Test Drive BYD Dolphin: A pure electric home use car starting at a price of 699,999 Thai baht, where fun and practicality coexist

While waiting for the test drive car at the 4S store, I asked the staff which BYD model is currently selling the best on the Thai market. Is it the ATTO 3? The staffer told me the best seller is the Dolphin. The reason is that its price is from 699,999 to 859,999 Thai Baht, which is more affordable, and its modeling design and a variety of colors are very attractive to young people.

I know in the Chinese market, BYD's products are very finely divided, the ATTO 3's corresponding model in China belongs to the "Dynasty" series while the Dolphin and the Seal belong to the "Ocean" series, and different series use different sales channels. But in Thailand, due to fewer models on sale, the sales channels are the same for different models. Will the Dolphin snatch potential customers from the ATTO 3? It's hard to say when I intended to buy the ATTO 3 and went to the store to look at the car, I thought I could easily be attracted by the nearby Dolphin.

Test Drive Model Information:

-Test drive model: BYD Dolphin Extended

-Detachable guide price: 859,999 Thai Baht

-Body size: 4290×1770×1570mm, wheelbase 2700mm

-Minimum ground clearance: 130mm

-Driving mode: forward-front drive

-Power system parameters: maximum power 150kW, peak torque 310N·m

-Battery capacity: 60.48kWh (lithium iron phosphate)

-Pure electric endurance NEDC: 490km

1. Driving experience: The 490km endurance version has strong power and more fun

The model we test-drive is the 490km endurance version. It is important to note that the Dolphin and ATTO 3 are different, the two endurance versions of it use different power systems. The motor of the 490km endurance version has a maximum power of 150kW and a peak torque of 310N·m, with a 0-100km/h acceleration of only 7 seconds. The 410km endurance version's motor has a maximum power of 70kW and a peak torque of 180N·m, requiring a 0-100km/h acceleration of 12.3 seconds.

The torque of 310N·m is very strong for such a small car, allowing it to have a stronger acceleration thrill than the ATTO 3 and better driving pleasure. This is because the Dolphin has a lighter body, smaller size, and lower center of gravity. But in fact, it's not easy to intuitively feel the performance difference between the Dolphin and the ATTO 3. The characteristics of the rapid torque release of the motor mask the subtle differences between them.

Overall, controlling Dolphin's power is not difficult because its tuning is not abrupt, but leans towards a smooth and gentle style. However, if I'm willing to step deeper on the accelerator, the sudden pushback does catch me off guard. The Dolphin, a mild and intelligent mammal in the ocean, can suddenly turn into a tempestuous creature.

If it's a 410km endurance version, the power would be softer. Even if you deep press the "electric gate" pedal, the "push back" feeling won't be very noticeable. Of course, for most people's daily driving, its motor power is completely sufficient, at least in starting from the zebra crossing. It can surpass most gasoline cars, which is the advantage of pure electric vehicles. But the 410km endurance model is more suitable for those just learning to drive at home, due to its stronger controllability, and ability to meet the daily domestic needs at the same time.

Dolphin has two driving modes, ECO and SPORT. The power output rhythm of ECO mode doesn't feel slow, it works like a normal new energy vehicle. If switched to SPORT mode, the power response will be relatively faster, and driving it will feel smoother.

Although Dolphin's driving mode is less, the steering force, energy recovery strength, and brake foot feel are adjustable. First of all, the steering force has two modes: comfort and sport, the power assist changes are quite noticeable between these two modes, and the response is faster in sport mode. Those who pursue control can choose the sport mode, combined with the low center of gravity body setting, driving it can be quite interesting.

Secondly, the brake pedal also has two options: comfort and standard. The foot feel of the comfortable brake will be a bit linear, and its feel will be more inclined to everyday family fuel vehicles. The foot feel of the standard mode brake will be a bit tighter, and if you're not a frequent driver of new energy vehicles, it'll probably take some time to adapt.

The energy recovery strength of the Dolphin has two options, standard and larger. Under the standard state, it won't disrupt the smoothness of the overall driving. If you switch to larger when you release the acceleration pedal, you'll feel a slight deceleration effect, but this feeling is not very exaggerated and will not affect driving comfort.

