Category: Reviews

For a few years now, the Dacia Spring has won over many Europeans thanks to its formula focused on practicality and an accessible list price.

A strong rival for the Spring has arrived in the form of the Leapmotor T03, a Chinese city car that recently debuted on the European market with decent numbers in terms of range and an equally tempting list price. Let’s compare them to understand how they stack up.

Exteriors

At 3.62 meters (almost 12 feet) long and just 1.58 meters (just over 5 feet) wide (nearly identical figures to the Spring), the Leapmotor is the right size for moving around the city. The style is rather simple, with round headlights that remind us of a Mini and a more voluminous rear area with horizontal lights joined in the center by black molding.

The wheels are also small, measuring just 15 inches, and only three paint colors are available: Bright White, starry silver, and Ice Blue. The contrasting black roof is also present.

Updated last spring and measuring 3.70 meters (just over 12 feet) long, the Dacia Spring features a more squared look and styling elements that remind us of the brand’s most recent models, such as the Duster and the Bigster.

At the front, we find the new Y-shaped light signature and reshaped bumpers. Depending on the trim, you can add black and white inserts.

There are no more roof bars (which benefits aerodynamics), and at the back, we find the “Dacia” writing set inside a black band connecting the new LED headlights. Six exterior colors are offered, including the new Safari Beige and Brick Red choices.

Interiors

The Leapmotor’s cabin is minimalist and modern. The dashboard features an 8” instrument cluster screen and a 10.1” infotainment display (which lacks Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) positioned low down. The air conditioning vents are well-integrated into the design, while the upholstery is mostly hard plastic, apart from the center area of ​​the door panels.

The seats are made of fabric and have a pleasant design, with headrests integrated into the seat. There is good space for both front and rear passengers, with the T03 being approved for four people. The trunk has a minimum capacity of 210 liters, with the possibility of folding down the rear seats and thus increasing the available space to 508 liters.

The early 2024 restyling added several goodies to the interior of the Spring (also approved as a four-seater). The instrumentation is completely digital and includes a 7” screen. At the same time, the richer models feature a second 10” display for the infotainment system (which integrates Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in all trims except the base one).

For the basic versions, a smartphone holder allows devices of any size to be fixed horizontally. The choice of colors for the upholstery and materials has also been expanded. Inside the cabin, white, mass-dyed elements have been introduced, designed to resist scratches and stand out visually as storage compartments.

The Y-shaped graphic design characterizes the central air vents, which are available in white or copper finishes depending on the chosen version. The steering wheel is height-adjustable and the gear lever offers a B mode to manage regenerative braking.

Among the new features are accessories installed via the “YouClip” supports, including cup holders, rechargeable lights, and smartphone holders (with or without wireless charging).

The Spring’s rear cargo area boasts more room, with a minimum volume of 308 liters (over 1,000 liters with the rear seats folded down).

Engines

The T03 has a 95-hp (70 kW) front-wheel drive motor paired with a 37.3 kWh lithium-ion battery. Leapmotor claims a combined WLTP range of 265 km (165 miles), rising to 395 km (245 miles) in city use. AC charging is 6.6 kW and DC charging is 45 kW.

Dacia offers two different motors. The base model has a 45 HP unit (0 to 100 km/h acceleration in 20 seconds), while the more powerful one has 65 HP. Both have a maximum speed of 125 km/h (78 mph), and the battery is always 26.8 kWh, with a declared WLTP range of 225 km (140 miles).

AC charging reaches up to 7 kW, with the possibility of reaching 30 kW in DC (but only as an option on the 65 HP version).

Prices

The Leapmotor’s starting price is 18,900 euros ($20,500). The equipment is quite complete, including 15” alloy wheels, a 10.1” instrument panel, automatic climate control, parking sensors and rear camera ra, panoramic, roof, and level 2 driving assistance system.

However, the base price for the 45 HP version of the Spring is 17,900 euros ($19,415). Standard equipment includes the 7” instrument panel, Media Control with DAB radio, Bluetooth and USB connection, manual climate control, rear parking sensors, rear camera, and driver attention monitoring system.

