Mixed views on Leapmotor's C10 SUV

The Chinese Leapmotor brand, introduced in Ireland just two years ago, has already made its mark with the compact T03 and the B10 mid-sized family SUV. The Leapmotor C10, which came next, is a smart-looking, large five-seater family SUV, introduced here late last year and available as a battery electric vehicle (BEV) with a range of 420km or as a 1.5 petrol plug-in hybrid EV with a total range of up to 975km.

This is a big car with a smooth exterior design, slim LED headlights, privacy glass, roof rails, and recessed door handles that pop out when you unlock the car. Interestingly, China is now prohibiting the production of new cars with ‘hidden’ door handles over safety concerns, so Chinese car manufacturers have until the start of 2029 to make the transition to mechanically released mechanisms - ‘ordinary’ door handles.

You tap the NFC key card on a designated ‘identification area’ on the side mirror to open the car and lock it by repeating the process. In the dark, the door handles of my black car were difficult to see, so I had to use the torch on my phone to find the exact spot to tap, and I always had to use fingers on both hands to open the door handle, as you push in one end and pull out the other end. Turn signals blinked when I opened my driver’s door, which I suppose was to alert traffic that I was exiting the car, but I found it annoying.

The very spacious interior has very generous headroom front and back, and excellent rear legroom. The bright burnt orange colour on the dash, doors, and seats of my car wouldn’t be my choice. But the interior was well thought out, with good fit and finish, and the car was obviously very well built.

There’s good space for five adults to travel in comfort, enjoying plenty of light from all the glass and from the panoramic full-length sunroof, which has a power blind. Front seats are comfy with soft silicone leather upholstery. My seat had six-way power adjustments and could be heated and ventilated; the front passenger’s has four-way adjustments.

There’s no start/off button. You place the key card flat in a spot on the central console and put the transmission into Forward or Reverse. The transmission select lever is on the steering column.

There are no physical buttons, as almost everything is controlled by the portrait-style 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen. Thankfully, there is a row of virtual buttons for key features at the base of the screen. The screen has an excellent reversing camera covering the immediate area behind as well as an overhead view.

The 10.25-inch driver information cluster provides all relevant information, including your lane and nearby traffic.

Visibility out front and sides is really good, and there were good blind spot monitors on the side windows.

The rear has a flat floor, so no rows as to who sits in the middle. You open the power tailgate by pressing a button in the tailgate light bar. Luggage space of 435 litres can extend to 1,410 litres with the rear seats down, and there is some under-floor storage. No spare, just a tyre inflator kit. A concealed rear wiper is hidden under the rear spoiler.

The C10 comes in two grades, Style and Design (my review car). Style highlights include 18-inch alloy wheels, a 12-speaker Hi-Fi System, LED auto headlights, LED Daytime Running Lights/taillights, rear door child lock, and two Isofix anchors, dual-zone auto climate control, and rear parking sensors. Design adds 20-inch alloys, multi-coloured ambient lighting, and rear privacy glass.

Driver assistance alerts were way too intrusive, and I turned most of them off, but they come back on by default. I also disliked the facial recognition camera on the A-pillar keeping its eye on me while driving, and how the car’s brakes grabbed hard even when I was gently braking.

My battery electric review car combined a 69.9kWh battery with a 215bhp electric motor, 320Nm torque, and a rated range of 420km. The hybrid electric gets a smaller 28.4kWh battery and a 1.5 petrol engine, which combined provides a range of up to 975km - good news for those who regularly drive long journeys (145km of that can be done in pure EV mode).

From 0-100km/h in around 7.5 seconds is quick for a family car. Drive modes are Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Customised. The very light steering takes time to become accustomed to.

C10 has been awarded a maximum five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP. Leapmotor gives a six-year/unlimited mileage warranty across its line-up in Ireland. Road tax is €120.

PRICES: Style C10 from €38,995 to €46,995. All prices are inclusive of SEAI grant and VRT rebate.