[TheRandomGuy]

Originally Posted by vinvin

Kudos to BYD for a well put together product.

Atto3 is for sure a solid product and a proper EV. I am looking for a mid size EV SUV as our next car, and Atto3 fits the bill perfectly. Although a few major miss on features pull me back.

Not having ventilated/cooled seats is just unacceptable on a 34L car, and that too in India. You didn't miss this during your ride or your cousin who owns it?
No memory seats with a full electronic seat adjustment is another big miss.
No rain sensing wipers too.

Also, how is the overall software to use? I have read its quirky and its chinese'ness shows sometimes with silly UX and bugs.

[newenergy]

Looks like BYD is removing "Build Your Dreams" badge from the rear end and replacing with just BYD logo in 2024 cars as seen in the below CarExpert YouTube video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLiiOeMU9JQ

They should also refresh the UI a bit and make it similar to Tesla. We should not replicate a phone UI in a car infotainment. I know the system is based on Android but a lot can be done or customized. Or just use Android Automotive like Volvo/Polestar.

[sapien]

Did a 15+ km test drive of Atto3 in city limits with ~5 kms in city & 9 kms on highways, sharing my observations -

Exterior : The car is a looker from outside, due to it being a rare sight, it feels very premium to look at.

Interior : The interiors use good quality materials but the colors & design feel out of place, somewhat childish. Note the buttons are tactile and touch surfaces are well appointed, just the shapes & colors are not coherent. Basically it doesn't exude the premium feel like the exterior.

Drive : The throttle is very well calibrated, it can attain good speeds easily, has very linear ramp up & doesn't give you the typical EV push. It somehow didn't feel like driving an EV! The cabin is well insulated but not luxury quiet. I felt Tucson had better insulation despite being an ICE. Somewhat like a Toyota Hyryder hybrid when operating on battery mode. The ride felt stiff at slower speeds but settles down as the speeds increase. The handling is predictable & fun. Ergonomics are sorted & the car doesn't feel too big to drive in city traffic.

Note : I'm in market for a new car with ~30L budget & have shortlisted XUV700 after test driving all possible options. This was the first time I was driving a pure EV 4 wheeler- have driven OLA, iQube EVs several times. Somehow overall package was underwhelming. Also, lack of service network is a factor. There's a void for product like this in ICE range across manufacturers, wish someone can make a Atto3 like car in ICE, price it around 25L, it'll sell very well. MG Astor is very close overall but lacks severely in handling & mileage department.

[shankar.balan]

I rang the BYD guys yesterday. And they were extremely responsive. They brought me a car this morning to test drive and I did so.

Here are my impressions:

In short, here is a very accomplished vehicle. Feels European. Very good quality materials. Solid switchgear inside. Pretty Responsive. Very comfortable. Glides over all these Bangalore speed breakers and bumps and uneven patches. The driving seat is really ergonomic. And the good thing is one doesn't feel uncomfortable in the back either. Outright acceleration is not as good as Kia EV6 but that is AWD and BYD is FWD.

It has the usual Normal, ECO and Sports modes. Sports is the best and most enjoyable. And one can set the steering and brake assist modes to ‘Sports’ too which tightens up the steering a bit and makes the brakes a bit more responsive too. However, it is not really a ‘drivers’ car, but more of a well appointed, excellent quality, comfy and spacious cruiser SUV Coupe for a family.

It has a 50KW Blade battery. Excellent range of 450kms on one charge - real world proven. This is truly fantastic and if this is the shape of things to come as regards range, then it is my belief that we will see a very rapid pace of adoption of EV’s as alternate-fuelled vehicles. Even I, despite being a stubborn, hard-core petrol-head, am becoming more and more inclined, as I test drive more and more EV’s.

The weight of the car is 1700-1800kgs but it is very nimble for all that. Its got 200bhp and 310NM torque. It feels very planted at speeds. Braking is sure-stop too. Im sure the ventilated front discs help!

