Leapmotor B10 vs Mitsubishi Triton

What's the difference?

I’ll be a shame if the B10 doesn’t sell well, because it doesn’t suffer from many of the downfalls of its compatriots and its price is extremely competitive for what you get.

As a comfortable smallish SUV, it meets par, and it’s on the better side of tech when it comes to cars from China, and it doesn’t have any major on-road red flags.

You really wouldn’t be disappointed with this having paid $40K, just skip the base model and go for the Design.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Apart from its distracting driver attention monitor, we can't see any major flaws that would detract from this vehicle’s comfort, practicality and performance when serving as either a utilitarian 4x4 workhorse or back-to-basics 4x4 dual cab for adventures off the beaten track.

Right after we praise the B10 for its value, we need to talk about its looks. A slight drop in tone as the second Leapmotor to land in Australia looks an awful lot like the first, and it’s relatively bland.

It’s not ugly, but it’s not particularly inspiring and there’s not much character to this little electric SUV.

It’s got a very upright silhouette at the front with a slightly sloping roofline at the rear, so the overall shape is appealing, but the lack of distinct features makes the B10 an anonymous commuter for now, especially with its similarities to the C10.

You can tell them apart by the C10’s slightly larger size if they’re near each other, or the B10’s more in-line headlight bar, where the C10’s have a ‘droop’ at the sides.

The large section of black at the lower half of the front is also unappealing, though darker colours like the optional 'Starry Night Blue' or 'Dawn Purple' (both $990) blend into it better than standard 'Light White'.

To its credit, at least the B10 doesn’t fall victim to the design crutch of adding trim and plastic for no reason.

In terms of the specifics, the B10 is 4515mm long, 1885mm wide and 1665mm tall with a 2735mm wheelbase, making it quite the large small SUV.

Inside, the cabin looks and feels roomy thanks to the test car’s light interior, decent windows and the light from the sunroof, as well as the fact the EV powertrains are compact and generally don’t interfere with cabin space.

Materials aren’t all scratchy hard plastic, though it is dotted around, and the general look of the B10 inside feels more premium than its price would have you thinking, despite the simplicity of the layout and design.

Our test vehicle rides on a compact 3130mm wheelbase and is 1865mm wide and 1795mm tall, which combined with a 12.4-metre turning circle makes it agile and easy to manoeuvre both on and off-road.

Speaking of which, its all-terrain credentials include 228mm of ground clearance, a useful 30.4 degrees approach angle (without bull-bar) and 23.4 degrees ramp breakover angle, with the departure angle dependent on the type of tray fitted. These numbers would be more than adequate for accessing rugged worksites.

Its front suspension is double-wishbone with coil-springs, paired with a robust leaf-spring live rear axle. Brakes are front discs and rear drums and it has electric power-assistance for the rack and pinion steering.

Looks are subjective of course but we reckon it has a robust and purposeful appearance in cab-chassis form, particularly with the accessories fitted to our example.

Chrome is all but extinct in its predominantly grey interior. However, hard surfaces on the centre console and door-pulls have a synthetic carbon-fibre finish, which adds a touch of style to a low-maintenance cabin that won’t get trashed by spilled coffee or muddy boots.

You also won’t find fancy features like digital instruments (it has analogue speedo/tacho) or an electronic handbrake (this one’s the good old manual lever). Plus there’s physical dials for audio volume/tuning and ‘piano key’ buttons for the cabin’s climate control, which ensures no distracting touchscreen prompts when driving.

Getting into the B10 requires a minor annoyance - unlocking and locking the car requires a keycard to be tapped on the drivers’ side mirror like you're scanning to access your floor in a hotel elevator.

There’s an app that adds a fair bit of functionality, but having to whip your phone out ahead of jumping in the car is also irritating.

Once you’re in, though, the space inside the B10 is well laid-out, even if much of its functionality is crammed into the big central touchscreen - it’s always ‘points off’ for a lack of physical buttons in this section of a review.

