XPeng X9 AWD Performance 2026 Review

At launch there are two variants available, but we’re focusing on the top-spec 2026 XPeng X9 AWD Performance. It breaks through a significant monetary marker, too, with an asking price of $109,900 before on-road costs (ORCs).

To justify the outlay, it’s a tech-heavy and feature-packed proposition, while also running dual e-motors to create all-wheel drive (AWD). If performance isn’t a priority, the single-motor, front-wheel drive Standard Range is available for around $20K less at $89,900 (plus ORCs).

The benefit here is that not only does the base model slide in underneath Australia’s Luxury Car Tax (LCT) of $91,661, but the FWD Standard Range also qualifies for lucrative exemptions on Fringe Benefits Taxes for novated leases.

Bolstering the X9’s appeal is the fact that the local distributor, XPeng ANZ, is now an owned XPeng entity and the local dealer network is expanding. Servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km.

XPeng offers competitive aftersales care with a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty for private buyers and a seven-year/160,000km plan for commercial use. The latter is important considering how lucrative the emergence of luxurious MPVs is to the chauffeur market.

In this arena, the Mercedes-Benz V-Class/EQV and Lexus LM now have strong competition – not to mention the likes of the Denza D9 and Zeekr 009. If a true family hauler for private use is paramount, then the Kia Carnival is hard to go past. It’s popular for a reason and more sharply priced.

An industry-standard eight-year/160,000km warranty covers the battery pack.

According to the brand, the exterior follows a “futuristic starship design”, one that’s “sculpted with dynamic, fluid lines”. We tend to agree, especially in the case of our Matte Grey 2026 XPeng X9 AWD Performance test car.

Add in the LED light bars at both ends and it’s little wonder onlookers assumed it was a land-based Starship Enterprise. Although, the form has function, with a super low drag coefficient of just 0.236 – impressive for an MPV.

Aesthetics aside, the X9 is packing a huge amount of kit for your $110k. It’s rolling on 20-inch wheels with Rolls Royce-esque stationary centre caps and combines all-round LED lighting with proximity-based keyless entry and dual sunroofs.

The side doors are also powered, as is the tailgate, while the fiddly pop-out door handles will soon be a thing of the past with China’s regulations changing.

Inside is where it’s taken up a notch, with genuine full-grain cowhide cloaking the seven-seat MPV. The two cockpit seats are powered with 12-way adjustment, four-way lumbar support, memory, heating/ventilation as well as massage functionality.

However, they’re child’s play compared to the centre-row captain’s chairs – or in XPeng speak, Zero Gravity Sofa Seats. They’re an aeroplane cabin upgrade, with 14-way adjustment and the signature Zero Gravity Posture setting. Even the massage functionality increases with 10 levels, and both pews gain inbuilt wireless chargers with a cooling function.

Third-row passengers aren’t forgotten about, either, with power adjustment (the seats fold flat with the second row to create a bed) as well as heating for the outboard pews. Five-zone climate control also helps keep everyone at the right temperature and there’s even a heated/cooled refrigerator (0–50 degrees Celsius).

While the 2026 XPeng X9 AWD Performance is yet to be crash tested, the brand says it’s “engineered to meet five-star safety standards”.

It’s fitted with nine airbags (including large curtain airbags to cover all three rows), while the body has been strengthened and a novel tyre blowout feature has been developed. But the big talking point is the fact that the X9 is the first XPeng to use the brand’s self-developed Turning AI chip (750 TOPS).

The chip ups the computing power to facilitate the XPilot Assist active safety suite, which combines cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors. It ties into the adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind spot monitoring and autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

Despite its size, the XPeng is surprisingly easy to park, mainly because it does it itself via the Enhanced Auto Parking Assist. There are a dozen cameras at play, too, with 360-degree monitors and parking sensors all-round. Even the 21-inch head-up display (HUD) projects live camera feeds.

XPeng’s self-driving tech (think Tesla Full Self-Driving Supervised) is available in China, but currently no other markets. Although, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was here in Oz given how stridently the lane-keeping assist takes over if you dare flirt with a white line.

It takes the steering out of your hands and can become quite tiresome to use on a carriageway with more than two lanes. The calibration requires fine-tuning, something that could be done with an over-the-air (OTA) update. Turning off the annoying active tech isn’t the work of a minute, either.

A shortcut is desperately needed – or a custom mode.

There are also quirks with the process. If you cancel the lane keeping, but not the driver attention monitoring, it will switch lane keeping back on by itself. Which is all a bit of a shame, because the experience is far more confidence inspiring and enjoyable with these systems disabled.

The 2026 XPeng X9 AWD Performance is packed with tech. And it isn’t just for show, either.

When it comes to size, the 10.25-inch HD LCD instrument cluster is the smallest screen. Yet, it doesn’t miss out on functionality, with the ability to show maps (including Google Maps) as well as various vehicle information. Although, the HUD renders it largely redundant.

Taking care of the infotainment is a 17.3-inch touchscreen display. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 operating system, while the X9 also uses the Turning AI chip for faster processing and greater voice recognition.

Keeping occupants in the back entertained is a 21.4-inch screen that flips down from the roof. It offers great clarity and connectivity, too, and can be operated via touch or remote control. You can hook up a laptop to it or use inbuilt apps like Spotify and YouTube.

Adding to the cinema vibes are the ambient lighting and the 27-speaker XOPERA audio system. It also comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual 50W wireless charging pads with cooling, native satnav, DAB+ digital radio, USB ports and “Hey XPeng” AI voice assistant.

