When Leapmotor International launched the C10 in 2024, it was adamant the aim was to make its mark among family SUVs. Comfort and refinement were the goals, hence the gentle calibration of the rear-drive powertrain and modest acceleration.
Click here to read our review of the Leapmotor C10 RWD BEV
At the global media introduction to the new model, company executives went so far as to deny any interest in a dual-motor model in the short term. We're keeping it simple, they said. It's not that kind of car.
Information delivered with totally straight faces, but a year later and here were are: meet the Leapmotor C10 AWD. Not just another motor, but a whole new world of performance: more than twice the power (up from the standard car's 160kW to 440kW) and the ability to get to 100km/h in half the time: 4.0 seconds.
That's some serious shove, especially when you consider the $64,990 price. Still a $10k premium over the RWD BEV, but a lot of performance for the money no matter how you look at it. We honestly can't think of a car that goes faster for less money.
The C10 AWD has more than twice the power of the standard car and the ability to get to 100km/h in half the time.
Leapmotor is keeping it subtle, though. There's nothing on the outside of this new model to identify it as the (very) quick one. It's all about what's underneath.
Speaking of which: the C10 AWD has heavily upgraded electrical architecture, with the 800-volt system delivering better thermal efficiency for the larger 81.9kWh LFP battery and the ability to charge at up to 180kW, meaning a theoretical 30-80% charge in 22 minutes. The single-motor C10, with a 400v setup, has been criticised for its relatively slow 84kW.
The 440kW dual motors seem to get on pretty well, maintaining traction as a team even when you're on and off the throttle.
The interesting thing about the C10 AWD is that extreme performance hasn't really changed its fundamental character. It's still a comfort-oriented, spacious EV-SUV that defaults to Eco mode on startup and can serve as a completely unthreatening family car day-to-day.
So don't expect tied-down-tight handling. The C10 has always rolled with the terrain and this one does too. But the chassis remains well-controlled all the same, thanks perhaps to tuning assistance from Leapmotor partner Stellantis (you might remember it from such brands as Alfa Romeo and Maserati).
We honestly can't think of a way to go faster for less money.
Nor does the C10 fall into the trap of so many superpowered AWD EVs by having the electric motors fighting for dominance when you tackle tricky corners. They seem to get on pretty well, maintaining traction as a team even when you're on and off the throttle.
Leapmotor claims the AI Smart Electric Drive motors (developed in-house, like 60% of the C10's components) work more efficiently at high speed, delivering better power response and achieving improved regeneration. That's right, they're better the faster you go. You've been told.
The C10 AWD can showcase its extreme speed for friends and family when you want it. But again, done in a fairly tasteful way: select Sport mode, plant the throttle and it still gathers that initial run of acceleration gently, before thrusting you towards the horizon to press you back into those 7-layer squishy foam seats.
It's actually more impressive in rolling acceleration. If you really want to show it off, cruise at 20-30km/h and then punch the throttle. It takes everybody by surprise, inside and outside the car. That's one Uber in a hell of a hurry.
No mainstream family SUV really needs to go this fast, but the way the performance is delivered makes the C10 AWD a suprisingingly accessible and likeable go-fast EV.
The C10 in general is a much better day-to-day companion than it was. Leapmotor has listened to criticism of the car's highly intrusive ADAS and murky control systems with a recent over-the-air (OTA). We're going to look at these in detail in a future story, but key changes include the ability to assign "combined settings" for the ADAS to a steering wheel button and a change to make most driver-assist functions switchable while the car is moving (they're weren't previously).
The customisable steering wheel button means you can select your preferred combination of ADAS settings (on or off for whatever functions), save them and then go straight to that setup with a click of the button once the car is on. The grouping can also include the drive mode, which is a relief because the C10 still defaults to Eco; so you can specify Comfort or Sport and stick with it.
Extreme performance model or not, the C10 is coming along. There's still some stuff that still needs work - the adaptive cruise for example, which goes into fussy mode on the motorway at around 70-100km/h and starts taking little bites at the brakes that's very distracting. Or switches off entirely when faced with a gentle curve at 60km/h.
The C10 is still sans proper phone projection, but Leapmotor has added an app called QDLink that can theoretically mirror your Android phone onto the infotainment screen (you'll need the app on your device as well). It's fiddly to get fired up and only worked intermittently for us, resulting in a blank screen as often as it did the colourful stuff from the phone.
The C10 would be better with proper projection for sure, but know what? It's fine without once you break the addiction. The built-in (live) sat-nav is good and a simple Bluetooth connection handles music and calls perfectly well. You get used to it. Fast.