Once you’re used to it and have sorted out your personal settings on the multimedia software, it becomes more natural and less distracting, though Apple CarPlay and Android Auto would occasionally lag in the car on test.

The good news is they now exist for the brand in the B10, with the Leapmotor C10 still lacking the vital in-car mirroring tech.

The ergonomics and interior space work well, generally, with comfortable pews and good vision, plus decent spaces to keep things out of the way. The phone charger being in a very visible and accessible position might tempt some naughty screen-keen drivers, and being in the sun without a vent for cooling while charging means your phone will get proper hot.

The second row is extremely spacious, belying the fact this car is classified as a small SUV. Oodles of legroom and enough headroom for a tall adult means the B10 outguns rivals in terms of good options for parents (note the B10’s extremely strong 95 per cent child safety score from ANCAP, too) or anyone who needs to cart humans around regularly.

Behind the second row is a 490L boot, which becomes 1475L when the second row is folded down.

There’s space under the floor for cables and messy bits, but unfortunately no spare wheel, just a tyre repair kit, so more points off for that.

With a kerb weight of only 1993kg (without tray) and 3200kg GVM, our test vehicle has a 1207kg payload rating. However, after you add the combined weight of its steel tray and other accessories (417kg), the payload rating is reduced by the same amount to 790kg. Even so, that still leaves a sizeable weight capacity for up to five tradies and their tools.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer but with its 6250kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) the payload would have to be reduced by 450kg (from 790kg to 340kg) to avoid exceeding the GCM.

In real-world use it’s unlikely that many (if any) Triton owners would need to tow 3500kg but it’s important to be across these numbers to avoid overloading, which is dangerous and illegal.

The genuine accessory galvanised steel tray is internally 1650mm long and 1780mm wide. It has a robust checker-plate floor and a tube-frame front bulkhead with sturdy wire-mesh rear window protection.

There’s also swing-up load retainers on top of the tube-frame on each side, which when paired with the matching rear tube-rack accessory provides secure carrying space for extension ladders or long lengths of timber and PVC pipe/conduit.

There’s also external rope/strap rails along each side but like all steel trays we’ve come across there’s no internal load-anchorage points.

The driver and front passenger have access to a bottle holder and storage bin in each front door plus an overhead glasses holder and a large open compartment above the glovebox. The centre console offers more open storage plus two bottle/cupholders in the centre and a usefully-sized box at the back with a lid that doubles as a driver’s elbow rest.

The rear bench seat is comfortable and surprisingly spacious for tall people, given I’m 186cm and when seated behind the driver’s seat when set in my position, I have about 40mm of kneeroom and 60mm of headroom.

There’s also adequate head clearance for those seated in the slightly higher centre position, but the floor’s prominent transmission tunnel requires one boot either side and knees together between the front seat backrests.

And like all dual-cab utes short of a full-size US pick-up, rear shoulder room is squeezy for three adults, which is tolerable for short trips but a maximum of two adults would be ideal for longer drives.

Rear seat storage includes a bottle-holder and bin in each door plus pockets on each front seat backrest. The centre seat’s backrest also folds forward to serve as an armrest with dual bottle/cup-holders.

The bench seat’s base cushion is fixed, so unlike numerous rivals it can’t swing up and be stored vertically if more internal carrying space is required.

The Triton’s cab-chassis list pricing (without tray) starts at $34,490 for the GLX single-cab 4x2 manual and finishes at $61,540 for the premium GSR dual-cab 4x4 auto.

Our GLX test vehicle comes standard with a 2.4-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine (shared by all Tritons) and optional six-speed automatic for $49,490. This pricing is competitive with base-model 4x4 dual-cab-chassis equivalents like the Toyota HiLux Workmate ($48,735), Ford Ranger XL ($49,230) and Isuzu D-Max SX ($51,200).

However, our example is loaded with numerous items from Mitsubishi’s genuine accessories range including a steel tray ($5775), rear ladder rack ($951.42), steel bull-bar ($4755), driving lights ($1295), side-steps ($1750) and 3500kg towing kit/electronic brake controller ($2370).

