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By Jonathan Crouch

Want a lower-mid-sized EV Crossover? Should you consider something different in the form of the Lepas L6 EV? Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 44

Chinese premium brand Lepas enters the EV market with this L6. It's a lower-mid-sized electric crossover with a bit more polish than you might be expecting. If you want lots of kit and smart looks, it might be worth adding to your wish list.

Backgroundword count: 182

It's good to cater to your target market. That's certainly the plan for Chinese premium maker Lepas with this important lower-mid-sized electric crossover model, the L6 EV. This was the company's first BEV model in our market and its second UK design (after the slightly larger L8 PHEV). From a brand that likes to think of its products as being very tailored to our continent. Its motto is 'In Europe. For Europe. Be Europe'. Well the L6 isn't built in Europe and doesn't originate from engineering that's very European. It's actually a rebadged version of a Chinese market model called the Fulwin T7, which is sold by Lepas parent company Chery. And it sits on what's called the LEX platform, which is basically the same as the T1X underpinnings used by another similarly-sized Chery Group family crossover product the Jaecoo 7. That Jaecoo model has become a surprise success here, but it's not offered as an EV. The L6 is primarily an EV (though a PHEV version's also planned). So should you consider it as a credible lower mid-sized EV crossover contender?

Engines and Tech Specword count: 279

Our focus here is on the L6 variant Lepas is launching first, the EV. It's the company's first full-electric model on sale here and bolts to this model's LEX platform an integrated 12-in-1 electric drive system using a front-mounted 217PS motor energised by a 65kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery apparently good for up to 279 miles of range. There's no dual motor AWD alternative, but few likely owners will need that, with the single motor model developing 275Nm of torque and making 62mph in 7.9s en route to 111mph. The brand's keen to stress that this is more than simply another imported Oriental product, the L6 developed for our continent's roads by a dedicated European chassis team, who say they've tuned the electric power steering to the tastes of Western drivers. All the technology you might hope for is built in, including active noise cancelling and a lengthy roster of standard ADAS features. The brand has also worked closely in Europe with braking experts Bosch to develop what it calls 'IBP 2.0' braking technology. This is supposed to refine the sometimes less-than-seamless combination of friction and regenerative braking you get in some other EV models in this segment. An electric brake booster is incorporated and Lepas says there's been a reduction in the pitching sensation you sometimes get in affordable EVs when slowing down sharply. The L6 EV alternative, due later, is a PHEV version which uses the Chery Group's usual Super hybrid powertrain (as used by brands like Jaecoo and Omoda). This sees a 1.5-litre petrol engine, an e-motor and a battery all combined. Lepas claims this PHEV model will manage about 700 miles on a single tank and charge.

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