Review and test Lynk & Co 01

“This is not a car.” The advertisements can now be seen everywhere, with a photo of a car. Before your inner René Magritte takes over (you didn’t know you had one, did you? If it doesn’t mean anything to you: Google is your friend) and starts yelling that this is ‘a picture of a car’: we’re afraid Lynk & Co it means a lot less artistic. But let’s not make it more confusing than it already is and start at the beginning. Lynk & Co, what could that be?

First and foremost, Lynk & Co is a sub-brand of Geely, the third largest car brand in China, which also owns, for example, Volvo, Polestar and Lotus. The brand’s first truly European-oriented car, very prosaically christened ’01’, is technically a Volvo XC40 to a large extent. Only the jacket is quite different.

A few Volvo things in the Lynk & Co 01

On the outside, the twinship with the XC40 is definitely very fraternal, and on the inside you also have to look for Volvo stuff. They are there (the stems on the steering column, for example), but an Aston Martin DB7 had about 30 times more in common with a Ford Mondeo than these two with each other, just to name a few. And we’re not even exaggerating. Eye-catching design features include Jaguar-esque LED headlights and plenty of blue accents. For example, a striking blue line runs along the roof pillar and two of the spokes of the rims are blue. You don’t see that often, and it still looks good.

The interior is particularly luxurious. First of all, the seats: it will be the link with Volvo (they are known for, after all), but they are fantastic. They are lined with a plastic made from ocean plastic. Well, long may Boyan Slat go on, because if you can do things like this with the junk he fishes out of the world’s oceans, it really benefits everyone. The dashboard is completely digital and there is a beautiful, large ‘landscape’ touchscreen (with the XC40 it ‘is’). It is easy to operate and has all imaginable functionalities.

The interior space

There is plenty of space, also in the back seat and in the luggage compartment. There are USB connections (also in the back), an electric panoramic roof, all the safety things you know from Volvo (a lot) and the finish is thick for each other. Beautiful materials, nice accents, good processing – really a car in which you can last a little longer with playful ease. Unless you try the voice assistant – then you want to drive into the IJsselmeer after five minutes. We simply wanted to return to Amsterdam, but that word alone turned out to be too much to ask (‘I don’t understand what you mean. Give the name of a city, for example.’ Up to six times). Apparently Feyenoord or PSV fan, who 01.

Back to that ‘no car’: it is a ‘mobility concept’. Sounds complicated, but it’s simple and it cuts wood too. They assume that many people want to be able to use a car, but do not need to own one right away. For example, it is not the intention that you buy the Lynk & Co 01, but that you take out a subscription. That takes a month each time, and in that month you can also share the car with family or friends. You can give them access to the car via an app – you can open and start the car with it. This also makes the costs more bearable. And there is quite something in that; when you see how often a car stops while others could use it – a shame really. And that is exactly what Lynk & Co is responding to.

They go one step further with the Lynk & Co 01

Lynk & Co, and now we are entering areas where we are not very good at, is also a ‘lifestyle’ and a ‘komjounition’. There is a ‘club’ where as a ‘member’ you can count on ‘special events’. There is a whole line of clothing and accessories. And there are a lot of pictures of hip people who work out and take care of themselves in graffiti-like conditions. So apologies for the crappy photos where you barely see anything of the car – there’s nothing else available. These kinds of things mainly give us a terrible itching in places we just can’t reach, but okay: to each his own and you know tog. If you feel comfortable with it, that’s fine too.

The subscription that you can take out for the Lynk & Co 01 includes maintenance and insurance. And they’ll bring it and pick it up – no worries. It does cost something: 500 euros per month. There are numerous private lease offers that are significantly cheaper. But you are often immediately tied to that for 60 months, and this subscription can be canceled and called up per month. So you should see it more like a rental car that you use for a month. And call us one rental car that you can drive for a month for 500 euros. And then certainly such a car….

The specifications of the Lynk & Co 01

Because that’s the crux: that 01 isn’t an Upje from the Greenwheels or anything. In everything it is a car that can compete with an XC40. The basis is that of an XC40 T5 Plug-in Hybrid; so it also delivers 261 hp and drives (certainly in its Sport mode) very tight and smooth. A sprint to 100 km/h takes 7.9 seconds. In the Sport mode, the excellent speakers (because of top brand Infinity) add a sporty touch – the Lynk & Co 01 is also remarkably quiet. The top is a real 210 km/h; apparently Lynk & Co does not participate in Volvo’s ‘no faster than 180 km/h’ approach. For the real differences we would have to put the 01 and the XC40 next to each other, but in terms of driving they are at least quite similar. Of course, such a new brand only benefits from that.

Time will tell whether the Netherlands is ready for such a new and unique rental concept. But the idea is not so crazy and it will not be due to the qualities of the 01. By the way: as maximalistic as it sounds, the execution is so minimalistic. There is only one version, which has everything on it. And there are only two colors: black and this blue. Keep things organized – and more affordable to make. Oh: if you want, you can also just buy it. Then it costs 39,000 euros. And if we compare that to the XC40, which you will at least have to upgrade to an Inscription in terms of equipment level, and which will cost you 51,990 euros… We will hear more about this.