7 Minutes
Rain lashed the Portuguese coast, the roads were greasy, and Xpeng's engineers were not looking for polite applause. They wanted criticism. Real criticism. Questions about ride comfort, cabin noise, steering feel, software glitches, suspension tuning. The sort of feedback carmakers usually pretend they do not want in public. That alone told you something important about the new Xpeng G6.
Less than a year later, the answer has arrived in the form of a heavily revised version of the electric SUV now heading into Europe and the UK. Xpeng says it has made 20,000 refinements. That number sounds theatrical, but after driving the latest G6 AWD Performance Black Edition, the bigger story is easy to spot: this company is done being dismissed as a bargain-bin Tesla alternative. It is aiming straight at the Tesla Model Y, and for the first time, that ambition feels credible.
The version tested is the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Performance model, packing 480 hp and enough punch to hit 100 km/h in a little over four seconds. In real life, it is properly quick. Not dramatic, not wild, just brutally efficient in the way modern EVs tend to be. You squeeze the throttle and it fires down the road with that familiar electric urgency, making overtakes effortless and short straights feel even shorter.
Visually, Xpeng has tried to sharpen the G6's appeal without tearing up the original template. The updated front light bar gives it a more futuristic face, and the black detailing, 20-inch wheels and darker trim of the Performance Black Edition add some attitude. But there is no escaping the fact that the overall design still feels anonymous. Clean, yes. Modern, sure. Memorable? Not really. In a European market where brands like Renault, Peugeot and Mini are leaning into personality, the G6 still comes across more like a highly polished device than a car with a distinct identity.
Where the changes really matter
The most meaningful work has happened underneath and inside. Xpeng has reworked chassis tuning, adjusted the suspension for rougher European roads, improved sound insulation and refined the way the powertrain responds. Those are not glamorous upgrades, but they are exactly the kind that matter after a few hours behind the wheel.
The accelerator is easier to modulate now, which makes the car feel smoother and less abrupt in everyday driving. The suspension is slightly firmer too, and that helps settle the body through corners. It still is not what anyone would call engaging. Steering feel remains thin, and selecting a heavier steering mode through the touchscreen only adds weight, not actual feedback. But the G6 is calmer and more grown-up than before, especially at motorway speeds where wind and road noise are better suppressed.
The cabin has also taken a noticeable step forward. More of the dashboard and pillars are wrapped in softer, more convincing materials, ambient lighting lifts the atmosphere after dark, and the new seats in the front feel like a proper upgrade. They are heated, ventilated and offer a massage function, which is the kind of premium flourish buyers in this segment increasingly expect. Rear space remains one of the G6's strongest cards, with generous headroom and legroom, while the expansive glass area keeps the interior feeling open and airy.
That sense of spaciousness will be familiar to anyone who has spent time in a Tesla Model Y, and that comparison follows the Xpeng almost everywhere. Sometimes that is flattering. Sometimes it is a problem.
Fast charging is the headline, but not the whole story
One area where the G6 genuinely flexes is charging tech. The updated model uses a new 80.8 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, a chemistry Xpeng says avoids materials such as cobalt, nickel and manganese. In the AWD Performance version, official WLTP range is rated at 508 km, while the rear-wheel-drive Long Range model stretches to 525 km.
Those are respectable figures rather than class-defining ones, but the charging performance is what grabs attention. Xpeng claims peak charging of up to 451 kW, allowing a 10 to 80 percent top-up in as little as 12 minutes from a suitably powerful charger. If that holds up in real-world conditions, it puts the G6 among the fastest-charging electric SUVs on sale in Europe today.
The infotainment system is quicker now as well, helped by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chipset that gives the central display more responsiveness. Menus load faster, inputs register more cleanly, and the whole interface feels less laggy than before. That is the good news.
The bad news is that it still tries too hard to turn basic car functions into software exercises. Too many everyday controls are buried in menus, and simple tasks can become irritatingly fiddly. Even after prior experience with the G6, adjusting something as basic as the door mirrors was less intuitive than it should have been. The voice assistant did not help much either, struggling with common phrasing before finally pointing to the right setting. Slicker is not the same as smarter.
The same pattern shows up in the driver assistance systems. On paper, the G6 is loaded with advanced safety and parking features. In practice, they work well enough but rarely disappear into the background the way the best systems do. Lane centring can feel overzealous on faster roads, tugging too aggressively and creating an awkward, jerky sensation. The automated parking function spots spaces quickly, yet the actual manoeuvre lacks the speed and polish needed to inspire trust. After a while, doing it yourself feels easier.
That pretty much sums up the latest Xpeng G6. It is unquestionably better than the version that came before it. Quieter, smarter, more polished, more comfortable, and closer to what European buyers expect from a serious Tesla Model Y rival. In some areas, particularly charging speed and cabin space, it makes a very persuasive case for itself.
And yet there is still something missing. Character. Spark. A reason to want this particular EV beyond the spec sheet. The Performance version is fast, but not especially fun. The design is modern, but safe to the point of anonymity. The tech is impressive, but not always graceful to live with.
So yes, Xpeng has moved the G6 on at remarkable speed, in a way that many legacy carmakers will look at with envy. It is no longer fair to write it off as a cheap imitation. But it also has not fully escaped that shadow yet. For buyers who want a roomy electric SUV with ultra-fast charging and a lower barrier to entry than some established rivals, the G6 makes sense. For those looking for personality, polish and a truly distinctive alternative to Tesla, it still has work to do.
Comments
DaNix
Is 10 to 80 in 12 mins realistic, or marketing fluff? I want real tests not just WLTP. And who buries mirror controls in menus lol
v8rider
Pretty balanced take. Solid steps forward, quieter cabin, nicer seats, that charging tech seduces. But steering still feels thin, can't shake the Tesla shadow
mechbyte
Wow, they actually asked for brutal feedback, and then listened? If that 451kW charging is real, that's a game changer. Still a bit bland, needs character.
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