Test drive: Xiaomi SU7 is a capable EV that is a win for the buyer

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Xiaomi has found runaway success with the SU7, but some have said the company could have done more to create its own look

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It is possible to sync more than 1,000 Xiaomi products with the SU7. And in the case of a Xiaomi phone, drivers can mirror it completely on the car’s screen and use apps. Photo: AFP

Mark Andrews

Published: 10:00am, 1 Dec 2024

The Post has embarked on a six-part series of motoring reviews focusing on Chinese electric vehicles made for the export market. In the fifth instalment, Mark Andrews test drives the Xiaomi SU7 and is surprisingly pleased to find how well the car drives. Read the previous reviews of Xpeng’s G6, Nio’s ET7, BYD’s Dolphin and Geely’s Galaxy E5.

Within days of going on sale in March, the Xiaomi SU7 had sold out the year’s planned 100,000 production run. In June, Xiaomi added a second shift and is currently producing and selling about 20,000 cars a month. This is all from a company which, until this year, had never produced or sold a car.

Contributing to the Xiaomi sensation has been the legion of loyal fans. On the way, though, there has been controversy. First, it looks similar to the Porsche Taycan and has influences from McLaren. Secondly, there were a number of highly publicised crashes and quality problems. So is the car actually any good or is it all just a fanboy effect?

There is no doubt the SU7 looks good, but it would have been better if Xiaomi had tried to create more of its own look rather than pay homage to supercars. My test car was in aqua blue, a near turquoise hue, which when I tried to take a picture of it surprisingly appeared a rather ordinary blue on my camera screen. That was not the only surprise; under the bonnet is a 105-litre boot, which is large for an electric saloon.

Any new electric car worth its amps has some form of welcoming ceremony. In the case of the SU7, the word “Xiaomi” is projected on the floor as you open the door and the 7.1-inch instrument panel rotates on. As can be expected, the main screen is from Xiaomi and at 16.1 inches is a bit bigger than in most of the competition.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun and staff with the 100,000th SU7 rolled out from the assembly line. Photo: X/leijun

Although the infotainment unit is relatively easy to navigate, larger text for options would be better. As with the artificial intelligence voice assistant, Xiao Ai, the system is only in Chinese. As standard, the SU7 largely controls everything, including the AC, fan, electric spoiler and air suspension, through the touch screen with just four buttons on the centre console.