LEPAS is a new brand from Chinese parent company Chery, who also own the Omoda and Jaeco brands. LEPAS aims to provide a premium product whilst providing good value. Think a level up from their Jaeco offerings at a slightly higher price point. The brand name is a portmanteau of Leopard and Passion. 

LEPAS is launching in the UK in September with the L8 PHEV. The L8 is a mid-size SUV, with pricing starting keenly at £34,900. Premium rivals include the BMW X3, Audi Q5, and the Land Rover Defender, all at a considerably higher price point. More mid–tier competitors include the Skoda Kodiaq and VW Tiguan, however these are not so price competitive, especially if you start playing fast and loose with the options list. The L8 keeps things simple with one Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) powertrain and two trim levels, ‘Essence’ and ‘Elevate’. A fully electric Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) model is set to join the UK range next year. We drove the top of the line Elevate model, priced at £37,900.

Exterior design

The L8 is an attractive car, if a little generic. Not an unusual trait with recent Chinese brands as they don’t yet have their own style and heritage to reference. There are elements of Jaguar F–PACE at the front around the headlamps and large front grille. Given the fellow ‘big cat’ reference, this is not unexpected. At the rear there’s a similarity to the Porsche Macan with an attractive full width rear LED lighting design that pinches at the centre. The L8 has been designed and engineered for European tastes and it shows. The L8 was designed by an international team led by European Designer Ivan Dulanovic, whose experience includes working with European brands including Lamborghini and Audi. It’s also great to see a manufacturer have distinctive (not shades of monochrome) paint choices with some very attractive colour options. Overall, it’s cohesive design that hints at premium style.

Interior

The interior is spacious, with priority given to rear leg room over boot capacity. A flat rear floor adds to the feeling of spaciousness, with no annoying hump for middle rear seat passengers to navigate. You could easily seat four tall adults in comfort on a long journey. However, the trade off is that luggage space is smaller than many rivals at just over 500 litres with the seats up (1,300 litres with the 40:60 split-folding rear seats folded). In comparison, the rival 5 seat Skoda Kodiaq has a generous 845 litres of luggage space.

We found the soft faux leather fully electric seats comfortable and simple to adjust, with a standard memory function and massage function, things that would be an expensive option even on premium rivals. Steering is manually adjustable for reach and rake. The interior is dominated by a large portrait central tablet that is used to control settings and functionality. A smaller display placed in front of the driver shows speed and status. The central tablet is floating and links to the centre console via a gentle curve, reminiscent of the latest Porsche SUVs. There’s nothing unique or remarkable here, but real buttons for climate control are a welcome addition. In addition to the screens you can control the L8’s functionality with an AI powered voice assistant by saying ‘Hello LEPAS’. In this pre–production example, the voice control ignored our commands several times on first try when stationary. However, on the move it worked for natural language commands, such as, “I’m cold”, LEPAS duly increased the temperature for us.

Something that is unique at this price point is an integrated in-cabin fragrance system, whilst air quality is enhanced by a Nano-Aqua Ion purification system, helping to maintain a fresher cabin environment. The ambient lighting can also be changed with 256 different colours at your fingertips (we’re not sure quite why anyone would need that level of colour variation though). 

Material quality is good with premium feeling seats, touch points on the upper surfaces of the dashboard and doors. Hard scratchy plastic is found lower down, certainly not unusual at this price and segment. Many premium manufacturers are also guilty of this in a drive to cut costs and increase profits, so perfectly acceptable here. The overall interior ambience is pleasantly premium.

Driving

LEPAS have worked hard to engineer the L8 for European driving expectations. This is reasonably successful with good body control and damping. SUVs at this price point and type are never going to be the last word in dynamic excitement or ability. As a result, we feel that they’ve reached a good balance between dynamic control and comfort. Steering feel is typical of a modern electric power steering set up, not much in the way of feel, but positive and easy without being overly light. We were told that the engineering teams paid particular attention to tune the steering to ensure that there is the right level of weight. Braking is strong without being overly sensitive, although there was some slight PHEV regeneration inconsistency in the pedal feel at times. The L8 has a full compliment of safety and autonomous driving assistance, which will frustrate or delight depending on your confidence as a driver. Turning them off means prodding into sub–menus on the large tablet screen on this pre–production car. Quick to react to feedback, LEPAS have already suggested that they are working on giving the driver the ability to turn off all the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems in one go from the home screen soon. 

