The 3rd biggest smartphone manufacturer in the world announced in December 2023 that it will be launching an EV. By March 2024, they officially unveiled their first attempt to disrupt the EV market with SU7. And in April of this year, they delivered their first batch of Xiaomi SU7. As of now, the car is limited to China, but I have been seeing a ton of interest on the internet in the West for the new EV.
Within 24 hours of the launch in March, the Chinese manufacturer received a massive booking of 90,000 cars. But why did that happen? Is it really that good? Let’s talk about that in detail.
The Battery Capacity and the Actual Range (not the one Xiaomi claims)
The Quality of the Interior and the Drive Quality
The Pricing
The first reason that comes to my mind when I think about the mentioned question is the price.
If I say that this car is an absolute bang for your buck, then that won’t be an exaggeration. This is actually true. The features and the build quality it offers considering its pricing are very, very competitive.
This is the official pricing for the three models of the SU7:
- SU7 Base Variant – 215,900 Yuan (or $29,900)
- SU7 Pro – 245,900 Yuan (or $34,020)
- SU7 Max – 299,900 Yuan (or $41,552)
On the flip side, the base variant of the Tesla Model 3 costs around $38,990, which makes it closer to the top-of-the-line variant of the SU7.
But just the pricing of the three won’t do enough justice for this article. So, let’s talk about the features and other stuff of the SU7 which makes it stand out from the rest.
The Battery Capacity and the Actual Range (not the one Xiaomi claims)
The battery capacity for the basic version of the SU7 is 73.6kWh and the company claims that it can do 700kms on a single full charge. The Pro version has a 94.3kWh battery, which is capable of doing 830kms in ideal conditions on a single full charge. The Max version has a 101kWh battery capacity, which can do 800kms, according to Xiaomi.
But these are just claims. The actual performance may (or will) vary based on multiple factors like temperature, road conditions, traffic, and more. So, as consumers, we should take these claims with a pinch of salt.
That said, a Chinese automotive outlet Dongchendi tested them for their actual performance. There was around -20% variation when compared to the claimed range of these cars. The Max model of BU7 actually did 643kms on a single charge which is quite impressive for the price of this car.
The Ecosystem
This one is particular for China but it matters. In the West, most people don’t know that Xiaomi doesn’t only make smartphones but a whole lineup of products that are used every day ranging from smart lights, air conditioners, curtains, and more. And thanks to the IoT (internet of things), they are all tightly integrated. You can control every single thing with just an app.
It’s the same as my Google Home Pod in the US, which can control everything at my home if I am connected to my fast Xfinity home WiFi.
The SU7 from Xiaomi is also a part of that ecosystem. If Xiaomi is rolling out a system update, the smart ecosystem will notify you. This makes it a lot more convenient for you to manage your vehicle along with the other smart devices at your home.
The Quality of the Interior and the Drive
Let’s put it this way: if I am to completely remove the Xiaomi badging of the car, you won’t know that this car has been manufactured by a smartphone manufacturer.
The quality of the interior is that good in the SU7. The soft-touch material all around, the leather steering, the bucket seats, the infotainment display, and the metallic analog controls all add up to make a premium-feeling car. All in all, the interior quality of the car is supreme.
Other than the interior, the drive quality of this car is great. There might be some road noise that you can hear in the cabin while you are going at more than 120km/h of speed.
The steering of the car is so soft that you can turn it for a U-turn by merely using a finger. As you go faster, it gets stiffer for the sake of safety. The drive is smooth and it floats over the bumps, thanks to the air suspension.
SU7 has autonomous driving, but I won’t recommend depending on it. It can be improved a lot, and it isn’t as good as the one available in the Teslas. However, Xiaomi can fix it through some major software updates, because it is already equipped with the necessary hardware for it to be a fully autonomous vehicle.