First drive: Lynk&Co 02 2018

Ahead of its European launch, we put new brand Lynk&Co's compact SUV to the test to see if it works as a cut-price Volvo XC40
Rachel Burgess
27 April 2018

What is the Lynk&Co 02?

The 02 is the third model from a new Car brand called Lynk&Co, which will arrive in Europe next year. While you might not be familiar with the brand, its owner, the behemoth Geely, is slowly but surely taking over the automotive world. Its core brand Geely sells 1.25 million cars in China annually, and it also owns Volvo, Lotus and London Electric Vehicle Company (which makes London cabs) and recently bought a 10% stake in Daimler, Mercedes’ owners. Quite serious business, then.

The idea is that premium Volvo sits at the top of Geely's European line-up of car makers, with Lynk&Co below it as a mid-range brand. This then paves the way for the possible introduction of Geely as a budget brand in Europe.

The 02 compact SUV follows reveals of the 01, a larger SUV and the 03, a saloon. The 01 will arrive early next year in Europe and the 02 will follow in 2020. Meanwhile, the 03 is likely to be sold only in China, where saloons remain popular.

Lynk&Co bills the 02 as a sporty crossover. It sits between the Nissan Juke and Qashqai in terms of dimensions and rivals models such as the Mazda CX-3 and more premium Mercedes GLA.

It is based on a platform called Compact Modular Architecture, on which the 01 and 03 are also based. It’s a Geely-wide architecture but is best known in the West as the platform for the well-received Volvo XC40.

The similarities don’t stop there. The 02 for Europe will only be sold as a plug-in hybrid, regular hybrid or battery electric vehicle; the PHEV will arrive first and will be based heavily on the XC40 plug-in hybrid, on sale later this year.

While little has been confirmed on Lynk&Co’s equivalent, it’s fair to say not much will change over Volvo’s PHEV, named T5 Twin Engine. It uses a 177bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine along with a 75bhp electric motor driving through a new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Range is likely to be 31 miles on electric only.

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What’s the Lynk&Co 02 like inside?

Full disclosure: we drove the 02 for 15 minutes on exceptionally smooth roads near the shiny new Lynk&Co factory in Zhangjiakou, China. The cars currently being made are for the Chinese market, which, for now, only get a standard 1.5-litre or 2.0-litre petrol, rather than the electrified versions coming to Europe.

We drove the 177bhp 1.5, which is the same engine that Volvo uses and will also help to power the PHEV. When quickly accelerating at low revs, the engine is gruff, but get above 3500rpm and it coasts along happily. The dual-clutch auto, which we’ll get on the 02 PHEV, is fairly smooth, too.

Ride at low speeds is comfortable in the front or rear, but at motorway speeds it gets notably fidgety. Given that the test roads were silky smooth, there’s some work to be done to keep British drivers happy.

Meanwhile, handling is impossible to review, given that we only turned three wide corners in our 15 minutes with the car. Steering is light (as are the brakes) and while it’s not precise steering, there’s a satisfying connection with the car when turning.

So, the signs are mostly encouraging, and there’s more work to be done for Europe. R&D boss Ling Zhi tells us that upcoming European 02 models will be more dynamic, because Europeans “care more about handling and ride” than Chinese people, who mostly drive on long, straight highways.

The interior is attractive and functional, with good-quality materials. We were proudly told the glass for the 10.2in central screen is the same as that used in the Apple iPhone 8, and the infotainment system was seemingly intuitive to use – though testing was limited, because it was in Chinese.

There are plenty of cubbyholes and lots of nods to connectivity – something Lynk&Co has claimed is central to its products – with an in-built dashcam, two USBs, wireless phone charging and, most notably, free wi-fi for the entire ownership period. However, this is for China and is not confirmed for European models.

The materials, particularly on the dashboard and below, are original but subtle in design, while appearing durable too. At first go at least, there are some of the best (and most interesting) finishes we’ve seen on a car for some time.

Should you buy a Lynk&Co 02 at launch?

One key element for Lynk&Co’s future success will be its selling strategy. It’s keen to push a subscription model – a Netflix for cars, if you like – and says it will be more competitive than rivals. That’s down, at least in part, to a choice of just eight specifications and no options, as well as a very limited dealer network: just one store per country. It’s too early for pricing, but in China, its starting price as a straight-up purchase is around £15,000.

To drive, early signs for the 02 are very promising. It’s not especially fast or dynamic, but a car in this segment doesn’t need to be. This car is aimed at young urbanites who aren’t necessarily into cars. For those buyers, this will do the job nicely, not least because it has plenty of style appeal – so much so that Lynk&Co predicts it may well sell more 02s than the more mainstream and slightly bigger 01.

Lynk&Co 02 specifications

Location Zhangjiakou, China; On sale 2020 Price na Engine 3 cyls, 1499cc, turbo, petrol Power 177bhp Torque 195lb ft Gearbox 7-spd dual-clutch automatic Kerb weight na Top speed na 0-62mph 8.2sec Fuel economy na CO2 na

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Comments
24

xxxx

27 April 2018

Don't get it, a car that won't be coming to Europe till next year gets tested and some advertising space for Geely. But the Model 3 which has been on sale for sometime in the US, has a waiting list of hundreds of thousands and will be coming to Europe later his year gets none?

As to the car, I think I'll wait a year or so before a 'first drive' article

Peter Cavellini

27 April 2018

 Can’t gauge much from such a limited test drive,but by the sounds of it it’s nothing special.

michael knight

27 April 2018

Doesn't sound too promising when Ling Zhi explains that Chinese people drive on smooth highways and yet the ride gets " gets notably fidgety" at motorway speeds. I'd have thought the Chinese model should be a wafter. 

androo

27 April 2018

The car looks good and the interior is decent by the sound of it. The ride quality may be an isue but perhaps can be tuned, since it sits on a good platform. The hybrid and electric options are a bonus too, as is the Volvo connection. The name sounds more like a freebie hotel shampoo though, and will be a problem for some buyers. Still, if the price is right it might attract enough buyers, but it seems to me to be going after a similar clientele to Citroën with the DS range. And that's not going at all well so far. 

Jeremy

27 April 2018

One dealer per country? So where do you go for servicing or warranty problems?

Einarbb

27 April 2018

Consider owned by same chinese company.

aatbloke

27 April 2018
Jeremy wrote:

One dealer per country? So where do you go for servicing or warranty problems?

 

A Volvo dealership, I'd imagine.

sabre

27 April 2018

It seems risky to buy a car that has not yet proved to be competitive to established companies as far as safety and reliability are concerned. The Chinese companies have a huge task to join and eventually they will, but when?

Einarbb

27 April 2018

So why did people 10 years ago, accept it that Skoda was just as good as Volkswagen. Because they shared everything except body shape. More or less a same thing.

Einarbb

27 April 2018

These automatic error corrections can trip one up sometimes.

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