In a crowded space, standing out can be quite a challenge, especially if that space happens to be the sub-RM200k field within the electric vehicle marketplace. With an ever growing number of players about, all with a formulaic approach to styling and tech, a vehicle has to have some novelty to make itself different, enough to make it the pick.
Granted, price usually sets the tone for purchase, but away from that, with the kit count being level, certain considerations can find appeal with buyers. In the case of the Leapmotor C10, the pitch is made through size, space and practicality, family-oriented leanings aimed at appealing to buyers looking for such traits in their everyday transport.
Launched here last October, the five-seater SUV is not the flashiest thing out there, its exterior styling as generic and predictable as they come. There are design elements borrowed from elsewhere, but on the whole this is a car shaped to blend in to the world around it rather than standing out.
Indeed, the only way it will probably call attention to itself through view is via its size, with its 4,739 mm long, 1,900 mm wide and 1,680 mm tall dimensions – and its traditional SUV lines – giving it good presence. Such is its bulk that the 20-inch alloys and 245/45 profile Dunlop e.Sport Maxx rubbers the D-segment offering wears look like they should be a couple of inches larger.
There’s only one flavour for the C10 here where powertrain is concerned, and that’s a single-motor set-up driving the rear wheels. Developing 218 PS (160 kW) and 320 Nm, it allows the SUV to accomplish the 0-100 km/h sprint in 7.5 seconds on the way to a top speed of 170 km/h.
Juice is provided by a 69.9 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, which offers the C10 up to 424 km of WLTP-rated driving range on a single charge. The SUV supports 6.6 kW of AC charging and a maximum of 84 kW of DC fast charging, with charging times being 6.1 hours for AC from a 30 to 80% SoC and 30 minutes via DC.
Technical highlights include the use of Cell-to Chassis (CTC) 2.0 technology in the platform’s architecture, with the battery cells being integrated into the structure of the vehicle. Besides improving the battery layout and saving space, the placement is also said to increase the torsional rigidity of the chassis to 42,500 Nm/degree.
An NFC card provides access to the vehicle, unlocking accomplished by tapping it on the top part of the driver’s side mirror. Additionally, the card has to be placed on the centre console for the vehicle to be started. Early on, this was the only key type for the vehicle, but a dedicated mobile app now offers a digital key.
Step inside and you’ll find a cleanly presented cabin, of which a notable perception of space within is the most immediate feature. This is aided by the presence of a large panoramic sunroof, which allows plenty of light into the interior. Two colour trim choices (Criollo Brown and Midnight Aurora) are available for the upholstery, with the seats dressed in Oeko-Tex Standard 100 silicone leather.
Despite its faux nature, the liquid-resistant material feels decent enough to the touch, and while you won’t mistake it for actual leather, the plus point is that it doesn’t feel too artificial, and it breathes well enough in use.
As is the contemporary fashion, the overall presentation is minimalist, with a two-spoke steering wheel, two screens and a dashboard devoid of any switchgear making for the front section. The screens themselves are pretty much standard EV fare as size goes, consisting of a 10.25-inch instrument panel and a 14.6-inch central touchscreen display.
The latter of course provides access to all the necessary vehicle functions and adjustments to be made. While movement across the menus is fluid, the same cannot be said of having to navigate through the interface for access, including that for changing AC blower speed or how you want the airflow presented, because there are no mechanical louvres for you to do the last.
This was not really an issue during the international drive for the car in Milan, with there being little need for adjustment due to the low ambient temperatures, but it became very telling during the local drive. In a single occupant vehicle, this entails taking your eyes off the road whenever something needed to be accessed on the screen, which isn’t really what anyone should be doing.
Of course, Leapmotor isn’t the only culprit serving it in this manner, as other Chinese carmakers do the same, but really, someone should explain to people who design such interiors that you can’t expect to work a display screen in a vehicle like you would a smartphone. There’s nothing wrong with having some physical switchgear, really.
Now, buyers may not really find this a chore, given that once the car is set up there should be no need to do the screen dabs over and over again (actually, they will, but more on this later), but they might with the complete absence of Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, which is a glaring omission in the larger scheme of things.
Away from that, it’s all pleasant. The front seats offer a good perch for occupants in terms of comfort and support, and the rear bench isn’t far behind in this regard. The standout element at the rear is however the limousine-like expanse of legroom, which feels like overkill until you consider that it serves as a means to allow the front seats to be fully reclined, converting the cabin into a 1.8 metre-long by 1.2 metre-wide bed space, should you need it.
