mistral53

Most importantly - don't call it a hybrid....... the plugin hybrid EV - PHEV in short - has next to nothing in common with a regular hybrid. As for driving the PHEV - do not use the engine to charge the battery, it is extremely inefficient. Drive it either in electric mode, or in ICE mode, to get the most energy back of what you put in the car. The hybrid part always works in the background, and there are ways to maximize what you can harvest during regular driving: use the the brakes as little as possible and as gently as possible. Presumably the Seal PHEV is also using brake blending, this driving style will maximize the feeding of regen-braking energy back into the battery.

Sure looks like EVs are all the rage....... just look at Ford

Well, @Bandersnatch has me beat hands down by a factor of 2......lol Nothing earth-shattering new in my small niche of interest, but always impressive how far ahead Chinese vehicles are - case in point, there was a Lexus close in size to the 7X, double the price with lower specs, but most disappointing for customers must be the massive lower quality level of materials in the Lexus: lots of plastic in places that are covered with leatherette in Chinese cars, and the faux-leather really looks cheap. Similarly, the THB 30 million Audi RS7 just does not look as impressive anymore - 20 years ago Audi set the benchmark for interior designs and materials, now they clearly passed that baton to to the Far East. Conversely, I had the Zeekr saleslady take pictures of my 2.5 years old Seal AWD and she kept saying was - 'Looks like new......' As for the Zeekr 7X - as was sadly predictable, that sales staff on the Zeekr booth either were oblivious or played their part, but to the question about a projected arrival of the 2026 7X on our shores I got only blank stares. To my surprise, when I asked again the same question to our saleslady at the dealer on the way home - she acknowledged and confirmed that China has moved to a minor update, but raised serious doubts we would see it by the end of the year. A couple more information nuggets she volunteered - the 7X sales are concentrated in the LR model, not the AWD, the additional range is cited as the main deciding factor. Secondly, the car I selected arrived just 2 weeks ago from China, probably part of restocking for the show. Thailand is a curious place for new car sales - buying new cars is almost forced to the 2 exhibitions every year because all the goodies that are offered during this time forces buyers to wait for either show - to wit, in addition to what has become 'expected', right now the 7X is offered with ceramic coating from the dealer!

The operative word here is 'pause' - Taco-bois inner child has been humiliated having been forced to acknowledge his limitations, there is ample proof that such defeats will bring even worse reactions in narcissists...... will it be a nuclear threat next, from which he thinks he cant climb down? Bessent was on the Sunday talk-show circus to talk escalation - that was not a partisan outlier, it was the neo-cons talking points, with a twist of religious zealots hidden in plain sight.. Sadly, the off-ramp does not exist in their vocabulary.

I am almost finished filling her up - was a nice sunny day, cost THB 0 (zero)

That is true only if you use the native maps without internet. On our Seal, the internet data expired a few weeks ago, so I use my phone's hotspot and all the info we had before is back - quite cool actually. As a matter of fact, on a recent trip to the The City of Angels, I realized there is a lot more going on in the Nav with Internet on than without, so I highly recommend using the hotspot functionality.

Glad to add some more distress to your evil existence - I fully support the Iranian people and their governments struggle to stay free, proud and independent country.

When you test drove the 7X AWD - what mode was the suspension in? When we test drove it, I had her cycle through the different modes and the softest definitely is as soft as you probably want to go - we did not go an an elevated road for higher speeds, so cant say anything about the road handling at speeds 120+

from Gemini: 'Yes, they are essentially "cousins" under the hood. The Zeekr X and the Volvo EX30 are both built on the same SEA2 platform. This architecture was developed by their parent company, Geely, and is a specialized version of the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) designed for compact and small-to-medium vehicles. Key Shared SpecsBecause they share the same DNA, you'll notice some striking similarities in their performance: Platform: Geely SEA2 (Sustainable Experience Architecture). Battery: Both typically offer a 66 kWh NMC battery pack. Performance: In their dual-motor trims, both produce 428 hp and can sprint from 0–100 km/h in roughly 3.6 to 3.8 seconds. Charging: Both support DC fast charging that can get the battery from 10% to 80% in about 26–30 minutes. Main DifferencesWhile the "bones" are the same, they target different vibes: Design: The Volvo EX30 leans into Scandinavian minimalism and is physically the smallest of the group. The Zeekr X is slightly longer (by about 20cm) and has a more futuristic, tech-heavy interior, including features like a sliding center screen in some markets. Interior Space: The Zeekr X offers a bit more legroom and trunk space due to its longer wheelbase compared to the very compact Volvo. Brand Identity: Volvo focuses heavily on its legacy of safety and minimalist luxury, whereas Zeekr (Geely’s premium EV brand) focuses on "tech-luxury" and high-performance aesthetics.

Indeed - per CNC, the 2026 Zeekr X was released in China on Nov 5 as @marino28 remarked, the Zeekr 7X was launched in China on October 28 per CNC. Stands to reason that the 2026 7X should also arrive shortly. Alas, the X model did not move many buyers, hence the quick replacement? Furthermore - buyers in Australia were told by their dealers the 7X will not arrive in before 2027, which of course could be a smokescreen as dealers want to move cars now. I had pretty much made up my mind to put my order in for the 7X after the car show if nothing really eye popping gets announced....... now I am back on the fence, suckling on my thumb, scanning all the usual places for hints of Zeekr's next move.

My bad - the proper term is probably 'door gap seal', mostly for the A- and B-pillar. The seal you were looking at are of course present in these cars, most have actually double seals. The door gap seal is MB or Audi territory, so big heads up to BYD for setting the level this high. Maybe Zeekr and other high end cars will claim there is no need, for their precision manufacturing makes them obsolete? Just checked - the MG IM6 has these 'door gap seals' as well. I agree that the Zeekr 7X has more premium materials then the BYD SL7, but it is not a big gap. I actually give the SL7 high notes for some of the unexpected interior details, especially considering it's price. Where BYD is know to lag is the center display quality, which is hands down much better (3.5K) in the 7X.

It is interesting that it seems BYD is moving towards the lower end of the electric car segment, and adds emphasis to DM-i - in other words it looks like the BYD Sealion 7 will be their Top Model. (Denza is a separate entity with their lone MPV) BYD marketing has always been an enigma to me, especially their marketing efforts in Thailand. Concentrating on the lower end of the EV segment seems to be a recipe for - let's call it difficult approach for success, because that is the most crowded market segment.

You still live in the ICE age - literally and figuratively speaking........ the motors in an electric car could only run if you were on jacks

Update ll: I did the remote pre-conditioning again today, this time I started with AC first, and seat ventilation second - lo and behold, the iTAC was off as we drove off........go figure.

Tesla is an interesting case study: It seems like the M3 Standard is cannibalizing other M3 sales - cant feel all that brilliant for their income statement...... Moreover, it seems that the Zeekr 7X is having the Model Y for lunch - for good reasons. The abysmal model selection that is offered by Tesla is quickly becoming their Achilles heel.