Most controls are routed largely through the touchscreen, which takes time getting used to. Overall cabin quality is quite impressive! | Photo Credit: Yash Gawde

Until a few years ago, picking a side between car manufacturers was easy. The upstarts were going up against the incumbents, the age-old rivals were scrambling for the last step of the podium and the rest you simply didn’t make eye contact with. EVs are great levellers, however. For one, legacy counts for precious little. And since largely everyone is new to making them, it’s all a mostly level playing field.

How you categorise VinFast is, therefore, entirely up to you. In its brief but seriously ambitious history, it has made BMW-based cars and rebadged GMs; today, it produces a range of electric scooters, cars and buses. Its parent company, Vingroup, may have started out in the early ’90s as a producer of instant noodles, but it can now sell you anything from homes to cyber security, AI technology and even healthcare. In other words, VinFast may be new to your automotive vocabulary, but that doesn’t warrant it to be taken lightly.

IT’S A 6

The VF6 is the brand’s entry point in India and while its makers classify it as an SUV, its 190 mm of ground clearance aside, it isn’t strictly one. Regardless, it certainly isn’t unattractive. With its clean European lines and large dimensions, it isn’t something that will go unnoticed either.

The car pictured here is the top-spec VF6 (Wind Infinity; the lower variant is Earth) which features a 59.6-kWh battery pack, common to both variants. Power output is higher, at 201 bhp as compared to the Earth’s 174 bhp. VinFast claims a range of 463-468 km between the two variants as per MIDC parameters and states it can be fast-charged from 0 to 70 per cent in 25 minutes. Those are heavyweight numbers in a segment populated by cars such as the Tata Currv.ev, Hyundai Creta Electric, Maruti Suzuki e Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella and a few others. On a specification sheet alone, then, the VF6 has quite the edge in most areas. Impressive brochure, sure, but what about the real world?

CABIN CLASS

Let’s get inside. The cabin is rather well-finished, exuding a sense of premiumness even if it takes its minimalism a bit too seriously. You see, there’s no instrument cluster behind the small and really nice thick-rimmed steering wheel, and pretty much every control is routed through the driver-oriented touchscreen — yes, from the Level 2 ADAS features to air-con settings and even the rear-view mirrors! Essential information is relayed through a head-up display and thankfully, you can select gear using high-quality toggle-style physical switches. There’s a 360-degree camera, too, and a pretty impressive infotainment system with good sound output. Before I forget, there’s no ‘start’ button. You simply long-press the brake pedal to ‘wake’ it up.

I began my drive with the car charged to 96 per cent at which point it displayed an expected range of 437.5 km. Staying in Eco mode with regenerative braking set to the highest step effectively translated to an intuitive single-pedal drive mode, with the experience heightened by the neatly controlled cabin noise insulation levels. The ride quality, too, seemed quite well-balanced over the city’s uneven road surfaces and it did feel decidedly upmarket. There’s a likeable heft to the steering and the soft-touch materials used liberally across the cabin made it a nice place to spend the day in, despite the antics the city overwhelms with at times.

FAST FORWARD

Progressing to Normal mode from Eco, you will notice more eager acceleration although Sport mode, in all truthfulness, is a bit excessive. Under hard acceleration, the VF6 produces a tremendous amount of torque steer which its 225/55 R18 Goodyear tyres simply can’t keep up with. This is fun (or alarming) the first time it happens and subsequently just an irritant; I would certainly recommend being gentle on the throttle in the monsoon. A larger concern, however, is the lack of a spare wheel — sometimes even a space-saver!

What strongly impresses about the VF6 is the cabin comfort and ease of driving. I spent roughly 10 hours in the driver’s seat, largely wading through traffic, and felt no fatigue whatsoever. A fast-paced expressway driving stint revealed a few more delights. At triple-digit speeds, the VF6 demonstrates seriously respectable stability, while its cabin continues to insulate you from road and tyre noise quite admirably.

WORK TO DO

Roughly 180 km of testing did reveal that I was, at best, in a position to extract 320 km of range from it. That, however, I would attribute to my own driving style for the day. A mindful driver should be able to nudge the 400-km mark, if not more. Funnily enough, my share of range anxiety came not directly from the car itself but from my phone draining its battery out; the VF6 offers four USB-A charging ports which, I believe, went out of fashion in the 18^th century.

An unfunny concern, though, is the backseat. There simply isn’t enough leg/kneeroom as compared to its peers and it’s a real struggle if you’re 5’10” or taller. The front seatbacks are made of a cruelly hard plastic that VinFast should replace quickly, seeing as it has access to greater materials otherwise. The boot, isn’t large enough for a family of four and there’s no storage space under the bonnet either (the Currv.ev and Creta Electric have one). What also doesn’t help is the glass roof which isn’t offered with a retractable shade. Under a blazing Pune sun, this made the otherwise pleasant cabin experience needlessly uncomfortable. You can spec a top-variant without it, thankfully.

BE A SPORT

You may have gathered by now that the VF6 is a car that’s easy to like on most counts. But, seeing what its peers present in terms of stronger practicality, it’s not as easy to recommend objectively, with prices ranging between ₹17.29 lakh (Earth) and ₹19.19 lakh (Wind Infinity; ex-showroom, Delhi). Here’s where I feel VinFast has missed a trick; it should simply have positioned the VF6 as a ‘performance’ car.

Given its strong dynamics and its substantial power advantage, a racier packaging would have lent it a unique identity in a class dominated by sedate family-friendly SUVs. There sure is room for a sporty electric 2+2 seater with a snazzy paint scheme and interiors to match, wouldn’t you agree? Where’s the fun in playing on a level field anyway?

@The MotorGram

Published on March 13, 2026