Jeep on Monday announced pricing for its 2025 Grand Cherokee which is already available at dealerships nationwide. The range starts with the Laredo with rear-wheel drive, which for 2025 is priced from $38,830, or $1,000 less than the comparable 2024 model. Adding four-wheel drive costs $2,000. It’s worth noting the 2024 Grand Cherokee includes a…

Americans looking for a brand-new electric pickup truck don’t have a lot of options to choose from. There’s the adventure-oriented Rivian R1T, the “look at me!” Tesla Cybertruck, the Ford F-150 Lightning, and the Chevrolet Silverado EV. The GMC Sierra EV and outlandish GMC Hummer EV complete the picture.

From the rather short list of available options, the F-150 Lightning and Silverado EV are the most similar to each other–and when compared to a conventional gas-powered truck. They look just like any other pickup on the road–which may be good or bad, depending on what your expectations are–but there are big differences between them.

That’s why our own Tom Moloughney chose to compare his own 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat with a brand-new 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST First Edition. You can watch the comparison video embedded below, but here are the main takeaways in written form.

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For starters, the black F-150 Lightning you’ll see in the video already has about 27,000 miles on the clock, with Tom saying it’s probably his favorite EV of all the electric cars he’s owned in the past 14 years. And he’s owned almost a dozen EVs, so he knows a thing or two about them.

With the Silverado EV, General Motors is bringing its A-game. So much so, that owners of F-150 Lightnings might be tempted to switch their rides. Here’s why.

For starters, Chevy’s electric truck has a massive, 205-kilowatt-hour battery pack which results in an impressive driving range of over 400 miles on a full charge. Meanwhile, the F-150 Lightning has a maximum EPA range rating of 320 miles.

Then, there are the charging speeds. On a Level 2 home charger, both EVs are similar in performance, but when DC fast charging is the name of the game, the Silverado EV “wipes the floor” with the F-150 Lightning. GM’s electric pickup can draw up to 350 kilowatts from a compatible stall, while Ford’s electric F-150 can only go up to a theoretical maximum speed of 150 kW (although sometimes it can reach 190 kW but only for a couple of minutes).

The 2024 Silverado EV RST also packs a bigger bed and can be equipped with a folding midgate that increases the storage capacity even further compared to the Lightning. To top it off, it has adjustable air suspension, four-wheel steering and GM’s Super Cruise advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) which can do automatic lane changes.

Meanwhile, Ford’s BlueCruise ADAS doesn’t yet offer automatic lane changes on Tom’s 2022 Lightning, although new 2024 Lightning and Mach-E drivers can use the functionality.

However, it’s not all good news with the Silverado EV. Price-wise, the 2025 Silverado EV is more expensive than the 2024 F-150 Lightning, but all trims offer more range and power than Ford’s truck.

Furthermore, almost all F-150 Lightning trims are eligible for the $7,500 tax credit because they’re cheaper than the $80,000 cap, whereas just one version of the Silverado EV is eligible for the federal tax credit.

*Edit: The Ford F-150 Lightning XLT, Flash and Lariat trims qualify for the Federal Tax credit, and the Silverado EV LT and LT Premium also qualify. Only the Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum, the Silverado RST, and the RST Max do not qualify.

According to Tom, the noise insulation is “exceptional” in the Lightning and better than the Silverado EV. The electric F-150 Lightning is also more comfortable, and provides a softer ride, whereas the Chevy’s suspension is stiffer and a bit sportier.

Depending on the trim level, both the F-150 Lightning and the Silverado EV can tow up to 10,000 pounds. However, Ford’s truck has the edge when it comes to payload, with a capacity of up to 2,000 lbs, whereas the 2024 Silverado EV tops out at 1,750 lbs. But, Chevy’s truck is capable of towing further, thanks to its bigger battery pack,

So which is better? As always, it depends on what you need. One is cheaper and has a smaller bed and shorter driving range, while the other has more goodies, more range and a higher price tag. Our man Tom Moloughney said it would be hard for him to decide which he would buy if he didn’t already own an F-150 Lightning–that’s how close the two electric pickups are. But what do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

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