This desirable ensemble adds almost $17,000 to the price, which with on-road costs would be nudging $70K to drive away. So, buyers must keep their budgets in mind, as it’s easy to get carried away in genuine accessory lolly shops.

Our test vehicle comes standard with 17-inch steel wheels and 265/65R17 all-terrain tyres plus a full-size spare. It also has heavy-duty rear suspension and underbody armour, front/rear parking sensors, reversing camera, tyre-pressure monitoring and more.

The work-focused cabin has wipe-clean fabric seat trim and vinyl floors, power-adjustable driver’s lumbar support, twin 12-volt accessory sockets and USB ports, 7.0-inch driver’s instrument cluster and a four-speaker audio system controlled by a 9.0-inch multimedia screen with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth connectivity.

There’s only one powertrain option for the Leapmotor B10, a single, rear-mounted electric motor that produces 160kW and 240Nm, which makes the electric SUV good for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 8.0 seconds in both variants.

Top speed is a claimed 170km/h, also regardless of the variant.

The Triton’s 2.4-litre four-cylinder diesel engine is equipped with two turbochargers that work in sequence to boost efficiency, with the smaller one providing fast response at low rpm and the larger one optimising performance at higher rpm. The result is 150kW of power at 3500rpm and torque peaking at 470Nm between 1500-2750rpm, using AdBlue to minimise emissions.

It’s paired with a six-speed torque converter automatic that offers the choice of sequential manual shifting, which can be preferable when hauling and/or towing heavy loads, particularly in hilly terrain.

The 4x4 system is dual-range, part-time offering 2H (2WD High Range), 4H (4WD High Range) and 4L (4WD Low Range) controlled by a dial on the centre console. However, you need to step up to the GLX+ to get a rear diff-lock.

Leapmotor claims the B10 will, from its LFP battery of either 56.2kWh for the Style or 67.1kWh for the Design LR, draw 17.2kWh/100km or 17.3kWh/100km, respectively under WLTP testing.

The result is the Style offering up a 361km WLTP-tested driving range, and the Design LR a more useful 434km.

While we were unable to properly confirm this claim on the launch, the trip computer after a mix of highway driving and more spirited back-road testing displayed a figure of 13.5kWh/100km, while the previous 1447km of driving had reportedly measured in at 14.7kWh.

Charging from 30 to 80 per cent takes approximately 20 minutes regardless of spec and battery size. The smaller battery can be charged via DC fast-charging at a maximum 140kW, and the larger at 168kW. Both max out at 11kW under AC charging.

Mitsubishi claims official combined average consumption of 7.7L/100km but the dash display was showing 9.9 at the completion of our 316km test, which included the usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about one third of that distance was hauling its maximum payload.

Our own consumption figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, came in higher again at 10.7L/100km which is on the borderline of the usual 2-3L/100km discrepancy between manufacturer claims and real-world consumption.

So, based on our own numbers, the test vehicle should have a real-world driving range of around 700km from its 75-litre tank.

The Leapmotor B10 was developed with testing at Stellantis’ European proving ground in Italy. This is because despite Leapmotor being its own brand within China, its international operations are a joint-venture between itself and Stellantis.

There are some on-paper shreds of evidence for this, a rear-wheel drive layout and a claimed 50/50 weight distribution help, but get the B10 on the road and it’s clear this isn’t a car that’s relying entirely on price, a long list of features and some showroom shine to sell.

After the initial familiarisation that comes with many new electric cars, particularly from China, the Leapmotor B10 becomes easy to settle into a rhythm with, especially if you turn off some of its more intrusive ADAS features like lane-keep, driver monitoring and speed limit warning. The latter can sometimes get a limit wrong, and though the B10’s chimes aren’t audibly overbearing, they are persistent.

While the B10 doesn’t excel in any areas on the road, it doesn’t fall down significantly in any either.

Its suspension soaks up bumps relatively well, and despite some vibrations on rougher roads the B10 is pretty comfortable. The tyres it rides on as standard, however, are rather noisy, so if there’s an opportunity to swap out the Linglong defaults to something better, we’d advise it.

