Leapmotor C11: an unknown Chinese attacking the Tesla Model Y

MG has paved the way, and Chinese manufacturers are now arriving en masse, in turn. Whether MG, just like BYD and Great Wallare true industrial giants, this is not the case for other players such as aiways where the latest arrival, Leapmotor. Founded in 2015 in Hangzhou, this latest brand looks like a start-up. One of its first activities was to develop an electronic chip for artificial intelligence, the Lingxin 01. Then the brand unveiled its automotive ambitions, first with the S01, a small coupé with awkward proportions. The C11 SUV truly acts as a flagship: it is the only model that was first announced as a concept car, the C-More, unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show in 2019. Marketed in China in 2021, it is now preparing to land in Europe.

Like most Chinese productions that land on the Old Continent, the C11 is a 100% electric SUV with futuristic lines. The smooth volumes, the recessed door handles, the floating roof and the sculpted bonnet are constants on the products of these start-ups from the Middle Kingdom. If this Leapmotor C11 has the advantage of being a scoop, very clever will be the one capable of distinguishing it from an XPeng G9, a Li Auto L8 or a Nio ES6, if these models ever land on our market one day. The appearance is flattering, even if the very long wheelbase of 2.93 m slightly unbalances the profile of this 4.75 m long model, i.e. the size of a Tesla Model Y or a Mercedes-Benz EQC. It is also 6 cm longer than a Toyota bZ4X.

An interior with generous screens

On board, the screens eat the dashboard. Three displays (two 10.25-inch, one 12.8-inch) span its full width to immerse passengers in a digital world… Difficult to gauge this infotainment system at first sight, since we had a model with Chinese specifications… So without European mapping. At most we can say that the menus seem to be organized in a clear way, and… that a karaoke system is integrated (unfortunately we did not manage to make it work, language barrier obliges…)! This will undoubtedly be the main attraction of this device, the integration of which is obviously not as neat as the Hyperscreen of a much more luxurious Mercedes-Benz EQS.

On board, the finish is correct but without excess. The attractively designed seats recall, with their integrated headrests, those of the Aiways U5. Many areas of the cabin are covered in faux leather. This gives the illusion of a touch of luxury, but other materials are less appealing, such as the plastics of the door panels, which are hard and sound a bit hollow. Also, the faux wood inserts (backlit) won’t fool anyone. Despite its size and its fairly neat style, the Leapmotor C11 is not a luxury model. At the rear, the space is royal, but the boot a bit small, with only 375 litres.

Classically for this type of model, the C11 has a specific platform, designed for electric models only. This architecture called “C” will be shared with the C01 sedan, which will be the brand’s next model. It integrates the 90 kWh battery between the two axles and offers two mechanical configurations. One with four-wheel drive and two permanent magnet synchronous motors, developing 544 hp. We had the propulsion version, equipped with a single rear engine, and therefore limited to 272 hp… BMW iX3.

A very pleasant Leapmotor C11, but too flexible

In use, this version equipped with a single engine already displays a good mechanical approval. The softness is essential when starting, then the vigor: we noted a recovery from 80 to 120 km / h in 4.6 seconds, quite honorable. Too bad, this health runs out of steam significantly beyond 120 km / h, while the top speed is limited to 180 km / h, which is quite common for an electric SUV. More than the performances, it is the approval that convinces: the management of the accelerator is very neat, the mechanics responding more or less strongly depending on the speed at which the pedal is pressed. As for braking, it proves to be sufficiently biting and the transition between mechanical and regenerative braking proves to be perfectly dosed. On this point, Leapmotor does better than many experienced builders.

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We will be a little less rave about road behavior. Admittedly, the balance is perfect, given the distribution of the masses and the low center of gravity, linked to the location of the battery. This is amortization that disappoints. Much too flexible, it does not even promote comfort since it generates disorderly cash movements back and forth on bumpy roads. Insufficient anti-roll bars do not make it possible to curb lateral body movements either. So much so that we hit the bump stops, on the rebound, after rolling over a cornering ledge. This did not destabilize the trajectory, but on a more significant irregularity, the situation could have been more delicate. We expected better from a car with such sophisticated running gear (double wishbone front axle, multi-link rear axle). But Leapmotor seems aware of the problem, since the manufacturer announces settings reviewed by the arrival on the European market. The serious development of the little T03 leaves us hopeful on this subject.

High consumption, which affects autonomy

It seems difficult to give a definitive opinion on the Leapmotor C11 after this first contact. So many things have to change between now and marketing in Europe: infotainment system in French, revised suspension settings, adapted charging connectors… We were therefore unable to carry out our usual load measurements. Leapmotor announces a duration of 40 minutes to go from 30% to 80%, a rather unimpressive figure. Especially since the consumption seemed high to us. Starting from 100%, we finished our 115 km mixed loop with a load level of 68%. This suggests a range of 350 km in current use, a little disappointing for such a beefy battery.

All this obviously needs to be verified when the Leapmotor C11 lands in France, which should be the case in 2023. By then, the brand will have to set up a network of points of sale, an operation which is in progress, via the importer SN Diffusion, which already takes care of Seres. The price should vary between 40,000 € and 50,000 €. Interesting given the rich equipment, certainly. But there are many slightly more expensive proposals in this category, starting with the Skoda Enyaq. And a well-established coat of arms is always much more reassuring than a Chinese start-up unknown to the battalion, which leaves the risk of leaving the market without warning, leaving the question of after-sales service unresolved.