We are going through a very interesting period for the auto industry. Some brands are trying to reinvent themselves, others trying to remain viable and, at the same time, this EV revolution is allowing for new players to enter the field seemingly out of nowhere, with great first albums. And while Leapmotor are not exactly brand new – they’ve been around for a while now – the C10 is the first model of theirs we get to see here in New Zealand. With the backing of the Stellantis group, who have a big share stake over the brand, they want to bring something new to the piping hot SUV segment. Join me while we find out more about a new car, and a new brand!
Approaching it from a distance, the C10 looks and feels like something more expensive than the $54,990 price tag would suggest. It has simple and cohesive lines with no clear creases, leading to a blobby, friendly silhouette. The recessed door handles and conjoined lights front and back give it a mandatory modern outlook, one where some of my friends saw a Cayenne back end, some others saw an Outlander front. It is not totally original indeed, but the overall result works and is connected to the brand’s identity.
The interior is minimalistic, and focussing on fewer elements allowed them to pay heaps of attention to them. It is clear from the jump (or should it be Leap?) that it was inspired by Tesla. The total absence of physical buttons, the big, stuck on screen and the linear dash design leave no doubt about who they are targeting. What they’ve done better here, however, is storage: there’s a deep armrest cubby, two storage shelves, and generous door pockets. You also get four cup holders on the centre console, two for each row.
While on the topic of the second row, it is just cavernous throughout, with plenty of room for head, knees, feet and shoulders, the same level of comfort for the reclining seats, and benefitting from charging ports and ambient lighting. The two tiered boot has nooks for the cables and grocery shopping while still getting a powered tailgate and plenty of room. If space is a non-negotiable for you, the C10 becomes a front runner.
The seats, made of a material called OEKOTEX, are very soft and comfortable. With heating, ventilation, and 9 (yes, you read that right) memory settings, they are a great addition to the interior. Other surfaces throughout the cabin are also plush and nice to interact with, including the door cards that offers a mix of materials that contribute to the impression of refinement and robustness you’d expect. The massive panoramic roof adds light and airiness to the cabin, but if you don’t remember to close the shade before you lock the car, it will scream bloody murder from the top of its horn – ask me how I know. Not sure why this “feature” exists, and I wish I wouldn’t.
In such a tech-centric car, the whole technology on offer is one of the main talking points. You might not get any buttons here, but there is screen real estate for days. The welcome drivers cluster shows vital information such as your gear, speed and range, surroundings readout and a choice between navigation, media or trip computer. But the majority of the action happens on the big centre display. Out of all of the Chinese brands I’ve tried so far, Leapmotor are running laps around the competition when it comes to the care given to the visuals on the software front. Fonts, screens, toggles are all properly designed, good looking and well laid out. Nothing kills the impression of luxury quicker than inconsistent and ugly screens, and this is not the case here.
The brains are powered by a Snapdragon processor, which provides quick and snappy operation once it’s booted, and consistent performance. There are not many apps per se, but the native subdivisions are always accessible and they tried – and succeeded – to mitigate some of the hurdles of having everything on a slab of glass. The 12-speaker sound system is well balanced, has enough clarity and punch and plenty of adjustment if you want to go deep into equalizing things.
But it is not all great with the binary bits. And I know this might be specific to our car, so here goes a disclaimer: our press model was a pre-production vehicle, so not all features were available for us to test. In terms of hardware, I think it was all there, but from a software standpoint, we had to make do with an access card rather than an app, which will be available later and is supposed to work as a key and a command centre for the car’s systems. This meant the routine required to get ready to leave for a drive was lengthy and somewhat frustrating: you need the hold said card against the door mirror to unlock, then have it resting on the wireless charging pad so that the car will turn on, and then wait for the whole system to boot and load so that you can have the rearview camera work and the ability to customize the driving experience you want by turning off the most annoying driver “assistances”, which turn back on by default every time.
We had varying results from driver to driver during our testing, but everyone was left wishing for a smoother cruise control, a less intrusive distraction monitor and a less annoying suite of notifications. Additionally, the Home Screen could use more of the screen space rather than just the bottom widgets, but all of these things I mentioned can either be fixed once the new app becomes available and/or through future updates, so here’s hoping!
The C10 has a 160kW motor that is rear-mounted, with a power delivery calibrated to be one of the smoothest EVs I’ve tried so far. It builds up steadily until motorway speeds, getting there in 7.5 seconds. Suspension is cushy and comfortable, and allows for adequate levels of roll before going into comical understeer. This is another SUV that wants to be driven within its limits, and rewards you for that with a quiet and refined ride for all of those on board. Brakes can be grabby at times, but you quickly learn how to work them in conjunction with regeneration, so that never becomes an issue. Steering is light as a feather in the relaxed modes, weighing up significantly in Sport mode, so Comfort was an ideal median point for me. But then, regeneration became too light in comparison to Eco, so I’m just glad you can make it your own with Custom mode, which really allows you to dial it down to your preferences.
I left charging for last, as to me it will be more of a deciding factor than the driving itself, and this is where things take a sharper turn. The 69.9kWh battery is rated for 414km on a full charge, a figure that I was on track to get very close to during my drive. However, when it came time to charge it, the trickle charger would get it to 4.4A, with a full charge likely to take around 35 hours – although you would probably be using a wall box to benefit from the car’s 6.6kW AC charger. When it’s then time to fast charge while on the move, the C10 will only go as fast as 84kW – while it means it is easy to find a charger that performs over the car’s capability, it also means charging stops will take longer. Might not be a deal breaker for some depending on your intended usage, but definitely something to keep in mind.
It is sometimes hard to review a car based on the promise of what it will be once all features are available, so we’re left to evaluate the Leapmotor C10 based on what it offers right here, right now. It is a good looking, good to drive and extremely comfortable and spacious SUV. My friends reacted well to the tech on board, the refined looks and the enormous levels of room on offer. Expectations for tech and charging will greatly vary depending on your use case, so spreadsheet them and take into considering when making your choice. If you are on the market for a large, techy EV with an attractive price tag, you should absolutely check out the C10 – with the backing from a larger auto group, it should mean this product will only get better from now on! Go on and take the Leap of faith, and thanks for reading this far!
