The RM100-130k electric SUV segment may be an arena already bustling with a host of options, but there’s another one entering the fray later this week. It’s the Leapmotor B10, and it comes just over a year after the larger C10 debuted the brand here. As a fully imported unit, its arrival on the cusp of tax exemptions for CBU EVs ending at the end of the year sounds late, but the five-seat SUV is set to go the local-assembly route, and so there should be decent continuity.
In any case, its arrival should liven things up for the brand, which had a bit of a tetchy start as cheaper options quickly emerged and price warfare heated up. While there has been an improvement in numbers as a result of an adjustment in its pricing, the C10 arguably missed the traction boat as a result of its original price.
Stellantis Malaysia will be hoping to change that with the advent of the B10, which brings about a better presented product (as is usually the case with each new generational intro) in a more approachable C-segment size package. More importantly, the five-seater SUV will land with a more competitive price from the start – estimated to be priced between RM110,000 and RM120,000, this will put it right up against the likes of the Proton eMas 7 and BYD Atto 3. Launch incentives could bring the price lower.
The specifications suggest that it will more than hold its own, but does it measure up to its rivals? We find out with a detailed look at what’s on hand from a first drive of the SUV in France.
Of styling, size and variants
It’s a clean looking thing, the B10, and though the lines are generic, in the way most Chinese EVs tend to be these days, the shape looks better proportioned than the D-segment C10 (the automaker’s naming convention is one size down from the alphabet designation) due to there being less bulk. Like the C10, study the flow closer and you’ll notice familiar cues, much like how the C10 follows that from elsewhere.
Styling highlights on this one include slim headlight assemblies with an interesting light signature, and this presentation is mirrored at the back, with the horizontal light projection broken up to prevent it from looking like a solid bar across, aiding it to look less nondescript.
Underpinned by the brand’s Leap 3.5 platform, the B10 measures in at 4,515 mm long, 1,873 mm wide and 1,652 mm tall, with a 2,735 mm-long wheelbase and a ground clearance of 170 mm. Incidentally, the above width and height measurements are as that indicated in specifications listed for it previously and also on the slide presentation during the drive, but the European product brochure curiously lists width at 1,885 mm (revised side mirrors, perhaps?) and height, 1,655 mm.
Comparisons with the Proton eMas 7, its prime competitor here, are inevitable, and so let’s park it here. Though it won’t show up on a side-by-side, the Proton is a smidgen larger across all measurement points (4,615 mm long, 1,901 mm wide, 1,670 mm tall, with a 2,750 mm wheelbase and 173 mm ground clearance), even with the different width and height numbers presented above. Still, it’s splitting hairs, approached from dimensions alone.
In its home market, China, the B10 is available in five variant forms, with two motor outputs and two battery capacities. As highlighted during the international drive, Europe gets three variants, with one motor output and both the different battery capacities. Variant designations for the European market are known as Life Pro, Life Promax and Design Promax.
Closer to home, the SUV gets a different variant suffix – Life, Style and Design. All three are available in Thailand, where the SUV was launched in October, with a single motor and two battery capacities. Meanwhile, we understand that Malaysia will get two variants, with the same motor and battery combinations as per Thailand, minus the Style version.
Across the board, the B10 – which like the eMas 7 features a front McPherson and rear multi-link suspension setup – rides on 18-inch Star Sports alloys, wrapped with 225/50 front and 235/50 rear tyres. As for exterior colours, Europe gets six, and these are Starry Night Blue, Dawn Purple, Pearly White, Tundra Grey, Metallic Black and Galaxy Silver. As indicated on the Malaysian Leapmotor website, five of these will make their way here, with Galaxy Silver the omission.
Motor outputs, battery capacities
No matter where, the B10 is only available with a single motor powertrain and a rear-wheel drive configuration. There’s a 177 hp (179 PS, or 132 kW) and 175 Nm motor, offering a 0-100 km/h time of 9.3 seconds and a 160 km top speed, but that’s only for China and mentioned here only for reference.
All global versions get a more powerful electric motor putting out 218 PS (215 hp, or 160 kW) and 240 Nm, with the automaker highlighting the seven-in-one oil-cooled motor’s quiet performance (with a noise level of under 76 db A in operation), lightness (60 kg) and 94% peak efficiency in transferring power to the wheels during the technical presentation at the drive.
It has to be noted that while the motor’s power output is par for the course, the torque it puts out is lower than its rivals. Comparatively, the eMas 7 has 218 PS and 320 Nm, while the Atto 3’s unit puts out 204 PS and 310 Nm.
