GAC Trumpchi Shadow Leopard

After driving the GAC Trumpchi Shadow Leopard for 500 km, here are my key impressions. The Super Star Silver gradient paint is amazing—silver in bright light, cyan in dim light, with varying shades from different angles. The 540° transparent chassis is a great feature, but the lack of front parking sensors is a letdown; I scratched the car on the first day due to this oversight. The infotainment system runs smoothly, though there's occasional frame drop when using the built-in audio app, which is minor.

The driving experience is the highlight. As someone who has owned multiple cars, I can confidently say it's unbeatable in its price range—even outperforms the 03 and 03+ in stock form. The suspension handles bumps, speed bumps, jumps, and high-speed corners exceptionally well, offering strong support, effective filtering, and good rebound without being too stiff, giving a premium feel. Steering is precise with a slightly heavy feel, fitting for a performance car. The factory four-piston calipers are outstanding, comparable to or better than sub-10,000 yuan aftermarket ones. Switching to track mode for late-night drives is thrilling, with full control.

Fuel consumption is 20% higher than regular 2.0T cars; with aggressive driving in sport or track mode, it easily hits 15 L/100km, so budget-conscious buyers should think twice. Space is surprisingly generous for a sporty sedan in its class. The rear seats can comfortably fit three 70kg adults with about two fists of legroom, and a 178cm passenger has no headroom issues when sitting upright.

The GAC Trumpchi Shadow Leopard has A-class car space, smaller than direct competitors like艾瑞泽8 and 星瑞. The 138,000 RPro only has basic comfort features; higher trims cost 158,000. Its 1.5T 265-horsepower engine with Aisin 8AT gets around 10 L/100km in the city and 7.5-8 L/100km on the highway. I bought the Shadow Leopard R to support Chinese CDM performance cars. Despite its excessive design, the excellent chassis tuning, advanced TCU calibration, and powerful engine are why I chose it.

I've been关注 the GAC Trumpchi Shadow Leopard since the 23款 R was launched last year. Its 1.5T engine delivers strong power in Sport and Track modes, but feels sluggish in Eco and Comfort modes, like an ordinary 1.5T car. The handling is comfortable and stable, thanks to the low and solid chassis, which keeps the car steady even during high-speed cornering. Though it's an A-class car, the space is decent, slightly smaller than my brother's BYD Seal, but sufficient for my needs. The exterior has a really sporty look, much better in person than in pictures. Fuel consumption is high; with Sport mode daily, the dashboard shows over 12L/100km, but the actual consumption is probably around 13L/100km, while highway fuel consumption in Sport mode is around 7L/100km, which is normal.