Launched in late January, the GWM Wey G9 completes a septet of seven-seater luxury MPVs on the market, all vying for the same clientele of towkays and well-to-do families. The list of competitors is vast and includes the electric Denza D9, Zeekr 009 and Xpeng X9, as well as the similarly hybridised GAC M8 – these Chinese people-carriers all aim to topple the preferred choice, the Toyota Alphard and Vellfire.
This segment is of great interest to many Malaysian buyers who will want to see how these cars stack up in terms of specs. Well, we’ve taken the trouble to line them all up for easy comparison, so without further ado, let’s kick things off with the prices.
A tale of two price brackets – Chinese and Japanese
Pricing-wise, the Middle Kingdom models start within RM60,000 of each other. Now that the new tax structure for CBU fully-imported EVs has pushed the price of the D9 up, the Wey G9 has become the cheapest of the seven MPVs here, retailing at RM269,380 (nett instead of on-the-road for the sake of consistency, as some brands only provide non-OTR pricing) for the sole Hi4 plug-in hybrid variant.
Mind you, the 2026 D9 is still at the (more) affordable end of the spectrum, priced at RM299,000 for the Advanced FWD and RM355,000 for the Premium AWD. The X9 is technically cheaper, but its quoted prices are for 2025 units (likely still available) and thus exclude import and excise duties. For comparison’s sake, those prices are RM279,888 for the Standard Range 2WD Pro, RM297,888 for the Long Range 2WD Pro and RM313,888 for the Long Range 2WD Pro+.
The 009 is on the same boat, but even its tax-free prices are slightly higher than the D9’s at RM299,800 for the Executive FWD, RM349,800 for the Luxury AWD and RM359,800 for the Ultra Luxury AWD. The M8 PHEV is the priciest of the Chinese group at RM327,763 for the Premium and RM387,763 for the Luxury.
Of course, the Toyota duo are by far the most expensive, with even the base Vellfire 2.5 costing RM446,765. If you want an Alphard with turbo power, you’ll have to spend an eye-watering RM546,845 for the Alphard 2.4T Executive Lounge, while the new Vellfire Hybrid Executive Lounge retails at a cool RM548,670. But let’s be clear – the main competition for the Chinese MPVs are grey-market “recon” units, with plenty of the current fourth-generation model on sale at similar prices.
Electric power and performance versus mechanical simplicity
As far as the base models are concerned, the all-wheel-drive Wey G9 is the performance champion, with a sum total of 442 PS and 642 Nm of torque coming from its 1.5 litre turbo four-cylinder engine and dual electric motors. This trumps the front-wheel-drive M8’s 372 PS and 630 Nm, even though the latter has a larger 2.0 litre turbo mill.
With a larger 44.2 kWh NMC battery (versus a 25.57 kWh LFP pack for the M8), the Wey G9 can also travel further on a single charge (170 km versus 120 km, both on the outdated NEDC cycle), although both have a total range in excess of 1,000 km. However, the M8 narrowly beats the Wey G9 in fuel efficiency, achieving 16.4 km per litre versus 16.1 km per litre for the GWM when both batteries are whittled down to 20%.
The electric models are much of a muchness when it comes with their FWD variants, with the 340 PS 009 Executive edging out the 320 PS X9 and the 313 PS D9 Advanced. Both the 009 and D9 have the option of AWD, but while the D9 Premium only gets a lift to 374 PS, the 009 Luxury and Ultra Luxury produce an absurd 612 PS and 693 Nm. As a result, the AWD Zeekrs are able to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds, nearly two and a half seconds quicker than the D9 AWD.
The Denza also lags behind in terms of range even with a sizeable 103.6 kWh LFP battery, offering 520 km on the WLTP cycle for the D9 FWD and 490 km for the D9 AWD. By comparison, the Xpeng travels farther on a single charge despite the smaller batteries – up to 500 km for the Standard Range with a 84.5 kWh LFP battery and 590 km for the Long Range variants with a 101.5 kWh NMC pack. The 009 leads here, with its 116 kWh NMC battery delivering 604 km for the FWD model and 582 km for the AWD versions.
As expected, it’s the Japanese duo that bring up the rear in terms of power. Of these, the full-fat Alphard reaches a degree of respectability, with its pure petrol 2.4 litre T24A-FTS turbo four-cylinder engine producing 287 PS and 430 Nm, sent to the front wheels through a good ol’ eight-speed automatic gearbox. There are no performance figures, only a 180 km/h top speed and a middling fuel efficiency figure of 11.1 km per litre.
You’ll do no better with the also-petrol Vellfire, even though its simpler 2.5 litre 2AR-FE naturally-aspirated mill produces just 180 PS and 235 Nm, and is mated to a typically fuel-sipping CVT. But it’s the hybrid version that best balances performance (250 PS from the combination of a 2.5 litre Dynamic Force engine and an electric motor) and fuel efficiency (17.5 km per litre, the best among those with an ICE).
The Toyota models also suffer when it comes to road tax by virtue of the relatively large engines – RM773 for the 2.4 litre Alphard, RM867 for the Vellfire Hybrid and RM874 for the base Vellfire. Contrast this with the Wey G9 that asks for just RM90, or the M8 that costs less than half to tax at RM375.50.
As for the electric models, the D9 FWD’s road tax costs RM335, followed by the X9 at RM365 and the 009 FWD at RM395. Step up to the AWD versions and the D9’s tax sticker cost climbs to RM485, while the 009 truly suffers from having 612 PS, with JPJ asking for a massive RM1,440 in road tax alone. The prices listed are for private buyers in Peninsular Malaysia.
Alphard and Vellfire no longer the size kings
There was once a time when you could count the Alphard and Vellfire on being the largest cars on the road, but that’s not the case today. In fact, the Toyotas are the smallest of the cars here, measuring a hair over five metres long. They are edged out by the Wey G9, despite the Malaysian-spec model being the shortest of the available variants, which can measure up to 5.4 metres long.
The rest of the cars are over 5.2 metres long, with the spaceship-like X9 being the longest at closer to 5.3 metres. The different lengths correspond to the amount of boot space available with all the seats up – barely any for the Toyotas, versus 233 litres for the GWM, 410 litres for the Denza and 574 litres for the Zeekr (GAC, like Toyota, does not provide luggage capacity numbers). With its long rear overhang and deep well of a boot, the Xpeng offers comfortably the most room at 755 litres.
We should point out, however, that the X9’s trick power rotating and folding third-row seats take up that entire well, so even as the biggest here, its 2,554 litre maximum trails the Tardis-like 009’s 2,979 litre cargo hold. This is followed by the D9 at 2,310 litres and the Wey G9 at just 1,725 litres. By the way, the Toyotas’ manual third row has to be folded up sideways (with a lot of force, might we add) to the walls, which means they eat up precious cargo room.
Seven luxurious seats on all models
GAC M8, Xpeng X9, Zeekr 009, Denza D9
The game of raw numbers was one the Chinese MPVs were designed to win, but it’s a closer-run contest in terms of the available kit. All the cars you see here come with power-adjustable and ventilated front seats (the Toyotas and the 009 AWD models get powered steering adjustment; the Wey G9, D9 AWD, X9 and 009 gain a massaging function), along with a full digital instrument display.
For once, the Japanese models also hold their own in terms of infotainment screen size, with a 14-inch touch panel not a million miles away from the 14.6-inch display in the GWM, the 15-inch OLED display in the Zeekr, the 15.6-inch display in the Denza and the enormous 17.3-inch display in the Xpeng. It’s the GAC that is the outlier with a comparatively tiny 10.1-inch touchscreen.
