It’s okay if you’re not familiar with the Zeekr brand yet. With the influx of so many Chinese car brands these days, it’s tough to stay updated even for me. Heck, I’ve only just gotten used to the “Empow” nameplate and here we are with yet another new brand.

Anyway, Zeekr is the premium EV brand under the Geely Group, and in the Philippines, it is distributed by Autohub.

Two models are initially on offer: the 001 shooting brake (a fancy name for a wagon), and this X. Classified as a subcompact SUV, it comes in two variants.

The Privilege is powered by dual motors, and thus has all-wheel drive, a maximum power output of 422hp, a range of 425km, and luxury features like a Yamaha Surround System and massage seats. It’s priced at P3,000,000.

This Premium that I tested, on the other hand, is a single-motor unit with only 277hp and rear-wheel drive. And it still gets the benefit of some fancy tech in the cabin. At P2,600,000, it’s more palatable for electric SUV buyers who don’t feel the need for too much speed.

Aesthetically, it takes a while to get used to the X. It has that typical, high-fender look we’ve seen with the Lynk & Co 01, the Porsche Macan, and the BYD Sealion 6, with only a few slats at the bottom of the front fascia for airflow.

The lights are narrow slits that give it a serpentine appearance, while angular lines in profile plus lots of blackout trim at the wheel arches and the roofline reduce some of the chunkiness.

A small “Zeekr” badge at the rear window will have the people in the car behind you Googling to find out more about the car.

Being a relatively small car, the minimalist cabin does a lot to make it feel roomier than it actually is. The low dashboard is topped with a 14.6-inch touchscreen and an 8.8-inch instrument panel.

The latter is just a sliver of glass and plastic atop the steering column that looks like it was lifted from a motorcycle. An augmented-reality heads-up display provides more information on the windshield.

It’s all black and gray inside, so it looks rather dull even though it has leather and Alcantara trim. The seats look like leather, but are actually made of polyurethane. The driver’s seat is ventilated, too, but the front passenger is not. Odd.

There’s some champagne gold trim at the back to liven up the interior, but otherwise, it feels like riding in a car that wandered off the set of Minority Report.

My initial impression of the X wasn’t too favorable, as it had been sitting under the sun for the better part of the day, turning the cabin into an oven. With a fixed panoramic sunroof—with no cover except for UV tinting—it felt like ages to get the A/C up and running.

It doesn’t help that the fully electronic cabin needs to “boot up” like a PC, and nearly all the controls are centralized with the touchscreen. It takes around 20-30 seconds before the screen comes to life, and only then can you get the A/C running.

However, this is a good incentive for you to take the time to download the Zeekr Connected Companion App, because from there you can remotely lock/unlock the car and start the A/C as you’re approaching it in a parking lot (among other functions). Problem solved, as long as it’s parked in a safe and secure area.

With comfortable and supportive seats, driving the X is as easy and relaxing as any other SUV these days.

It takes a while to get used to controlling the flow of air through the touchscreen, but once you do, it never fails to impress your passengers. I would have preferred traditional, manually adjustable A/C vents, but will have to admit this allowed them to really shrink the vents into barely visible slits in the dashboard.

Even with ‘just’ a single motor, the X feels quick from the get-go.  It has that gratifying instant-on torque that works so well in urban traffic, and once you’re on the highway, all the noise you’ll hear will be the whisper of wind flowing over the body.

Noise from the 19-inch Continental EcoContact 6 tires is negligible, and the ride from the all-independent suspension is well-planted. It’s supple, not floaty like its cheaper Geely-branded cousins.

The rear uses a multilink system, and coupled with the rear-drive format, it makes the X a surprisingly fun car to drive on twisty roads. The steering still feels artificial, but the RWD layout makes it handle neutrally in corners. Coupled with that punchy motor, it’s a blast to attack a hairpin, glide around it with very little understeer unlike an FWD vehicle, and then stomp on the throttle for a fast exit.

The 50-series tires are up for the exercise, and a full battery of safety systems is in place to keep you from stuffing it: traction control, cornering brake control, emergency braking, and the works. The brakes are strong and linear in feel, with regenerative braking helping to convert some of that heat back into energy.

With the 66kWh battery giving the X an estimated range of 446km, I was comfortable taking the car out of town for a 200km round trip. Zeekr claims that it only takes 29 minutes to get it to 80% charge from 10% using a DC (Type 2) charging station, although I wasn’t able to test this since I still had a 30% charge before the lend-out period was over.

Utility-wise, the X doesn’t break any new ground. The rear seats split-fold, but that’s it. The ground clearance of 170mm will allow you to clear steep ramps and gravel roads, but steer clear of ruts and trails or you’ll scrape the underside.

As a brand that’s still new to Filipino buyers—not to mention the baggage of hailing from a country that consistently disses our coast guard—Zeekr has an uphill battle to get its cars into garages.

But the car itself is distinctively styled and is well put together. It’s quiet and smooth in the city, and deceptively quick when the road opens up.