Step inside the C10 and it’s a pleasant surprise: yes it’s staid and unexciting, but it has a level of perceived quality one might not expect from a Chinese-made car intending to undercut most rivals, from China or otherwise.
There are no buttons – though Leapmotor’s product planner didn’t write off some being introduced in future models recognising it as a growing industry trend – and everything is done through the 14.6in screen. It’s not fair to single out this car when it’s true of so many, but there’s no doubt it’s a major distraction to access some desired and essential functions on the screen while driving.
There’s also something missing which for many new car buyers today would be off-putting and that’s the lack of Apple Carplay or Android Auto. Leapmotor says it will address this by summer by an over-the-air (OTAs) update introducing a phone mirroring set-up.
In the meantime, there’s an in-house sat nav to use, but unfortunately, it’s infuriatingly poor. At trickier junctions, it’s unclear and the voice prompt is close to unbearable. ‘Soon, follow the road ahead – and then follow the road ahead,’ on repeat is enough to drive anyone mad. One can turn it off, of course.
OTA updates are big business for Leapmotor. Since its electric C10 launched late last year, it’s completed 26 OTAs to address feedback and make improvements. One of those was changing the sound of the alert from some of the assisted driving (ADAS) systems as users found it ‘annoying’. The firm is clearly aware of the frustrations surrounding its ADAS, so much so that it recommended turning off the most irritating ones before our test drive.
An OTA update now lets those ADAS features – speed recognition system and lane keep assist – be turned off by an easy swipe down on the screen and then pressing two buttons, but it’s developing an even quicker one-button solution which it will release over the next few months.
