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Stuff.tv
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Stuff.tv
The Mazda CX-80 is one of the most comfortable cars I've ever reviewed
Stuff Verdict If space is a top priority the Mazda CX-80 is one to watch. Comfort levels are glorious, but there are rivals who pip it to the post in the six- and seven-seater stakes Pros Oodles of room front and back Posh equipment levels and very practical too Relative rarity will probably work in its favour Cons PHEV isn't as refined as the diesel Battery-only range is good but not great A hefty thing to manage in small spaces Introduction After a week spent behind the wheel of the teensy-weensy Leapmotor T03 city car, I've just followed it with seven days in this. The Mazda CX-80 sits at the complete opposite end of the space spectrum, with room for up to seven people to enjoy high levels of comfort. It comes as a plug-in too, so could prove a better option for anyone with a growing family and multiple school run stops than the diesel edition. Mazda's flagship SUV is certainly a beefy proposition. The downside is its bulk, which needs to be carefully managed in less spacious surroundings like multi-storey car parks and tight country lanes. The good news is that driving one is much easier than expected, helped along with sumptuous levels of comfort no matter which row you're in. The 2.5-litre, 323bhp, all-wheel-drive CX-80 I've been testing is a top-of-the-range treat in Homura Plus trim, featuring Mazda's Captain Console 6-seat layout. Need more space? Mazda also offers this sizable SUV with a seven-seat layout, which puts it in the same niche bracket as the Hyundai Santa Fe or Mercedes GLB. Those with less to spend will get the same kind of space with either the very good Peugeot 5008 or excellent Skoda Kodiaq though. How we test cars Every electric car reviewed on Stuff is tested on a range of road surfaces and, where possible, in varying weather conditions. We use our years of experience to compare with rivals and assess ergonomics, technology features and general usability. Manufacturers have no visibility on reviews before they appear online, and we never accept payment to feature products. Find out more about how we test and rate products. The styling The Mazda CX-80 is a smidge under 5 metres long, over 1.7 metres high and has a width of nearly two metres. That sounds colossal when you see it written down, although it doesn't feel that bulky to drive. The styling is typically Mazda, with an agreeable front end that looks the part even if it's not especially interesting. The slab-sides and back-end are similarly dependable, with the odd fleck of chrome trim lifting the look slightly. Out back, the neat twists and turns that make up the tailgate section make this angle the most interesting of the CX-80, I think. Thankfully, high profile tyres helped remove a little of the bulky appearance of my test car and made it less worrying to park near rim-crunching kerbs. The Homura Plus trim level of my test car meant it came fully loaded with lots to make longer journeys effortless and super-comfortable. Lashings of Napa leather, a panoramic sunroof and some cool ambient lighting added to the overall premium feel, as did the gloss black 20in rims on the exterior, which contrasted well with the Rhodium White paintwork. There really is stacks of room inside this SUV too, with its height and panoramic roof offering a cavernous experience even if you're sat in the second row. Seven seat versions are slightly less generous, but the Mazda CX-80 is certainly not miserly with the space quotas in either model variant. The drive I wish I felt a little more enthusiastic about choosing the PHEV version of the Mazda CX-80 over the diesel. However, it isn't a huge amount of fun to pilot. Sure, once it gets going, the SUV trundles along very nicely – but attempting any kind of acceleration over and above the norm is met with lots of frantic revving and a slow uptake in speed. On the other hand, driving the CX-80 using its small battery power is very enjoyable, although range is limited to about 30 miles or so in real world scenarios. There's no disputing the commanding position delivered from behind the wheel though. Views towards the front are impressive, helped with big door mirrors but things are less great looking towards the back. The rearward glass is quite enclosed and not helped by the headrests that pepper the interior. As a result, those mirrors and a reversing camera are essential items for backing in to less generous parking spaces. The quality of the ride is compensated for by the quality interior provided by this car. If it wasn't for those forgiving seats, the Mazda CX-80 would feel quite rough and ready when being bashed by the worst bit of British roads. The thick tyre walls offered some respite from this battering, but overall, the Mazda CX-80 seemed to struggle a bit with our rough and tumble surfaces. However, when it was being nursed around urban streets using EV-only power, the SUV felt much better than when it was fighting that horrible concrete section of the M25. Again, that's good news for the school run crew. The technology The CX-80 strikes a sensible compromise between buttons and screen activity, with one landscape-orientated, 12.3in infotainment area in the middle of the dash. Down below are lots of actual buttons, for climate controls and the like, which is appreciated. I quite liked the mix between traditional and