Its…ok.

It really is. Nothing special, but coming from a 1.6 diesel Ford Mondeo this feels practically space age. Looks good from the front and side, rear seems high. No frunk (front trunk), 300+ litre rear boot space, its not massive but is deep. Big enough if you’re not going on holdiay in it. 19inch wheels are nice. Interior is surprisingly roomy and of all the circa 30,000 pounds Chinese cars I’ve tried (Jaecoo, Omoda, Cherry, Xpeng, MG, Deepal) this definitely has the best build quality and spec for the money. Lots of tech, heated seats and wheel. Touch screen is big, responsive and easy to use. Its fine. Some controls can be assigned to tactile buttons on the steering wheel. Interior colours are a combo of grays and more grays, dull, but the faux leather is very nice and again feels well made. Full glass roof adds element of space and can be closed to any degree. Handles ok, surprisingly spongey, but in a good way. I leave the steering on sport as it gives the most feedback. Smaller UK roads are notoriously poor and i live in a relatively rural area. The seats afford more comfort and do the suspension a favor. Leapmotor claim 0 to 60 of 6.6. With launch control in sport mode, it is way faster close to 5. It is seriously quick. ADAS safety features are a pain, but can all be turned off. Range is just south of 300 miles or 480 freedom units. Battery charges from 10 to 80 % in 18 mins on a fast charger. Rear wheel drive and decent handling mean you can chuck it around, but it does roll a lot. Feel like they could have put 18inch rims on it and dropped the ride height.

Its hard to say if this a hot hatch. Having owned a few I’d say no. Its certainly quick enough, but doesnt have the stiffness or theatre in looks or sound to be one. What it is, is a very well equipped, well built, decently quick and comfy, cheap to buy and run small family car.