Overall, we feel that for the majority of customers looking for a versatile cost competitive SUV, the L8 strikes a good balance for everyday driving.

The L8 PHEV is powered by a hybrid system, combining a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an automatic transmission and 18.4kWh battery. The hybrid system automatically selects the most efficient method of propulsion according to driving conditions, battery state and driver demand. Three operating modes are available: Pure EV; Series Hybrid where petrol engine drives a generator, supplying electricity to the battery and electric motor without directly driving the wheels; Parallel Hybrid–Engine and electric motor work together to deliver a blend of performance and efficiency. The L8 also incorporates Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology, enabling it to supply up to 6.6kW of external power through the appropriate adaptor. Clever stuff.

LEPAS say the powertrain offers a combined driving range of up to 745 miles, with a pure electric range of up to 56 miles. Combined fuel economy is rated at 403.5mpg, while CO₂ emissions are just 21g/km, making the L8 an attractive proposition for both private and business users. (According to WLTP testing cycle, so real economy may vary). Generating 279PS (205kW), the L8 accelerates from 0-62mph in a respectable 7.9 seconds.

Safety

An advanced body structure and comprehensive suite of driver assistance technologies, the L8 has been engineered to help protect occupants, pedestrians and other road users. At the heart of the L8 is the latest LEX Intelligent New Energy Vehicle Platform, designed to meet and exceed demanding global safety standards. Additional protection comes from a comprehensive 10-airbag system, including full-length side curtain airbags and a dedicated driver's knee airbag. We are told that Euro NCAP testing is due in the coming months.

A raft of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems is standard including: Collision avoidance, with Autonomous Emergency Braking, front and rear; Lane assistance, incorporating Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Departure Prevention and Emergency Lane Keeping; Adaptive Cruise Control; Blind spot and rear traffic monitoring; and Rear Traffic Cross Alert and braking.

Equipment

Standard equipment is generous even on ‘Essence’ trim models. For around £3,000 extra, ‘Elevate’ adds front parking sensors; 540° Panoramic Camera System; Advanced Parking Assist; Remote Parking Function; SONY Premium 8-Speaker Audio System; Power-Adjustable Front Seats; Leather-Effect Upholstery; Hands-Free Power Tailgate; Lumbar Support; Heated, Ventilated and Massage Front Seats; Heated Front Windscreen; 256-Colour Ambient Interior Lighting; In-Cabin Fragrance System; Rear Seat Fold-Out Table; Nano-Aqua Ion Air Purification System; Active Engine Noise Cancellation.

LEPAS propose that although they are a new automotive brand, they enter the UK market with an ambitious dealer network expansion programme with 60 signed dealerships by the end of the year, ensuring the vast majority of UK motorists are within around one hour of their nearest LEPAS showroom and service centre. Every LEPAS retailer will operate as a full-service dealership, offering sales, servicing, maintenance and warranty support under one roof. Additionally, LEPAS customers can also have their vehicle serviced and maintained through the wider OMODA, JAECOO and Chery authorised service network, providing access to a broader network of approved workshops across the UK.

A national parts distribution operation, with three UK parts centres and a logistics partnership with DHL enabling genuine LEPAS parts to be delivered anywhere in the country within 24 hours, seven days a week. LEPAS hopes this will give customers confidence that, despite being a new brand, they can expect the convenience, expertise and long-term support associated with a well-established automotive manufacturer. This should also help avoid the insurance rating issues that hampered early Chinese brands, where poor parts availability pushed vehicles into higher insurance groups.

All L8s come with a comprehensive 7 year/100,000 mile warranty.

In summary

Creating a premium brand from scratch to be sold in the UK and selected European countries is a brave move by Chery. Over the past 20-odd years, several Asian manufacturers have tried and failed to compete on the same level as established British and German premium brands. What makes LEPAS different, is their pricing strategy.

Many customers in the UK simply want high levels of equipment, a spacious cabin, adequate driving manners and a premium feel for an affordable monthly payment. The L8 might just deliver on that wish.

LEPAS L8 PHEV Elevate