A car seat, or a first class aircraft cabin? Zeekr’s unique mix of luxury and high performance

The Zeekr 009 is a 3-tonne luxury people mover that accelerates faster than a Porsche 718 and a Ford Mustang GT. This is no Kia Carnival. The back seats resemble more of a business class flight cabin than an on-road vehicle. It’s a fascinating intersection of high performance and luxury like I’ve not seen.

It’s a bold move for a brand that is only 4 years old. A people mover offering this kind of performance and comfort with a price tag of $135,000+ is surely about as niche as you can get, or so you would think. Then, in comes the 009 Grand saying “hold my champagne”.

The Zeekr 009 Grand was on display at the launch of Zeekr’s newest showroom in Chatswood Sydney. The opening this week was my first opportunity to get a close up look closely at the car, a luxurious version of their 009 collection that Tanya Shukla’s checked out in a recent track day

Zeekr refers to the 009 Grand as its crown jewel in the Zeekr lineup. It’s a quip that is rather fitting in this context. It’s a minivan, in the same way the Sydney Opera House is a nice little shed. On the outside, the front grille is less of a face and more of a metallic proclamation: “Move, peasant.”

On the inside and going back to the airplane reference, the 009 Grand is what feels like an upgrade to a first class cabin. It’s got 4 seats rather than the 6 or 7 seats available in the other 009 models. But once you see the back two seats, you would really start to question why you would ever want to sit in the front two.

Stepping in, the most immediate observation is the presence of a drop-down 43-inch LED smart screen which separates the driver and passenger seats from the rest of the cabin.

Accompanied by a 31-speaker (yes thirty one) Yamaha surround sound system, the setup is more suitable for a screening of the full Lord Of The Rings series on a long-haul journey, rather than for playing sesame street to your kids en route to school. Oh and of course there’s an 18-litre fridge with sterilisation capabilities.

Zeekr still has plenty to say about the performance element of the 009 Grand, and for good reason. Despite the mini palace in the back of the vehicle, the front of the vehicle still offers ridiculous performance metrics, with 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds, and a quoted 702km of range.

Great for whoever is driving it I suppose, but that may not be me if I was in the position to buy the vehicle. Find me in the back on my flat bed watching The Wire with a glass of bubbles in hand, feeling like Kendall Roy. If Tesla and Rolls-Royce had a lovechild which grew into a luxury-minivan, then the 009 Grand is what you’d likely see.

You might be asking how much for this electric missile disguised as a wellness retreat? Firstly if you’re asking, this car may not be for you. Secondly, we don’t yet know but I suspect you wouldn’t be seeing much change from $200k. Fair enough in my opinion, but who will buy it? It’s an interesting question. Wealthy families? Tech tychoons? Luxury fleets?

What’s clear is that the Zeekr 009 Grand isn’t for everyone. But if you aren’t short of a coin, don’t want a Bentley, already have a Tesla, and want to feel like an oligarch who also runs the school carpool – this could be your moment. It’s absurd. It’s excessive. It’s magnificent. And I want one.