Xiaomi YU7 Max interior, design, and features review

Today, Xiaomi unveiled its second EV, the YU7, and we were fortunate enough to be among the media at the event.

We also got to drive and walk around the car, so here are our initial impressions.

Xiaomi describes the YU7 as an SUV, but it's more of a fastback. We can see design similarities with a few high-end cars out there, namely the Ferrari Purosangue and the Porsche Taycan.

What's undeniable is that the YU7 is a gorgeous-looking car.

It may sound a bit random, but the name YU7 has some meaning. In Mandarin, YU means something along the lines of "riding the wind".

Design and performance

It may not look it, but the Xiaomi YU7 is a big car at 1 mm shy of 5 meters. It's a few mm wider than the SU7 at 78.6 inches, but it's taller at 63.3 inches. It has the same 118 inches wheelbase as the sedan.

There are three variants of the YU7, just like there are with the SU7 - you get the base model, the YU7 Pro, and the YU7 Max.

All models are built on a modern 800-volt platform, which enables blistering fast charging. YU7 and YU7 Pro have the same 96.5 kWh battery and complete the 10%-to-80% in just 21 minutes.

The base model has a rear electric motor with 235 kW (320 hp) and 528 Nm and can sprint to 62 mph in 5.88 seconds. The Pro is dual-motor all-wheel drive and ups the power to 365 kW (496 hp) and 690 Nm. It does the 0-62 mph in 4.27 seconds.

The Max has a bigger 101.7 kWh battery and a more powerful AWD setup - 508 kW (690 hp) and 866 Nm. Impressively, the bigger battery supports bonkers-fast 12 minutes 10%-to-80% charge time. The batteries themselves are armored with a bulletproof coating for extra security.

Such a lovely side profile, sporty rear

The YU7's "Armor-Cage" body uses a combination of high-strength steel and aluminum alloys, including a 2,200 MPa ultra-high-strength steel roll cage for enhanced passenger protection.

All models in the YU7 range come as standard with front-mounted LiDAR and a 4D millimeter-wave radar for the self-driving system.

Xiaomi has equipped the YU7 with an adaptive air suspension, which will lower or raise depending on your needs and the chosen drive mode.

The car's stance is sporty and sits lower than a typical fastback-style car. You wouldn't guess that it's a 196.8 inches long car by looking at it from the side.

You can spec it with either 19-inch, 20-inch, or 21-inch rims. We got to spend time with the Max model, so what you're seeing is the largest possible wheel and tire combination.

Both the front and rear bumpers have an air diffuser, but the rear looks much sportier when combined with the boot lip and rear wing. Together with the wide "shoulders" and the wide tires, the YU7 looks THE business from the back.

The sporty stance is great for looks, but expectedly, it isn't the best for practicality. The boot is limited in its functionality by the sloping tailgate, and the small-ish rear window doesn't really allow you much visibility.

Aero bits, nice mirrors

Here's a closer look at the rubber on tap - it's a 245-section Michelin Primacy 5 energy, we'd think a car with the YU7 Max's nearly 700 hp on tap would be better served by a Pilot Sport EV tire instead.

The YU7 Max has an ample frunk with a clever opening mechanism. Because the front lid is motorized, you open it by pushing a little button on the front fender of the car. Push the button again, and the boot closes.

Opening the frunk

Interior

Moving to the inside, the YU7 Max has a very premium cabin. It's very spacious, cleverly laid out, high-tech, and covered in Nappa leather - orange Nappa leather!

Xiaomi designed both front seats for zero-gravity seating, meaning you won't get tired from long journeys with the YU7.

The steering wheel is similar to the SU7's with a flat top and bottom, a sporty 12-hour mark, and leather trim. We especially love the drive mode sector in the bottom right - it's very much Ferrari!

The center console main screen looks just like a high-end tablet and is as fluid and responsive as a high-end tablet.

But it's the digital driver's display that stands out. High-tech and clever, it's not just a projection on top of a thin transparent plastic island in front of the driver.

It's a 1.1-meter panoramic "HyperVision" screen made up of three mini-LED displays, each with a 1,200-nit peak brightness. We absolutely love this implementation and are willing to let go of the fact that certain polarized glasses would make it disappear when viewed head-on.

Comfy cabin with zero-gravity front seats

Both front and rear seats recline and are motorized. The rear seats aren't your typical EV seats that push your knees up to your face. They're truly among the most comfortable seats we've sat our heinies in.

Xiaomi has made small round metal buttons that can attach to different parts of the cabin - the center column, the back of the armrest, and the top of the dash.

You can set these custom buttons to do just about anything - play or pause the music, you name it.

Reclining seats, big arm rest at the back

The cabin is very quiet and refined. Part of this is the double-laminated mirrors. It works in tandem with the high-end built-in stereo, which has noise-cancelling.

All the glass elements - side, front, and rear windows, and the panoramic sunroof - are what Xiaomi says are the most UV and IR protective.

Double glazed frameless windows

Wrap up

Xiaomi just announced the YU7 and it will go on sale in China for now. A global launch is happening at a later point.

The base model YU7 starts at just CNY 253,500 (around $35,000/€30,000), the Pro is CNY 279,900 (around $39,000/€33,000), and the Max is CNY 329,900 (around $46,000/€39,000). Xiaomi will give you the Nappa leather reclining seats and the motorized front hood for free with the base and Pro models if you order by July 31.