Leap made as Lepas pounces on South Africa with promising L4
· Citizen
Officially China’s newest vehicle brand, Lepas launched its South African operations this week with the first of three planned models.
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Chery portfolio expansion
Later to be joined by new energy vehicle brand iCaur, Lepas becomes the five Chery-owned brand in South Africa after its parent company, Omoda, Jaecoo and Jetour.
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Founded last year as a means of breaching the gap between Chery and Omoda, the brand describes itself as premium, elegant, sophisticated and technology driven.
L4 will be distributed from Lepas’ 33 dealers across the country. Picture: Charl BoschAs with its parent, Omoda & Jaecoo and Jetour, though, Lepas will operate separately from an initial dealer network of 33 outlets across the country.
What’s in the name?
Its name derived from “leap” and “passion” – the former referencing a leopard – the official launch in Johannesburg this week involved the L4, which becomes the brand’s entry-level product.
Top-spec Pantera has faux chrome tipped exhaust outlets, an imitation diffuser and 18-inch alloy wheels. Picture: Charl BoschLater to be joined by the L6 and L8, the L4 slots-in between the most affordable Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and Tiggo Cross, with a line-up comprising three derivatives.
The launch route stretching from Randburg to the Cradle of the Humankind and then back, the first meet with the L4 involved the flagship Pantera.
Fundamentals
Its design said to be main reference to the leopard, the L4 rides on a platform called LEX, with dimensions of 4 406 mm in overall length, a wheelbase of 2 700 mm, height of 1 635 mm and width of 1 802 mm.
Boot space ranges from 458-litres to 1 284-litres. Picture: Charl BoschBy comparison, the Tiggo 4 Pro measures 4 318 mm long, 1 831 mm wide and 1 662 mm tall, with its wheelbase spanning 2 610 mm.
Providing seating for five, the L4’s boot can accommodate 458-litres of luggage or 1 284-litres with the rear seats folded flat. In the Tiggo 4 Pro, packing space varies between 340 and 1 100-litres.
Three models
On the specification front, three-model line-up comprises a trio of new trim level denominators; the base Amur, mid-range Javan and the mentioned Pantera.
In terms of spec, the Amur come standard with the following:
- auto on/off headlights;
- LED daytime running lights;
- 16-inch alloy wheels;
- electric mirrors;
- automatic air-conditioning;
- eight-inch digital instrument cluster;
- four-speaker sound system;
- 9.9-inch infotainment system;
- keyless entry;
- all-around one-touch electric windows;
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Taking care of safety and driver assistance assist are:
- four airbags;
- rear parking sensors;
- reverse camera;
- traction control;
- tyre pressure monitor;
- Electronic Stability Programme;
- Roll Stability Control;
- Hill Start Assist Control;
- Hill Descent Control
Building on this, the Javan swaps the 16-inch wheels for 17-inch alloys and the 8.8-inch display for the flagship 13.2-inch.
Also gone are the halogen headlights replaced by LEDs and the fabric seats for a combination of fabric and imitation leather.
Included further is:
- wireless smartphone charger;
- multi-function steering;
- front parking sensors;
- cruise control
Completing the range, the Pantera receives a six-speaker sound system, voice control, roof rails, push-button start and imitation leather upholstery.
Electric and ventilated front seats, a sunroof, rain sense wiper, support for a dashcam and folding electric mirror round the features list off.
The full suite of driver and safety assistance systems include:
- six airbags;
- 540-degree camera system;
- Adaptive Cruise Control;
- Automatic Emergency Braking;
- Driver Attention Alert;
- Lane Departure Warning;
- Lane Keep Assist;
- Blind Spot Detection;
- Lane Change Assist;
- Traffic Jam Assist;
- Front Collision Warning;
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert;
- Reverse Automatic Braking;
- Lane Departure Prevention
Standard on the Javan and Pantera is a drive mode selector with three settings; Eco, Normal and Sport.
Assisted or unassisted power
Up front, Lepas has retained usage of Chery’s familiar 1.5-litre petrol engine in two states of aspiration.
In the Amur, the unit is free-breathing and develops 80kW/148Nm. The only transmission option is a five-speed manual.
For the Javan and Pantera, the engine gains a turbocharger and as such, power and torque increases to 108kW/225Nm. A six-speed dual-clutch is the sole gearbox option.
Respective fuel consumption is 6.9 L/100 km for the Amur and seven-litre per 100 km for the Javan and Pantera.
First impressions
Out on the launch route, the L4 feels noticeably small and agile and, initially, possibly too compact.
This quickly faded as the proverbial “sit-behind-yourself” test revealed no head or legroom issues, the former especially given the inclusion of the sunroof.
As is the norm with the majority of vehicles from the People’s Republic, the interior is minimalistic with most of the functions being located within the 13.2-inch display.
Imitation leather upholstery is standard on the Pantera, as are the electric and ventilated front seats. Picture: Charl BoschLepas has, however, retained a few physical switches, the most crucial being for the climate control.
Along with proper buttons on the steering wheel, built quality can be seen as impressive for a vehicle in this price range, though, the abundance of black and grey textures doesn’t excite in the way the L4’s exterior portrays.
What’s more, the use of piano key black finishes on the centre console will require constant cleaning, while the placing of the wireless smartphone charging pad – as on most new Chinese cars – isn’t the most optimal from a safety perspective.
Setting off
On the move, the L4 is largely the same with no real fireworks being provided by the forced assisted engine.
Switched to the Normal mode, the engine can feel lethargic and not as responsive as one would expect.
Not helping is the usual Chinese vehicle problem of a slow responding accelerator and delayed initial shift from the dual-clutch gearbox.
At speed, road noise is well dampened, however, the firmer than usual ride was suspected to be as a result of the L4’s tyre pressures having been pumped up.
L4 will be joined later this year by the L6 and L8. Picture: LepasSwitched to Sport mode, the L4 comes alive by being a lot more spritely and the steering a bit heavier for improved feedback.
Also incrementally better are the gear changes, which is otherwise slick once the initial lag disappears. Sadly, no paddle shifters are provided and as a result of the steering column-mounted setup, no traditional override to change gears manually.
Through the bends, the L4 feels composed, but pushing it results in it becoming nervous and prone to exhibiting body roll.
However, it stands to reason that no perspective buyer will push nowhere its limits as some of the media did on the drive.
Conclusion
The first of six new known Chinese brands launching in South Africa this year, the Lepas L4 makes a strong case within the Chery Group when looking at its price.
At a smidgen below R300 000, the Amur will, however, be in the minority given its powertrain and premium of R30 000 over the base Tiggo 4 Pro LiT.
The turbocharged Javan and Pantera are likely to account for the biggest sales despite their premiums, yet it remains to be seen whether buyers will be persuaded in the long run.
Potentially likely to “take their money” is the L4’s back-up service of a five-year/150 000 km warranty, a five-year/75 000 km service plan and the first-owner 10-year/1 000 000 km engine warranty.
Price
- L4 1.5 Amur – R299 900
- L4 1.5T Javan DCT – R369 900
- L4 1.5T Pantera DCT – R419 900
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