Image Credit: Captain Electro.
Spoiler alert - whoever coined that phrase had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. That sad person probably had one miserable experience because they lifted up their “hero” onto an imaginary pedestal, and once they met the original, they realized the gap between reality and the image was bigger than the Grand Canyon. Does it make the hero any less of a hero? Absolutely not. The issue is with that pedestal, and of course - the person who imagined it.
With that in mind, I recently decided that it was about time to meet my hero - face to face, or rather, hand to the wheel. When XPeng revealed the Next P7 last year (yes, the name is confusing since there’s a P7 and P7+, but they wouldn’t listen to me anyway), I was literally blown away. I saw the first photo of it, and I honestly thought it was one of those concept car renders, something to moisten up our beaks, only to reveal the real deal that looks nothing like the rendering. Basically, the hero and the pedestal story all over again.
Image Credit: Captain Electro.
But the images kept coming, the info kept pouring in from China - stats, options, release dates, preorder prices… This thing was starting to look real. The more I looked at it, the more I liked this futuristic chariot. The more I looked into the details, the more I realized I was building up a pedestal. I went as far as calling the Next P7 my favorite car of all time. Now, you might not know me, but I have had a collection of cars throughout my life that covers many vehicles with legendary status. A Chinese electric sedan climbing to the top of that pile? Nah, seriously, what was I thinking?
Just before Christmas, an opportunity presented itself, and before I realized it, I said “yes”, and I was landing in rainy Guangzhou. This vast Chinese city sits in the south of the country and has an amazing tropical climate - it was sweaty 33 °C, and it was raining when I landed. I could write a couple of articles about the city itself, but I went all that way to meet my hero - not to admire flawless infrastructure that somehow supports 19 million people living just within its boundary. Together with surrounding towns, there are 70 million people relying on this one giant urban development.
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But the real shock was about to arrive in the form of a low-slung, futuristic silver missile. What greeted me in the morning, in the underground car park of my hotel, was the future. When I decided to go to China, I said to myself: “Zero expectations, totally blank page.” And I tried really hard - but when you see this beast in real life, it takes your breath away. Well, it did take my breath away.
There it was - long, wide, and low, with its doors dramatically lifted up in the air, its lights playing some animations. I stood there, suddenly reminded of the very first time I saw a Lamborghini Diablo in person, many decades ago. I was again, for a split second, that same young guy, blown away by the spectacle of automotive art. You can keep your Mona Lisas, you can keep your Michael Angelos - I want one of these!
Image Credit: Captain Electro.
One thing was missing from the drama, though. The absolute ear-ringing silence quickly brought me back to Earth. There was no air-piercing start-up, no crackle and pop from the exhaust, no air vibrating when you got too close. Pure silence, as if the gods clicked the mute button on the whole world, and sat there with me watching this glorious, silent creation. It took me a while to come back down from cloud nine, but eventually I remembered why I was there in the first place - to push my hero off the pedestal, and watch it crumble into a pile of broken promises.
First impressions count, and as far as the Next P7 goes - it blows your socks off. Whichever angle you look at it from, there’s something going on, a faint influence of some automotive classic. The rear quarter has some Aston Martin and Jaguar flavor, the front is a delightful take on the classic Ferrari 365 GTB Daytona with just a splash of Series 2 Lagonda and 1966 Dodge Charger. I look at the XPeng, and I see a long list of many of my favorite classics - but not copied. Instead, they are tastefully reimagined for the modern day.
Image Credit: Captain Electro.
The influence goes on - the silhouette and the floating roof resemble the classic Citroen CX with a mix of Lotus Esprit, and the rear is a glorious Vantage V8-inspired take on the Porsche 911 (928) ducktail… Honestly, I have never seen a car with so much design influence so tastefully put together - and yet, ending up with a completely unique and original identity. I know, I am gloating, but I actually believe the Next P7 is the “essence” of automotive design - the most delicious concentrate of best designs ever. My idea of pushing it off the pedestal? XPeng 1, me 0.
Standing right next to it, I couldn’t help but note that this is the bravest car out there. XPeng had the solid bronze testies to pull this off - a wild creation that should only belong in the virtual world, is now driving up and down Chinese cities, laughing at every excuse ever created by automotive companies to deprive us of cars like this one.
Image Credit: Captain Electro.
Interestingly, the first shock of seeing the Next P7 in person doesn’t wear off the moment you jump in - XPeng dials the experience to 11, the moment you step inside. First thing to notice, once you slide in under the scissor doors, is the low and stretched sitting position - I kid you not, this does not feel like a family sedan at all. You sit low with your legs stretched far out to the front, with a tiny sport steering wheel just grazing your thighs - a true driver’s setup, with all important controls within easy reach (not that there are many of those).
The seats probably deserve a dedicated article. They hug you with that warm, firm embrace that instantly makes you feel like you belong right there. The sides are deep and firm but far from harsh. You know this car means business, the moment you slide into the driver’s seat and take a look out over that long hood. The centre console sits high; it goes right up to your elbow, creating a cocoon around the driver, once the door is shut. Sure - the ambient lights play nice tricks, and the whole thing looks futuristic, but it gives you the impression of a solid and safe fighter jet cabin. The only thing missing is the weapons.
Image Credit: Captain Electro.
The visual drama continues with the giant screen in the middle turning its way to greet you. Every time you say something to the onboard AI, it will turn the screen to face the person it is about to talk to. It’s a small but very intuitive touch that lets you instantly know your instruction has been received. After spending a day with the Next P7 and then jumping into the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, it felt as if the SU7 was deaf, ignoring my commands… A small step for a man…
Okay, at this point, I started to realize this experience was getting too good to be true. I desperately needed to find something to complain about. And I did. Everything is operated by voice - and I mean everything. There are some buttons for the basic functions (thank the heavens), but you need to talk to your car to change the temperature, set the destination, call your kids, put the lights on in the house, order some food, and discuss the latest on the EU and US tariffs on Chinese EVs. And my Chinese is limited to a few basic words, which meant I couldn’t have a meaningful conversation. Yes, my complaint about the P7 is that I cannot speak its language.
Image Credit: Captain Electro.
Back to the car. We have established that you sit surprisingly low - I’d say lower than in a BMW M3 but not as low as in any Lamborghini. Maserati Quattroporte comes to my mind, but you are more stretched out in the P7. The view out is brilliant, giant HUD projects everything you need about 10 feet ahead of the vehicle (it doesn’t really, but that’s what it looks like), and you really feel like ten million bucks in this vehicle. The rear passengers have a lot of room, I mean, Mercedes S-Class could learn some valuable lessons here.
The Next P7 has the looks, it has buckets of room inside, the trunk is vast, but after you get over the initial shock of how advanced it is, the everlasting impression is the quality. I was overwhelmed on the first day and had to go back the next day to verify my impressions. Honestly, I said that before - the P7+ was a positive surprise when it comes to quality. The Next P7 takes it to a whole different level.
Image Credit: Captain Electro.
All the fabrics, the leather, the suede - top notch. The finish is near-perfect; there are no hard plastics anywhere in sight, every panel inside fits perfectly, there are no squeaks, no rattles, nothing moves or shakes. This really is important because this is a $30,000 car. That’s right - this $30k EV is better put together than many $80k or even $100,000 luxury cars from brands we consider to be the dog’s danglies.
How does it drive? Let’s not forget that this is a very large vehicle - it’s about 16.5 ft long and it weighs about 4,850 pounds. That’s a lot of heft to carry around, and quite surprisingly, the Next P7 deals with it as if it weren’t there. I mean, there’s no way to hide the size, but the car feels almost wrapped around the driver. You are fully aware of where every corner is at all times, you know exactly what the wheels are doing, and you get plenty of feedback through the steering wheel - a known Achilles’ heel of electric cars.
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The visibility to the front and to the sides is spot on. When it comes to looking back, I quickly learned to appreciate the camera. But the main thing was the performance - and plenty of it. I was surprised by the base version, which comes with a 74.9 kWh battery and a 362-hp electric motor powering the rear wheels.
I loved how composed it was, how almost “stately” the acceleration felt. I think effortless describes the experience best - there’s more torque and power at your disposal than you will ever need, at any speed. This version has a claimed range of 436 miles but in reality I believe that number will be closer to 360 miles - still impressive.
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The real fun takes place in the AWD version. This one gets two electric motors for a total output of nearly 600 horsepower. I know, it’s “not a lot” by today’s electric standards, but trust me - that’s way more than enough. The sub-4-second sprint to 62 mph is giggle-inducing. There’s plenty of power just a gentle tap away, and that power never drops off, all the way to the limited 142 mph top whack. The car feels lively and yet composed; it feels snappy, but it doesn’t try to catch you out. It really reminded me of the older BMW M5 E39 - sophisticated just enough to get away with being a hooligan in a tuxedo. A hooligan that can apparently stretch its legs all the way to 466 miles.
Overall - a truly impressive vehicle. I didn’t try the autopilot function in all scenarios, but the bits I did try left an everlasting impression of being driven by an experienced chauffeur - gentle yet decisive. The auto-parking feature works as it should, and the summon function is a neat trick for busy carparks. I could probably write an entire article (maybe I should?) just about those features. But I didn’t go all the way to China to see if this chariot could park itself. I went there to see if it gets to keep the hero t-shirt.
Image Credit: Captain Electro.
If XPeng can make a $30,000 car to look and feel like a $100,000 machine, the legacy automakers are in serious trouble. The narrative of cheap stuff coming from China might apply to Temu or Shein, but when it comes to electric vehicles from this company - this is a wakeup call. I’m not surprised the US put up the tariff walls - US giants simply panicked after trying EVs from the Old Kingdom. They knew they had nothing to fight with; they knew the moment we got our hands on those cars, it would be a curtain call.
As for me, my whole life, I have been searching for a car that could do it all. Be a family hauler and yet be capable of an occasional day out on a racetrack. I thought the AMG E63 would do it for me, then I thought the Audi RS6 would be a perfect tool. When EVs came about, I thought the Tesla Model S Plaid would be the chosen one, or the Model 3 Performance. But then Xiaomi revealed the SU7 Ultra, and that yellow lightning came dangerously close to becoming the one that can do it all.
Image Credit: Captain Electro.
The day I saw the first photo of the Next P7, everything had changed. It instantly became the one I’ve been waiting for. Sure - it has less power than Xiaomi or Tesla (for now…), but it makes up for it with its looks and comfort. It blows BMW, Audi, and Mercedes out of the water. For me, it has everything I was looking for - a search that took me over 30 years, and over 200 cars… plus countless review vehicles. You shouldn’t meet your heroes?!? Whoever came up with that was an idiot who missed out on a chance to learn something new. I found my hero, I met my hero, and I am taking my hero home.
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