All this could have been excusable if there’s a deeper story or meaning to it, but even in its official history, the name was supposedly conceived in a casual conversation between executives in, of all places, a taxi. Drawing inspiration from fast fashion brands like Pull & Bear and Abercrombie & Fitch, just three days later, Lynk & Co, as a brand, was born.

Founded roughly eight years ago, Lynk & Co was supposed to upend traditional carmakers by introducing things like a direct-to-consumer sales model (like Tesla) and even vehicle subscription (sort-of-like VinFast or Toyota’s Kinto One). Suffice to say, neither of those made it to the Philippine market. Instead, everything about its operation is just about as cookie cutter as your typical Chinese, sorry, global, car brand. So, how will Lynk & Co stand out then? If anything, they’ll have to rely on just one thing: their cars.

This brings us to the Lynk & Co 06, their entry-level compact crossover. As the first market outside of China to get it, the 06 is the least global model Lynk & Co can get, but its pricing puts it squarely against other Japanese and Korean marques. With that, does having a carmaker headquartered in Sweden, but assembled in China justify a price premium?

In its current guise, no.

The biggest issue plaguing the 06 boils down to one thing: value-for-money. This top-spec Hyper Halo, for example, sets you back P 1,598,000. At that price point, you can get the BAIC B30e, BYD Sealion 6 DM-i, or Toyota Corolla Cross, all with a bit of change. Feeling a bit fancy? There’s the BYD Atto 3, the GAC Emkoo Hybrid, and the MG 4. What tips the scales? All the choices mentioned are electrified, meaning they’re coding exempt and offer better fuel economy to boot.

That’s not to say that the 06 is a bad car. On the contrary, it’s good, for as long as you don’t factor the price in.

Starting off, there’s the looks. Despite riding on the BMA platform—the same one used by the Geely Coolray—it’s far differentiated from its Chinese sibling. Instead of going all angular and angry, designers have gone for something more approachable and friendly. The proportions are modern and well-done, while the shape is agreeable. The 06 may just have a 4.34-meter length, but it’s got a larger-than-life character. Some of the nice touches include the vertically-oriented DRLs that double as signal indicators, the hidden headlights, and intricate D-pillar graphic.

Inside, the Lynk & Co 06 gets two thumbs up in terms of design and execution. The materials are top-notch with nice plush plastics and supple leather, though poke around long enough and there are still some hard plastic bits here and there. The switchgear is either from the Volvo or Geely parts bin. Those from the former, like the stalks, operate with a solid click, while those from the latter, like the power window switches betray its less-than-premium origins. And despite the penchant of Chinese brands to go gung-ho on touchscreen controls, there’s a set of physical knobs and buttons here (thank goodness), though some are of the capacitive variety (WTF).

Nevertheless, at least the driving-related controls like the steering wheel and electronic gear shifter all give off a semblance of solidity.

The heavily-bolstered front seats fit well with the Lynk & Co 06’s sporty disposition, while offering the right level of comfort and support. With six ways of power adjustment for the driver, finding the right driving position is easy. The rear seats are just as good, although the one in the middle would have to content with sitting on a protruding bump. At least everyone gets three-point seatbelts and headrests. Space-wise, there’s nothing to complain about and there’s a fair about of storage space too. However, the cargo hold is on the small side with medium-sized luggage not fitting length-wise with the rear bench up.

The most concerning aspect of the 06, however, is the tech. On paper, everything reads well—it’s got a 10.25-inch full digital gauge cluster and even a 12.3-inch infotainment. However, the latter is just wasted opportunity since Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both MIA. What’s worse is that everything is laggy whether via the touchscreen or the physical steering wheel buttons. Simple commands, like scrolling through the vehicle display, resetting the trip meter, or customizing the safety-related functions, can be a pain. Of note, Lynk & Co says they’ll be offering smartphone connectivity as a retroactive update in 2025, so let’s see if things will change by then.

On the driving aspect, the Lynk & Co 06 gets it right, at least. Not only is it free from rattles or creaks, but the suspension tuning is spot on. The ride is refined and supple even with the tires pumped up to 37 PSI (an average of the car’s recommend partial load and full load tire pressure values). When some speed’s added, the body tends to feel floaty initially, but gains back its composure. During highway cruising, there’s some audible wind noise coming from the side mirrors, but apart from that, NVH is kept in check. Additionally, through a set of twisty roads, this crossover can still be made to hustle.

A willful ally to the 06’s good road manners is the turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine. It provides a healthy dose of shove—181 horsepower and 290 Nm—but its soundtrack is mostly relegated to the background. The accompanying 7-speed dual clutch is also mighty refined with no jerkiness. There are selectable driving modes too but it’s best to keep things in “Comfort” for a balanced experience. Fuel economy-wise, it does 9.34 km/L (average speed 17 km/h)—not bad.

On the safety aspect, the 06 has a ton of safety gear such as autonomous emergency braking, blind spot detection, lane change assist, and even a 360-degree camera with parking sensors front and rear. The systems all work well enough, at least in the week’s worth of testing we had it.

As a young, upstart carmaker, Lynk & Co has their work cut out for them especially since this market values a strong brand, especially when it comes to buying big ticket items. And despite the challenge presented by its contrived, hard to remember name, the vehicles in their line-up like the 06 are well-designed, solidly built, and nicely-speced. The added bonus? It’s fun to drive. However, as the competition has gotten fiercer and more electrified, the supposedly fashionable Lynk & Co brand finds itself committing a fashion faux pas that weighs the entire car down. Three years ago, the 06 could have been cutting-edge, but now, it’s simply not good enough for its price tag.