The Dolphin still has that hefty feel when it's started, because there are batteries laid out in the middle of the bottom of the car. Therefore, in daily shock absorption, the chassis will absorb as much as possible, and basically, most of the vibration feedback will not be transmitted to the inside of the car. Generally speaking, the sense of the whole car chassis is not much different from most competitor models, all pursuing a homely style with no particular personality style appearing.

However, facing some larger bumps, there would still be some scattered road feel transmitted to the car after shock absorption. Hopefully, it can be optimized later to allow the chassis to absorb these scattered vibrations better, but these performances are common in this price range of car models.

As for noise, Dolphin maintains the tranquillity characteristic of electric vehicles inside the cockpit when stationary and starting. When speed rises, you can't say there's no external wind and road noise at all. After all, this is a 100,000 RMB level electric car, but it won't affect the conversation inside the vehicle.

II. Static Experience: Youthful design, high practicality

Dolphin's design is not as flamboyant as ATTO 3, but when it comes to fashion sense, it's not lacking. It adopts a design called "Ocean Aesthetic," which in simple terms is to present a full and flowing feeling, and as much as possible to show a fashionable sense.

To achieve this, details are very crucial. Dolphin has introduced a two-tone body design, and this bi-color not only covers the roof but includes the hood, rearview mirror, and the entire roof. Having a different color hood than the body is a bold design in family cars. If placed on a larger size model, it could be considered overdone, but on a small compact car like Dolphin, this design is quite outstanding.

The wheel hub is also a combination of colors, one of which matches the body color. This is also a very personal detail design. In addition, a semi-hidden design is adopted for the door handle, and the tail adopts a through-type tail lamp with a blackened effect. The details of the Dolphin are excellently designed.

However, I feel the interior design is not as well handled in detail as the exterior design. First of all, compared to this interior, I think the interior lines of ATTO 3 are more in line with the sense of marine aesthetics, while the interior of the Dolphin is somewhat deliberate, creating details for the sake of emphasizing details. For example, its round air vents and the very complex surface design of the central control look a bit messy, and I believe they are also easily dirty. The black interior further highlights the plastic texture of the interior, giving a feeling of lacking the softness that this family car should have. Dolphin also offers many colors of the interior, I think the effect would be better if it was switched to other colors, it could create a more relaxed atmosphere.

The centerpiece of the control panel is a 12.8-inch rotating floating control screen, and the instrument panel also adopts a floating design. The shift function of the Dolphin is designed in the regular air conditioning control area below the control screen, while the traditional gear lever position is only the electronic handbrake and automatic parking function buttons. This design might take some getting used to. Overall, the interior design of the Dolphin is filled with details and creates the necessary sense of fashion.

Although the Dolphin is small in size, thanks to the highly integrated electric drive system, the front overhang of the vehicle can be designed to be shorter, and the wheelbase can be increased to 2700mm, which is unimaginable for a gasoline car of the same size.

The advantage is that it provides rear seating space that is not lost to ATTO 3. A 177 cm tall adult male sitting in the back row still has room for two fists. The Dolphin's rear floor is level, but if you want to seat three people, it will be somewhat cramped. For daily commuting, this car is best suited for four people. In addition, the back seats also support a 60:40 tumble, which can expand more flexible trunk space.

Test Drive Conclusion:

There are two models of the Dolphin, how should we choose?

I think there is no need to be too entangled with the configuration because both cars are equipped with necessary and complete intelligent driving assistance systems. In this regard, BYD has always maintained its advantages compared to other brands. The key lies in the difference in power systems.

Both 410km range and 490km range vehicles can meet daily use, but the power of the 410km range model will be much weaker, especially when fully loaded. Therefore, if the power performance requirement is high, it is recommended to choose the stronger 490km version. But if it's just for daily commuting, the 410km range model is enough.

Another detail difference is that the fast charge power of the 490km range model is 80kW, while the 410km range model is 60kW. But because the battery capacity of the two models is different, the actual use time is not much different.