2023 VinFast VF 8 (City Plus) First Drive Review

San Diego, California — Just over a year ago, I was in Vietnam driving the all-new VinFast VF 8, the first-ever electric crossover from a carmaker that didn’t even exist a little over five years ago.

Back then, VinFast promised us that the VF 8 would hit the North American market in the Fall of 2022, complete with an intriguing battery subscription service and a stellar warranty, all backed by an all-new, state-of-the-art assembly plant scheduled for construction in North Carolina. It all appeared rather promising.

But then, delays started coming in. VinFast representatives informed us that the cars wouldn’t come until late 2022 when, surprise surprise, more delays were announced. By early Spring of this year, VinFast had slashed 80 jobs in North America, all while firing its CFO and there were still no cars in sight. This got me and many of my colleagues wondering: where the heck is VinFast heading?

Yet, here we are, in Southern California, just outside San Diego, to drive production-ready VF 8s that are, according to VinFast, ready to take on the market. June 2023 seems to be the official release date as early adopters should have received their orders by then.

We drove the VF 8 over an 80-mile drive under the warm California sun to see if it is in fact ready to take on the competition.

Realigned Priorities

It appears that VinFast has been spending the last year studying the market and reacting to consumer and automotive media feedback, because boy has the carmaker realigned its priorities.

Impressive warranty replaces VinFast’s battery subscription service

For starters, that entire battery subscription service has been dumped, at least for now. VinFast representatives admit that not only was that service a difficult one to implement, but North American consumers were also simply not ready for it. The VF 8 therefore kicks off at a “battery inclusive” price of $49,000 in the US and $57,500 in Canada.

And it’s all backed by one heck of a warranty: 10 years, 120,000 miles (200,000 kilometers) on the entire car and 10 years, unlimited miles/kilometers for the battery, with a guaranteed replacement if that battery shows signs of degradation that goes lower than 70%. 

In the US, the VF 8 comes in two variants; City and Regular, with each then sold as two different trim levels, either Eco or Plus.

Canada only gets the Regular versions, also sold as Ecos and Plus. Differences in trim levels mostly affect range and performance, as all VF 8s are powered by the same 87.7 kWh battery, while dual motor all-wheel drive comes standard.

For something larger, there’s also the VinFast VF 9 full-size SUV, slated to arrive later.

VinFast’s Mid-Size SUV Emphasizes Smoothness and Comfort

The models we had at our disposal were City Plus, complete with a combined horsepower figure of 402 compared to 349 in the Eco. Range on that one is EPA-rated at 278 miles (447 kilometers), slightly lower than the Eco’s 293 miles (472 km) of advertised range. 

Quick-reacting menus and a neat-graphical interface

We set off on an 80-mile drive where we all had the freedom to drive the VF 8 according to our own preferences. Just like in a Tesla, VinFast regroups all the car’s main controls via one central command screen.

This means that it did take me some getting used to all the touch-operated controls, including mirror and steering adjustment. However, I was surprised by how easy the entire system is to comprehend, with quick-reacting menus and a neat-graphical interface.

Setting off onto curvaceous Southern California roads, I immediately noticed that the VF 8’s promise isn’t about speed nor handling, but rather comfort and refinement. While quick off the line the way you’d expect an electric vehicle to be, the VF 8 is never fast per say. And while its entire chassis remains composed on twisty roads, it’s not exactly a canyon carver.

It sets itself apart comfortably within its respective segment by offering aggressive pricing, decent range and stellar warranty, all while being significantly larger, roomier, and more practical than key rivals

Instead, it wraps around you in great comfort and smoothness, with impressive sound insulation coming from a car company that, well, never built electric cars before. General material and build quality inside are good, without being great, but there’s enough substance here to convince a Tesla buyer to hop the fence.

That all being said, the VinFast VF 8 isn’t exactly efficient. During my drive, I recorded a 2.5 mile (4 km)/kWh consumption average. That translates to a real-world range figure of roughly 217 miles (350 km), significantly lower than what the carmaker advertises. 

If range efficiency matters, VinFast offers a couple smaller SUVs as well with the VF 6 and VF 7.

Takeaway: is the VF 8 SUV worth buying?

I therefore come out of this first drive with the conclusion that the 2023 VinFast VF 8 is neither bad nor excellent. It sets itself apart comfortably within its respective segment by offering aggressive pricing, decent range and stellar warranty, all while being significantly larger, roomier, and more practical than key rivals, notably the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Nissan Ariya.

I’ll however need to spend more time with the VF 8 to properly assess its real-world performance.

Related – VinFast SUV Models Up Close: Smallest to Biggest

VF 8 ECO and PLUS Specs