Experience the Leapmotor C10 REEV: the range-extended electric SUV that redefines your perception of EVs

We first had the chance to drive the new Leapmotor C10 REEV (range extended electric vehicle) earlier this year in Spain as part of the preamble to launching the car in South Africa.

It’s now arrived as part of the offering of Stellantis and offers South Africans a chance to step into a New Energy Vehicle, which is a hybrid electric, but not in the way you may think.

As a reminder, in South Africa, Stellantis has Citroen, Fiat, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Opel, Peugeot, Abarth and now Leapmotor under its umbrella.

Leapmotor is a Chinese manufacturer that Stellantis has a 20% stake in and owns 51% of Leapmotor International, a joint venture with Leapmotor.

How does it work?

It has a 1.5-litre 50kW four-cylinder petrol engine that acts as a generator when the battery charge gets to a certain percentage. It doesn’t drive the wheels directly but generates electricity to recharge the 28.4kWh battery that powers a 158kW electric motor with 320Nm of torque on the rear axle.

The battery provides a claimed 145km of electric range (WLTP).

This way, you should, according to Leapmotor, get a range of well over 900 kilometres.

It can also be charged with a DC 65kW charger that takes 30 minutes to get from 30% to 80% and 4.5 hours to full with 6.6kW AC charging. 

The electric range is perfect for regular short commutes, and according to Leapmotor, using the various charging options, the car has a theoretical range of close to 2 000 kilometres.

Exterior

My first impressions in Spain were that it had a rather generic SUV design, but on closer inspection, it’s actually an attractive-looking vehicle.

Its aerodynamic lines, modern curves, closed-off grille, slim Adaptive LED headlights, rear LED lightbar and 18 or 20-inch alloys (model dependent) give it an almost Range Rover-esque appearance.

Interior

It’s a premium interior to be sure, with soft-touch surfaces throughout the cabin and, as expected, lots of glass with a 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a 10.2-inch customisable digital instrument cluster.

Obviously, it has to have ambient lighting, and there’s a panoramic sunroof.

The seats are heated and ventilated, and a nice touch is that each time you adjust them, the screen asks if you want to save the setting.

They’re covered in OEK-TEX silicone and provide a comfortable perch with decent lumbar support, while there’s plenty of passenger space, thanks to the flat-floor EV architecture, with a reclining seat function.

There’s plenty of room for luggage with 435 litres of boot space increasing to 1 410-litres with the seats folded down.

Oddly, there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but this will be available as an over-the-air (OTA) update by the end of the year, according to Stellantis.

The dashboard is completely smooth, with not a button or dial in sight, meaning that all settings and adjustments have to be done via the screen. 

It’s intuitive enough, but frustrating to have to search through the menus and very distracting while driving, so most of the adjustments were done by my co-driver while we figured it out.

A case in point is the direction of flow for the air conditioner. This has to be done on the screen with some cool graphics, but it was trial and error to get it not to blow straight into my face.

Driving

The C10 REEV comes with four driving modes: EV+, EV, Fuel Mode and Power+.

In EV+ Mode, the electric motor is prioritised and the range extender (engine) only kicks in when the State of Charge (SoC) reaches below 9%.

In EV Mode, the electric motor is prioritised with the range extender starting to work intelligently (according to speed/SoC/power demand) when the SoC is below 25%.

In Fuel Mode, the engine runs constantly and is used to maximise driving range.

In Power+, the range extender will immediately start working to improve power output and provide maximum performance.

In addition, you can also choose between Normal, Save, Eco, Sport and custom settings.

Acceleration in the C10 isn’t blistering but rather smooth and linear, providing a refined drive over the launch drive in Cape Town.

It’s near silent with only slight wind and road noise, with a sophisticated suspension set-up that easily takes care of road imperfections and speed bumps.

There's no obvious noise or thrum when the engine kicks in, either.

It handled the twists and turns of Franschoek Pass at relatively high speed with aplomb, considering its 2 025kg kerb weight and 180mm ground clearance.

Safety

The Leapmotor C10 has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, and as we’ve come to expect and also because of European legislation, the Leapmotor C10 has a myriad of safety features.

During our drive in Spain, they were overly intrusive and irritating, but it looks like that’s been adjusted for the local market. They’re still there, but not as prominent.

You can go into the menu and set them to your preferences, but once the car has been switched off, it returns to the default settings. 

Consumption

We played around with the various settings, including EV only mode and returned figures of 6.4l/100km that included some spirited driving as well.

With South Africans slow on full BEV take-up, preferring instead to look at various hybrid options, the Leapmotor C10 REEV offers something unique in the segment. 

It also has the advantage over a conventional plug-in hybrid that relies solely on the ICE component once the battery has been depleted. 

It comes with a five-year/100 000km warranty and service plan and an eight-year/150 000km warranty on the battery.

Pricing

• Leapmotor C10 REEV Style: R759 900.
• Leapmotor C10 REEV Design: R799 900.