If it’s cheaper, you might expect it all to be of lower quality. Not so, even if it’s not especially distinguishing either. Everything from the interior to the way it drives is as forgettable as the design, but in quite a nice ‘this’ll do’ kind of way, which will suit many drivers just fine, I suspect.
The G6 doesn’t offer quite as much interior space as a Model Y, lacking that car’s front and underfloor storage, but is definitely on par with, say, the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Both rows offer plenty of space above and in front of their occupants, and the 571-litre boot is only slightly less roomy than the Skoda Enyaq’s.
Inside, it could be the facelifted Model Y, with plenty of soft-touch leatherette stuff, storage cubbies and a big landscape touchscreen that controls almost everything, including the mirrors, although you do get a separate driver display for your speed, range, trip computer and the like.
Having driven our fair share of BYDs, MGs and Zeekrs, we didn’t have high hopes for the user interface, but while it isn’t entirely free of quirks and wonky English translations, it’s largely inoffensive. There’s a permanent shortcut bar and most of the important functions aren’t more than two taps away. Plus, because it runs on ultra-rapid Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, it’s among the most graphically crisp and quick-reacting infotainment systems on offer.
Naturally, though, like the Tesla’s, this touchscreen is given rather too much to do. Almost every control and function is a couple of taps or swipes away, which is bad news for on-the-move utility, even if the menus are logically arranged, the icons are large and the various diagrams easy to understand at a glance. Case in point: the wing mirrors are adjusted using the scrollers and arrows on the steering wheel (good), but finding the mirror adjustment menu in the touchscreen at 60mph is so difficult as to make that concession to tactility rather redundant (bad).
Happily, though, Xpeng engineers are said to have spent months in the UK getting the G6 right for the market, and while that doesn’t manifest in an entirely bespoke suspension tune or drivetrain settings, it does mean the lane-keeping assistance and speed-limit warning siren (features that have never seemed to work on our poorly signed, battered roads) can be disabled in seconds. Plus, since we last drove the G6 in Europe, Apple CarPlay has been integrated as standard – another win over the Model Y.
Broadly, we would rather there were more physical controls on offer, but those that are here click and clack with a resounding air of quality and durability that – along with the high-quality cabin materials – speaks to the potential for this car to appeal to would-be Audi and Mercedes-Benz buyers.
The wraparound ‘XOpera’ speaker system gets a big tick for quality as well, and the little headrest speakers for sat-nav instructions and phone calls are a nice touch, if a touch gimmicky.