The electric motor is paired with two CATL lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries of different capacities. The first is a 56.2 kWh unit, which offers 361 km of WLTP-rated range, and the second is a higher capacity 67.1 kWh LFP unit, which provides 434 km of WLTP travel. Performance figures include a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 8.0 seconds, while top whack is 170 km/h.
In Europe, the Life Pro gets the lower capacity battery, and the two other versions the 67.1 kWh unit. ASEAN models follow the same path, with the Life having the smaller battery, and the Style/Design the larger one. Kerb weight is from 1,780 kg to 1,845 kg, depending on variants.
In terms of charging, the automaker says it takes about 4.2 hours to juice up the lower capacity battery, or 5.6 hours for the larger battery via the AC route, at a max rate of 11 kW. This is identical to the eMas 7, but ahead of the maximum 7 kW on the Atto 3.
As for DC, the B10 supports fast charging at up to 140 kW for the 56.2 kWh battery and 168 kW for the 67.1 kWh unit, with the units getting from a 30 to 80% state-of-charge in about 19 to 20 minutes, respectively. On this front, it outpaces the eMas 7 (80 kW for Prime, 100 kW for Premium) and the Atto 3 (88 kW). A vehicle-to-load (V2L) function to power external appliances is standard, at a discharge rate of 3.3 kW.
Interior and kit
Step inside and you’ll find a high level of visual familiarity if you’ve already been inside a C10. The front end of the cabin offers the same pitch in terms of structure and lines, although some elements have been redefined, and for the better. For one, the AC vents adopt a more conventional approach, gaining side and central apertures and, joyously, mechanical adjustment for the louvres.
Elsewhere, the centre console reshapes its dual-stack presentation, with the net effect being that storage space is more accessible. Compared to the C10, the front cup holders are now flip up/down units and can be folded to offer more acreage on the console. This also shifts the front USB ports and 12V auxiliary socket to a less intrusive rearward placement on the structure.
The steering wheel remains a dual-spoke unit with familiar scroll/button controls, but styled differently, with the accents and cut-outs now positioned on the lower part of the steering boss.
Otherwise, it’s all textbook Leapmotor. In Europe, theLife gets fabric upholstery finished in grey, but the Design retains the liquid-resistant Oeko-Tex Standard 100 ‘silicone leather’ as seen on the C10, in two options, a light grey and a darker shadow grey.
As you’d expect, the Life drops some kit compared to the Design. The front seats are manual adjustment units, with electrically-adjustable, heated and ventilated units (six-way driver and four-way front passenger) only available for the Design.
It also doesn’t get the higher variant’s automatic folding side mirrors, rain sensing wipers, 64-way ambient lighting, rear privacy windows and electric tailgate, and makes do with a six-speaker audio system compared to the Design’s 12-speaker rig, all of which continues to be fully developed in-house. There’s no mention of amplification numbers for the latter, but it shouldn’t veer far from the C10’s 840 watt setup.
Away from that, the standard equipment list across all variants is pretty extensive. There’s a fixed panoramic sunroof (with a powered sunshade), auto air-conditioning, an 8.8-inch instrument display panel and a 2.5K high-resolution 14.6-inch centre touch-screen, along with a 15 watt wireless charger and Here Maps navigation. As for USB ports, there are four (one 12 watt Type-A, one 60 watt Type-C at the front, and one 12 watt Type-A and one 15 watt Type-C for the rear).
Unlike the C10, the B10 comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard from point of launch, but that wasn’t seen on the demonstrators in France. It’s supposed to be available via an over-the-air update from December, which is now, and so the Malaysian launch vehicles should feature it. The reason for the delay in its implementation was explained at the event as being due to licensing, and not technical, aspects.
Like its larger sibling, the B10 utilises a NFC card key, which means having to tap the driver’s side mirror cover to unlock the doors and being placed on the centre console for the vehicle to be started. There’s also a Leapmotor app, which offers connectivity to the vehicle at any time, anywhere, from a mobile phone. A large number of features can be accessed through it, including remote activation of the AC, windows and central locking.
On the electronics front – better touchscreen experience, navigation and ADAS management
Along with the inclusion of AACP, progress has also been made on the operating system front, with the Leap OS 4.0 Plus system getting a new graphic user interface, which the brand says offers a more intuitive and smoother experience. Both my co-driver and I didn’t explore all the menus in detail, but the screen stacks did feel simpler to run through for the function and feature changes we carried out, with zero lag in response or any softening of graphics.
The B10 also gets a new integrated built-in navigation system, with real-time updates – I can’t say how well it will work here, but it definitely worked a charm across the entire route of the drive, which took place in the Cote D’Azur, its performance and tracking fidelity a significant improvement from the C10’s last year.