modern. Mazda have got it about right in that respect with a delicious driver display supplemented by a cool head-up offering in my car. Mazda likes to do its own thing when it comes to in-car tech and, a bit like Lexus, the experience looks premium on paper and expectation levels are high. It's not always such a great user experience though. I felt this about the voice control system, which seemed unable to help me get to London Heathrow airport after an unexpected detour due to a road closure. I gave up in the end after trying just 'London' with no luck. Disappointing. Once I'd got my head around the way the system works it wasn't bad; the fonts and overall layout are okay. A big round dial on the centre console let me scroll through and select lots of options in transit and, for the most part, this worked quite well. However, much as I like my Japanese cars, I do think infotainment systems on a lot of them do leave a little bit to be desired. I'm adding the Mazda CX-80 to that list. The adaptive LED headlights on my trim level were impressive, mind, and Mazda has added in a duo of three-pin plug sockets to the CX-80 so laptops and the like can be plugged in for convenience. Elsewhere, my car had wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, lots of Google interactivity and integration with Amazon Alexa if that's your bag. A quick nod of approval to the Bose audio system too, which worked a treat in the cathedral-like confines. Mazda CX-80 verdict I drove a top-of-the-range CX-80, which meant that its price tag was in the region of £55,000. However, lower levels variants are in the £40k ballpark, which is a little more bearable. The upside of spending the extra cash is the premium feel of the interior. That might seem like money well spent but if, as I suspect, the Mazda CX-80 will likely end up ferrying kids around, a cheaper trim level might be a more practical option. Either way, this car feels a lot less bulky to drive than it actually is, but if you're intimidated by the tight parking scenarios found during school run time, it might just be a little too bulky for comfort. Stuff Says… Score: 4/5 If space is a top priority the Mazda CX-80 is one to watch. Comfort levels are glorious, but there are rivals who pip it to the post in the six- and seven-seater stakes Pros Oodles of room front and back Posh equipment levels and very practical too Relative rarity will probably work in its favour Cons PHEV isn't as refined as the diesel Battery-only range is good but not great A hefty thing to manage in small spaces Mazda CX-80 technical specifications Powertrain 2.5-litre petrol motor, plus permanent magnet synchronous motor Battery 17.8kWh Power 323bhp Torque 406lb-ft 0-62mph 8.4sec Top speed 122mph Range 38 miles (EV only) Charge rate 7.2kW Cargo volume 566 litres
Stuff.tv
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Stuff.tv
The pint-sized Leapmotor T03 was such an easy EV to review because it's so brilliantly simple
Stuff Verdict Car snobs might tut, but the Leapmotor T03 is a great value city car with perky performance, manoeuvrability and surprisingly high levels of refinement for very little outlay. Pros Affordable to buy and cheap to run Impressive levels of equipment as standard Easy to drive and even easier to park Cons Small battery and performance struggle on longer runs Touchscreen tech awkward to use on the go Bootspace is a little on the limited side Introduction Simplicity. That sums up the cute little Leapmotor T03 city car in one word. And, when it comes to EVs, being able to get in, press the accelerator and just go is one of the best things about them. The Leapmotor T03 is just such a car, with very little to figure out or set up and not an awful lot to explore either inside or out. The no-fuss small car is one of several new vehicles from Leapmotor, which is a Chinese brand that falls under the giant Stellantis umbrella. Keeping the simplistic vibe going is the price, with the Leapmotor T03 starting at around £16,000. That's not a lot and falls into the same marketplace as something like the Dacia Spring city EV. Initially, I thought the Spring was the better car, but by the end of a week spent behind the wheel of this I wasn't so sure anymore. This little car might be cheap, but it's also quite cheerful in a no-nonsense kinda way. One other simple touch is the way that there are no options when it comes to buying – there's just one model to choose from. The Leapmotor T03 comes as a standard issue, no-frills 36kWh model, which offers just 94bhp to play with. However, this little car comes complete with a decent standard trim level and packs in plenty of tech and convenience features. How we test cars Every electric car reviewed on Stuff is tested on a range of road surfaces and, where possible, in varying weather conditions. We use our years of experience to compare with rivals and assess ergonomics, technology features and general usability. Manufacturers have no visibility on reviews before they appear online, and we never accept payment to feature products. Find out more about how we test and rate products. The styling Considering this is a £16K-ish car, the Leapmotor T03 comes very nicely appointed. The finish and trim specification makes it seem like rather good value. The design lines aren't going to win it any awards, but the styling is focused firmly on practicality. There are some embellishments that take things up a notch, like the 15in alloys and panoramic sunroof impressing me