The devil works hard, but Xpeng works harder. Its X9 was only launched in Malaysia last year, but such is the Chinese automotive upstart’s rate of development that it can be quite hard to keep track of the number of updates this luxury MPV has had since then.
Take this 2026 model, for instance. Introduced here just months after the original was launched, it’s the latest version you can currently buy, but it’s already outdated. You see, Xpeng introduced the facelifted model last month (which comes with not only some visual tweaks but also mechanical upgrades), and that car has already made its way to Thailand – which means it won’t be long before it too comes to Malaysia.
This won’t exactly be music to the ears of current buyers, and I don’t think it will have a beneficial effect on resale values, either. But it won’t take much away from the existing model, which is still almost certainly the most technologically advanced people-mover on sale today.
Design-wise, the X9’s sharp looks have not been dulled by the 13 months it’s been on sale here. A space shuttle to some, a stainless steel fridge to others (especially in this Matte Grey), its slab-sided, almost trapezoidal shape cuts a figure unlike any other on the road – for better or worse.
No doubt its mainstream appeal has been dented somewhat by the fact it isn’t yet another chrome-toothed Toyota Alphard clone, like the Denza D9, GWM Wey G9 and so many others. Instead, Xpeng has pursued a futuristic, tech-forward appearance, characterised by the unibrow-style front and rear light bars, crisp lines and bluff surfaces.
The company has pedalled back a little since – the air intake, formed by body-coloured hexagons here, has turned into a more conventional-looking active shutter (which is also claimed to have benefitted range) on the facelift. But the segment-standard vertical grille remains missing – and it’s all the better for it.
The 2026 model introduced new 20-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels on the top-of-the-line Long Range 2WD Pro+ you see here, featuring Rolls-Royce-style self-righting centre caps; the previous Nebula turbine-style rollers are now fitted to other models. Also exclusive to this variant is the aforementioned Matte Grey paint, with the other colour options being Nebula White, Crescent Silver and Dark Night Black.
Plenty more is in store on the inside. As is typical for a Chinese car these days, the front cabin is practically bombarded with screens, including a 12.3-inch instrument display and a 17.3-inch whopper of an infotainment touchscreen. Although the latter is unusually well laid-out with good English translations, its infinite customisability is a bit much, and it’s infuriating to see that the air-con vents still need to be adjusted through the screen – even after the smaller G6 SUV has moved to physical vent adjustors.
Still, you do get lots of features as recompense. There are twin 50-watt Qi wireless chargers, a 23-speaker (including two in the driver’s headrest), 2,180-watt Xopera surround sound system, five-zone climate control and a sunroof. Even at the front, the seats feature heating, ventilation and massage functions, although it’s odd to see that the tilt and telescopic steering wheel column is still manual.
There’s also no head-up display, and while you do get a digital rear mirror, the camera is located way down by the number plate, so all you see is the grille of the car behind you. The Pro+ model gains an air fragrancing system and full-grain Nappa leather upholstery, available in either Meteorite Black or Moon Shadow Coffee (these colour schemes are also available on other variants).
But really, the second-row captain’s chairs are the place to be. As with any luxo barge worth its salt these days, the seats offer plenty of powered adjustment and the same assortment of features as the front seats, along with built-in ottomans, their own wireless chargers and a one-touch “zero gravity” reclining function. You also get your own air-con controls and a heated and cooled refrigerator, plus a panoramic glass roof with a powered sunshade and its own ambient lighting “halo”.
The pièce de résistance, however, folds down from the ceiling – a 21.4-inch roof-mounted monitor, replete with its own remote (although you can also use touch). As with the front touchscreen, you can install apps such as YouTube and streaming services like Disney+ and Prime Video to watch shows and films to your heart’s content. No Netflix, sorry – you’ll need to plug in a third-party streaming box for that.
You can, of course, roll up the sunshades for added privacy, and you can also wind down the windows too, but you will have to do the latter via fiddly capacitive touch buttons; the physical controls for the Chinese model have only just been added to the facelift. Also missing is the passenger-side ISOFIX mounts on the third row, so you only can only fit three child seats in total (including on the second row).
Speaking of the third row, the rearmost passengers are able to recline their seats electrically. That’s a function of the insanely complex powered pews that, at a push of a button, flip 180 degrees before folding flat into the boot well. Do that and the luggage capacity expands from an already cavernous 755 litres to a massive 2,554 litres, although the process is a trite slow.
Mechanically, the X9 is unchanged, missing out on the facelift’s larger batteries and optional dual-motor all-wheel drive. You still get a single front motor producing 320 PS (235 KW) and 450 Nm of torque, getting the 2.6-tonne behemoth from zero to 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 200 km/h.
The Standard Range model continues to feature an 84.5 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery for a WLTP-rated range of 500 km. Stepping up to the Long Range variants nets you a 101.5 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) pack, enabling the X9 to travel up to 590 km on a single charge.
As for charging, the 2026 model misses out on the facelift’s significantly higher DC fast charging speeds, which go up to an astonishing 542 kW. Thanks to an 800-volt electrical architecture, however, the car can still accept up to 235 kW for the SR and 317 kW for the LR; both will top up from 10 to 80% in 20 minutes.
They also continue to support 11 kW of AC charging, taking 9.5 and 11 hours to charge from 5 to 100% respectively. Under the skin, all X9s are fitted with air suspension and rear-wheel steering at up to five degrees, the latter providing an impressively small turning circle for a car measuring the thick end of 5.3 metres long – longer even than a long-wheelbase W223 Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Safety-wise, the X9 continues to come as standard with six airbags and a full complement of driver assists. The latter includes autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centring assist, lane change assist, speed limit assist, blind spot monitoring with collision prevention, rear cross traffic alert, a door opening warning and auto high beam. Also fitted is park assist with remote and summon functions.
The X9 currently retails at RM280,708 for the Standard Range 2WD Pro, rising up to RM298,708 for the Long Range 2WD Pro and RM314,708 for this Long Range 2WD Pro+. All figures are on-the-road without insurance, inclusive of a five-year/120,000 km warranty, an eight-year/160,000 km battery warranty and a five-year/100,000 km free service package.
There are still no 2026 prices with the new import and excise duties on CBU fully-imported EVs, with distributor Bermaz likely waiting for the stock of the facelifted model to arrive. This could coincide with the start of CKD local assembly – which is set to include a PowerX range extender version – later this year, which would allow the X9 to keep its tax-free prices until end-2027.
