Leapmotor is getting ready for a rather substantial product offensive in our market, starting with the Leapmotor B05, which is set to arrive in Australia somewhere between July and September this year.
Leapmotor B05 (in China) the Lafa 5 is referred to as “the ** Lafi 5” and this version driven here is the warmer laf A 5 Ultra 500“. Compared to the standard Lafa 5 lineup with more power, a sportier body, larger wheels, more driver-assistance hardware and higher level of cabin equipment, it is above the regular LaFa 5.
Although the Leapmotor B05 is supposedly known as it in Australia, pricing and specifications are still to be confirmed. That’s whether we’ll get the regular B05, the Ultra or both (as we suspect) – that is what it means to .
The B05, a product that looks like the best looking Leapmotor to date from outside, is easily the most attractive thing. This is a super-sleek European style that gives us clues to Volkswagen Golf at the front and Cupra’s design language at back, but being different enough to distinguish itself from others.
It has design elements of other Leapmotor models, but seems unrequited by trying to keep the family face of the brand intact – and for better.
The Leapmotor B05 is marketed in Australia, and we think it will be pretty decent appeal if Stellantis can get the price of its Lean anti-virus right.’ In what is now a relatively small segment of electric hatchback market that has become largely an isolated niche for consumers to buy from as well as being considered very attractive?
It’s part of the market well and truly based on the once-super popular MG4 (the flagship X Power version, which is in line with the B05 Ultra) that has been replaced by other models such as the new GAC Aion U.S. Dolphin; to a lesser extent the next Geely EX2, and the Cupra Born, currently in hiatus here.
The B05 was a short drive of the phraser for our rather long trip to proving ground some 2. Unlike most Chinese automakers, which are strangely horrified by Western media driving a vehicle unsupervised, Leapmotor handed over keys to the Ultra 500 for us to do what we want 5 hours out of Shanghai.
We drove the car all the way to its top speed (170km/h), braked as hard as we could, and did our absolute best unsettle it and falter it. And while other Leapmotor models we drove certainly felt the punishment (those reviews will follow), the B05 Ultra was the best sorted of its new product line and a real surprise.
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How much does the Leapmotor B05 cost?
No announcement has been made about the Leapmotor B05’s price, which is being priced at Australian levels. The average Lafa 5 in China starts at 97,800 and the more powerful Ultra from – before launch discounts begins with ‘123,600‘. It’s a good idea that when the car launches in Australia later this year we think you could add about $10,000 to the AUD equivalent of the Chinese price.
| Model | Price in China | Approx. AUD equivalent |
| — | — | — |
| Leapmotor Lafa 5 | ¥97,800-121,800 | A$19,900-A$24,700 |
| Leapmotor Lafa 5 500 Ultra | ¥123,800 | A$25,100 |
| Leapmotor Lafa 5 600 Ultra | ¥129,800 | A$26,400 |
What is the Leapmotor B05 like on the inside?
If you jump inside the Leapmotor B05 is like a Chinese EV, it’s typical of an English ev. A 14-year-old is also included in the regular B05 and the Ultra, both of which are a 14-14-point . 6-inch 2 – 6 inch 2. Infotainment touchscreen 5K infotanment and an 8. A 8-inch digital instrument display is a . The layout, menu system and overall feel of all these Chinese vehicles is very similar to what you will find in many other Chinese cars (many of which also run the same operating system) with these two screens.
I like the way it’s laid out and how to use it, but also makes it hard to figure out what Chinese EV you are in sometimes. The good news is the infotainment system and the operating system that powers it are super-reliable, fast and easy to use. But they’re truly a generation (if not two) ahead of what most Japanese brands sell.
Some are annoyed by the fact that some people find the climate controls at the bottom of the screen, but since it is now a permanent place to sit whatever else is on display, this shouldn’t be incredibly important.
All the seats in our car were so comfortable, and everything we touched was good. What is a good impression when you jump in on something the Chinese do really, really well? What is the best thing about everything that looks great and everything feels good to touch and press, but who knows how long will it take for shine and surface quality?
If you jump into an Uber with 300,000km under its belt to be fair (as in the case of parts and suppliers in China), it’s probably a bit unfair that products from Leapmotor would have been any different.