The Toyotas also benefit from having physical control knobs for the air-con – neatly integrated into the touchscreen – but lose out by not having a front sunroof (twin skylights come as standard, but can only be seen in the second row). Also, if you want genuine leather, you’ll have to stay away from the base Vellfire.
GAC M8, Zeekr 009, Xpeng X9, Denza D9
In this rarified segment, second-row captain’s chairs are the norm rather than the exception, all powered recliners with ventilation, built-in ottomans and either physical, capacitive or touchscreen controls. Rather egregiously, the petrol Vellfire does away with massage on the second row as well – you’d have to spring for the Alphard or the Vellfire Hybrid to get the upgraded Executive Lounge seats. More comfortable pews with added adjustment are also fitted to higher-spec versions of the GAC, Xpeng and Zeekr.
Also, the base Vellfire and the D9 do not come with a rear monitor, fitted to the roofs of all the other models. The Chinese cars (GAC excluded) further benefit from having a heated and cooled refrigerator compartment, with the Denza and Xpeng gaining second-row Qi wireless chargers on top of that.
All models ride on independent suspension front and rear, with the GWM gaining frequency-selective dampers. The electric models lead the way in terms of sophistication – the Denza gets adaptive dampers, while the Xpeng and Zeekr are fitted with full adaptive air suspension. The X9 also comes with rear-wheel steering, enabling a remarkably tight turning circle for what is the largest car here.
Full safety for the whole family as standard
Gone are the days when the safety kit of MPVs lagged behind other passenger vehicles despite routinely ferrying more people. All these cars are fitted with at least six airbags, with the Denza gaining second-row side airbags, the Zeekr coming with a front centre airbag and the GAC getting a novel rear windscreen airbag to protect the third-row passengers.
Also coming as standard are Level 2 semi-autonomous driving features such as adaptive cruise control and lane centring assists, alongside a barrage of other driver aids. Notably, the Chinese models all receive park assist that will help you park these behemoths without you having to lift a finger, although 360-degree camera systems do come as standard.
Final thoughts
Notwithstanding the fact that we have yet to drive it – and therefore can’t pass judgement on it just yet – the GWM Wey G9 appears to offer plenty of value for not much money. It may not lead the segment in any one area, but it still delivers all the features that one might expect from a luxury MPV, as well as a powerful plug-in hybrid powertrain. On paper, at least.
Meanwhile, the Denza D9 comes with it a level of trust that a BYD brand brings, but you will have to be sure that you can live with an EV’s tradeoffs – especially given its lack of range versus rivals like the Xpeng X9 and Zeekr 009. Both of these cars also offer plenty of high-tech chassis and powertrain features, and they charge faster to boot (much faster in the case of the X9).
With not much to shout about in terms of features, the GAC M8 delivers similar specs to the Wey G9 – except that it’s much more expensive, and you’ll have to pay a sizeable premium on top for the M8 Luxury with all the bells and whistles. At that price, the base Toyota Vellfire suddenly doesn’t sound all that much more expensive, although it does lose out on some key features.
The said features are on the Alphard and the Vellfire Hybrid, which are very pricey cars. That alone makes them hard to justify, but the image they bring – for better or worse – still means a lot for buyers in this segment, and if they are willing to splurge more than half a million ringgit on one, who are we to tell them no?
For more, watch our video reviews of the Toyota Alphard and Vellfire and the Denza D9.
GALLERY: GWM Wey G9 Hi4
GALLERY: Toyota Vellfire Hybrid Executive Lounge
GALLERY: Toyota Alphard 2.4T Executive Lounge
GALLERY: Denza D9 Premium AWD
GALLERY: Zeekr 009 Ultra Luxury AWD
GALLERY: Xpeng X9 Long Range 2WD Pro+
GALLERY: GAC M8 Luxury
AD: Drive the ZEEKR EV of your dreams. Submit your details and Zeekr Carro (Bangsar, Mutiara Damansara, Penang, Seremban outlets) will get in touch with you.
