Leapmotor B05 Reviews

I guess the big question is, do you believe in love at second sight?The first time I drove the Leapmotor B05 (the brand’s Golf-sized electric hatchback), it was on a rented test track near the brand’s headquarters in China, and I came away thinking it had plenty of promise, but not enough dynamic polish to ever be considered a sporty threat in Australia.It was about quick enough and looked pretty enough, but its soft, spongecake dynamics culled any hope of it delivering on the warm-hatch promises Leapmotor had made about its sportiest offering to date.This second time, though, was different. Because the B05 that will arrive in Australia towards the end of 2026 (wearing a circa-$35,000 price tag) is not the same car I drove in China. Well, it is. It just no longer feels like it.To Leapmotor's credit, it has recognised Chinese driving tastes differ wildly to those in Europe and Australia. And that making a car that's fast in a straight line but offers all the dynamism and body control of a pot of just-set jelly isn't going to cut it in the rest of the world.And so the brand handed the B05 over to its Stellantis co-owners in Italy, and set them to work readying the warm hatch for a global release. The result, the brand says, "is a different animal" to the car we got to know in China.It had its chassis and suspension reworked at Alfa Romeo's Balocco Proving Ground, roughly halfway between Milan and Turin. And not just tuning either, they've also changed the way the suspension connects to the vehicle, shifting the mounting points to give it a lower center of gravity and a sportier feel.We’ll see if the changes have worked in a moment, but first, I think this is one of the best-looking cars to have come out of China in some time, and the brand tells me it will form the beginnings of a blueprint for all future Leapmotor models.The cars they've already got in Australia, the C10 and B10 SUVs, have been criticised in some quarters for being a bit bland. I don't feel that way about this car at all. The B05 looks grown-up, premium and modern, and while much has been done in the pursuit of EV-friendly aerodynamics, it doesn't look like a science experiment. It rides on 19-inch alloys as standard, and only the subtle rear roof spoiler gives away its sportier intentions, though a (presumably much angrier-looking) Ultra version is on the way which will no doubt dial up the exterior aggression.Cleverness abounds in the cabin, too. There's no escaping the use of budget friendly plastics, but the way the dash is laid out, with a perforated inlay framed by two architectural-feeling ledges, helps make the no-frills feel funky. The big glass roof helps lift the mood, too.You get a 14.6-inch screen in the centre of the cabin and an 8.8-inch letterbox display in front of the driver. The main screen controls almost all of the car's functions, which can get fiddly and annoying, but the locked climate control bar at the bottom at least allows for quick access to heating and cooling. The brand has also added the ability to shortcut to the wing-mirror adjustment screen from a button on the steering wheel, which is a good idea, because digging through screens when you want to quickly change the mirrors can be rage-inducing.Another clever addition is the inclusion of driving profiles, in which you can save your ADAS preferences (things like the lane keep assist, over-speed warning and driver attention alarm) to on or off. When you get in, you simply choose your profile and away you go. It reduces lots of screen poking and scrolling to two quick taps before you're on the road.There's also plenty of room in the backseat of the B05. It's 4430mm in length, 1880mm in width and 1520mm in height and its full-flat electric platform is a boon for backseat riders. I had more than enough knee and headroom to get comfortable behind my own 175cm driving position, and there's pull-down cupholders, twin USB ports and air vents for the back, too. The boot promises 345 litres with the rear seat in place and 1400 litres with them folded flat. Now, Leapmotor describes the B05 as its sportiest vehicle to date, and on paper, the ingredients that have gone into this recipe sound good. It has a perfect 50/50 weight distribution, the electric motor is housed at the rear for rear-wheel drive and the battery is integrated into the chassis for extra stiffness.That rear-mounted motor makes 160kW and 240Nm, or enough for a launch-control-assisted sprint to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds.We should also get both battery sizes when the B05 arrives in Australia, with the smaller 56.2kWh version delivering 401km on the WLTP cycle, and the bigger 67.1kWh version upping that to 482km. AC charging is rated at 11kW, while DC fast charging is 168kW, or enough to go from 30-80 per cent charged in 17 minutes.So, the drive. I think it is important to wrap some context around the B05. All this talk of sporty this and launch control that had me anticipating some kind of bristling hot hatch. But it doesn't feel like that.I don't mean that in a negative way, just that there's nothing hard, harsh or particularly violent about the driving experience here, including a pretty leisurely feeling run to 100km/h.But Leapmotor has delivered a car that feels far more engaged and far more compelling for the driver. There's a connection now between car and driver, and car and road, which was missing from the Chinese version, and which vastly improves the drive experience.It never feels underpowered either, and the rolling acceleration is strong. Put your foot down at rolling speed and there’s plenty of punch there for overtaking.Forget the super sporty stuff, what Leapmotor in Europe has instead managed to deliver is a far more coherent package. I like the steering, I like the ride, it's pretty quiet in the cabin (save for a bit of wind noise at higher speeds) and it feels far more put together, enjoyable and engaging to drive. We tackled plenty of winding hill-climb roads, and there was none of that sea-sickness swaying or bouncing, with the B05 feeling stable and sorted through the bends, with most of its weight cleverly hidden away behind its compliant but very competent suspension tune.It also feels like a solid base for the faster version coming, the Ultra, which makes more power and delivers more torque.Now, there are still some quirks to the Leapmotor experience I can't quite wrap my head around, and the first is there's still no physical key or engine start/stop button for this car. You're either using the key card, your phone, or the passcode system, which is still annoying. A proper key is coming in 2027.The other issue is the active safety package, which can be ferociously annoying, with the B05 constantly binging and bonging at you or tugging at your wheel. That's not really a problem exclusive to Leapmotor, and to its credit it has introduced those driver profiles, which means you can switch them off with a touch or two, but I long for the days when they didn't exist.And finally there's still just a little bit of clunkiness to the way the car's tech operates. I noticed, for example, when I got in and put the car in reverse, I was waiting for five seconds or so for the screen to wake up and switch to the reverse cameras. Maybe I'm just really impatient, but I find those kinds of delays a bit annoying.All in all, though, I am impressed with the B05. Even if it's not a particularly sporty feeling, it feels far more cohesive than the other version I drove and the ride and handling changes have made a massive difference. It might be one of the best-riding cars I’ve driven from China (via Europe) yet, but I will have to see how it performs on Australian roads before permanently bestowing that honour.The signs are good for the B05.

