Skywell BE11 review

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EV importer introduces obscure Chinese firm’s mid-sized crossover to UK market

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Say hello to the Skywell BE11, a rather unusual new electric crossover from China.

The Skywell brand emerged in 2017 as a joint venture between consumer electronics group Skyworth and electric bus maker Nanjing Golden Dragon, and its cars are being brought here by Gloucestershire-based importer Innovation Automotive – which has sold DFSK electric trucks and vans for a while now and will soon also introduce a smaller and cheaper electric crossover, the Seres 3.

Skywell apparently sees itself as a rival to Audi and Mercedes-Benz, which is pretty ambitious, to say the least.

The BE11 is its first ever car, and you can have it with either a 72kWh battery offering 248 miles of range or a 86kWh battery that yields 304 miles. Both are mated to a single front-mounted motor that makes 201bhp and 236lb ft of torque.

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DESIGN & STYLING

Skywell BE11 2024 jb20240731 4468

 

Measuring 4720mm long, 1908mm wide and 1696mm tall, the BE11 is certainly one of the largest cars in this class - and it feels big on the road. 

Its exterior design is a little plain, to these testers' eyes at least, but it’s inoffensive and simple, much like the Chinese EVs that have already arrived on UK shores. 

It has distinctive ‘razor’ LED headlights, chrome accents and large 19in diamond-cut alloy wheels. Move to the rear, and in typical EV fashion, there’s a full-width LED light bar with illuminated brand lettering. 

INTERIOR

Skywell BE11 2024 jb20240731 4460

With similar proportions to the BMW iX3, the BE11 is pretty big inside: the cabin feels spacious and light, thanks to a panoramic roof.

There are plenty of storage compartments and cubby holes, and rear accommodation is great, too, with plenty of room for adults.

Our test car is an early non-UK spec example and pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet, but we’re told that the 72kWh version will cost around £35k and the 86kWh one somewhere between that and £40k.

This moves it firmly into the same territory as the Toyota bZ4X and Volkswagen ID 4.

In terms of interior quality, it falls way short of those cars. The fake wood veneers, synthetic leather seat upholstery and scratchy plastics all feel cheap, and you can prod and push bits of trim far too easily.

The dashboard is dominated by a large (12.8in) infotainment touchscreen. While the software didn’t suffer from any latency issues during our test, it felt very sub-standard compared with most European rivals’ displays and most of its systems didn’t work or had some unusual quirks (although Innovation Automotive promises that all systems will feature as standard on customer cars).

First off, the digital speedometer would only show in kilometers; I couldn’t find a way to change it to miles. The sat-nav system, amusingly called TurboDog9, didn’t work, and nor could I connect my iPhone to Apple CarPlay, even when I plugged into a USB port. There was also something called Worm Mode (okay...), but when I selected it, it made no difference to the car’s behaviour.

The touchscreen itself is ill-configured and awkward to use on the move. Adjusting the cabin temperature or fan speed, for example, is a challenge, because the icons are quite small. Changing the regenerative braking requires several inputs and the graphics are very much a mixed bag. 

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Skywell BE11 front cornering 1

The BE11 isn’t short of power and has enough punch for motorway slip roads and overtaking, but the motor hasn’t been tuned well. Accelerate hard and the front tyres scrabble for traction as the BE11’s 1.9-tonne weight shifts backwards.

The BE11 requires you to be more cautious than in other EVs, then, but this isn’t as easy as it sounds, because the throttle pedal can at times be hard to modulate.

Whether you depress it slowly or stomp your right foot, there’s a short delay before the motor gets going.

And even though it has adjustable regenerative braking, the BE11 doesn’t pull you in as much as you would expect when you lift off. Increase the strength and the difference is only marginal.

This means that you use the brake pedal more than you would expect in an EV, and regrettably it’s unusually soft and spongy. You have to be very smooth to come to a composed stop.

RIDE & HANDLING

Skywell BE11 rear cornering

There’s a bit of fidgeting here and there on the motorway, but it isn’t uncomfortable. Switch to cross-country roads, though, and the ride quality diminishes.

The softly sprung BE11 doesn’t feel very tied down, so there’s a buoyancy to the way it rides over lumps and bumps.

There’s also noticeable thunking when it travels over more severe imperfections like potholes. Couple this with its inability to maintain good close body control at speed and it falls way short of the dynamic standards of its European rivals.

This may not be a car made for hustling through corners, but that doesn’t mean you should find yourself struggling to stay sitting upright when turning at speed.

The steering is difficult to get along with, too. It’s very light, and there’s a springiness to the way it self-centres, making it feel reactive and nervy about the straight-ahead position, leading to a lack of stability in feel.

Torque steer doesn’t help matters when you’re pulling out of junctions, and the lack of overall feel obviously leaves you short on confidence. Putting the steering in Sport mode just adds artificial weight.

VERDICT

Skywell BE11 static

The BE11’s user manual bears the strapline ‘All is well’. What an irony that is for a car that feels unfinished and lacking in desirability. If not bad in absolute terms, it’s certainly below average.

If it were tipped to be priced in favour of the bargain-hunter, the BE11 might have some potential. But at the high-£30k level and with no USP, I’m not sure how it can challenge established rivals for the attention of UK drivers. 

Sam Phillips

Sam Phillips
Title: Staff Writer

Sam joined the Autocar team in summer 2024 and has been a contributor since 2021. He is tasked with writing used reviews and first drives as well as updating top 10s and evergreen content on the Autocar website. 

He previously led sister-title Move Electric, which covers the entire spectrum of electric vehicles, from cars to boats – and even trucks. He is an expert in new car news, used cars, electric cars, microbility, classic cars and motorsport. 

Sam graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2021 with a BA in Journalism. In his final year he produced an in-depth feature on the automotive industry’s transition to electric cars and interviewed a number of leading experts to assess our readiness for the impending ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars.