What is it?
Leapmotor is one in every of the freshest faces in the UK automotive scene and this automobile – the C10 – is what it hopes will permit it to put a stamp on the market. The powerful factor is that it’s going up towards some fearsomely succesful rivals, corresponding to the Tesla Model Y and Skoda’s Enyaq.
As with different Leapmotor automobiles, value is what the C10 is targeted on – however what else can it ship moreover this?
What’s new?
At £36,500, the Leapmotor C10 undercuts almost all of its rivals when it comes to worth. In different, extra mainstream fashions, you’d be entry-level specification automobiles for that worth, whereas the C10 comes geared up with all of the bells and whistles proper from the begin.
Plus, Leapmotor has a secret weapon up its sleeve – Stellantis. The carmaking big, which owns the likes of Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall, part-owns Leapmotor, which suggests – in idea – this new automobile could have a few of the flavour of extra established European manufacturers.
What’s underneath the bonnet?
We’re driving the electric C10, which makes use of a 69.9kWh battery to ship a spread of up to 263 miles, which is fairly common for the segment. Surprisingly, that is fairly a big battery for that stage of vary, with rivals in a position to supply extra distance between the plugs in smaller-battery automobiles. That vitality is shipped to the rear wheels through a 215bhp motor, too, with 0-60mph coming in 7.3 seconds.
Interestingly, now you can get the C10 with a range-extending hybrid setup, which makes use of a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine as a generator for the battery. This powers a 158kW electric motor to give a extra ‘EV-like’ driving expertise, whereas delivering a claimed gas financial system of up to 706mpg. It could possibly be a greater possibility if this full EV mannequin doesn’t give you the results you want.
What’s it like to drive?
The C10 is a simple automobile to get together with. Its steering is gentle and easy to handle, whereas there’s sufficient efficiency to get you up to pace shortly sufficient. It’s only a disgrace that the automobile’s total dynamics go away rather a lot to be desired; there’s numerous physique roll to take care of by means of the bends and it’s not all that refined when you’re at pace, both.
The electric motor additionally produces fairly a high-pitched whine, whereas at decrease speeds, there’s an odd buzzing that reverberates by means of the cabin. Given that this automobile is especially centered on around-town driving, this does begin to get annoying.
How does it look?
The C10 follows the same design strategy to lots of the different Chinese-made SUVs that we’ve seen enter the market over the previous few years. It’s rounded, unoffensive and largely devoid of options to get enthusiastic about, although you do get a full-width LED gentle bar at the rear to assist jazz issues up.
The Leapmotor’s flush door handles give the automobile an aerodynamic look however aren’t as straightforward to use as typical ones. Plus, this automobile’s key is sort of a bank card, pressed towards a spot on the wing mirror to lock and unlock the car. Unfortunately, this spot had already began to scratch on our check automobile, so maybe a typical key would possibly’ve been higher.
What’s it like inside?
The inside of the C10 is as plain and unassuming as its exterior. It’s all centred round a big, central display screen and also you’ll discover only a few bodily controls anyplace. In reality, the sheer variety of options inside the display screen makes it sophisticated to use and extra distracting whenever you’re on the transfer than it must be.
However, area and luxury ranges aren’t unhealthy. The materials high quality is, usually, fairly good and we appreciated the purple hue to the seats which brings a little bit of character. The again seats supply a great deal of leg and headroom, so it’ll be nice for bigger households, whereas a 435-litre boot isn’t badly sized both. That mentioned, it’s a way off the 585-litre boot that you just’ll get in the Skoda Enyaq.
What’s the spec like?
It’s when it comes to gear ranges that the C10 counters. In reality, there’s a dizzying quantity of ordinary options aboard the Leapmotor, together with a 14.6-inch central infotainment display screen, a ten.25-inch cluster forward of the driver and a 12-speaker sound system. You additionally get dual-zone local weather management, wi-fi smartphone charging and a heated steering wheel.
A panoramic sunroof helps to make the cabin really feel gentle and ethereal and also you’ve received a full suite of security techniques together with autonomous emergency braking, lane centring management and lane departure warning. Our check automobile solely got here with one non-obligatory additional – £700 gray paint – which suggests you don’t want to go venturing into the choices checklist to get a highly-equipped automobile.
Verdict
If you’re after a automobile that delivers numerous gear for not an excessive amount of outlay, then the C10 could possibly be for you. It’s received all of the capabilities you possibly can actually need, in reality, and when you’re in a position to entry low-cost residence charging, then it’ll be a automobile that might shortly minimize your payments.
It’s only a disgrace that it’s let down by lacklustre dealing with and a fairly drab feeling total. If you examine costs like-for-like, then the C10 might seem head and shoulders above the relaxation, however pushed back-to-back, this Leapmotor will doubtless battle.
- Model as examined: Leapmotor C10
- Price: £36,500
- Engine: Electric motor
- Power: 215bhp
- Torque: 320Nm
- Max pace: 106mph
- 0-60mph: 7.3 seconds
- Range: 263 miles
- Emissions: 0g/km
