stepping into the realms of being an SUV.
With prices in Europe starting from around 60,000 Euros, this is a manufacturer leaving the cheap ‘n’ cheerful side of the market to others and leaping straight in with a premium product.
Looks rather like a Lynk & Co?
Yes – the 001 (we’re opting for ‘double-oh one’, incidentally) started life as the Lynk & Co Zero concept car, unveiled ahead of the 2021 Beijing Auto Show. It made it into production largely unchanged, but instead became the first thrust of budding brand Zeekr.
Still, Lynk & Co’s influence is clear to see, particularly in the bulbous, high-mounted daytime running lights, gurning grille and vertical taillight elements.
Lynk & Co – sorry, Zeekr – offers the 001 in three variants for Europe. All use the same beefy 100kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted under the floor. Kicking off proceedings is the Long Range RWD, equipped with a single electric motor rated for 268bhp and 252lb ft and good for 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds. It’ll do up to 385 WLTP-fresh miles on a charge.
Moving up, the Performance AWD ups this to two electric motors and a total output of 537bhp and 504lb ft. 0-62mph is dispatched in a sprightly 3.8s, though range decreases to a still-impressive 367 miles. The range-topping Privilege model uses the same powertrain as the Performance, but range reduces slightly to 360 miles.
Long Range and Performance models run on double wishbones up front, coil springs at the rear and fixed-rate dampers, but the Privilege gets a full air-sprung setup, usually the preserve of much pricier EVs.
If neither of these are quick enough, the 001 FR will eventually hit Europe – though not for a good few years. It’s a halo performance model with 1248bhp, four electric motors, and 0-62mph in 2.07s. Bonkers.
Is it any good to drive?
Not half bad. We sampled the top-end Privilege model, and found it the equal of its European competition in a lot of ways.
Performance is obviously ferocious, but Zeekr’s engineered enough forgiveness into the throttle that it doesn’t feel peaky or hyperactive. Neither has it bothered with a fake ‘engine’ noise – instead, you’re whisked along in fairly serene surroundings, though wind noise is a little intrusive.
The Privilege model doesn’t initially feel air-sprung – it’s actually quite pleasant and firm, with good body control and not too much float on an undulating surface. Smaller imperfections reveal a little more of the patter that these setups are known for, but it’s really well-gauged and nicely tuned for European roads.
The steering’s a little less impressive. Grip is good, turnin is willing, but the whole affair is very remote and lifeless.
There’s some breadth to the driving modes. Full advantage of the air springs are taken in dynamic mode, which tightens everything up, and in off-road mode where the car raises itself on its hackles to increase ground clearance. A one-pedal driving mode is also available though it’s not quite as well-calibrated as we’d like.
What about the interior?
This is a real highlight of the Zeekr 001, actually. The dashboard is dominated, Tesla-style, by a 15.4-inch centre touchscreen, but you also get a physical gauge cluster that’s fairly easy to digest. Switchgear is minimal – most everything runs through the touchscreen, including the climate controls, but you do at least get a physical gear selector and a few shortcut keys on the centre console.
The steering wheel switchgear is more infuriating than the screen, actually – it’s all unmarked and touch-sensitive, requiring you to guess what does what.
Despite the lack of physical controls, though, Zeekr hasn’t made the 001’s cabin as stark and minimalist as a Tesla. Material quality is lush and varied, with vegan leather and suede substitutes trading blows with interestingly finished plastic and solid-feeling rose-gold accents. It’s not to everyone’s taste, granted, but other interior finishes are available.
The effect is much warmer and more cossetting than some rivals, and really rather pleasant. Also very pleasant is the Yamaha stereo – the first time the audio giant’s dabbled in the automotive sphere. The result sounds great with fantastic clarity, aided by the 001’s relative hush.
Space is also good, with tons of legroom courtesy of the car’s long wheelbase. Rear passengers get their own touchscreen with which they can change the climate controls and music, and there’s even a panel to shift the front passenger seat forward giving the rear occupant space to stretch out in.
Headroom isn’t too palatial thanks to the sloping roofline but the boot is big, well-shaped and easily accessed via a huge tailgate.
Any issues?
The main one is the ADAS – which in this guise we would rebrand as ‘Advanced Driver Annoyance Systems’. The most outwardly irritating is the driver attention alert, which operates through a sensor placed just behind the steering wheel.
When this sensor is blocked, it throws up an insistent error message. The problem is that, due to its positioning, it’s blocked by the steering wheel spokes – so every time you turn the wheel, you get an error. And this system cannot be turned off.
The speed limit warning is particularly annoying too, letting loose with five truly piercing beeps every time it thinks you’re driving over the posted limit. This can at least be turned off, but will re-instate itself every time you restart the car.
Perhaps these systems will be fixed before launch – Zeekr tells us this was a pre-production model, after all. But we’ve heard manufacturers use that excuse one too many times to totally trust it. The truth is, if these systems aren’t fixed before the Zeekr 001 goes on sale, nobody should buy one.
Verdict
The Zeekr 001 shows promise – it’s handsome, seems well-built, and is on par with most of the European competition when it comes to driving dynamics.
ADAS aside, it seems like a car well worth shortlisting, though it remains to be seen what the rest of the market will come up with in the months before the 001 launches in the UK.
Price quoted is for the Netherlands, converted directly from Euros – correct as of 29/09/2023.