with their quality look and feel. My test car arrived in a fairly innocuous colour, which didn't really do the little Leapmotor T03 any favours. To be fair, it is a slightly odd-looking thing, mainly from the front with those curiously shaped headlights framing a blanked out grille. Big door mirrors are a bonus though and these make parking a doddle, which is an obvious boon for a city car. I think I preferred the perky rear end, with a tailgate opening that's quite high off the ground. Meanwhile, the interior of the Leapmotor T03 is a very meat 'n' potatoes experience. Sure, it's quite comfortable – but there is, unsurprisingly, lots of scratchy plastic in evidence. Perfect for an around town, family car that is probably going to get lots of things spilt or smeared over the cockpit coverings. Everything feels quite robust though and I was really pleased with the view out thanks to lots of glass all the way around. A short, stubby bonnet makes it ideally suited for nervous drivers too. Space levels are not bad either, with the seats in the back being more than acceptable for a 3.5-metre or so car. The boot hiding behind that tailgate is a little on the tight side, which isn't helped due to the narrow bottom half of the design cramping its style somewhat. Fine for an average-sized weekly shop, however. The drive I quite liked the way I could jump into the Leapmotor T03 and do virtually nothing to any of the controls and just drive it. That, to me, is an ideal city car that requires minimal supervision and very little effort. Dig a little deeper and the T03 has quite a lot to offer; the catch is that most of the options are buried inside the small touchscreen on the dash. Drive is engaged using a column selector and the cabin itself is accommodating enough with decent seats and an upright driving position. Press the power button and the little T03 springs into action. It's immediately obvious that this car is perfect for tight around-town situations, with nimble steering and an excellent turning circle. Get up to speed on the open road though and it does struggle a little bit, especially in Standard mode. However, there are Comfort and Sport drive options too, with the latter adding a little friskiness into the mix. Of course, the downside to having any fun is the way the battery life ebbs away quite rapidly. This is a car with a small battery. Even charging it up to 99 percent, I couldn't get the dash to register anywhere near the supposed 165-mile top-end range. The good news, though, is the T03 can be charged really quickly, and I love the power port hidden in the grille of the car. I feared the worst for a 100-mile each way journey to the airport in the Leapmotor T03, but it worked a treat – albeit in a slightly sedate fashion. I stopped to charge twice on the way up, but that meant I was able to get back home again without stopping and still had 35 miles range left. Motorways are not its ideal habitat, but the Leapmotor got the job done without fuss. The technology Being a Chinese product, the emphasis is very much on touchscreen tech. However, it's necessary to dig through the various menu options, ideally before setting off, to get the best from what is on offer. I was quite surprised with just how many customisation options there were hiding inside the screens of this little car. Some are more obvious than others, while changing anything whilst in motion is not a great idea. It all works, but isn't especially intuitive with a patchy sat-nav system for good measure. There was a little bugginess in evidence and the visual experience isn't everything it could be, but doubtless Leapmotor engineers will read the reviews and quickly tweak the UX in due course. The 8in driver's display is cool, while the 10in screen on the dash is where the bulk of the options sit. It's alright to look at but the menu layouts were a little busy and hard to work through unless I parked up. For example, on the motorway I had to give up on the climate controls and just put up with a draft until the next services. Leapmotor T03 verdict One thing I did notice while driving the Leapmotor T03 was how much so many UK drivers liked to bully and push it around. I was cut up, tailgated and generally frowned upon by more than a few motorists. I can see why the Leapmotor T03 gets under people's skin as it looks slow and appears likely to be owned by a pensioner. A sweeping generalisation I know, but it certainly felt like that. So, a bit like the Honda Jazz, there seems to be a perception about this car and it's worth bearing that in mind. Try it though; it's fun and, like I say, simple. Stuff Says… Score: 4/5 Car snobs might tut, but the Leapmotor T03 is a great value city car with perky performance, manoeuvrability and surprisingly high levels of refinement for very little outlay. Pros Affordable to buy and cheap to run Impressive levels of equipment as standard Easy to drive and even easier to park Cons Small battery and performance struggle on longer runs Touchscreen tech awkward to use on the go Bootspace is a little on the limited side Leapmotor T03 technical specifications Powertrain Permanent magnet synchronous motor Battery 37.3kWh Power 93bhp Torque 117lb-ft 0-62mph 12.7sec Top speed 80mph Range 165 miles Maximum charge rate 48kW Cargo volume 210 litres
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
I drove seven electric cars in one day – one surprising vehicle blew me away