To describe the Leapmotor B05 as different to the Chinese newcomer’s other vehicles to date would be as obvious as describing night as different to day, or delicious beer as different to those powdered grass clippings sometimes referred to as matcha.The point is, it’s different. Very different.While Leapmotor products to date have focused on practicality and price as their raison d'être, the B05 is in fact not an SUV, is not overtly practical, and it has a sharper eye on performance than any model to have come before it.That’s the sales pitch for this electric hot(ish) hatch, anyway, which produces a Cupra Born-worrying 180kW and 320Nm in the flagship Ultra variant we’ve tested in China. Well, worrying for now. Cupra has its own flagship Born, the VZ, and it makes 240kW.Other important stuff? It’s rear-wheel drive, it promises a perfect 50:50 weight distribution, and Leapmotor has handed it to its European counterparts at Stellantis for its ride tuning.It runs an 800v architecture, which means fast charging, and there’s a choice of 56.2kWh or 67.1kWh batteries delivering a range of 500km or 600km under (the more lenient) CLTC testing.All of which sounds pretty good, no? There is a lesser version, which makes 160kW, but the Ultra is the one we’ve tested, albeit briefly, so far.So, let’s start with the key stuff, while the BO5 is confirmed for the end of the year, the Ultra is more likely to follow suit as a model-refreshing flagship.“With the Ultra version, there is probably some brand positioning, brand statement that could work for us. So, we are seriously considering it everywhere,” the brand told us.The other important caveat before we get into the drive experience is that the one we’ve tested isn’t all that indicative of the one we’ll get in Australia. We would get the European version, which Leapmotor says is very different. And not just in the way it’s tuned, but even in the positioning of the suspension components.“We have, after some assessments done in November, lowered the hook point of the suspension arms on the rear, and lowered the centre of gravity, and the car has totally changed behaviour. So if you drive a BO5 in Europe versus BO5 for China, it’s totally different," the brand says.So, with all of that in mind, let’s see what we’re dealing with. And first things first, the B05 doesn’t look like any Leapmotor product to have come before it. While the B10 and C10 SUVs have copped some criticism for what people say are bland looks, that’s not a claim you could level at the B05, which looks sleek and swept-back and properly sporty.I think it's one of the best-looking cars to come out of China in a hot minute, and should be the blueprint for Leapmotor's broader design language. I also think flip-flops are suitable everywhere but a funeral, so feel free to take my fashion advice with a grain of salt. But I like it, and so did my colleagues.That’s especially true of the Ultra, which gets a bigger front splitter and rear wing, while its grey-look 19-inch alloys are linked by gloss-black side skirting.Inside, there are sportier-feeling fabric seats up front which offer heating, cooling and a massage function, while a 14.6-inch central screen and an 8.8-inch driver display handles all your entertainment and driving data needs.So, to the drive. I need you to keep two important thoughts front and centre here. The first is what we covered above — this is the traditional Chinese recipe, not the European a la carte, and so it is different in feel to the one that will land in Australia.The second is that our ‘drive’ was limited to a rented circuit not far from Leapmotor HQ in China. Our time behind the wheel, and the track itself was as dull and straight as a Young Liberals convention. There might have been a corner there somewhere, but I couldn’t find it.What I can tell you, though — even with limited wheel time — is that this is the most convincing Leapmotor product I’ve driven to date.The power delivery is smooth and plentiful — if never truly exhilarating, and slightly slower feeling than its 5.9s sprint to 100km/h claim — and the whole car feels more buttoned down and polished than the C10 and B10.The steering is direct, too, and while the ride was a little too spongey, and body roll a little too intrusive through a short slalom course, I’m willing to hold my judgement until I drive the car we’ll actually be getting. It should also be cheap. Local costs are yet to be confirmed, but pricing in China is sharp. The entry-level 160kW B05 starts there at the equivalent of $AUD25,000. Don't expect anywhere near that pricing here, but I would be shocked if it wasn't among the cheapest warmed-over hatch offerings.The signs here are good, and it seems the combination of Chinese battery and manufacturing know-how and European ride and handling experience (which is the whole point of the Leapmotor International business, which is 51 per cent owned by Stellantis) looks like it’s about to bear fruit.