Leapmotor B05: what it looks like, how it drives and how much this compact electric sports car costs

Leapmotor is entering the electric saloon market with a sleek five-door model. It’s called the B05 and isn’t the product of an ‘SUV-centric’ vision like that which inspires most Chinese brands. It’s a hatchback that aims to be a bit of a coupé, with plenty of features. The new model competes, in particular, with the Cupra Born, the Kia EV4, the MG 4, the Opel Astra Electric, the Peugeot e-308, the Renault Mégane E-Tech and the Volkswagen ID.3 Neo

The B05 is the European version of the Lafa 5 sold in China, from which it differs, essentially, in its completely reworked suspension and re-calibrated steering, developed by Stellantis engineers at Balocco to ensure that the car’s dynamism, comfort and driveability to the expectations of European motorists. Otherwise, it is identical to the Chinese model. In fact, it is based on the 800 V Leap 3.5 cell-to-chassis architecture, which integrates the lithium-iron-phosphate battery as a structural element to benefit both weight reduction and energy density. The B05 is available with 56.2 kWh and 67.1 kWh batteries, both designed and assembled by Leapmotor. They can be charged using 11 kW AC power in three hours and three and a half hours respectively, or DC power up to 140 kW for the smaller battery and up to 174 kW for the other, but in both cases, a charge from 30% to 80% always takes less than twenty minutes. Both power a 218-horsepower powertrain with 240 Nm of torque mounted at the rear but, naturally, offer different ranges: 400 kilometres for the smaller model and 480 kilometres for the other, whilst average consumption remains below 16 kWh. The performance of the two B05s is identical, as they reach 170 km/h and 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds using Launch Control.

Measuring 4.43 metres in length, 1.88 metres in width, 1.52 metres in height and with a wheelbase of 2.73 metres, the B05 has a balanced and pleasing appearance, although its front and rear ends clearly draw inspiration from certain European models. The sleek profile reveals the attention paid to aerodynamics, which has resulted in a drag coefficient (Cx) of 0.26, thanks in part to specific features such as the active grille, , one can see the retractable door handles, the 19-inch wheels, the ground clearance typical of a car with no SUV aspirations and, finally, the frameless doors, as found in sports cars.

The interior of the Leapmotor hatchback is very spacious, even in the rear. In fact, it is among the most spacious in its class, placing the B05 closer to mid-size cars than to compact models. However, the new Leapmotor does fall into the compact car category, with a boot capacity of 345 litres in its standard configuration. With the rear seats folded down, the capacity increases to 1,400 litres.

The interior is well-designed, featuring soft, visually appealing materials; the clean, attractive styling fits in with the minimalist hi-tech aesthetic which, unfortunately, means there are no physical switches in sight. In fact, from the Standard, Comfort and Sport driving modes to every other vehicle function, even the wing mirrors, selection can only be made via the central display and, in some cases, adjustments must be made using the buttons on the steering wheel, following the philosophy unfortunately introduced by Tesla. A setup which, however, it is hoped the new Chinese regulations on ergonomics will do away with. The only exception is the climate controls, which are located in the lower section of the 14.6-inch central touchscreeninfotainment system, running the always-connected Leap OS 4.0 Plus operating system based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155, with integrated navigation and wireless smartphone mirroring, which can be charged wirelessly via the pad on the centre console. An app allows you to interact with the B05 to manage various functions, including, of course, charging. The instrument cluster is housed within a configurable 8.8-inch LCD screen .