Leapmotor C10 v Ford Explorer: should you take a punt on this new Chinese SUV?

It hardly seems like a week goes by without a new Chinese car manufacturer setting up shop in Europe – and Leapmotor is one of the latest. But unlike most of them, Leapmotor isn’t going it alone – its European operations are 50% owned by the mammoth Stellantis Group, the same company that operates Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall, Fiat, and many others.

So the Leapmotor C10, the company’s mid-sized electric SUV, has a head-start over most Chinese brands thanks to a ready-made network of dealers. But is the underlying product good enough? That’s what we’re here to find out.

We’re putting it up against the Ford Explorer, a handsome electric car that’s the product of two motoring giants coming together – Ford and Volkswagen. The Explorer is, under the skin, the same car as the Volkswagen ID4, but it’s styled by Ford and has a Ford interior.

The C10’s USP is its value – it comes in one fully-laden trim level, giving you niceties like a panoramic roof, electric seats and a ton of safety equipment, all for several thousand pounds less than the entry-level (and quite Spartan) Ford Explorer. But are you better off spending the extra?

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Leapmotor C10 v Ford Explorer: interior, practicality and technology

The interior of the Leapmotor C10 really demonstrates how new brands, without much heritage, can get away with trying something different with their car interiors. It’s very minimalist, and has the unusual touch of every surface being the same colour even if it’s a different material.

The Ford, by contrast, is a bit more traditional – there’s more of the leather and black plastic trim we’re used to, even if it takes a similar approach to button-free minimalism.

The Leapmotor undoubtedly wins on equipment, as you need to step up to the top-rung ‘Premium’ Explorer to get things like electric seats, a heated steering wheel or a panoramic roof. But the Ford takes the win when it comes to usability – its touchscreen is so much easier to use than the Leapmotor’s, which is a really key attribute when you’re using said screen to control just about all the car’s functions.

Plus, the Leapmotor doesn’t even have Apple Carplay or Android Auto smartphone connectivity, which are pretty much essential these days.

When it comes to space and practicality, it’s tit-for-tat. The Explorer has a much bigger boot, at 470 litres to the C10’s 435, but the Leapmotor hits back with utterly palatial rear legroom.

Leapmotor C10 v Ford Explorer: driving and electric range

The C10 is available with just one battery and electric motor combo. It uses a 218hp motor and a 69.9kWh battery, giving you a claimed range of 263 miles.

By contrast the Explorer has three options – the standard RWD, which gets a 221-mile range and 170hp, the RWD Extended range, with 354 miles and 286hp, and the twin-motor AWD Extended range with 329 miles and 340hp. Real-world range for both cars is less than the claimed figure, of course, but in testing we found the Explorer came closer than the Leapmotor. We could just about eke 300 miles out of the Explorer with a light right foot, but struggled to best 200 in the Leapmotor.

It’s fair to say that the AWD Extended Range Explorer that we had on test felt a fair bit more sprightly than the Leapmotor – but even the basic model is more agile, thanks to its rear-wheel drive chassis and stiffer suspension. The C10, by contrast, accelerates lazily even in its ‘Sport’ setting, and it feels very flobbery when going round corners.

That doesn’t mean the C10 is more comfortable either, as it jolts you over bumps in town that you’d hardly notice in the Explorer.

The C10 has one more detractor when it comes to driving, and that’s the assistance tech. It’s truly dreadful – even on a wide, empty road the C10 bongs and beeps so much you’ll want to put it into a ditch just to shut it up. You need to be parked up to disable most of the systems, too, so if you forget to do it before you drive off you’ll be annoyed until you find a convenient layby. The Explorer’s tech is far, far less irritating.

Leapmotor C10 v Ford Explorer: prices and verdict

The C10 is easy to price up, because there’s only one version and it costs £36,500. The Explorer range is more expensive – prices start at just over £39,000 for a RWD model in entry-level ‘Style’ trim and go to almost £54,000 for an AWD model in the top ‘Premium’ trim. Plus, there are options on top of that, some of which – like a heat pump – feel like they should come as standard.

Our preferred Explorer would be the Extended Range model in the mid-range ‘Select’ trim, which costs nearly £46,000 – a lot of money, but it does feel like it’s worth it even when you consider the uptick over the C10.

The Explorer is actually cheaper to lease, and not too much more expensive on a monthly PCP deal – plus, it’s more efficient, so you’ll save cash at the charger.

If you want something as good as the Ford Explorer but closer to the price of the Leapmotor, you could also check out the Kia EV3 or Skoda Elroq – both start from just over £30,000, but they are physically smaller than the C10. However, unless you have extremely lanky children and so rear legroom is more important to you than anything, the Ford Explorer is a much better buy than the Leapmotor C10.

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