All this with the familiar Qualcomm Snapdragon SA8155 chipset in place, at least for the global versions. The C10 also features the 7nm platform, which is equipped with up to 16GB of memory and an integrated Adreno 640 GPU, so whatever improvements in the OS have come about through advancements in programming rather than from hardware.
You might read about the B10 (and now, the C10) featuring a Qualcomm SA8295 chipset, along with an 8650 driving chipset, but that’s only in China, where working with Lidar, they enable smart driving capabilities, including highway and urban NOA (navigate on autopilot). The reason they aren’t employed for global applications is that the high level of computation ability isn’t needed on the global product, and the 8295/8650 would also introduce a higher cost to the equation.
Aside from the Lidar omission for the global product, the B10 features a complete Level 2 ADAS suite, with 12 ultrasonic sensors offering 17 related driving assistance functions, including adaptive cruise control, intelligent speed assist, traffic jam assist, forward collision warning, AEB, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist and emergency lane keeping. Other safety elements include seven airbags (front, front side, side curtains and centre), a 360-degree panoramic camera and rear parking sensors across all variants.
How it drives
The thing about EVs in this price range is that, by and large, they generally don’t have a distinct signature, and that’s no bad thing, given that most buyers in the segment are looking for a quiet, efficient – and tech-packed – tool. On that count, the B10 ticks the boxes nicely.
Like the C10, the power delivery is geared for smoothness, and progressively so, rather than anything resembling stomp-and-go, which generally fits the bill of providing comfort and energy economy. It steers decently, and the vehicle does feel better integrated into corners than its larger sibling. Interestingly, someone in our group reported that it was more comfortable being in the back of the B10 compared to the C10, but it will need more time with the car locally to establish if this is fact.
As with the C10, there’s suspension tuning for the export model courtesy of Stellantis at its Balocco Proving Ground in Italy (no mention of Maserati this time though), and the work does give the B10 some decent feet plying the twists. There’s still a fair bit of roll and the steering – like on the C10 – remains lightweight and devoid of feel and feedback attempting this, but the vehicle itself remained composed and never felt ambiguous across tighter sections of the route.
Granted, we weren’t really pushing the car that hard except on a few bends, but even on these there was none of the squishy feel as reported elsewhere, with that element largely put down to the choice of rubber (the B10 evaluators were shod with Linglong Sport Master units, although some of them also wore Goodyear Efficient Grip tyres – we had the former). The neat bit is that should you question this aspect (no, Hafriz, not a word about this), it can easily be altered with a switch in tyre choices.
Elsewhere, the front seats provide good comfort, and like the C10 it is possible to fold down both front seats (with headrest removed) to make for a comfy bench or provide a position for some shut-eye. In terms of overall space, it’s not as cavernous as the C10, but with 1,400 mm of interior width and 2,390 mm of usable length from rear seatback to the dashboard as well as best-in-class front (1,027 mm) and rear (1,005 mm) headroom, the B10 should be roomy enough for most.
The rear cargo space offers 430 litres of volume, but this is expandable to 1,700 litres with the rear seats folded. There’s also a frunk, which provides 25 litres of space. It’s not far from the C10’s 435 litre boot and 32 litre frunk, mind you.
Beep no more
Away from the driving perspective, the B10 features a big leap in performance compared to the C10, and that’s in how its ADAS is managed. While regulations mean that all the rather intrusive driving assistance items – such as lane centering and lane keep assist – are still present and activated each time you start the car, a large swathe of these can be disengaged in easier fashion.
A driver profile menu will allow you to define the items you want off, and the system will remember it, with a one-button push deactivating all the items you’ve selected. You’ll still need to hit the button each time you drive, but it’s a sight better than having to do it individually. The feature is also available for the C10 through OTA, so if it isn’t on the MY cars yet, it’s only a matter of time before salvation comes about.
That’s not all there is to it. The automaker does listen intently to feedback, especially in how it addresses shortcomings. A major gripe about the C10 was with its pedestrian warning system, which was very audible not only from the outside, but also inside the car, with the drone-like sound active up to 30 km/h. The good news is that the B10 is quiet, with there being almost no sonic projection into the cabin. Props for this.
Measuring up
Taken in its entirety, the Leapmotor B10 has what it takes to go up against its segment competitors, including the market leader, both in functionality and features. Like the C10, it’s not the most colourful character, but it’s pleasant to drive, and from a general performance viewpoint has more than enough to satisfy the requirement of buyers shopping for an electric vehicle in this segment.
On paper, it gives nothing away to its rivals, and I’d venture that it won’t also from an engagement point of view, but the only way to decide if it measures up is to go and try it out for yourself.