The XPeng also accepts over-the-air (OTA) updates, features 6kW vehicle-to-load capability and comes with 12 months of unlimited data for entertainment services.

The 2026 XPeng X9 AWD Performance is built on the brand’s 800V silicon carbide (SiC) platform and gains two potent electric motors, with the power split favouring the front axle.

It’s important to remember that this seven-seat MPV weighs in at more than 2.7 tonnes. However, it can ‘sprint’ from rest to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds. Which is as impressive as it is largely unnecessary. The X9 AWD Performance can do this due to the combined outputs of 370kW and 640Nm.

In practice, acceleration isn’t as gut-wrenching as you might expect from a standstill, but it relentlessly builds with a constant surge. There’s never a want for more thrust as highway on-ramps and overtakes are carried out effortlessly.

The problem with the headline 542kW charging speed is there’s currently no DC unit in Australia capable of supporting it. So, the 10-80 per cent replenishment in just 12 minutes looks good in the brochure, but it isn’t currently possible.

However, the 800V architecture does future-proof your 2026 XPeng X9 AWD Performance while the infrastructure catches up. As does the substantial 110kWh lithium-ion nickel manganese cobalt battery, which affords a significant 580km range.

Energy consumption is claimed to be 19.6kWh/100km, and through five days of testing we achieved a commendable average of 20.95kWh/100km. Confined to the city, that number dropped to around 17.8 and rose to 24.1kWh/100km during road testing.

While the headline DC charge rate is striking if not yet attainable, the 11kW AC limit is lacklustre in comparison. A 5-100 per cent charge takes 11 hours.

At 5316mm long, 1988mm wide and 1785mm tall, the 2026 XPeng X9 AWD Performance is a behemoth.

Yet, active rear-wheel steering does a good job shrinking the 3160mm wheelbase for a tight 10.8m turning circle. Myriad cameras and sensors also make the X9 easier to manoeuvre around tight carparks and city streets than you might imagine.

Then there’s the auto parking, which is fairly easy to engage with helpful on-screen displays. And for a vehicle of this size, it works impressively in practice to be genuinely useful and not merely a gimmick.

The X9 AWD Performance is extraordinarily comfortable, too. The intelligent dual-chamber air suspension combines with XPeng’s AI chassis system to literally read the road ahead and iron it out for you by anticipating imperfections.

Such a level of comfort is available that Sport mode is almost always a requirement to cancel out some of the waft. Other drive modes include Eco, Comfort and Individual, while you can also manipulate the ride height through six different levels and 70mm of adjustment.

However, largely forget any performance aspirations despite it being in the name. It’s funny how fast 2.7 tonnes can counteract 370kW/680Nm. And no matter how good the chip-enhanced suspension is, physics are physics. Grip levels are decent from the Michelin Primacy tyres, but the front axle can slip slightly with heavy throttle applications in the wet.

Three levels of brake pedal feel are available (because of course there is), with Smooth and Normal preferred over Sensitive. Normal is also the happy medium for the steering as opposed to Light or Heavy.

Ultimately, the X9’s dynamics are better suited to long highway drives and suburbia.

It’s a first-class lounge on wheels. Which is important, as the 2026 XPeng X9 AWD Performance could be doing a lot of airport transfers.

The cabin is noticeably hushed with double glazing and the EV powertrain, while the perceived build quality befits the price tag. Just about every surface looks and feels upmarket with the Coffee interior (Rose Brown and Meteorite Black are also available).

While there are some ergonomic missteps like having all the climate controls within the screen, including changing the direction of the air vents, being able to adjust both temperature and fan speed via the steering wheel is a win. Oddly, about the only item that isn’t electrically adjustable is the steering column.

However, it’s all about the second row. The captain’s chairs are extremely comfortable with plush leather and offer a wide range of adjustment – including the reclined, feet-up zero gravity mode. This combines with a meditation mode that taps into the extensive mood lighting and high-fidelity premium audio to provide a relacing space.

Or you can access the various media ‘on the big screen’ while blocking out the world with the sunshades, having a massage and keeping your beverages cool in the fridge. Each seat also has a cooled wireless charger, 60W USB-C port and a pop-out cup holder designed for champagne glasses.

Those in the third row aren’t without luxury, either. Getting there can be done by slide/folding the middle seats or walking between them. Once there, the rear pews provide generous amounts of head and legroom for all shapes and sizes. They certainly aren’t a cramped afterthought and can be stowed by the touch of a button.

Even with all three rows in place, there’s a 721-litre boot. According to the manufacturer, it can hold seven 20-inch carry-on suitcases, but with 60/40-split folding rear rows stowed, there’s a gargantuan 2554L of cargo capacity. Sadly, there’s no spare wheel hiding anywhere – just a repair kit.

China is pushing hard to make people movers great again. Yet, any way you look at it, the 2026 XPeng X9 AWD Performance is going to be a niche buy.

That doesn’t seem to be an issue, though. There’s a sense that the X9 is a showcase of what the emerging Chinese marque can do rather than a true rival for the cheaper and hugely popular Kia Carnival. Its intention is to go about its business on a grand scale, rather than selling in large volumes.

Therefore, the X9 AWD Performance’s target market centres around being a more affordable version of offerings from Lexus and Mercedes-Benz while also fending off competition from its homeland. And while it isn’t perfect, XPeng’s first attempt is a commendable one.

2026 XPeng X9 AWD Performance at a glance:
Price:?$109,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available:?Now
Powertrain: Dual permanent magnet synchronous electric motors
Output: 370kW/640Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 110kWh lithium-ion nickel manganese cobalt (NMC)
Range: 580km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 19.6kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

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