What on earth is the HiPhi Z?
It’s the somewhat bolder, brasher, more extrovert sibling of the gullwing-doored HiPhi X. The pair are the launch cars for the automotive offshoot of Chinese mobility startup Human Horizons; the X plays the role of a conventional luxe SUV, while the Z (pronounced ‘zee’) is a wilder, more attention-grabbing super sedan.
Its chief designer once worked at BMW, though if you’re seeing elements of either i3 or i8, neither is in his portfolio. Perhaps there’s some Nissan GT-R from some angles, too. Stylistically, there’s plenty going on. How successfully it all mishmashes together is something only you can truly decide.
Should I assume it’s a Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S rival?
It’s certainly right there on price and performance. Its twin motors—and their 663hp and 819Nm—endow it with four-wheel drive and a 3.8sec sprint from 0-100kph. It’s on sale in Germany and Norway priced from around £90,000 (around P6.4 million), available in practical five- or plush four-seat configurations (the latter commanding a little more money).
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Among its numerous styling accoutrements are new and novel bits of technology: Those 22-inch wheels have protective rubber cladding built into their fidget-spinner-esque design, to make curbing them a less harrowing experience, while the dark strip running down each side of the Z is packed with LEDs with which you can deploy warning lights or write messages to fellow road users. Yep, you can be rude if you wish.
The large lighting panels front and rear can give a thumbs-up signal to thank fellow road users, or even display a zebra crossing animation should you wish to benevolently allow a pedestrian to cross in front of you.
Is it as sporty as it looks?
Umm, no. Not quite. But that was intentional. Mark Stanton is HiPhi’s chief technical officer with Jaguar Land Rover on his CV. He knows that attempting to topple the Taycan’s handling prowess is both a fool’s errand and not really what they want to achieve, anyway. So while the Z looks every inch the wackadoodle Transformer wannabe on the outside, the driving experience held within is quieter and more cocooning than you’d ever dare imagine.
Which doesn’t mean it’s a total softie. It takes corners smartly, gripping consistently on its Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires, while rear-wheel steering—with 13.2 degrees of adjustment—nips away at the effects of its 2.5-ton weight, which is split 50:50 front to rear. We didn’t get the chance to really push it hard, and more of an entertainer may lie beneath the skin when we get more time in the Z. There’s certainly no serious complaints, and it feels seriously well screwed together for the product of a company that only broke ground in 2017.
Its 200kph top speed is quickly achieved (and slightly breached) on derestricted autobahn, and it’ll sit more fuss-free at those speeds than many of its rivals will at 110kph. And there are neat touches that make it stand proud of its X sibling; this is HiPhi’s second car and contains far more bespoke trim and features inside, the evolution of the firm’s ambitions clear when you drive the two together.
The Z’s paddle shifters—which toggle you through four driving modes and four levels of brake regen—are tactile metal rather than plastic, and while the steering wheel before them is a curious thing to hold, at least it’s unique. Everywhere you look, there are bold aesthetic statements to mark HiPhi’s arrival.
That’s a big screen…
It’s a robotic one, too. Unlike the HiPhi X, the Z collects together all of its displays and functions into one central unit (with a supplementary heads-up display for speed). The 15-inch screen sits on a robotic arm and can rotate between portrait and landscape, swiveling of its own accord as you adjust the seat or make voice commands.
Not something we got to try, owing to this car’s Chinese spec and our lack of Mandarin skills. The screen quickly retracts against the dashboard should it detect an impending accident, while you can adjust it manually using buttons on the steering wheel if you’d rather take control.
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Fine, it’s a gimmick. But there are many EV sedans in this price range these days, and some actual robotics might just be enough of a gimmick to tempt someone into at least test-driving a Z. When you’re a fresh, unfamiliar startup, that’s key.
Anything else of note?
Having a contingent of former Jaguar Land Rover folk on the books brings benefits. Its plush ride on standard air suspension is reminiscent of JLR at its best, while strong contacts with Meridian bring a 23-speaker, 2,820-watt (!) sound system. Punchy.
What’s less clear is the car’s charging ability: a 120kWh battery endows it with a projected WLTP range of 555km, but the rate at which that can be replenished is yet to be revealed. We’ve sampled a Chinese-spec car, so we have to wait before a true verdict can be delivered. But for all the HiPhi Z’s aesthetic frivolity and sheer onslaught of technology, there appears to be a very adept base beneath it all.
More photos of the HiPhi Z:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
