I’ve spent almost two decades reviewing most facets of consumer technology, but I’ve never been a huge car guy. For many years, it represented a way to get from A to B, but electric cars have changed this.
The best electric cars solve many of my biggest complaints with a car, and some of the best cars are being made by brands I would never have expected. I’ve sat in Sony’s upcoming car, the AFEELA, and I love the immersive entertainment experience, but one of my primary concerns is the lack of a killer use case for many of these features.
The car I’ve most been waiting to get into? The Xiaomi SU7 SUV, and I just had my first opportunity to do so. What I found is one of the most thoughtful car interiors ever, with features that I can see myself using every single day. Here are five Xiaomi SU7 features that every carmaker needs to adopt.
Screen mirroring and apps
There’s a distinct benefit to Xiaomi being a phone maker at heart; the Xiaomi SU7 is designed to integrate with your existing technology in a much more natural way than Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, or Tesla’s infotainment system.
By default, your phone screen is mirrored in a window that floats above the infotainment system, but you can also pin any app to your infotainment home screen. The phone-mirroring window can be resized, dragged, and interacted with just like you would on a folding phone, and you can use all the features of any app, including at up to 60 frames per second.
This is the best phone integration on any car, bar none
Sitting in the Xiaomi SU7 for the first time and seeing this first hand, one thought immediately came to mind: the Xiaomi SU7 is the car that Apple should have made. The Xiaomi SU7 does support CarPlay — a necessity to fully support the iPhone — but it isn’t as tightly integrated as with the best Xiaomi phones. This is the best phone integration on any car, bar none.
Outstanding Range and Superfast Charging
This was the first time I had sat in a Xiaomi SUV, and there were a few inclusions that blew me away. All Xiaomi technology — its phones in particular — is known for its ability to charge rapidly, and the Xiaomi SU7 follows this trend with incredible charging and range promises.
The full range of the Max is 810 kilometers, while the regular Xiaomi SU7 is 700km. Five minutes of charging will get you 220 km, while a further ten minutes will yield a total range of 510 km. All of these specs are on the Xiaomi SU7 Max, with the base model featuring 138 km and 350 km, respectively, and the Ultra — the world’s fastest SUV — prioritizing speed and performance over range.
For context, this is faster than the Tesla Supercharger network, which offers a maximum of ~320 km (on the Model S), although it’s worth noting that the two companies are rated by different standards. Fast charging on the Xiaomi SU7 should be the standard for all cars, and even if it’s rated at a lower rating by differing global standards, it’s likely to still be the fastest charging.
I’ve owned a plug-in hybrid EV before but have resisted the switch to a full-time EV primarily for charging concerns. The few times I’ve had to charge a rented Tesla, it’s required taking at least a 30 minute stop. On long drives, this can sometimes be multiple stops. I’ve waited for longer range and faster charging, and the Xiaomi SU7 delivers both in abundance.
Storage, Fridge, and Diffuser
Okay, hear me out: Every car needs a fridge and diffuser like the Xiaomi SU7. The diffuser concept is simple as it makes it effortless to change the scent inside the car. There’s three to choose from and there’s more available to order separately.
The fridge is by far the coolest part. It stores up to 6 cans and can be used for both hot and cold items. It’s easily accessible from the front or rear seats as it’s conveniently located under the center console and opens from the rear. Right above it are two USB-C ports that support 18W charging, while the USB-C port at the front offers 65W.
There’s also tons of storage in the sizable frunk, large trunk, and several compartments underneath the trunk mat. The Xiaomi SU7 is a car that was made with the user in mind, and it shows throughout.
Designed to complement your existing tech
Those thoughtful touches continue throughout the car, including in the experience for rear passengers and the likely use cases of owners. Behind the two front seats, you’ll find a tablet holder that provides power and integrates your existing technology into the experience.
There’s not a huge amount of space for rear passengers — unsurprising given the bias towards front space and the sporty design — but it’s still a great overall experience. The rear seats have two-zone heating, while the front seats also have cooling. You can control things like the Air Conditioning, music, and more using the rear tablet.
I’ve waited for longer range and faster charging, and the Xiaomi SU7 delivers both in abundance.
The best thing is that all of these features work with the best iPads with just a single app, and every carmaker needs to copy this integration. Xiaomi has correctly recognized that not supporting the Apple ecosystem in its car is a mistake, and I hope we’ll see support for other Android tablets in some form in the future.
Smart Home Integration
The Xiaomi SU7 is exciting not just for its in-car technology and experience but also for the way it integrates into the wider Xiaomi ecosystem. The company has a vast array of smart home products it makes and sells, including everything from curtains, robot vacuums, and lights to televisions, smart displays, and thermostats.
Considering that ecosystem, it’s no surprise that the Xiaomi SU7 deeply integrates into it. You can control large swatches of your smart home from the car’s infotainment screen, and you can set up routines to activate either automatically based on your location or with a single tap on the car screen.
What is surprising is that you can also control your car from any Xiaomi smart home device. Want to warm your car up while you’re preparing breakfast using a recipe on your smart display? Easy. Want to control your car from your TV? Simple. The integration is incredible, and it makes me wish that Xiaomi sold more of its wider ecosystem products outside of China.
Finally, the car that we deserve
The Xiaomi SU7 is world-leading in connectivity, has amazing integration with existing technology and your smart home, and offers outstanding charging and range. The Xiaomi SU7 is not just unique as the first car made by a phone maker, but because of its sheer potential.
I wish I had gotten to drive it, but the Max version is about to launch in the UK, where I was born, and this may need to be my next car there.
In China, it has so far also followed Xiaomi’s smartphone pricing model of making the best technology more affordable (in many cases), and the base model starts at roughly $30,000 equivalent and the Max version at $42,000. These prices would change if imported to other countries, but this is a seriously compelling offering.
