JAKARTA - After that, the Chinese automotive brand that has ambitions to play in the premium segment of the country, actually reaped the spotlight when it invited media crews to try out its flagship SUV, L8, in the Pusdiklatas Polri area, Serpong, Tangerang, Thursday, January 29.
The VOI team itself had the opportunity to try out the car and indeed offered an extraordinary impression, both in terms of handling and acceleration.
During the test session, the committee had prepared a number of challenges to test the vehicle's performance, ranging from straight tracks for acceleration and braking, zig-zag tracks, to speed bumps. This scheme is claimed to show the toughness of the L8 as a premium character SUV.
Lepas Indonesia's Product Manager, Lalu Indra, said that some consumers and media initially admitted to being impressed. They assessed the car's performance to be quite responsive, the cabin space was spacious, and the suspension was comfortable with minimal body roll.
However, the positive impression did not last long. In the middle of the test session, one of the L8 units driven by the media crew experienced a serious problem. There was a loud noise from under the hood, before the car finally could not continue the journey and stopped completely on the track.
When checked directly, there was a perforated iron component in the area near the transmission box. In general, this part is a CV Joint series or a vital component of the wheel drive system. This damage immediately raises questions, considering that the car is a unit that has been assembled locally.
Manufacturer's Response
Responding to the incident, Lalu Indra called the incident a natural thing. According to him, CV Joint must accept extreme vibrations due to repeated testing at high speeds that, he claims, consumers will not do in normal use.
"This is a bumpy test. If it's normal as a customer, the speed is not possible 80-100 km/h. CV Joint must accept the vibration and the car has been tried back and forth many times. That's normal, whatever the car, because the vibration is not finished," he said.
In fact, the CV Joint is known as a crucial component that serves to pass on power from the transmission to the wheels. Damage to this part is not just a trivial matter, especially in vehicles that are positioned as premium SUVs and have just been introduced to the Indonesian public.
In terms of specifications, the Lepas L8 relies on a fifth-generation 1.5 TGDi engine combined with an electric motor, producing a combined power of 215 PS and 310 Nm of torque. This car is claimed to be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds, an impressive figure on paper.
However, this incident on the test track has the potential to be an important note for consumers, especially ahead of Lepas' plan to announce the official price of the L8 at the IIMS 2025 event held in early February.
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