At the 2024 Shenzhen Auto Show, the Geely Galaxy exhibition featured the E5 SUV and E8 sedan at center stage. The E5 SUV is considered the smaller brother of the E8 sedan and is expected to be released in August of this year. Both cars have the same design language and similar Meizu Flyme tech. We booked the Galaxy E8 for this week’s Sunday China Drive to learn more about the Galaxy E-series and to see what we should expect from the upcoming E5 SUV.
Booking for a test drive
We were offered a test drive at the Shenzhen Auto Show at a nearby dealership. However, I preferred to take the test drive closer to home, so we made a reservation to test drive the E8 on Geely Galaxy’s official website. Shortly after, I was contacted by a Geely sales rep and scheduled the test drive at a nearby 4s dealership in Zhuhai. Please refer to Sunday China Drive: Avatr 12 for details of a 4s dealership.
Upon arriving at the Geely Galaxy 4s dealership, I immediately noticed that the shop’s presentation was more budget-oriented than the dealerships I had previously visited. I was greeted by the sales rep, who scheduled the test drive.
First Impressions
Our test car is the Galaxy E8 Starfleet Voyager Edition, priced at 193,800 yuan (26,700 USD). It measures 5010/1920/1465 mm and has a wheelbase of 2,925 mm, bigger than the 2024 Honda Accord. The fastback sedan’s aggressive styling draws inspiration from the 2023 Geely Galaxy Light concept car, boasting a sleek 0.199 Cd drag coefficient.
It has frameless doors with retractable door handles. The slim LED headlights complement the rear with a continuous taillight strip. The car appeared to be well put together. There were no panel misalignments, and the doors sounded solid as they closed. My favorite color of the E8 is matte black with customer trim only found on the performance version.
The Interior
Upon entering the Galaxy E8, the car is not as premium as its cousin, the Zeekr 007 (see specs), as the price reflects. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip powers a large 45-inch continuous screen in 8k resolution on the center console. It operates on the Meizu FlymeOS. Interestingly, this screen is much nicer than the 70/30 split screens found on the dashboard of the more expensive IM L6 (see specs).
While the manufacturer emphasizes the large screen as the E8’s dominant interior feature, my attention was drawn to its 12-speaker Infinity audio system. The audio system provided an impressive sound stage and clear and analytical audio quality, which surprised me, especially for a car at this price. The E8 has a flat-bottom two-spoke steering wheel with an AR-HUD in front. Half of the sun visors are tinted plastic. Its 2,925 mm wheelbase provides all passengers with plenty of head and leg room.
Storage
The E8 has a 53-liter trunk and a deep 465-liter trunk, yet the trunk opening is not very big. It also has a very deep glove box.
Behind the Wheel
I began the test drive in the front passenger seat. Once the car started moving, I noticed a lot of vibrations coming from the road. This is very different from the cars I have tested recently, like the Avatr 12 (see specs) and the Xpeng X9 (see specs). A simple explanation will be its McPherson suspension system on the front axle and an independent suspension on the rear axle.
The Galaxy E8 is positioned as a performance sedan. The seating was comfortable, while the essential controls were easily accessed. I found myself smiling after turning a corner in the driver’s seat. This 5-meter-long E8 is agile and fun to drive. The E8 is based on Geely’s Sustainable Electric Architecture (SEA), also used on the Zeekr 007 (see specs) we tested and the upcoming Lynk & Co Z10. The car felt very planted and communicated well between the driver and the road. Even more so than the Avatr 12, which costs twice as much. While driving, there is a certain mechanical element in the E8, which made me forget I was driving an EV. Interestingly, the vibrations from the road became a part of the driving experience, which I didn’t mind.
On the highway, the E8 was stable and quiet. This RWD model has a 200 kW motor mounted on the rear axle, which produces 343 N·m of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6 seconds, even though the car weighs 2,030 kg. This may not be a supercar fast like the Xiaomi SU7 (see specs), but it is enough for overtaking and climbing hills. A 250 kW single-motor version of the E8 has just been confirmed. It gives it 25% more power than the existing RWD version we tested.
As much as we would like to test Geely’s autonomous driving, out of the seven E8 variants, it is only available on the E8 Starship Intelligent Driver Edition, offered at 213,800 yuan (29,4500 USD). Unlike the pricer Zeekr 007, autonomous driving is available across the range.
Battery Range
This Galaxy E8 has a 75 kWh LFP battery that offers 665 km CLTC, equivalent to around 530 km in the real world.
Safety Features
- Automatic emergency braking
- Lane departure warning
- Adaptive cruise control
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert as a standard safety feature
- High-strength steel frame and an anti-collision cage for the battery to enhance occupant protection.
Conclusion
From this test drive, we gained insight into the Geely Galaxy E-series. The Geely Galaxy E8 may not be as luxurious as its cousins from Zeekr, but it does everything quite well. At this price point, the designers even paid attention to details like having half the sun visors with tinted plastic. As a family man, I wouldn’t mind this as a daily driver. However, Geely should consider adding an extended-range battery option of 750 – 800 km CLTC, similar to what’s available on the Zeekr 007.
At the 2024 Shenzhen Auto Show, we saw the E5’s practicality. It comfortably seats five adults and has a two-layered trunk in an SUV configuration. Instead of the Infinity audio system, it has a Meizu Flyme audio system, which does not provide the same level of sound stage and clarity.
The Geely Galaxy E5 SUV will be built on the new Geely Electric Architecture 3.0 (GEA 3.0) derived from the existing SEA. It measures 4615/1901/1670 mm and has a wheelbase of 2750 mm; the E5 should be lighter than the E8’s 2,030 kg. With a 160 kW motor and a drag coefficient of 0.269 Cd, the new Galaxy E5 SUV may be a fun ride. CNC has been informed that the E5 will be priced lower than the E8. We expect autonomous driving will only be available on selected variants like the E8. We expect the E5 SUV to be a well-balanced vehicle like the E8.
Stay tuned for next week’s Sunday China Drive at Car News China, where you can get more evaluations of Chinese EVs from a first-person perspective.
My weekly must read article. I’m a person who cares even more about the details design of a car than the performance, therefore when it comes to deciding which article to read, the great quality of these photos have made the difference,
Great article! I am looking forward to the release of the E8 in August.
Thanks for writing such a valuable informative and engaging article.
Reading this article gives me more acknowledge and insight to the growing trend of the EV evolving technology.
Awesomely done !!
Great, thanks for fruitful sharing, I will add this as consideration option, Thanks