Test Car Specifications
Model: 2023 HiPhi X 4-seater
Price: TBC
Motor: Two 220kW electric motors
Transmission: seven-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Battery: 97kWh lithium-ion
Power: 590hp
Torque: 410Nm
Emissions: 0g/km
Range: 286 miles
0-62mph: 4.0 seconds
Top speed: 124mph
Boot space: 317 litres (plus 29-litre frunk)
Styling
But that isn’t the really impressive thing, because the way in which those doors open is a work of art. Naturally, the front doors open kind of doorishly, but the rear doors split below the roofline, with the bottom half opening conventionally while the roof panels swing up like a Mercedes 300SL ‘Gullwing’. Yes, it’s a bit of a Model X knock-off, but the system is cleverer than that of the Tesla. For one, you can get in and out without the roof panels opening, so they won’t rise if it’s raining or there’s a low roof above them. And in the event of the vehicle rolling, the car doesn’t need to blow the bloody doors off.
Of course, that’s all a bit gimmicky, but it does make entering the rear seats easier – particularly for those in the third row – and it complements the other premium touches, including the self-levelling HiPhi logos in the huge alloy wheels and the clever lighting.
Interior
Inside, the HiPhi offers a pretty pleasant environment, with those glass roof panels letting plenty of light in and lots of technology to play with. You see, HiPhi sees itself as a tech company that makes cars, rather than the other way around, so the X comes with all sorts of clever gizmos, from the digital instrument cluster to the flash touchscreen. Sure, there's a whiff of Tesla imitation about the touchscreen, but it has great screen resolution and it responds quickly to inputs, although the logic of the menu layouts isn't always perfect. Build quality, however, is very good, with some upmarket materials that have been stitched together in a relatively robust way. Audi won't have any sleepless nights over it, but it's more than capable of competing with Tesla.
Practicality
Although there are western aspects to the HiPhi’s design, there’s no doubt the focus is very much on the domestic market, which is why cabin space has clearly been prioritised over boot capacity. So although the boot measures a paltry 317 litres – less than you get from a VW Polo, even if you include the little 29-litre frunk under the bonnet – the seats are massive and the legroom and headroom on board is plentiful. In fact, there’s space for six seats, with two in the back that are semi-capable of carrying adults, but the four-seater is the one passengers will favour thanks to the ample legroom and the ability to fit a drinks cooler between the back seats with space for a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
Performance
Although HiPhi admits it’s more interested in the tech than the driving experience, the company has given the X plenty of get-up-and-go. With two electric motors producing a combined total of 590hp and splitting it between the front and rear axles, the X will get from 0-62mph in less than four seconds, and it’ll dash on to a top speed of 124mph. That makes it fast enough to keep pace with one of its biggest rivals – the BMW iX.
And it has plenty of range, too, thanks to the 97kWh battery pack under the floor. That means it’ll cover around 280-odd miles on a charge, which is acceptable enough, and means you should achieve about 200 miles between charges in the real world. But as HiPhi hasn’t told us how quickly the X will charge just yet, we don’t know how long you’ll spend topping up the battery.
Ride & Handling
While HiPhi admits handling is not a key consideration for the X, it has to be said that the driving experience lets it down slightly. The steering is far too light, which is fine in town, but quite disconcerting everywhere else, and although body control is sort of acceptable, the X never feels particularly sporty.
And that's a problem, because it doesn't feel especially comfortable, either. It's just about okay at motorway speeds, where it seems to settle in a bit, but it struggles around town. Big wheels and the car's 2.5-tonne weight combine to give it quite a jagged ride at low speeds, which takes something away from the premium aspirations.
That said, it isn't the biggest problem. Visibility is more of an issue thanks to the minute rear window, the chunky roof pillars and the sheer size of the car. All of which makes it stressful to drive around town. Admittedly, HiPhi has tried to reduce the scale of the problem with technology, fitting a digital rear-view mirror that uses a camera at the back to show you what's behind you. The problem is, the camera lens plays with your depth perception, so it isn't the easiest thing to use.
Value
HiPhi hasn’t launched in the UK yet – it’s due to arrive in 2025 – so predictably, there’s no word yet on what the X will cost. We do however, know the X is now on sale in Germany and Norway, where it costs more than €100,000. That’s punchy for a Chinese upstart brand, and though the car comes with plenty of standard kit, it doesn’t really have the polish necessary to justify that price tag.
Verdict
While it's tempting to congratulate HiPhi on its achievement of building a luxury SUV you can imagine customers being drawn to, there are a few problems. First of all, the X is a less convincing proposition than the Z fastback, and secondly, were it a product of the Audi works we'd wonder what madness had gripped the Ingolstadt engineers. The X isn't bad in isolation, and HiPhi is a brand that shows promise, but customers will almost certainly ignore the X in favour of established alternatives, and rightly so.
