82 - 89
349 - 402
1 speed, Automatic
Electric
All Wheel Drive
Photo:Â Perry Stern
The VinFast VF 8 has a rather impressive design pedigree with its exterior styling courtesy of the famous Italian design house Pininfarina. Front styling is unique, with LED headlights and running lights linked together via a light bar that flows to the center, creating a "V" shape. The VinFast "V" logo is front and center. The same style V-shape light bar and V logo are on the rear with "VINFAST" spelled out in large font.
From the side, the VF 8 has classic crossover lines with sculpted doors and a roofline that flows downward toward the rear spoiler. The 20-inch wheels on the Plus fit nicely with the design. However, the VF 8 sits noticeably low at the rear as if carrying a heavy load.
The VF 8's cabin is attractive with a clean design, thanks to the almost complete absence of physical buttons. At the center of the dashboard is a 15.6-inch touchscreen that operates as the infotainment and driver display; there is no screen in front of the driver. This setup does take some getting used to, but there is a head-up display, so the driver doesn't have to constantly look at the center screen for basic information such as speed.
Most materials throughout the cabin have a premium appearance and feel, with soft touchpoints on the center console, doors, and upper dashboard. With this preponderance of higher-end materials, I was surprised that VinFast crafted the lower dash out of hard plastic that feels out of place.
The VF 8's seats feature synthetic leather that looks and feels like the real thing, and the front seats offer multiple power adjustments. The driver's seat is rather stiff with a hard seat back, but the support is good. It wasn't at all uncomfortable after spending several hours behind the wheel.
The VF 8's rear seat is reasonably comfortable, although the seat back and bottom are flat, with no bolstering. The vehicle offers a great deal of legroom and plenty of space for rear-seat passengers. Sitting behind the driver seat set for my height (I'm 5'8"), I had enough room to really stretch out. Heated rear seats are standard in the VF 8 Plus, with three USB ports for rear-seat passenger use.
Surprisingly, there was a hump on the floor in front of the middle rear seat. EVs typically don't have a hump on the floor, as no transmission tunnel runs from front to back. Alas, there it was in the VF 8, making the middle seat a tight fit for an adult due to the reduced legroom.
Cargo space in the VF 8 is sizable. The crossover can easily handle multiple pieces of luggage or other gear. Rear seats can fold with a 60/40 split for added versatility.
Photo:Â Perry Stern
As with many newer EVs like the Polestar 2 or Volkswagen ID.4, there is no start button in the VF 8. Getting into the vehicle with the key fob in your pocket and pressing the brake pedal starts the car, and getting out and locking it shuts it off.
The large display screen is the primary focus of the interior, and there are no hard controls beyond a volume knob in the center console. This one display provides driver information as well as access to all controls and settings. That's a lot to ask of one display, but the system is quite intuitive, well laid out, and easy to use.
The left portion of the display is for vehicle operations like mirror and steering wheel adjustments, drive modes, cameras, and headlights. You open and close the panoramic sunroof and sunshade from this screen. Climate controls are at the bottom, with temperature adjustment and the defroster operated with one click. All other functions are on the climate control menu.
These functions typically use switches and buttons, but with the intuitive display, adjusting settings worked just fine from the display screen.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connect very quickly with no wire connections needed. Once I connected my Galaxy S21, Android Auto started up every time I entered the car. It also uses a good portion of the large display, making it easy to read.
My only complaint about the display is its slow reaction time. On multiple occasions, I had to make a selection twice before the system carried out the command.
One of my favorite features is the integrated Pet Mode. Selecting this feature turns on the air conditioning and allows it to stay on with the vehicle locked. A message on the display reads, "Please don't worry! The climate control is still on to make sure my pet is comfortable. I'll be back shortly."
The VF 8 comes standard with the expected long list of advanced driver assistance systems, including automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic warning, and lane-departure warning.
Photo:Â Perry Stern
Also standard is a highway driving-assist system that uses adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assistance to practically drive the VF 8 on the freeway autonomously. Make no mistake, however; the VF 8 does not drive itself. Controls are on the steering wheel and are easy to operate, and the VF 8 stays nicely in the lane and takes curves in the road with almost no driver input. The system will work hands-free for a few seconds, but then it prompts the driver to re-engage. It operates on highways as well as two-lane back roads.
The VF 8 also has a surround-view monitoring system. Unfortunately, the camera resolution is quite poor compared to any other vehicle on the market, reducing the value of this feature.
Photo:Â Perry Stern
The VF 8 City Edition Plus I drove had a dual-motor electric powertrain producing 402 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. According to VinFast, the VF 8 Plus will sprint to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. Based on my experience, that figure might be a tad conservative. The VF 8 can tow just under 4,000 pounds.
Like other EVs I've driven, the VF 8 is quiet and quick, with plenty of torque available immediately. However, this first Vietnamese car was not as smooth as I would have liked. The initial tip-in of the accelerator acts like an on/off switch, making it very difficult to modulate the throttle.
While attempting to cruise at a steady 40 mph on the back roads outside San Diego, a tiny bit of throttle would result in quick acceleration, and letting off the throttle would immediately slow the vehicle. The result was a rough, uncomfortable ride as I was constantly pushed forward and back in the seat. This rocking back and forth was partially due to the somewhat soft suspension. The VF 8 absorbed the bumps on most roads for a nice, comfortable ride. However, the crossover was rather bouncy on roads with an undulating surface.
The softer suspension was also noticeable when pushing the VF 8 through the corners on a winding road. The grip remained good, and steering feedback was OK, but a lot of body lean didn't lend much confidence to the handling.
The VF 8 has two levels of regenerative braking. Still, even the maximum setting will not bring the vehicle to a complete stop, so there is no one-pedal driving option. There's also a setting to turn off creep mode, which usually means that if you take your foot off the brake at a stoplight, the vehicle will sit there without rolling forward. I was startled when I turned creep mode off in the VF 8, and instead of just sitting at a standstill, the SUV began to roll backward. Luckily, I was able to apply the brakes before rolling back into the car behind me.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the VinFast VF 8 Plus I drove gets 80 MPGe, with a range of 191 miles from its 82-kWh battery pack. During my drive, the trip computer registered 2.4 miles/kWh, which equates to 81 MPGe, so the EPA estimate seems accurate. However, when I started the day, my test vehicle showed a 96-percent charge with an expected range of 255 miles. After driving 50 miles, the remaining range was 189 miles with a 70-percent charge. While the MPGe rating is spot on, the real-world range seems considerably better than the EPA estimates. The new VF 8 Standard's improved battery has a range of 264 miles on a full charge for the Eco and 243 miles for the Plus.
