New flagship SUV combines cavernous and flexible interior with top-notch infotainment and comfort package.
The Deepal S09 has been launched in China as a flagship six-seater looking to go head-to-head with the Li Auto L9 and upcoming AITO M8.
Set to debut later this quarter from a starting price of RMB 350,000 (£38,650 / $47,900), the S09 will likely undercut both its rivals while offering comparable equipment levels and even Huawei’s market-leading Qiankun ADAS system, at least on higher-spec models if not across the entire range.
Available as an extended-range EV (EREV), the S09 will come in both rear- and four-wheel drive variants with electric-only range up to 180km and 3C charging, up to 120kW, courtesy of a 40.18kWh CATL-made LFP battery.
It’ll head up Deepal’s growing portfolio which includes the S05, S07, and G318 SUVs, as well as the L07 and SL03 saloons, and take it into a previously uncharted price point, testing the strength of the brand which had a standout year in 2024.
Exterior
Externally, the S09 adopts a full-width daytime running light across the front, a first for the brand, and a stepped light bar across the rear, while the overall styling strikes a handsome balance between the softer lines of the S05 SUV and the edgier appearance of the other models in the line-up.
It’s not too dissimilar from Geely’s Starship 7 viewed from the front, albeit the face here is grafted onto a much larger body, the similarity to the Li L9’s silhouette more a consequence of the shared market segment than anything else.
Other notable features include pop-out door handles for aero, a floating C-pillar with ‘Deepal’ lettering on, and a lidar unit atop the windscreen which, together with Huawei’s Qiankun ADAS system, enables the S09 to drive autonomously on pretty much every public road in China.
Alloys come in both 18- and 20-inch varieties, although interestingly the smaller alloys are the more attractive designs, with either a six-spoke, flat face design, or a two-tone multi-spoke design available as 18-inchers shod with Michelin Primacy tyres, or a more aero focused, five-spoke 20-inch design wearing Giti Control P10s.
Interior
Inside, the S09 hops straight onto the multi-screen trend doing the rounds on premium Chinese SUVs, sporting no fewer than three screens in total.
Up top, a pair of 15.6-inch OLED screens boasting 1,000 nits of brightness dominate the dashboard, while the traditional digital instrument cluster makes way for a 43-inch Huawei augmented reality head-up display.
In the rear, there’s an additional 21.3-inch 3k screen that folds down from the ceiling which, together with at least 18 speakers (that we can see), should make for quite a reasonable entertainment package.
Perhaps most interesting about the interior, however, is the Zeekr MIX-style sliding centre console which can move forwards and backwards to serve either the front or second-row passengers as desired. It boasts a single wireless charger, cupholders for four, storage units on top and below, and a 10-litre heating and cooling unit for drinks and snacks.
Front and second-row seats get heating, ventilation, and 8-point massage functions, with third-row occupants getting heating. There are also built-in leg and armrests for the second row, as well as long rails in the floor, enabling passengers to fully lay back as desired. There’s also a tray table on the back of the front passenger seat, and what look like tablet holders or storage bins on the side for third-row passengers.
Drivetrains
As with most extended-range offerings, the S09 uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine as its onboard generator, while a choice of one or two motors provides drive to the wheels from the 40.18kWh battery.
In single-motor form, the S09 gets 231kW of power on the rear axle, which seems about adequate for such a large vehicle, though Deepal didn’t provide any 0-100kph times yet.
In dual-motor form, the S09 adds a 131kW motor on the front axle, providing four-wheel drive and a combined output of 362kW, making it around 10 percent more powerful than a Li L9 albeit with no word on torque at this stage, nor combined range for that matter.
Like the L9, it gets front and rear independent suspension, continuous damping control, and air suspension, which should make for a decent ride and maybe a hint of off-road capability as well.
Dimensions almost perfectly match the L9, with a length of 5,205mm, width of 1,996mm, identical height of 1,800mm, and identical wheelbase of 3,105mm.
Priced from around RMB 350,000, the S09 undercuts the base-level L9 by around RMB 60,000, albeit the L9 only comes with a dual-motor drivetrain and has a superior electric-only range.
That said, making the S09 more affordable by offering a single-motor variant, together with that strong equipment list, cavernous interior, and class-leading ADAS, could well be a smart move from Deepal.
It won’t move in quite as much volume as the other models in the line-up, but it should help boost profitability in a very competitive climate.
