We like
Sensationally capable hybrid drivetrain, huge power, more than 200km EV-only range and 1000km total range, soft air-sprung ride, handsome styling, lush cabin mixes physical buttons and crisp screens

Room for improvement
Vast mass, imperfect suspension tune on rough roads, devoid of steering feel, not yet approved for Australia, uncertain local pricing if approved

Overview

 

UPMARKET Chinese manufacturer Zeekr launched locally in late 2024, and the marque is now searching for a three-row SUV to offer Australian buyers. Executives believe they have found the right vehicle—though in China, it wears the badge of a different brand entirely.

 

That separate brand is Zeekr’s hipper sibling, Lynk & Co. Both sit in the ‘premium Chinese’ vertical of Geely Automotive Holdings (GAH), with Zeekr effectively an Audi-style foil to Lynk & Co’s Cupra-esque brand hallmarks. The pair can also be compared to GAH’s European vertical in which Volvo and Polestar share similar differentiation.

 

With Zeekr proclaiming itself the strongest of the Chinese marques, its threadbare Australian product line-up incorporating two electrics (a small SUV called the X and a luxury minivan dubbed 009) will not do. Next to arrive will be Model Y-sized crossover called 7X, tested separately.

 

A large SUV would present an obvious bookend and mainstream alternative to the super-niche 009 people-mover. While Zeekr’s own 9X (a lush, Rolls Royce Cullinan-inspired SUV) remains under consideration, the volume limitations of circa-$150,000 local pricing spooked local planners.

 

Enter the Lynk & Co 900. While Zeekr and Lynk & Co (L&C) are gently diverging in China, the 900 appears to have been set up by GAH as an exception. Unlike other recent L&C efforts, the exterior styling embodies some Zeekr tropes and is appropriately premium in its restraint.

 

Senior GAH management has already approved the notion of L&C vehicles being rebadged as Zeekr for Australia if the fit is right, and there is a gap in Zeekr’s own line-up—and the L&C 900 could be known as the Zeekr 8X.

 

Measuring 5240mm in length (on a generous 3160mm wheelbase) places the scale of the 900 firmly in BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS territory; it’s a substantial 287mm longer than a better-known GAH cousin and favourite of well-heeled Australian families, the Volvo XC90.

 

Cosmetically, the 900 is attractive, with a rectilinear, upright two-box design. The monolithic, almost neo-brutalist shape is softened by planar surfacing, and the whimsical touch of bifurcated LED claw headlights that extend into the long bonnet. The drag coefficient is a reasonable 0.291.

 

Unlike Zeekr’s other Australian products, the 900 is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and its long wheelbase and short overhangs are a product of the SPA Evo platform, being a major update to the XC90’s SPA architecture with the chassis providing space for far larger batteries, triple motors, and additional computational power.

 

Three drivelines are on the global menu—all are relatively complex. The base package (paired with entry Halo or mid-spec Ultra trim) combines a 143kW 1.5-litre turbo petrol ‘four, a 160kW transmission-mounted front motor, a 230kW rear-axle motor and 43.3kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery.

 

From there, it is a step to a 2.0-litre turbo in Ultra trim guise in which the larger petrol engine produces 187kW. The front motor’s output is relaxed to 123kW (perhaps due to transmission limits) and the 230kW rear motor is retained—while a larger 52.4kWh CATL Freevoy NMC sodium ion pack is subbed in. Only the 2.0T models are rated to tow (2000kg braked).

 

Last, and most powerful, is the 2.0-litre in plainly-named Top trim. Two upgrades are made compared to the 2.0T Ultra: a second rear-mounted motor is added (meaning two 160kW motors on the rear axle) for real-time torque vectoring, while the 900’s 60-litre fuel tank is upsized to 65L.

 

Nailing down a realistic total power figure for the trio of drivetrains is tough. L&C claims 530kW, 540kW and 650kW respectively; such power could be possible under short-term boost scenarios. Sustained peak power, with charge in the batteries, may be closer to 390-470kW.

 

In China the 900 is positioned very sharply with pricing of $66,000 (1.5T Halo), $72,000 (1.5T Ultra), $79,000 (2.0T Ultra) and $89,000 (2.0T Top) when converted to Australian dollars. Locally, if Zeekr was to bring one or two grades to our shores, expect pricing nearer to $100,000.

 

Most equipment is standard from the Halo upward, including 20-inch wheels, LED headlights, panoramic sunroof, soft-close doors, three-zone climate control, a fridge, online/app connectivity, 30-inch 6K touchscreen, 23-speaker Harman-Kardon stereo and dual 50-watt wireless chargers.

 

The Ultra steps up to 21-inch snowflake alloys and gains 180-degree rotating second row seats (unlikely for Australia), a suede headliner, another 30-inch 6K display for the second row, and a power split tailgate. In the Top grade, the rear passenger-side seat folds flat for sleeping.

 

In China, L&C is presently throwing in all options at no cost—but cost upgrades will soon countenance an interactive front grille panel that can project symbols and letters, a 31-speaker Harman-Kardon ‘Performance’ hi-fi, and electronic running boards.

 

Unlike the PHEVs Australians are used to, the 900 stands apart by its electric-only driving range, likely to be rated at 180km (for the 1.5T / 43kWh battery) and 230km (2.0T / 52kWh battery)—the latter more than double a Range Rover Sport (112km) or BMW X5 xDrive50e (109km).

 

The 900 blurs the lines between long-range PHEVs and short-range EVs, and some buyers could run the 900 as an EV for most of its life. It can certainly be charged like a full EV: both batteries are capable of rapid DC charging thanks to an 800-volt platform.

 

When running on electrons, claimed consumption is around 22kWh/100km—and once the traction battery is exhausted, the 60/65L petrol tank allows as much as 1000km of additional driving range with the convenience of traditional fuelling at the bowser.

