Leapmotor C01-Hybrid REEV

1. Why did I choose the Leapmotor? Well, I've been looking at electric vehicles in the around 150,000 yuan range since last year. Since we already have an SUV at home, I wanted a sedan. I also paid attention to brands like Deepal and BYD, but considering my usage ¨C about 20 kilometers daily for commuting in the city and weekend getaways ¨C I wanted an extended-range electric vehicle. The Leapmotor's large 316km extended-range battery is perfect, and its ground clearance is slightly higher than most sedans.

2. I test drove it twice. The first time was the old 2023 pure electric model. I felt the steering wheel was much lighter than my home SUV, very comfortable, the chassis was quite solid, and the smart features of the electric car were good too. I tried the automatic parking, which was quite convenient. The second time, the sales came to my door for a test drive, and we drove quite a distance. It was the 2024 model, but there was no extended-range version available; they said it had been sold ??. The 2024 model's infotainment system is indeed much faster; the 8295 chip is still good.

3. When ordering, I negotiated the price at the store and placed the order. After waiting about a week and getting ready to pick up the car, a little incident happened: the front windshield was cracked by a small stone during transportation. The sales contacted me, and we thought it was better to reorder a new car. We waited another week ¨C good things take time, I guess.

4. Daily driving experience: The electric car accelerates quite smoothly, and you can set driving modes. At first, I felt it was a bit power-hungry, then realized the regenerative braking was set too low. I adjusted it to my liking, and now I'm used to it. The sentry mode is also quite power-consuming, so I basically don't turn it on now unless I park in an unsafe place ??. The daily dynamic range is about 230 kilometers. Since I keep the air conditioning on all the time in summer and usually charge to 90%, it feels sufficient.

5. Expectations for the future: I hope Leapmotor will push more OTA updates and do more for the benefit of car owners!

¡¾Car Buying Experience¡¿
I originally wanted to buy a hybrid car. But after discussing with my wife, we decided to go either fully gasoline or fully electric.
On the day of buying the car, we went to the auto mall and first test-drove the Xingrui 1.5t version. My wife fell in love with it at first sight and was ready to place the order, but I stopped her. Actually, my wife was more inclined towards a fuel car, mainly considering battery life and range anxiety. But I was firm on going fully electric for two reasons: 1. A car is a consumable, so there's no need to deliberately consider±£ֵ (resale value). 2. For daily family use, highway scenarios are not common, and there are many charging piles with fast charging speeds. In the end, we test-drove the C01 electric car that day and placed the order right away.

¡¾Space Performance¡¿
I am 173cm tall, and the space is quite spacious. The front seats even need to be raised a bit. Sitting in the back row, the headroom is about 15cm. The legroom is about 20cm.
The trunk space is very large; it feels like it can fit 8 suitcases.


¡¾Range and Energy Consumption¡¿
In Jiangsu, the average temperature in February is around 0-10 degrees Celsius. With 90% charge, it can run an average of 300km, and in March, it can reach 350km. IÍƲâ (estimate) that a full charge should be around 400km. I checked and the battery brand is Jiangsu Zhengli; I personally don't really understand the differences between different brands.



¡¾Service Experience¡¿
Full marks, there's nothing much to say about this. Are there any 4S shops with poor service nowadays?

¡¾Charging Time¡¿
The maximum power has reached 80kw/h, and the charging time is basically around 40 minutes from 20% to 90%.

Overall Evaluation: This car offers great value for money. At a price of over 130,000 yuan, it gives you leather seats, massage, ventilation and heating, steering wheel heating, a decent sound system, and barely usable LCC and automatic parking. Overall, the experience is very good.

Exterior: Metallic black. Despite the salesperson's advice, I insisted on buying black. After applying a film and installing a sunshade, it's manageable even when parked under the sun; measured temperature was 52¡ãC. Except for one stubborn colleague who said the round face doesn't look good, no one has said it's not handsome so far.
Interior: Triple screens¡ªthough not useful, they can't be missing. Seat ventilation and massage; seat ventilation alone is enough to keep the butt from getting wet. The sunroof is not very useful, but since it was a gift from the salesperson, I'll take it. It has everything it should have, and even things it shouldn't.
Configuration: At this price point, it just needs to outperform other brands. I mainly value the chassis, but driving on the rough road at the company entrance feels like it's not well-tuned¡ªit's stiff.
Space: I'm 187cm tall, and there's plenty of room in the driver's seat; there's still some space between my head and the roof.
Range: I usually drive in normal comfort mode with air conditioning on recirculation in summer, and the range is about 400km. I haven't driven it to the minimum yet; I estimate I need to recharge after about 300km, which is enough for me to drive for over half a month.
Intelligence: What kind of intelligence do you expect for 150,000 yuan? I don't care much about how smart it is, but I haven't parked manually so far¡ªall parking is done via automatic parking, with my foot on the brake the whole time. High-speed adaptive cruise control is also very useful; I haven't used other functions much.
Let's talk about everyone's concerns: Leapmotor has a lot of abnormal noises. To be honest, there's a sound when the steering wheel is turned to the limit. The air conditioner is noisy when first turned on; otherwise, there should be no other issues.
Before buying, I carefully read online posts discouraging Leapmotor. Eighty percent were from owners with cars over a year old who felt "stabbed in the back"¡ªdissatisfied due to sharp price drops. If you really ask them to point out a fatal flaw, they can't; it's just a car with minor issues.