Should you buy VinFast VF MPV 7? Key hits & misses buyers must know

VinFast India is all set to launch its third electric car in the Indian market, the VinFast VF MPV 7, a seven-seater electric MPV that will directly challenge the Kia Carens Clavis EV and BYD eMax 7, as well as the Mahindra XEV 9e. VinFast has already started accepting bookings for the upcoming MPV at a token amount of ₹21,000. Available for booking across India, the VinFast VF MPV 7 will join the other EVs from the brand that are already available in the country, the VinFast VF6 and VinFast VF7.

The upcoming seven-seater electric MPV is primarily designed for space and practicality, focusing on the interior comfort for all the occupants across the three-row seats. It looks premium on the exterior and spacious inside the cabin. While designing the interior, the carmaker has arguably focused on occupant comfort by ensuring generous space for second- and third-row occupants, as well as practicality.

Speaking of the performance, powered by a 60.13 kWh battery pack, the VinFast VF MPV 7 claims to be capable of running over 500 km on a single charge. During my testing of the EV, the MPV performed quite well in terms of smooth power delivery, gradual acceleration, top speed, braking, high-speed cornering stability, etc. Some points about the VF MPV 7 drew my attention, some positives and some negatives.

If you have already booked the MPV or are planning to book soon, here is a quick look at the key hits and misses of the VinFast VF MPV 7.

VinFast VF MPV 7: What's impressive

Here is a quick look at the positives of the VinFast VF MPV 7.

Minimalist yet premium design

The VinFast VF MPV 7 doesn't look very aggressive or sharp. But that doesn't affect its premium look. At the exterior and inside the cabin as well, the VF MPV 7 looks minimalist and premium. The MPV doesn't get any sharp character lines, large air dams, etc. Being an electric car, it has closed front panels, while the side profile looks neat and clean with minimal curves and creases. At the back, the MPV looks clean, which altogether gives the VF MPV 7 a minimalist and premium design.

Spacious and comfortable cabin

The VinFast VF MPV 7 gets a cabin that emphasises space, which ensures comfort and convenience for the occupants. The MPV comes with a seven-seater (2+3+2) layout. The space on offer without any modification for the second and third rows of the VF MPV 7 is quite generous for a comfortable seating experience. Impressively, the third row offers ample head and legroom, which is unlikely in many three-row cars in India. Being a family car that is meant to be taken on highways alongside the regular commuting in and around the cities, the spaciousness is certainly a major advantage of the VF MPV 7.

Powerful powertrain

VinFast VF MPV 7 is powered by a large 60.13 kWh battery pack. It gets a front-wheel-drive (FWD) drivetrain. The electric propulsion system is capable of churning out 201 bhp peak power and 280 Nm of maximum torque. It claims to be capable of running over 500 km on a single charge, while topping from 10% to 70% takes just 30 minutes. During testing, the MPV performed quite well. Despite being a big car, the MPV was capable of hitting 100 kmph from a standstill in about 10 seconds, while hitting 162 kmph took about 20 seconds. While the initial acceleration felt lagging, after a few moments of the pedal being pressed, the MPV seemed to be gaining momentum.

VinFast VF MPV 7: What's not so impressive

Here is a quick look at the negatives of the VinFast VF MPV 7.

High noise level

During driving, the cabin of the VinFast VF MPV 7 felt quite noisy. With all the windows rolled up, AC blower mildly running, the noise coming from the windblast was annoyingly high, especially at the driver's or front passenger's seat. Being a car projecting itself as a premium offering, this is certainly one point VinFast should address and improve.

Lack of physical buttons

The VF MPV 7 gets a single touchscreen at the centre, acting as an infotainment system as well as an instrument cluster. While many vehicle owners prefer the touch-based digitised accessibility to different functions of a vehicle, many prefer physical controls, which are actually less distracting, as one doesn't need to fiddle through screen menus. This is why many automakers offer the combination of both touch-based and physical controls. The VinFast VF MPV 7 doesn't have many physical control buttons and packs the most functional accessibility to the screen. This could be a negative factor playing a role in many buyers' purchase decisions.

No sunroof, ADAS, 360-degree camera

The VinFast VF MPV 7, despite being projected as a premium seven-seater MPV, lacks some high-demand advanced technology-aided features such as the ADAS, 360-degree camera and sunroof. Sunroof has been one of the most popular features in modern cars. Not having it in a car that is likely to be priced in the range of ₹15-20 lakh (ex-showroom), alongside other features like ADAS and 60-degree camera, could reduce its appeal a bit for many consumers.

Check out Upcoming EV Cars in India.