Ride and handling are very decent in the ET7, with the lower centre of gravity and active four-wheel drive coming into their own for a noticeably more involving drive than the EL6 SUV achieves. That’s not to say that this is going to challenge the Porshe Taycan for ‘driver’s car of choice’ in the luxury electric car classes, and an Audi E-tron GT also has usefully more tactility and feedback on offer.
But, in its more focused modes, the ET7 does have an edge of playfulness to it, diving in to corners with impressive balance and keeping its body from any distracting levels rolling or wallowing.
Don’t get us wrong: this is a meaty-feeling electric limousine, and it is at its happiest in unflustered, unchallenging progress with the 23-speaker system in action and the world at bay behind the thick glazing. But if you do have the inclination to gee the ET7 into full wakefulness on a decent road, it feels direct and mobile. Big and heavy, yes – it never conceals that – but it does control the weight neatly and delivers enough response and feedback to make the long way home worth the detour.
Then, settle back, turn your massage seat on, dial the settings back and the ET7 shuffles its many personalities and lets you make the most of the cushy yet controlled ride. The air suspension responds to a camera feed that delivers information about the road surface coming up, as well as various other sensors, and generally feels well sorted. There’s a bit of heave over fast undulations, and that heaviness is still there in the bump absorption at town speeds, but most of the time, the Nio manages a controlled serenity that suits its luxury executive standing.