The rear cavern means that something has to give, in this case boot space. The boot offers 435 litres of cargo volume with the rear seats in place, which isn’t all that large when you consider the size of the car. However, drop the 60:40 rear bench and you gain more than a triple increase in capacity, the available space jumping to 1,410 litres. Smaller bags can be placed in a 32 litre frunk.
In use, the general observations noted in the C10 from the international drive last year were again evident, from the way it climbs up the speed register to the way it behaves on the move. Take-up is progressive rather than rapid, so if you’re expecting things to unfold in unbridled fashion each time you stand on the pedal, this really isn’t the EV for you.
In line with its orientation as a family-type of vehicle, the power delivery is ICE-like and very much tailored for smoothness, and this line of behaviour never changes across the available drive modes, with just that bit more urgency being added with each step, most noticeably from Eco to Comfort.
As for how the C10 rides and handles, the local drive, which involved a round trip from KL to Gambang in Pahang, with a detour up to Awana in Genting on the way back, provided a larger canvas to explore its dynamic abilities compared to that managed in Italy, where it was largely confined to slow moving on crowded B-roads and a long dash on the Autostrada.
The firmish low-speed ride noted back then was again evident on local blacktop, but the Maserati-tuned suspension managed things well enough that the secondary never felt crashy or harsh. Again, the C10 was best planted when brought up to cruising speeds, the primary ride coming across even better here than it did in Milan, despite some wallow on poorer and more complex surfaces.
Likewise, the handling. No escaping the vehicle’s bulk (it does weigh 1,980 kg, after all) and the lean as it goes into corners, but its not fidgety and very predictable, and the C10 will go where you ask it to go if you keep things within reason.
It’s not an absolute corner carver, for sure, but given its family carrier pitch, the dynamic thresholds are quite high, which was a pleasant surprise, something that wasn’t made obvious on the international drive.
Although the steering is devoid of feel, the chassis is taut and there’s good mechanical grip, allowing the vehicle to be placed well and firmly to input, which a spirited run on the Karak expressway and up to Awana showed. It also responded very cleanly to a sudden lane change and switchback maneouvre made while cruising along on the highway, so plus points there too.
Of course, no one will – or should – buy a C10 because they want to be running about with blazing saddles all the time, and in its natural habitat, ambling along, the C10 is a very easy car to like.
There’s a caveat, and this is with the bulk of the driver assistance kit available in its Level 2 ADAS suite switched off. With items such as speed limit and lane keeping assist deactivated, the SUV is pleasant to drive, but not so when they are left on to monitor your progress, because the incessant sonic alerts at seemingly every opportunity to do so are not a joy.
Unfortunately, this will pretty much be a repeated affair until someone rewrites the coding, because disengaging the items is only good for that journey, with the system reactivating them each time you restart the car. Likewise, the audible pedestrian warning alert, which is so prominent that vehicle occupants get much the same dosage inside as those outside do at speeds of up to 30 km/h.
Projection direction aside, the tone is not easy on the ear, essentially sounding like a traditional transmission whine that climbs in volume and pitch as speed builds, which makes it downright grating, but I’m sure someone will say that an ice-cream van tone is probably more so. Nothing a software rewrite can’t alter, and while we’re at that, how about less of it being directed internally?
In terms of consumption, our C10 returned a 23 kWh/100 km median reading on that final leg, and just under 22 kWh per 100 km in more sedate fashion the day before, which is about average for a vehicle this size.
So, what to make of the Leapmotor C10 then? While not the most striking thing visually as far as EVs go, its safe ground styling will appeal to those not wanting to stand out from the crowd.
Traditional sculpturing aside, there are plus points, including a power delivery aimed very much at progression than immediacy, translating to a composed, smooth driving experience. Additionally, the oodles of space inside, particularly at the back, will be compelling to those who value that element in a vehicle.
As noted previously, the intrusive nature of the ADAS – and pedestrian warning system – takes the gloss away from what is a decent steer. Also, some might find the absence of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay something that they can’t ignore.
If you can, and also don’t mind doing the repeated touchscreen act with ADAS similar to what most drivers of Continental cars do with the air recirculation button on their vehicles each time they get into the car, you’ll find the C10 to be a solid, dependable steed, one that gets the job done quietly and without fuss, very much in line with its family SUV brief.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.