In the car, we even drove a B05 Ultra with ‘the toy cat built into the passenger side of our vehicle’ (which is the most effective way we have ever seen in order to reduce legroom) The size of the B05 made it closer to something like a Volkswagen Golf than Yaris’ light hatch. The Ultra is slightly longer and lower than the standard B05, but both share the same 2735mm wheelbase and underpinnings of a single machine.
From a design and tech point of view, the seats in the Ultra are sportier with seemingly different trims available; however, while it is an ultra that steps up to ‘a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip for the infotainment’ (the regular B05 uses – 8155 chips as standard) its own.
The Snapdragon 8295 hardware and 8650 hardware upgrade for both variants are available. The first time in automotive history (so far as we know) would be a computer processing unit upgrade on. But somehow we doubt Australian-owned cars will have that option.
| Specification | B05 | B05 500 Ultra | B05 600 Ultra |
| — | — | — | — |
| Body style | 5-door, 5-seat electric hatchback | 5-door, 5-seat sporty electric hatchback | 5-door, 5-seat sporty electric hatchback |
| Length | 4430mm | 4490mm | 4490mm |
| Width | 1880mm | 1880mm | 1880mm |
| Height | 1520mm | 1510mm | 1510mm |
| Wheelbase | 2735mm | 2735mm | 2735mm |
| Kerb weight | 1580-1680kg | 1665kg | 1750kg |
| Boot capacity | 435L | TBC | TBC |
| Boot capacity, rear seats folded | 1400L | TBC | TBC |
What’s under the bonnet?
conventional sense, nothing in the traditional sense of . According to the company’s new LEAP 3 it is a pure-electric hatchback, Leapmotor B05. The 5 Pure Electric Platform is a parody of the phrase “Poselectr” in its entirety.
Regular B05 is supplied with rear-mounted electric motors of 132kW/220Nm or 160kW/240NM (Australia will likely only receive the higher-spec 160K version as base model), and the Ultra increases power output to 180kW.
The 500 Ultra uses a 56.2kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, while the 600 Ultra uses a larger 67.1kWh pack.
The standard B05 is the only confirmed word for Australia at this stage, with the Ultra 500 on the cards and no word yet on 600.
| Specification | B05 | B05 500 Ultra | B05 600 Ultra |
| — | — | — | — |
| Platform | LEAP 3.5 Pure Electric Platform | LEAP 3.5 Pure Electric Platform | LEAP 3.5 Pure Electric Platform |
| Drivetrain | Rear-motor electric | Rear-motor electric | Rear-motor electric |
| Drive type | Rear-wheel drive | Rear-wheel drive | Rear-wheel drive |
| Motor type | Permanent magnet synchronous motor | Permanent magnet synchronous motor | Permanent magnet synchronous motor |
| Power | 132kW / 160kW | 180kW | 180kW |
| Torque | 220Nm / 240Nm | 320Nm | 320Nm |
| Battery chemistry | Lithium iron phosphate | Lithium iron phosphate | Lithium iron phosphate |
| Battery capacity | 43.9kWh / 56.2kWh / 67.1kWh | 56.2kWh | 67.1kWh |
| Claimed range | 515km / 605km – CLTC | 500km – CLTC | 600km – CLTC |
| 0-100km/h | 7.9-8.9 seconds | 5.9 seconds | 6.2 seconds |
| Top speed | 150-160km/h | 170km/h | 170km/h |
| Energy consumption | 11.9-12.5kWh/100km | 13.2kWh/100km | 13.2kWh/100km |
| Charging architecture | 800V | 800V | 800V |
| DC fast-charge time | Approx. 18min, 30-80 per cent | Approx. 19min, 30-80 per cent | Approx. 19min, 30-80 per cent |
| Claimed 100-0km/h braking distance | TBC | 36.01m | 36.01m |
range figures are based on China’s CLTC test cycle, which is generally more generous than WLTP. Any Australian-delivered B05 would probably be quoted with a different testing standard.
How does the Leapmotor B05 Ultra drive?
Only the Ultraversion of a B05 were we on an even smooth proving ground in China for our s. Our attempts to sway the balance of our car, we did everything we could and push it all the way up into its top speed over and over to see if it would falter.
To put it in a succinct way, it’s not Volkswagen Golf-like in its dynamic capability and the steering isn’t as sharp or responsive as we would like from heaviest hatch but all in all of it (bloody fun thing to drive) is what makes driving so hard.