The tyres also squeal rather quickly when cornering, not necessarily because the B10 is about to let go, but just because the weight of the car appears to be pushing on the front outside tyre in cornering.

The B10 holds up better than\ a family car really needs to in dynamic driving, but we wouldn’t be doing mountain runs or track days in one. 

There’s a little body roll in corners, but not nearly as much as has been in other models riding on the apparently soft suspension preferred in China.

The steering, braking and acceleration all have a mild vagueness to them, but once you’re honed in they’re all predictable. The steering can be adjusted for weight, and its lightest setting is too light, while the acceleration feels lethargic in its lowest setting and too aggressive in its highest.

There’s not a lot of regenerative braking strength, but it’s enough to help regulate speed once you’re used to how mildly it comes in - again, depending on your preferences and settings.

The good news here is that the B10 is easy to drive, and only very serious road bumps on fast corners unsettled it on test - the kind you’d expect to upset any car.

Large assist-handles on the A (and B) pillars, combined with the accessory side-steps on our example, make it easy to climb aboard and find a comfortable driving position.

The unladen ride is firm, as you’d expect given its 6.0-tonne-plus GCM rating, but it’s still supple enough to soak up the bumps without the harsh kidney-belting ride suffered in some cab-chassis one-tonners we’ve tested.

This is no doubt helped by the accessories fitted, which provide more than 400kg of additional sprung weight to engage the heavy-duty rear springs and improve the ride quality. That’s something to keep in mind if you often drive unladen.

The steering is firmly weighted and the brakes have good response, with the rear drums offering a terrier-like bite when the manual handbrake is applied on steep hills with a heavy load on board.

The four-cylinder 2.4-litre diesel, with its sequential turbocharging and strong outputs, provides energetic all-round performance with efficient gearing that ensures its operating within its peak torque band most of the time.

However, at highway speeds it does tend to hold top gear for too long, when the engine has dropped below 1500rpm and is clearly wanting a downshift.

To test its payload rating, we strapped 650kg on the tray which when combined with accessories and crew was right on the weight limit. The stout rear springs compressed only 25mm under this load, leaving ample bump-stop clearance that assured there was no bottoming-out on our test route.

The Triton handled this task with competence, maintaining good performance and chassis stability. It easily hauled this load up our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km set climb at 60km/h, with the six-speed auto self-shifting down to third gear and 2500rpm which was comfortably within its peak torque band. Engine braking on the way down was also commendable.

Our only gripe is the driver distraction monitoring system which is still too reactive in certain situations, like scratching an itch below my eye even though I was looking straight ahead while doing it. Even though Mitsubishi has tried to improve this system, it needs more refinement, as it detracts from an otherwise positive driving experience.

The Triton comes with a five-star ANCAP rating (tested 2024) and a suite of passive and active features highlighted by eight airbags (including side-curtains), auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian/cyclist detection and junction assist, rear AEB when reversing, front/rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, front/rear parking sensors, reversing camera, trailer stability assist and lots more. Rear seat has ISOFIX child-seat anchorages on the two outer rear seating positions and three top-tethers.

The B10’s post-purchase prospects are generally solid, though Leapmotor’s six-year, 160,000km warranty is an area where it falls short of rivals which are offering longer, unlimited kilometre warranties.

The battery is covered for eight years or 180,000km, whichever comes first, which is pretty par for an EV.

Servicing is capped-price for the first eight years, with each service costing $370 on average. The eight-year span makes it pretty appealing, per 12-month interval or every 20,000km.

There are currently 20 dealers across the country, though more are coming, while Leapmotor also offers eight years of roadside service.

It comes with a five-year/100,000km standard warranty, or 10 years/200,000km if serviced at Mitsubishi dealers.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first. Pricing is capped at $6860 for 10 scheduled services up to 10 years/150,000km, or an average of $686 per service.

Mitsubishi currently has more than 200 dealers across its national network that spans metro, rural and regional areas. Mitsubishi dealerships are also service centres.