Electric cars are steadily becoming more and more popular as the UK becomes more eco-friendly and petrol prices refusing to go down. But venturing into the market for your first EV can be daunting with a range of questions needing answering. How much should you spend? How far should the car be expected to go on one charge? I'm as interested as any in the new wave of EVs and had the chance to test seven in one single day at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Trader's annual test day at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedford. In short, it is an opportunity for journalists to reacquaint, or in my case get to know, a whole host of cars currently on sale in the UK today. I managed to get behind the wheels of the Hyundai Inster, Mini Aceman, MG S5, Ford Explorer, Leapmotor T03, BYD Sealion, and Ford Mach E Rallye. My previous experience of electric cars up until this point had been two iterations of the brilliant Porsche Taycan, the Mercedes EQA SUV, and it's bigger brother the EQC. As a result, the test day was a good time to put a few more learnings through my head, shoulders, knees, toes, and bottom. With the number of electric cars on the rise in the UK, it's probably a good idea to actually drive a few of them. Top of the list of the electric cars I drove that day was the second cheapest of the septet, the Hyundai Inster. The Hyundai Inster is a small city car whose starting price is just over £23,000. Think of it as like Hyundai's electric equivalent of Fiat's relaunch of the 500 in the 2000s. It's a small car designed for cities with eye-catching looks and a funky interior; it's not designed to break land speed records, just take to the shops and maybe the occasional long journey. On Millbrook's alpine handling course's ever tightening turns and cambered sweeps it certainly ticked the fun box with a battery that, at its smallest is 42kWh, but can be given 49kWh if you opt for a more expensive model. The main competitors for this car are the likes of the Dacia Spring and Citroen e-C3, vehicles which I admittedly haven't tested yet. I loved how brave the interior of Inster was with its mix of tactile surfaces and buttons alongside the various storage options available. I was repeatedly reminded of Fiat's relaunch of the Fiat 500 in the early-2000s, and whilst that car divided opinion, it sold in the bucketload because of it's handling, personalisation, and fun looks. I think Hyundai may have pulled off the same it wasn't the only intriguing electric car there. The Leapmotor T03 is currently the cheapest electric car on sale in the UK with prices starting at just over £15,000. Every single time I was out in a car, there was a Leapmotor gamely making an appearance somewhere, although this may have had something to do with the fact there were three of them. Leaping aboard the Leapmotor it was easy to see why it was as relatively cheap as sold, although you could get superior cars for the same money on the second hand car market. Being so small, it was certainly nimble, but describe it as anything other than 'briefly brisk' would be too complimentary on its performance. It's not designed to go up against the Taycan or BMW i4, it's designed for those who want an accessible entry into the EV world. Accessible it is, but one can't help but feel the money would be better spent on a nearly-used petrol or hybrid car that was bigger. Speaking of bigger, the Ford Explorer SUV, the Blue Oval's electrified family vehicle that I reviewed for the Mirror. It felt large and comfortable; but lacking in seat support that meant one didn't feel entirely gripped during tight manoeuvring. It has a solid platform though which felt flat and level during said manoeuvring, particularly if a pothole was encountered or sudden stop required. From a technological perspective, the battery size ranges from 52kWh all the way up to 79kWh with the former coming in rear-wheel drive form and the latter in four-wheel drive guise. On the road, there was good visibility thanks in large part to your raised driving position. A potential rival to the Ford Explorer is the also very red MG S5, the Anglo-Chinese's company latest attempt at an SUV product. After the ready success of its other SUV products the MG ZS and HS, the S5 EV was actually a bit of a surprise for how stable and firm it felt. Unlike other electric cars, it has some genuine steering feel and you have a good idea as to what all four wheels are doing. I came back from it slightly charmed, and realised it would be tough choice between it and the Ford if it came to it. Just like the MG, the BYD Sealion is Chinese and it was the first electric car that I have ever driven. Unlike the others, this was a genuine competitor to the Porsche Taycan and one of the highest performance electric saloons money can buy. On the inside it had two massive touch screens and a few buttons on the steering wheel to ease your way into the experience. On the road, the amount of power was clear and evident. It's certainly a vehicle that would win the traffic light grand prix if given a chance and took to turns with a high degree of alacrity even if the steering was a little vague for my liking, but that's just a personal preference. The final two electric cars to name were both from established brands, but very different in what they were trying to achieve. The Mini Aceman is another family SUV, a sort-of electric version of the Mini Countryman that we've become familiar with. It's got short overhangs front and rear that should help with parking and comes with