It should be a pretty quick car to drive with 180kW of power and 320Nm of torque from ‘back-mounted motors’, but the 0-100km/h claim is 5 (i.e. I think 9 seconds is no one near what we got with the car loaded up with four adults.
Then we just smashed nine seconds, which was a little disappointing and probably due to degrading of the battery after too much use (Leakmotor had only eapmotor tested some B05s by world’s automotive media back-to-back), or it is simply not as fast as Leapromp motor says it should be. If we are waiting for the car to arrive in Australia, we will have to wait until that claim is tested again.
The top speed of B05 Ultra was 170km/h (a few runs) We hit the brake pedal and slapped on it returned a very nice feel, but Leapmotor’s claim that there were 36 km/ha is pretty shocking. A. test of 01-metre 100-0km/h braking distance was not tested for the use of , which is also known as an 110-metre 10.
In the slalom test and on the dynamic course provided, we can say that B05 Ultra was unexpectedly good and fun. It was a good corner and, with its rear-drive nature it made fun to drive as well as being ‘happy to be driving.
While it may not be as finnish, balance and outright acceleration as the MG4 X Power can do, it should be a good candidate to compete with its popular Chinese rival.
The biggest question that has not been answered is how this chassis tunetranslates to Australian roads. We were driving cars that were adapted for the Chinese market, not the European/Australian-spec vehicles we will receive.
What do you get?
Final Australian equipment for the B05 hasn’t been confirmed.
The Ultra, based on the supplied China-market specifications, adds performance, larger wheels, an improved cockpit chip, LiDAR-based driver-assistance hardware and more front-seat comfort features according to the higher-level package.
| Equipment | B05 | B05 500 Ultra | B05 600 Ultra |
| — | — | — | — |
| 14.6-inch 2.5K infotainment touchscreen | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| 8.8-inch digital instrument display | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Snapdragon 8155 cockpit chip | Standard | No | No |
| Snapdragon 8295 cockpit chip | Optional | Standard | Standard |
| Snapdragon 8650 cockpit chip | Optional | No | No |
| Leapmotor Pilot | Available | Standard | Standard |
| LiDAR | Optional | 128-line LiDAR | 128-line LiDAR |
| Front seat heating | No | Standard | Standard |
| Front seat ventilation | No | Standard | Standard |
| Front seat massage | No | Standard | Standard |
| 18-inch wheels/tyres | 225/45 R18 | No | No |
| 19-inch wheels/tyres | No | 225/45 R19 | 225/45 R19 |
Is the Leapmotor B05 safe?
A safety rating of 0 (Australian and European) is not currently available for the Leapmotor B05. As long as the safety equipment for final Australian remains unconfirmed, it would be premature to list any local safety features as standard.
How much does the Leapmotor B05 cost to run?
Like other Leapmotor models in Australia, we think the B05 will be backed by an eight-year, 150,000km warranty and its high-voltage battery pack should be covered under an 8- year,160,000km Warranty.
The B05 will be equipped with an eight-year roadside assist and capped-price service program, pricing for which is yet to be confirmed, and logbook servicing would likely take place every 12 months or 20,000km (whichever comes first). The Leapmotor B10 small electric SUV is very reasonable for the price, but just under $3000 for eight years of service and a half-year period.
childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Leapmotor B05 Ultra
Interestingly, the Leapmotor B05 Ultra isn’t only another front-wheel drive electric hatch just yet and it’s an interesting one. A nice car inside and out is a really good looking car,” said .
The B05 may be attracting a whole new audience that would take ‘the Chinese brand just on looks alone, and even though rivals from brands such as MG and BYD are good value but lack the European design.
In paper, it combines rear-wheel drive, multi-link rear suspension, a claimed 5050 weight distribution and ‘5’. Priced with a very sharp look in China, 9-second 0-100km/h claim with pricing that looks so fine. It asks whether that will be translated to Australia by .
A short proving ground drive is enough to prove that it can be effective, but not sufficient to make a definitive verdict on ride comfort, refinement, efficiency, charging or driver-assistance calibration in real-world local conditions.
The B05 Ultra will be a credible competitor for more established compact electric hatches, but it could well prove Leapmotor’s rival with the right chassis tune and an appropriate equipment at hefty price.
So for now, it’s a one to watch and one we look forward to driving properly on twisty Aussie roads before making.
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