Driving Xiaomi's Electric Car: SU7 Max Review

The EV That Would "Cook" America: MKBHD Reviews the Xiaomi SU7 Max

What happens when a smartphone giant decides to build a car? In the case of Xiaomi, you get the SU7 Max—an electric sedan that is currently making headlines as one of the most disruptive vehicles on the planet. Famed tech reviewer Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) recently got his hands on one, and his conclusion was simple: if this car were available in the U.S. for its Chinese retail price of $42,000, it would absolutely dominate the market.

Performance That Punches Up

On paper, the SU7 Max is a beast. For roughly $42,000 US, it offers specs that usually command a six-figure price tag in the Western market:

Power: 673 horsepower with a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup.
Speed: 0-60 mph in under 3 seconds.
Battery: 101 kWh battery pack providing around 320 miles of range.

Brownlee notes that the car feels like a hybrid of the best EVs on the market—driving with the serenity of a Lucid Air in comfort mode, but snapping into the aggressive performance of a Tesla Model 3 Performance in Sport Plus.

A Masterclass in Modular Software

Where Xiaomi truly flexes its muscles is in the software integration. As a tech company first, they’ve treated the interior like a giant smartphone. The HyperOS ecosystem allows for seamless screen mirroring and smart home control, but the real star is the modularity. The car features hidden mounting points for physical accessories, allowing owners to "snap on" extra buttons, phone mounts, and even karaoke microphones.

Small "quality of life" touches also stand out, such as the navigation voice being isolated to a speaker in the driver's headrest—meaning the music never dips for passengers when the car gives directions.

Our Take: The "Forbidden Fruit" Problem

Reading these specs feels like looking at a menu for a restaurant you’re not allowed to enter. While it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of a $42k supercar-killer, we have to remember the reality: the Xiaomi SU7 Max is effectively "forbidden fruit" in the U.S. due to 100% tariffs and geopolitical tensions.

However, the real story here isn't just a car we can't buy—it's a wake-up call for Western automakers. For years, we've been told that high-end EV tech is inherently expensive. Xiaomi just proved that you can build a car that feels like a $75,000 luxury vehicle for nearly half the price. If American and European brands don't start matching this level of software-hardware synergy, they aren't just going to lose the global market; they’re going to look obsolete.

Build Quality and The "X" Factor

Often, the criticism of Chinese cars is that they feel "cheap" or poorly assembled. Brownlee debunked this, praising the SU7 Max for its incredible sound isolation, Alcantara headliner, and active seat bolsters that hug you during cornering. Even the self-driving "Pilot Max" system performed impressively, navigating unfamiliar roads with a level of confidence that rivals Tesla’s FSD.

Conclusion: A New Standard

The Xiaomi SU7 Max isn't just a car; it's a statement. It proves that a tech-first approach can result in a more versatile, faster, and smarter vehicle than many legacy automakers have produced in decades. While tariffs might keep it off our roads for now, the bar has officially been raised for every EV coming next.