Take the Leapmotor C10 SUV: shrink, add a bit more design flair and you might have the new B10.
It's not quite that simple, because the B10 is on a newer-generation platform with newer-generation technology, but in general this is Leapmotor trying to make its core SUV concept a bit more urban-friendly and (we reckon) a bit more interesting than the C10.
Okay, it's still kinda generic looking, but the B10 comes in some fun colours (the Starry Night Blue you see here, or there's also a funky Dawn Purple) and sports some nice design details, like the stepped daytime running lights.
Our test car is the top Design version, which has a larger, faster-charging battery than the entry-level Life and costs $5k more, at $49,990. Right now, you can also have $2k off thanks to a launch special price, so let's call it $47,990. Unless you're reading this in like 2028, that is.
The B10's main mission in motoring life will be comfortable urban cruising. It's pretty good at that, with a softly calibrated throttle, light steering and compliant ride that's pleasantly pillowy, save that slightly sharp secondary-ride you get with so many EVs. Little ripples in the road can elict an abrupt response.
It's still kinda generic looking, but the B10 comes in some fun colours: the Starry Night Blue you see here, or funky Dawn Purple.
But it has long legs, too. Leapmotor likes to brag about the B10 getting suspension tuning by partner Stellantis at its Balocco Proving Ground in Italy, which might make some smirk. But there's a certain maturity to the way this SUV handles Kiwi backgrounds that does make you think a bit of work has gone into the chassis.
Not in a sporty sense, because it's still very soft. But it steers with reasonable authority and even though there's body roll, the body control is pretty impressive. It has mixed-sized tyres, which is a sign that somebody along the line has put some thought into how the car should handle. It certainly feels sorted in a general sense, rather like the larger C10.
Still no physical buttons for the driver, with the obligatory central touch-screen handling almost all vehicle functions, save what you can adjust on the steering wheel.
The interior is a step down on the C10 in terms of the quality of materials (a lot of hard plastics), but a step up in design and style.
While the C10's minimalist ambience is pretty close to sensory depravation, the B10 has a variety of textures and design features, like the scooped-out section across the width of the dashboard or those holes on the passenger-side, which can be mounting points for accessories. The aftermarket options are many, from phone holders to mini-desks; Aliexpress is waiting for your order.
It's a genuinely spacious family car, so don't be put off by its compact-size status. It's actually getting near medium-SUV dimensions.
There's also a conventional glovebox, albeit a slender one hidden underneath the dashboard. And multiple minor storage spaces, including a floating-look centre console and lower tray.
Still no physical buttons for the driver, with the obligatory central touch-screen (14.6-inch) handling almost all vehicle functions, save what you can adjust on the steering wheel - including some Tesla-like scroll controls.
We're not huge fans of the war on buttons in general (not a criticism restricted to Leapmotor), but the B10's on-screen menus are a bit better organised than the C10, the screen is brighter-looking (in both the literal and metaphorical senses), and it's more customisable.
The C10 received an OTA this year that transformed the driving experience for us: a Combined Settings menu that could be configured with your preferred ADAS setup and drive-mode selection, all assigned to a single steering wheel button.
That preferred-setting concept is an especially good idea, not just because of the driver-assists (we like some on, honest), but because the C10 defaults to its lethargic Eco drive-mode on startup.
The B10's most gentle drive-mode is Comfort and it's not quite as sluggish, but the point we're getting to is that this car doesn't have that Combined Settings function, even though it's a newer model and Leapmotor clearly realises it's a good thing. It's on the way, apparently.
On the subject of missed opportunities, Leapmotor admitted at the C10 launch last year the omission of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay was a huge mistake for a global model (Chinese buyers aren't bothered, apparently). But the B10 still doesn't have either, the company again claiming it's... on the way. It said that about the C10 as well, but all we got this year was an unstable mirroring app called QDLink. Hard pass.
Now we've had a bit of a moan, you could argue those are fairly minor niggles: the driver-assists are not too intrusive (we drove with all activated for most of our review-time) and the B10's native navigation with 3D display is good enough that you can arguably do without phone projection.
Did you just do a double-take? Yes, we're aware of how savage some overseas reviewers have been about the B10's ADAS, but honestly: we found them pretty much okay on Kiwi roads.
Overall, the B10 cabin is a pleasant place to be. It has the Leapmotor signature squishy seats, some low-key ambient lighting and a little bit of extra bling over the C10 that lifts the occupant environment nicely.
It's a genuinely spacious family car, so don't be put off by its compact-size status. It's actually getting near medium-SUV dimensions and the long wheelbase/flat floor combo results in plenty of space front and rear. The boot is decent at 430 litres, and the rear seats fold near-flat. It's a useful thing.
The B10 does not pretend to be sporty in the least, favouring comfort and convenience over performance and handling antics. That's quite refreshing. This Design model is a fully featured EV at a pretty sharp price, and while such things are subjective, we reckon it has a bit more styling character than a lot of new-gen electric SUVs.
It's fair to say it hasn't set out to shatter any class bounadries, but we find the B10 rather endearing all the same.
How much is the Leapmotor B10 Design?
Our test car is the top Design model, priced at $49,990. Significantly, that's the same price as the (much) larger C10 Ultra Hybrid. So for the same money you can have the smaller, more modern BEV or the larger, range-extender hybrid.
Howecver, at the time of writing there's a launch special for the B10 that knocks $2000 off the sticker, making the Design $47,990. There's also an entry-level B10, the Life, priced at $44,990 (or $42,990 on special).
What are the key statistics for the Leapmotor B10 Design?
Both B10 models have a 160kW/240Nm electric motor on the rear axle. But the battery sizes are different: our Design has a 67.1kWh pack with 160kW maximum charge rate, while the entry-level Life carrries a 56.2kWh unit and can charge at 140kW.
Is the Leapmotor B10 Design efficient?
The WLTP range figure of 434km seems pretty real-world accurate to us. A full charge during our time with the car was showing just over 400km pretty consistently.
Is the Leapmotor B10 Design good to drive?
It's all about comfort and gentle calibration of the steering and throttle, but the chassis has some open-road smarts too. It's soft and rolls in tight corners, but the body control is good.
Is the Leapmotor B10 Design practical?
The B10 is already on the large side of compact-SUV, it's an EV with a flat floor and it has a relatively long wheelbase. All the ingredients are there for a spacious family vehicle, and it doesn't disappoint.
Rear-seat space is equivalent to many mid-size SUVs and while the boot isn't massive at 430 litres, the rear seats fold near-flat, so it's a pretty good cargo-carrier.
There's also a frunk that's very modest in size (25 litres), but better than nothing. Which is what some EVs offer.
What do we like about the Leapmotor B10 Design?
Some nice design details (the staggered daytime running lights look really smart, for example), good range, a decent chassis that combines a comfortable ride with controlled handling, good cabin storage space and a practical boot.
What don’t we like about the Leapmotor B10 Design?
The quality of cabin materials is noticeable down on the C10, despite similar themes.
It desperately needs the Combined Settings ADAS/drive-mode shortcut from the C10's latest OTA, and the adaptive cruise control could do with work - it doesn't like corners and leaves unexpectedly large gaps to vehicle in front.
The graphics on the main instrument panel are clean and colourful, but extremely small. As is the screen.
What kind of person would the Leapmotor B10 Design suit?
Somebody's who's sussed what Leapmotor is all about following the launch of the C10 last year, and wnats wants something similar that's smaller and a bit more style-conscious. Or in this colour, an eco-conscious Vincent van Gogh fan.