Recently, I've been bombarded by the catchy advertising slogan, "A house and a Xiaopeng P5 with four wheels," in various variety shows. I was curious about why the ad was phrased this way until I received an invitation for a test drive of the Xiaopeng P5. This car truly addresses the pain points of today's young consumers, with its interior space being cleverly utilized. In this article, let’s discuss the Xiaopeng P5’s exterior, interior, and driving experience.
The design of the Xiaopeng P5's front end is quite bold and angular. In this era of increasingly diverse electric vehicles, a grille-free front end is becoming more visually appealing, giving designers greater freedom in their work.
The headlights use LED sources and continue the P7's (through-style) design. The continuous light strip flashes according to the vehicle’s status, and the entire light source can also perform a "Say Hi" function, which is a fun touch.
The Xiaopeng P5 measures 4808mm in length, 1840mm in width, and 1520mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2768mm—typical dimensions for a compact sedan. The side profile is stylish, featuring a floating roof and a coupe-like silhouette, along with sharp lines at the front, giving the car a sporty feel.
The door handles are designed to be hidden and automatically rise to unlock. They also have a pleasant damping sensation when opening and closing, adding a touch of refinement. The standard 215/55 R17 tires (with optional 18-inch wheels on the test car) are quite conventional, but the two-tone wheel design is quite acceptable.
Personally, I find the rear design of the Xiaopeng P5 a bit plain compared to the front; it seems a bit too rounded, and there’s a noticeable difference from the P7. The rear features the family’s贯穿式 (through-style) tail lights, which echo the headlights' design, but this is the P5’s only standout feature at the rear.
The center console design of the Xiaopeng P5 is similar to that of the Xiaopeng G3. featuring horizontal and vertical lines, a central 15.3-inch vertical screen, and a (through-style) air vent. The overall design is fairly conventional, but the extensive use of leather adds a touch of sophistication that is quite commendable at this price point. The steering wheel is also wrapped in perforated leather, offering an excellent feel.
The Xiaopeng P5 is equipped with a heat pump air conditioning system, which reduces power consumption for heating in extreme weather conditions. Additionally, there is a facial recognition hardware device on the A-pillar on the driver’s side, which currently monitors driver fatigue but will have more functions with future OTA updates. Our test vehicle also had a high-pitched speaker that could be raised and lowered, enhancing the interior’s sense of luxury and technology.
The car’s infotainment system runs on Xmart OS 3.0. which is quite smooth. While the screen’s primary functions are directly accessible, the secondary pages are well-designed and rich in features, minimizing the need to navigate through other secondary pages.
One of the best features of an open system like Xiaopeng’s is the availability of various apps. It’s quite enjoyable to use compared to Tesla’s closed system, where you wait for official OTA updates. Xiaopeng offers an app store with mainstream apps like Bilibili and even games like Monument Valley.
The 12.3-inch instrument panel displays a wealth of information. The left side is adjustable, while the right side shows a map that perfectly synchronizes with the car’s navigation, eliminating the need to glance at the center screen during navigation. The wireless phone charger is convenient but, due to the design of the center screen, the phone is placed deep in the slot, making the screen hard to see.
The Xiaopeng P5 offers an optional rear fridge with a push-pull door design that looks very high-tech. Inside, there is a rack to hold bottles in place, preventing them from rolling around. The fridge’s space is quite generous, and there is ample space behind the rear seat backrests.
The seats are high-quality and comfortable, with the front seats available with optional ventilation and heating, while the passenger seat only has heating. The adjustable side wings of the headrests are a nice touch, preventing the head from tilting while resting.
A more luxurious feature in the Xiaopeng P5 is the built-in aroma diffuser, which is typically found in top-tier flagship models from traditional brands. Although the aroma diffuser’s placement behind the center screen feels a bit awkward, the scents it produces are pleasant and sophisticated.
The “house and four wheels” slogan likely refers to the car’s sleep mode feature. Although it requires an optional upgrade, this feature is quite impressive. By removing the headrests from the front seats and selecting the function on the screen, the car adjusts the seats to create a double bed. You can use the provided mattress and bed sheet, and even set the aroma and alarm clock in sleep mode, making it very thoughtful.
Due to heavy rain on the test drive day, we couldn’t test the sleep mode setup in the trunk, but from the official pictures, it looks very private and cozy. The option to add a projector and screen shows a creative internet mindset. However, this feature does come with a drawback: none of the rear seats in any Xiaopeng P5 model can be folded down.
An optional solar roof for the Xiaopeng P5 is also interesting, with a maximum charging power of 60W. It can automatically turn on the air conditioning when the interior temperature exceeds 35°C, preventing additional battery consumption.
Let’s talk about the Xiaopeng P5’s driving hardware. The car comes standard with a front-wheel-drive single motor, producing a maximum power of 155kW and a peak torque of 310Nm. It uses a front MacPherson strut independent suspension and a rear torsion beam non-independent suspension, making it well-suited for family use.
The Xiaopeng P5 is the first mass-produced car to feature lidar, available on the second-highest trim and above, marking the entry of XPILOT into the 3.5 era. This adds new functions like city NGP and enhanced lidar capabilities to prevent cut-ins on city roads and support multi-level parking in garages.
In terms of driving, the Xiaopeng P5 offers three driving modes: Standard, Sport, and Economy. The Standard mode is the most comfortable. Sport mode makes the car too sensitive, with the throttle causing the car to lurch forward, making it uncomfortable for both driver and passengers. Economy mode feels sluggish, requiring heavy acceleration for overtaking in the city, which is unsafe.
The P5’s power isn’t aggressive, but as an electric vehicle, it offers superior power reserves and smoothness compared to similarly priced gasoline cars. There are three regenerative braking modes, with the middle setting offering a slight deceleration that feels close to coasting in a gasoline car. The lower setting offers almost no deceleration, and the lack of engine braking can make coasting feel faster but less safe.
Overall, the Xiaopeng P5 feels “easy” to drive. The throttle response is light and agile, and the brakes are also light, making it easy to inadvertently engage hard braking initially. The suspension is quite comfortable, filtering vibrations well but feels on the softer side. The steering has three modes, with Standard being the most comfortable, though I personally found Sport mode’s steering more reassuring on highways.
In terms of NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness), Xiaopeng has done well; the electric motor is almost silent, the glass sealing is good, and wind noise at high speeds is minimal. However, during our test drive, heavy rain made the water noise from the wheel arches more noticeable in the quiet cabin, though city driving remains quite comfortable.
Finally, regarding range, we didn’t have the opportunity to test it. The P5 is available in three versions with ranges of 460/550/600 km according to the NEDC standard, with battery capacities of 55.9/66.2/71.4 kWh. The 460 km version uses a lithium iron phosphate battery, while the other two use ternary lithium batteries. Without deliberately managing energy consumption, our test drive showed an overall energy consumption of 14.4 kWh/100 km for reference.
So why do I say this is the ideal family car for young people? Not all young people seek a sporty driving experience or speed; they simply want a car that looks youthful. They also want to experience comfortable leather seats, enjoy aromatherapy, and a serene interior space. The Xiaopeng P5 offers all this and more, with additional features like a sleep mode and even an in-car projector, providing consumers with ample choices and imaginative options. As a family car, the P5 meets all criteria—it's comfortable, spacious, and stylish, and its competitive price of around 200.000 yuan is quite strong.
