Skywell BE11 | Review

The Skywell BE11 enters a very competitive market with a lacklustre offering. It is priced keenly but it’s not particularly groundbreaking in terms of design or technology and the driving experince is way off the segment benchmark.

Overview

Skywell has rested it UK debut on the BE11 - a large electric SUV that competes alongside established models such as the Skoda Enyaq and Nissan Ariya, as well as newcomers such as KGM's Torres.

In China it’s known as the Skyworth EV6. The car launched overseas, in 2021, and it’s being introduced to the UK by Innovation Automotive, the importer behind DFSK.

Having experienced a pre-production version earlier in the year, we've now driven a retail-ready example on UK roads.

The Skywell BE11 is a spacious vehicle and one of only a handful of electric options in its segment priced at less than £40,000.

Visually, it has a smart, understated design and looks very much like a conventional SUV. There's not much flair inside or out, so this is certainly a model for those that want to fly under the radar.

Pricing starts at £36,995 for the two-model line-up. There's only one trim level and no optional extras, so what you see is what you get.

Next year the car brand will expand its range with a new hatchback and Skywell also plans to introduce a large electric van.

Comfort and practicality

With a length of 4.7m and a width of 1.9m, the Skywell BE11 sits among the larger mainstream SUVs. It has a spacious interior, with particularly generous rear seat space.

The seats are comfortable and supportive, although limited electric adjustment is provided so drivers may struggle to find the perfect driving position. There’s also no lumbar support.

Seat heating is notably absent from the part-suede and 'leather style' seats, too.

Visibility is good, thanks to the car’s large windows and raised ride height. You also get a panoramic opening sunroof.

The cabin has a contemporary design and with an upmarket look and feel. Clearly inspired by European models, there’s a nice blend of materials inside and the quality of the touchpoints is high for a lower-priced model.

There’s a large central armrest with built in storage, along with two cupholders up front. The dual level design means a larger storage area lurks beneath.

At the rear, the boot space is ample with good access provided via a large electrically operated tailgate. Beneath the boot floor is a storage area suitable for storing the charging cables.

The rear seats can be folded flat for even more space, but that is a fiddly procedure that required two Skywell representatives to demonstrate and even involves disconnecting an electrical connector.

Safety and technology

The BE11’s interior is centred around a 12.8-inch central touchscreen display that is mounted in a ‘floating’ fashion at the top of the dashboard. It’s a fairly rudimentary system, when compared with those used by rivals. Using an android base, the interface is similar to what you’d get from a tablet with an app-based layout. There's no sat-nav and all the car's settings are buried within a complicated menu system.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is included and we'd suggest anyone that drives a Skywell sticks to using it. The built-in radio struggled to get a signal - probably because it uses an aftermarket antenna stuck to the windscreen - and when it did the sound quality from the Metz audio system was distorted at high volumes. Using the smartphone connection provided a noticeable uplift in sound quality.

There’s limited physical switchgear, with a small panel of buttons retained for some climate control functions only. The rest of the car’s features are controlled via the screen, including the audio system volume.

A separate instrument cluster display sits in the conventional location but offers no real customisation. There's the option to view a rudimentary trip computer or the information about what is playing on the audio system. It is however, a clear and easy-to-read layout.

Driver assistance comes in the form of a 360-degree camera system and all-round parking sensors. There's no lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring or adaptive cruise control. 

The BE11 doesn't have a Euro NCAP score either, but based on its lack of safety systems the rating wouldn't be particularly high.

Driveability and range

Skywell offers the BE11 with one electric powertrain and two battery options. The motor is sourced from BYD and powers the front wheels. It develops 204PS and 320Nm.

Performance is ample for a family SUV, with 0-62mph taking 9.6 seconds.

Our test model was equipped with the larger 86kWh battery, which promises a range of 304 miles. The smaller (72kWh) unit has a 248-mile range.

Based on our testing, we were achieving 3.2mi/kWh from the BE11 – enough for a realistic range of 250 – 275 miles.

The battery supports rapid charging at up to 80kW and AC charging at 11kW, so recharges will take a bit longer than in rivals.

As a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the car doesn’t deliver a particularly engaging drive. Acceleration is modest, yet it can overwhelm the front tyres very easily. At higher speeds the BE11 feels less eager to accelerate with a sluggish throttle response.

Traction is real problem in the BE11 and may, in part, be due to the standard-fit 'Giti' tyres. On cold, wet roads, these tyres are totally unsuitable. Not only does the Skywell scrabble for traction during acceleration, it also provides little confidence while cornering. This isn't helped by the soft suspension setup, which gives a floaty ride that's relatively comfortable on the motorway but allows for too much lean in the bends.

There’s a springy feel to the steering, which has a high level of electric assistance. This is great for manoeuvrability in town but detracts from the driving experience. Switching to the ‘Sport’ setting – via the touchscreen – makes the steering a bit heavier for those that find it too twitchy but it's still very poor setup with a lot of dead space around the centre.

You can also configure the brake pedal feel, separately, with Comfort and Sport options. The latter gives a more aggressive pedal, with more immediate braking force. In comfort mode the brake pedal has almost no resistance and feels quite unnerving.

Regenerative braking is adjustable on a sliding scale from 0% to 100%. There’s no steering wheel paddles or quick access way to switch it on or off, however. You have to delve into that complicated touchscreen. We settled for a mid-point, although even on 100% it's not particularly intrusive, and allowed the pace of deceleration to be mainly controlled via the brake pedal.

There’s a degree of whine from the motor, which is audible in the cabin, and at motorway speeds we also felt the tyre and wind noise was excessive.

Company car tax and running costs

On paper, the Skywell BE11 looks to be a sound company car choice. It has low benefit-in-kind tax rates (2%) and the early residual value predictions by Cap HPI put it ahead of rivals.

Skywell has also invested heavily in its aftersales provision to ensure there is a healthy supply of parts in the UK. To top it off, Innovation Automotive is providing a seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty.

There are only nine Skywell dealers, currently, but plans are in place for a network of 40 by 2026. To support with servicing and repairs, Skywell has appointed Halfords Autocentres as its official aftersales provider.

At £36,995, or almost £40,000 for the larger battery, the BE11 represents reasonable value when you consider battery size and specification. But considering the lack of driver assistance and the poorer driving experience, drivers may be better placed opting for a car from an established brand.

The Vauxhall Grandland Electric, for example, is £37,345 and has a 324-mile range in base form.