 

The strength of the 900’s hybrid system stands a chance of appealing to Australian families who genuinely want to move their family truckster from full-combustion to electric—while holding reasonable concerns that charging infrastructure can’t quite support seamless holidays—yet.

 

Driving impressions

 

Dual filler caps give the 900 away as a PHEV but the dynamics of this SUV are cut from an EV-first tuning mentality. Not only does it have substantial range that could provide a week of electric driving for average families—you’d be hard-pressed to tell there is a petrol engine.

 

Occurring in its home city of Hangzhou, our test of the 900 was our first experience of the heady contemporary work of GAH’s Sino-European engineering teams. We’re not in Kansas (or Gothenburg) anymore—nor are Chinese cars limited to the cheap and cheerful.

 

The 900 is a masterclass in modern hybrid powertrain technology—while also packing a suitably premium interior and offering dynamic luxuries like three motors and air suspension. The alarm klaxons at German manufacturers ought to be deafening by now: China is on the march.

 

The chassis under the 900 is one of two developments of the second-gen Volvo XC90 platform. One fork (SPA2) led to GAH’s Volvo EX90 and Polestar 3 cousins while SPA Evo is for PHEVs—an insurance policy for markets demanding hybrids and not EVs, developed in rapid time.

 

The only element that feels rushed in this architecture that supports complex componentry like rear-wheel steering, triple motors, sensors for fully autonomous driving and a flat floor is that the actual tuning of the high-end suspension feels like it needs more refinement.

 

At the front, the 900 employs a double wishbone arrangement while aft is five-link independent rear suspension. All cars have adaptive dampers while Ultra and Top pick up dual-chamber air springs with the ability to switch to single chamber to combat body roll in this 2660-2820kg beast.

 

Our drive took in quiet streets (50km/h), quicker 80km/h boulevards and a short section of terrible potholes. The latter environ revealed problematic control of unsprung mass, with the big heavy 21s thumping holes in the road…but the rest of the time, the 900 seemed inoffensive.

 

In Comfort and Smart drive modes the 900’s demeanour is pillowy, absorbing low-frequency bumps reasonably well with acceptable body control in the corners. The ride does need finessing; a Volvo XC90 PHEV (admittedly 500kg lighter!) strikes a superior comfort/control balance.

 

What was undeniable was the power. At the start of our drive, our 2.0T Ultra test car had 60-70 per cent state of charge in the battery, meaning the nominal 540kW powertrain could deliver something close to full power and the 4.6sec 0-100km/h claim felt in the ballpark of reality.

 

With the hybrid system left to its own devices, most of our drive was conducted using only electric power. However, by selecting sport mode and flooring it, we were able to force the petrol engine into the mix—it’s quite refined, delivered through a multi-speed DHT Pro transmission.

 

Also notable was the surety of the 900’s commanding driving position. Driver and passengers sit high with a generous view out of the large glasshouse; ergonomics are solid, with the conventional steering wheel featuring real buttons—if very little steering feel when cornering.

 

The brakes had acceptable bite when the pedal was brought to bear, with the default level of regenerative braking not especially strong. Intelligently, Ultra and Top grades score four-piston brake callipers—appropriate for the vast mass of the vehicle.

 

Aside from reassuring ergonomics once settled in, the experience of the 900’s interior initially induces shock: two of the colour schemes available in China are quite confronting. Our test car’s Crimson Sunset Orange is like rolling in a Jaffa; bright blue is available as is more muted beige.

 

Like so many new-brand Chinese vehicles, the interior materials have a straightjacketed ‘generica’ to them, with many marques seeming to source yieldingly soft-touch and low-sheen secondary vinyls from the same source. It isn’t unpleasant—just a touch characterless.

 

At least the L&C’s primary surfaces are nicer: nappa leather upholsters the six comfy captain’s chairs (a seven-seat layout might come later) while a suede headliner sits above occupants of Ultra and Top. Beyond enormous screens (the front 30-incher can split in half), an array of real cabin buttons is most welcome.

 

We also appreciate that the tech is driven by quality silicon, making the reactions of the various screens near-instantaneous: discrete Qualcomm 8295 chipsets power the front and rear 6K displays, which offer app stores as well as conventional Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.

 

In the back, powered sunshades join electrically-adjustable, heated, massaging seats (with such benefits stretching all the way to the third row). Household power outlets can be found in row two and in the boot providing up to 6.6kW of AC power for small appliances.

 

We drove our test loop manually, but GAH is bullish about its investments in autonomous driving, which is proceeding through regulation in the Chinese market at present. In preparation for possible approval the 900 has been equipped to autonomously navigate around fickle traffic jams.

 

2.0T models usurp the 1.5T’s Nvidia Orin-X chip with sophisticated Nvidia Thor autonomous driving hardware with 700 TOPS of computational power allowing what GAH calls “H7” autonomy, informed by 11 cameras, a RoboSense lidar, five millimetre-wave radars, and 12 ultrasonic radars.

 

Zeekr executives won’t be drawn on how much of the 900’s admittedly very expensive autonomous driving hardware will be fitted to its future Australian products—because Australian road rules are expected to be many years behind China in allowing the tech to even be used.

 

Either way, we would expect an Australian-spec 900 to carry a generous compliment of both sensors and cameras to inform strong adaptive cruise control and lane keeping, even if lidar (for example) was left off our cars.

 

Our relatively brief drive of the L&C 900 didn’t light up our bones in the way a sports car did—instead, it enthralled and frightened in equal measure with the level of technological advancement on offer.

 

This vehicle is a sensational wake-up call to stagnant innovation in Western SUV development, and if it could be sold locally for less than $100,000, it would represent very welcome and overdue competition among large premium crossovers.