Lynk&Co 01 review: Swedish crossover SUV in a subscription model

The Lynk&Co 01 plug-in hybrid crossover is still relatively unknown in Germany, but is very popular in some neighboring countries. The vehicle has been available on the German market since 2017. A special advertising statement is that you don't necessarily have to buy the Lynk&Co 01, but also have the option of subscribing to it. The pre-facelift model was available for our test.

tl;dr: We really liked the Lynk&Co 01 review. The car offers a spacious interior with plenty of space and a very good finish for this price range. The infotainment is fast and reliable and leaves nothing to be desired. There is room for improvement in the main elements of the vehicle. A better controllable brake, which does not look so synthetic and the interaction of electric and combustion drive could be improved. All in all, we still liked it and for €46.000 including 19% VAT, or €550 with a subscription, the car is quite inexpensive. We see potential here, especially for shared flats or people who share a vehicle.

Design: Despite the same technology, something completely different

Although the Lynk&Co is based on the same CMA platform as the Volvo XC40, visually it has no obvious similarities. The design of the Lynk&Co 01 is sportier and differs significantly from that of the XC40. The narrow and long headlights, as well as the various colored accents give the vehicle a sharp and distinctive appearance. The rear lights, placed far to the outside, emphasize the width of the vehicle and give it a certain aggressiveness and sportiness.

Interior: Sustainable and sporty design

The interior of the Lynk&Co is of high quality and well finished. A lot of synthetic leather with colored stitching is used, which gives the interior a sporty touch. The structured plastic surfaces on the center console and the door handles are particularly striking. Inferior plastic was avoided and a kind of structural plastic was used instead. This looks very interesting and feels just as interesting. In addition to the gray artificial leather, old, recycled fishing nets are also used in the seats, which can be recognized by a small sign on the front seats. The Lynk&Co also has a sunroof that opens almost to the height of the rear seats.

The car offers the occupants sufficient headroom and legroom in the driver's seat and the other seats. With a trunk volume of 466 liters, the vehicle has sufficient storage space. Folding down the rear seat increases the volume to 1213 liters. This means that the Lynk&Co has a volume similar to that of the XC40 (452 ​​l/1.328 l).

Infotainment: Fast and versatile

Technology: drive and sensors from Volvo

The car is equipped with the hybrid drive from the Volvo XC40. In terms of performance, the Swede is well motorized with 261 hp (180 hp 1.4L three-cylinder and 81 hp/60 KW electric motor). The Lynk&Co accelerates from 0 to 100 in just under 8 seconds and has a top speed of 210 kilometers pro Hour. Since the sensor technology also comes from Volvo, there is nothing to complain about so far. The vehicle's assistance systems work perfectly. Whether blind spot, cross traffic or highway assistant, the car cuts a fine figure in everything. Switching between cruise control, speed limiter and highway assistant is easy with the steering wheel buttons.

Handling: Need for improvement in brakes and drive

The Lynk&Co cuts a fine figure on city and intercity trips. The driving comfort is reflected in the rather soft chassis, which is pleasant to drive on uneven roads. With a sporty driving style, it is somewhat imprecise and spongy due to the lack of stiffness. It also takes some time to get used to using the brake pedal, as this is very sensitive. The transition in hybrid mode between electric drive and combustion engine could be a little smoother. If you turn onto a busy main road and accelerate a little more, the combustion engine suddenly kicks in and the vehicle literally jumps forward. This ProThe problem does not occur if the "Power" driving mode is selected, since the combustion engine then runs continuously.

Consumption and range: Good performance as a hybrid

The combined consumption in hybrid mode specified by Lynk & Co should be just under 1,2 liters. Since we mainly drove outside of urban areas, our actual consumption was between 4 and 5 liters pro 100 kilometers. We were able to cover a distance of 55 km in hybrid mode. The trolley with the 17,6 kW charger needs about 3,7-4 hours to charge the 5 kWh battery. The facelift model has an improved charging system with 7,2 kW, which reduces the charging time to just 2-3 hours. With an empty battery, the consumption increases to an enormous value of almost 15 liters per 100 km.

Costs: buy directly or prefer a subscription?

The concept of subscribing to a car was new when the Lynk&Co was launched. For €550 a month, you can drive 01 km freely with the Lynk&Co 1.250. Insurance and service costs are included. You only have to pay the price for fuel and electricity yourself. If at the end of the month you do exceed the kilometer limit, the additional kilometers will only cost 15 cents pro kilometers calculated.

Another way to reduce monthly costs is car sharing. This can easily be managed through the app by scheduling when the vehicle is available for other users. One can receive inquiries and rent the vehicle accordingly. It is also a good idea to share the vehicle in a shared apartment in order to spread the costs. If that is not an option and still wants to buy a copy, you have to put on the table almost €46.000 including 19% VAT. With all the built-in features, we think the price is justified.

Thanks to Lynk&Co Germany for providing the test car!

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