► Lynk & Co 02 driven in Milan
► Not coming to the UK right now
► But should it?
Remember Lynk & Co? It’s Geely’s other brand, the one that isn’t Polestar, Volvo or Lotus. Already well-established in China, it made the leap to Europe with the 01 hybrid back in 2020. Now it’s poised to expand its offering on the continent with this, the new Lynk & Co 02. Called the Z20 in China, it’s a Nissan Qashqai-sized electric SUV, and the first EV from Lynk and Co to be sold in Europe. And no, there are currently no plans to bring it to the UK at the time of writing.
The 02 was only revealed in October 2024, with deliveries in Europe set to start towards the end of the year. However, CAR was able to drive a second-stage, early prototype immediately after it was revealed. That essentially means some features were not finalised yet, as the car was still being tested. Anyway, here’s our verdict after a mixture of town and motorway driving around Milan.
At a glance
Pros: Well-thought out interior, comfortable ride
Cons: Challenging looks, numb steering
What’s new?
Quite a bit. The 02 is an all-new product from Lynk & Co and debuts an evolution of the styling seen on the 01. That means the front DRLs are even more distinctive than before, and like other cars from the brand, they’re split into two distinct sections.
At the rear, Lynk & Co’s Gothenburg-based design team has opted for a swept back roofline. That means a more dynamic look at the expense of storage space, though Lynk & Co’s suits are quick to emphasise impressive passenger space.
Like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the 02 hides its size well. Although it may look Honda Civic-sized (partly because of that spoiler/rear light treatment) the 02 measures 4460mm long, 1840mm wide and 1570mm tall, putting it right in the middle of the C-segment.
What are the specs?
The 02 is built on Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform. The top line figures are 268bhp and 253lb ft of torque, thanks to a 66kWh battery and a motor on the rear axle alone. Thanks to a kerb weight of 1820kg, the 02 has enough shove to get it from 0-62mph in an impressive 5.5 seconds. It’ll stop accelerating at 112mph.
The range is a competitive 277 miles in the higher More trim, and that falls to just 270 miles in the lower Core model. Fast charging in both is there or thereabouts too; the 02 will charge from 10% to 80% in half an hour using a 150kW DC charger.
How does it drive?
We only drove a prototype of the 02, but we found it to offer a good driving experience. It felt every bit as fast as its specs suggest, and the ride was comfortable for a car of this weight. It was also incredibly silent, aside from a slight tyre noise at high speeds and a mandatory noise to warn pedestrians of its presence at urban speeds. Body roll was present but not extreme, and well within the levels you’d expect of a car as large as a Qashqai.
What wasn’t expected was the power. Despite its size, the 02 is able to launch itself out of corners with way more urgency than you’d expect. This isn’t a sports car by any means, but we found the 02’s straight-line prowess particularly useful when dealing with the stingy Milanese motorway traffic.
Still, dynamics aren’t the 02’s strong point; the 02’s brakes are fine, with Lynk & Co’s engineers blending the transition between regeneration and friction brakes better than others. Yes, we’re looking at you, Alfa Romeo Junior.
The steering is less good and feels pretty numb at the best of times. In the example we drove, the entire system felt strangely detached from the front axle, as though it’d had a few too many ibuprofens. This improved in the sportier modes, though it still wasn’t direct as we’d like. Hopefully this will be recalibrated before it hits the market.
What about the interior?
Lynk & Co’s marketing around this car is hard to get on with and includes awful phrases such as ‘this is not a car,’ but cut through all the ‘human-centric’ marketing spiel and you’ll find a well put together interior. Bold, clean but still premium it’s a mixture of the Scandinavian style we see in some Geely products, and the affordability we see across Chinese EVs.
Front and centre is a 15.4-inch touchscreen which does most of the work. It’s just as sharp and responsive as you’d hope from a Geely product, but importantly it’s easy to use too. There’s also a 10.2-inch screen for driver information and both are responsive thanks to a speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon chip.
The A/C is immediately accessible, and other functions like the wing mirrors are attached to physical switchgear. Incredible scenes. And a notch above Polestar’s screen-focused approach on the usability front. There are even real buttons on the wheel!
Other useful tech includes an optional 14-speaker Harmon Kardon branded sound system, dual-wireless phone chargers and a grille that opens and closes to balance cooling requirements with drag.
The main point of interest in the interior is the Infinity Light; a glowing band that runs through the dashboard. It’s plastic but uses patterns and textures for a sense of depth. The Infinity Light can be configured to suit your mood, and although it may be a gimmick, it adds some needed sparkle to the otherwise minimalist cabin.
Lynk & Co’s choice of materials is equally well-executed. Bits of the interior use hard plastics such as the storage near the transmission tunnel – but the places you touch most feel better. Above the dashboard and in the doors you’ll find an interesting neoprene material which doesn’t feel like leather, but importantly doesn’t feel cheap either.
Early verdict
The Lynk & Co 02 will start at €35,495 in Europe, which translates to around £30,000 in the UK. That rises to €39,495 (around £33,000) for the 02 More variant. Of course this won’t translate directly to a UK price, but if we compare the Lynk and Co 02 to other competition just under the £40,000 mark, it’s an interesting proposition.
Taking that rough price in mind, the Lynk & Co sits amongst the Renault Scenic E-Tech, Omoda E5, Skoda Enyaq and Hyundai Ioniq 5. A tough bunch. The WLTP range of the Lynk & Co is evenly matched with most of those, but whether it’ll have the same premium feel remains to be seen.
The Lynk & Co 02 may lack the driving engagement and feel you’d hope for, but its space, straight-line grunt and interesting design mean it’s shaping up to be an intriguing package. Too bad we won’t test it on UK roads.