This is what we thought of the Leapmotor C10 after spending a few hours in the car.
The Leapmotor C10 is another pure battery electric vehicle that is now available for Malaysians to purchase free of import taxes and duties. With a price tag of RM159,000 it goes up against the Xpeng G6 580 Pro as its chief rival, though Stellantis Malaysia boss Jamie Morais insists that this vehicle is an alternative to the Tesla Model Y.
Today we got the opportunity to test drive the Leapmotor C10. We got in the car this morning at Bamboo Hills KL and drove it to Gambang, Pahang in a convoy of half a dozen cars. Not a single one had to stop to recharge along the way and we made a stop at Mentakab for lunch.
We took the first drive session out of KL and switched over to the front passenger seat at Bentong. After lunch, the rest of our time was spent in the rear passenger seat. This is our take on the car based on our short time.
We view most EVs more as driving appliances than cars. There are loads of features and specifications and often it boils down to how much horsepower and torque and kilometers of range you get for your Ringgit. By this metric, the Leapmotor C10 in its single configuration offers good value but it’s not at the top of the list. It ranks 33rd, 30th, and 26th for horsepower value, torque value and range value on our list of over 100 EV variants for sale in Malaysia.
Not bad, but not the undisputed king of value in any category but more importantly it trades blows with its closest rivals and is in fact a little bit cheaper. So in terms of getting the most bang for buck, the C10 does a pretty good job standing out until Proton launches the e.MAS 7.
The other thing the C10 does exceptionally well is rear passenger legroom. Of the three spots I occupied during my test drive, sitting behind the driver was quite a delight. I’m just over 189cm tall and I had more than enough space. It’s perfect for the chauffer-driven boss, actually. Uncompromised space and NVH, plus while the driver waits he can sit in the air conditioned interior while the car is being charged up.
We also liked that the panoramic sunroof comes with a electronic blind. This is a proper cover and not one of those dinky, low thread count covers that still let some light through and you have to manually slide it in. This is very important given our climate and is often an afterthought when EVs are exported to Malaysia for a quick buck.
In terms of range, all vehicles completed the drive without a charge up as mentioned and we weren’t exactly driving slowly. The C10 has a rating of 477km on NEDC, which roughly translates to just over 400km on WLTP. Charging from 30% to 80% takes 30 minutes and its 218PS is enough to keep pace with traffic on the highway and even give some cars a bit of pressure. That being said, it’s not the fastest EV on sale. It’s aimed at delivering practical and usable performance.
One of its key selling points is the full suite of ADAS features:
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
- Lane Centering Control (LCC)
- Traffic Jam Assist (TJA)
- Front Collision Warning (FCW)
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Blind Spot Detection (BSD)
- Door Opening Warning (DOW)
- Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK)
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
- Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
- Rear Collision Warning (RCW)
- Rear Cross-Traffic Alert And Braking (RCTA + RCTB)
- Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA)
- Driver Drowsiness Alert Warning (DDAW)
- Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW)
We found outselves not liking the aggressive LCC, LDW, LKA and ELK. So we turned these off but had to pull over to do so. The other driving aids were tolerable and should be left on.
In terms of driving character, the export model of the Leapmotor C10 is said to have had its chassis honed at Maserati‘s proving grounds. All we can say that it’s not clumsy as far as Chinese market vehicles go. This car drives well enough with the steering aids turned off, though there is some roll in the corners. This makes it ideal for those who prioritize a relaxed drive with the family but want to have a bit of fun once in a while.
The wired charging ports support pretty fast charging, enabling you do get a tablet or possibly even a laptop juiced up enough for some tasks.
The biggest weakness of the Leapmotor C10 is the absence of Apple CarPlay. This is not a feature that all EVs have, and it’s rumoured that even Proton’s e.MAS 7 won’t have it at launch. It’s one of those EVs that isn’t trying to do anything too fancy with its design and wants to focus on attractive the average car buyer who is looking to get a large electric vehicle for work or home use AND not as a way to show off to his peers. It’s clearly an EV for a mature EV market and it’s a glimpse at an all-electric future where EVs are just regular cars with minimal gimmicks and just straight forward practical considerations at their core.
The biggest strength of the car besides its size is its affiliation with Stellantis. Owners can rest assured that the dealer and support network is only going to increase in size over the coming years.
