When the Leapmotor C10 was introduced last year, it was arguably priced at a slightly premium price compared to others. At RM 159,000 last year, it was a D-segment electric SUV that was packed with luxury features and was clearly evident from its large body.
This year, the price has been updated to RM 125,000 with several improvements and we had the opportunity to drive it for a few days to experience this electric car offered by Stellantis Malaysia.
Elegant and Luxurious Exterior & Interior Design
As a D-segment electric SUV, in terms of size, you can imagine it has a size that is almost the same as the Proton X90, and much larger than other popular electric SUVs in its price class such as the BYD Atto 3, and even the Proton e.MAS7. The Proton e.MAS7 is about the same size as the Proton X70, so for those of you who may not be used to driving large vehicles, the Leapmotor C10 can be said to be quite large and may require more experience in operating large vehicles.
At a glance, the front design has a logo and lights that also come with an automatic high beam function. There are also active cooling blades that will open when airflow is needed for ventilation and battery cooling. It uses Dunlop e.SportMaxx tires measuring 245/45/R20 with ‘trident’ rims that have a little design element such as a three-pointed spear logo, since it also has a suspension tuned by Maserati.
At the back there is a Leapmotor label under the long LED lights from end to end, which highlights the elegant nature of this car. There is a button to open the rear boot, which houses a storage space of 435 liters, which can be expanded to 1,410 liters when the rear seats are folded forward. There is some storage space and slots to place charging cables and emergency kits.
In terms of design, what distinguishes the old model I drove from the new model this year is the frunk storage space that is now available, a tonneau cover component for the rear storage space, measuring 32 liters, and also 11kW AC charging replacing the 6.6 kW AC charging, making AC charging 30-80% in just 4 hours. In addition, the new version also has a tire pressure monitoring system and new interior trim colors, which are Midnight Aurora or Camel Brown.
For the interior, it features a 10-inch driving instrument display and a 14-inch inforia display. The entire design of the dashboard, seats, looks elegant with an Oeko-Tex finish, and is also minimalist without any additional buttons and also no routing lever for the air conditioning. If you want to direct the direction of the air conditioning, you have to do it through the inforia display. The steering wheel houses a ball that can control the sound level, as well as the instrument display.
One of the shortcomings of its infotainment system is that it uses its own system and does not support Android Auto or Apple CarPlay tethering, just like Tesla. This may be one of the factors in choosing a car, if prospective owners rely too much on smartphone tethering to launch their favorite apps.
Rear passengers will experience a very spacious and comfortable space both in terms of roof height and spacious legroom. There is air conditioning that can be directed, and with the translucent roof, it provides a more comfortable experience. The translucent roof also has a light cover, so users are free to control it.
Charging & LFP Battery That 'Shut Up'
The Leapmotor C10 uses a 69.9 kW LFP battery. At that capacity, it also provides a travel distance of 424 KM WLTP. For this older model driven, it uses 6.6 kW AC charging and 84kW DC. Fast charging of 30-80% can be achieved in 30 minutes. As an LFP battery, it can be fully charged at any time.
During this review period, its charging performance can be said to be very good. Although 84kW DC may seem small at first glance, it can be fully charged in about 1 hour. I myself charged at Gentari Sungai Perak, from 29% > 100% in 1 hour. And if you look at the charging graph, the energy consumption is uniform and proportional, one of the patterns I rarely see in other electric cars.
Good Performance & Driving Experience But Interrupted by Aggressive Driver Monitoring System
Good Performance & Driving Experience But Interrupted by Aggressive Driver Monitoring System
Powering the Leapmotor C10 is a rear-wheel drive 160 kW 218 PS with 320 Nm of maximum torque. It allows for 0-100 km/h acceleration in 7.5 seconds with a maximum speed of 170 km/h. This performance can be said to be ordinary performance, but sufficient if you want to accelerate to overtake and slide forward.
For me, what makes the driving experience of the Leapmotor C10 quite comfortable is its driving mode options which can also be customized. It has three driving modes namely Eco, Comfort and Sport, and the Custom option allows you to determine what you like. In fact, it also provides high savings for long trips, and in the picture above the energy consumption for 243 KM is only 16.7 kWh / 100km.
For myself, I chose for ‘Stable’ acceleration but with the ‘Low’ regenerative braking option. In this option, the acceleration response rate is at a normal level, but when the regenerative braking (regen) is 'Low', it allows the Leapmotor C10 to coast without any resistance resulting from regenerative braking, almost the same as the petrol driving experience.
Although I most of the time choose the low level for regenerative braking, the energy consumption is quite efficient, in the context of me driving an electric car is the same as driving a petrol car.
Another thing that is of concern for the Leapmotor C10 is the Maserati suspension tuning on it. It has a suspension and experience that most Chinese-made electric cars do not have, where it does not feel soft, but its firmness is not too hard to the point of making it uncomfortable.
However, what reduces comfort is the aggressive driving monitoring system. It can be said that most of the time I will turn this system off because its monitoring rate is too fast, and it often gives warnings. Depending on the individual, this safety function should be there, but for me, I hope that the monitoring rate is reduced and this can be changed through an operating system update. In comparison, I didn't like the monitoring system found on the Smart 1, but when the Smart 3 was introduced, it was no longer as aggressive as before.
Buy Or Not?
At a price of RM 125,000 with some specification updates for the new version, I can conclude that the Leapmotor C10 is a fairly suitable choice in terms of comfort offered, as well as from the driving experience that can be customized by the user. Even for charging, perhaps in terms of the 84 kW DC number it seems a little, but if you take the time to charge, you may only need to use an hour to rest before continuing the journey, and this is a common thing for electric vehicle owners.
However, there are some shortcomings from the aggressive driver monitoring system, and also the lack of smartphone tethering. However, these two things can be resolved if there are any updates provided by the manufacturer. And judging from the smartphone tethering is not available on Tesla cars, even BMW also said that their users more often use their own operating system, so perhaps this function is just a heavy arbitration for some users.
Until now, there haven't been many Leapmotor C10s seen on the road and I'm sure, at a price that has been offered cheaper than initially, it may be able to attract the interest of many consumers who want a D-segment electric SUV, at a C-segment price.