MINI's new interior styling that includes a new chunky steering wheel from BMW (who own MINI). However, unlike the BMW 1 Series, this thick device felt at home in this family vehicle. All controls are directed through a touchscreen only central circular binnacle. Through it you can choose moods and tune to the car's radio etc. There's also a head of up display if you don't want to constantly move your head to the left to see how fast you're going. Despite the eccentricities there were two major surprises. The first was how well it handled and how much confidence one felt when the road got twisty, it cornered flat, but communicated you enough to let you know how much grip you had and where. The second was rather more surprising, it played piano music whenever you hit the accelerator. I'm not joking, when you pressed your right foot down, music emanated from the speakers, rising to a crescendo if accelerating from a slow speed. I've never had this in a car, and although it would be charming, I can't help but feel you'd be begging to find the way to turn it off after a few weeks. All in all, a good effort if you can find the silencer. The final car, the Ford Mach E Rallye, is a special run of cars from Ford. It's based on their Mustang SUV and can best be thought of Ford applying the knowhow from the World Rally Championship to a family SUV. As a such, this was on treaded tyres and came with a cue rear wing and raised suspension. It's hard then, to put this in the same category as the other cars given how bespoke it is, but it was great to an experience an electric car probably not designed with mass market appeal in mind. It's important we imbue electric cars with a sense of fun and the Mach E Rallye achieved that. All in all, it was a productive day getting behind the wheel of several electric cars, and whilst the Hyundai Inster took the day, it was evidence that the world of electric cars in the UK is not without it's varied and interesting choice.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Stellantis halts Leapmotor EV production in Poland
Stellantis has halted production for the Leapmotor T03 electric vehicle (EV) at its Tychy plant in Poland as of 30 March 2025, reported Reuters. The company is considering alternative production options within Europe for the Leapmotor vehicles, though specific details have not been disclosed. In a statement quoted by the news agency, the company said it 'is no longer assembling Leapmotor's T03 model at the Tychy plant, in Poland, since March 30'. 'While the company remains fully engaged in the launch of Leapmotor vehicles in Europe, at the moment it is evaluating different production options," Stellantis said. The discontinuation of the T03 model assembly was initially reported by Les Echos, a French newspaper. Stellantis, however, has not specified the reasons behind the decision to halt production of the T03. A person with knowledge of the matter was cited by Reuters as saying that there are currently no plans to resume T03 production in Europe. Instead, Stellantis and Leapmotor aim to transition to A-series models, expected to be manufactured outside China starting in 2026. In 2024, Stellantis and Leapmotor decided against producing the B10 electric crossover in Poland. This decision followed confidential advisories from the Chinese government, which urged automakers to hold off on substantial investments in European nations that supported additional EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs. Poland was among the EU countries that supported the imposition of tariffs while Spain, which had abstained from the EU tariff vote, is now emerging as the preferred location for manufacturing the Leapmotor B10 electric vehicle. Stellantis holds a 51% stake in the Leapmotor International joint venture, possessing exclusive rights for the export, sale, and manufacturing of Leapmotor EVs outside of China. "Stellantis halts Leapmotor EV production in Poland" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Leasys UK expands EV rental fleet with Leapmotor models
Leasys UK, a multi-brand operational leasing company, has expanded its electric vehicle (EV) rental fleet with the addition of new models from Leapmotor, part of the Stellantis Group. The introduction of the T03 and C10 models by Leasys UK offers customers an expanded range of long-term rental options for EVs. The Leapmotor T03 is a compact urban EV with a range of up to 165 miles. It comes with all features as standard and is available from £236 ($305) per month on Business Contract Hire, with an initial rental of £1,416. The C10, a larger model, offers a range of up to 261 miles and advanced safety features, with pricing starting at £317 per month and an initial rental of £1,902. Leasys UK said the expansion aligns with its goal of reaching a fleet of one million vehicles by 2026. Leasys UK managing director Shane Coomber said: 'As we work to increase the appeal of electric vehicles, this new product range further enhances our EV customer offering and experience, as we look to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.' Leasys is a joint venture between Stellantis and Crédit Agricole Personal Finance & Mobility. The company offers mobility solutions, which range from medium and long-term rentals to management systems for company fleets. "Leasys UK expands EV rental fleet with Leapmotor models" was originally created and published by Motor Finance Online, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