It is as big as or bigger than a Seltos or Creta.
~ 4500mm long, ~1800mm wide, ~1700mm tall, ~172mm GC. Doesn't bottom out on the bumps. While the suspension is very comfortable the chassis does not feel quite as ‘taut’ as the Kona or Ioniq5 or Kia EV6. Those cars have a firmer suspension and are definitely much more sporty in terms of handling because their chassis tuning is much better in my opinion. But the BYD feels way superior to the MG ZS EV for sure.

Despite the great ride in the BYD, if you take an elephantine speed breaker fast, then the front will articulate and you will hear the thud on the bump stops. But the driver and passenger don get thrown about. That’s a really good thing because as my wife is always at pains to point out to me, the driver has the steering wheel to hold on to at least, while buzzing around the curvy roads at speeds whereas the passengers don’t.

BYD represents the Coupe SUV type of styling. Apparently it was designed by someone who was involved in Porsche design. And it is certainly a very pleasing car to look at. Good proportions. Short overhangs. Decent approach and departure angles for Indian roads. Breakover is also acceptable. We went up and down some roads which have those huge hume pipes underneath and with no problem.

It has lots and lots of gizmos inside though I am not really a customer for all those things. A moon-roof is also there and that may be nice to use in the hills. It has a Terrain response button to handle ‘gravel’ etc. The central D lever is just like an Aeroplane Throttle controller. The overall car feels like one is in an Aeroplane cockpit. Its switches are very solid and tactile. The knurled metal switches feel as good as those on a Jaguar. Interiors are of high quality. Some soft touch portions and some hard plastics. Seats are 6 way adjustable and are supportive and comfortable but they don’t feel quite as durable as those in the Kona because BYD seats are made of softer materials.

The central screen is big, like an iPad Pro 12.9 inch tablet. It is very ‘Tesla’ ish. Can be adjusted either as landscape or portrait view. Better to keep it at landscape view else it may obstruct the view through the windscreen. But all in all personally I don't like such a large screen. Also, truth be told I find all these screens and touch controls and all to be too painful. There is truly a sort of ‘option overload’ that one is experiencing at this moment.

The BYD boot is huge. When the rear seats are down and laid flat, it is even huger. No spare tyre. Only an inflator and tyre repair compound. The insulation from the outside world is very good. No noises come in at all.

The metal gauge is heavy. And the car overall is easily comparable to an Audi Q3 and similar. There is no doubt about the fit and finish and finesse of this vehicle. It is world class. These BYD guys appear to be far and away ahead of most others in the EV space.

You can set the regen to a higher level and it does feel palpable. But this vehicle has the range to take you more or less anywhere.

The DC battery charging capability is good. From 10% to 80% in 50min. AC overnight will take 9 hours. One can also buy a Frunk and place it in the bonnet for additional storage if one wishes.

The price is about 36 L on road Bangalore. 2024 MY vehicles are available. But the sales person hinted that they have a few 2023 vehicles too. And these could be offered at a ‘discount’. He didn't say how much and I didn't push it either.

(As an aside, they also said the BYD SEAL sedan is being launched sometime in 2025 and the price is likely to be around 80 lacs.)

All in all the BYD Atto3 is a top-class, highly-accomplished car indeed.

But it is not quite my type of car, all things being considered.

[kmrjt1]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

But it is not quite my type of car, all things being considered.

Thanks for the excellent review. Yes the Atto 3 is a good car but didn't suit my palate as well I am still on the lookout for a car in the 35L bracket but options seem too limited for a petrol ICE vehicle. The only ones I can think of are the Tucson and Hycross.

[mitspeaks]

Hi Everyone,

I have taken a test drive of the BYD Atto 3, and while I loved the 0 - 100, the drive experience which being at 100kmph+ speeds wasn't confidence inspiring.

I also have an option to buy a used BMW 330i 2020 facelifted model for around 37 Lacs.

My drive is going to be split between city & highways. At this point, I am more inclined towards the BMW. Recommendations are welcome.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

But it is not quite my type of car, all things being considered.

Would have good to know, why it is not your type of car, I pretty much read only positives about the car from you with hardly any cons.

I have seen this pretty much with lot of people who have put heaps on praises on the car but eventually not bought it, is it because it has chinese roots?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Would have good to know, why it is not your type of car, I pretty much read only positives about the car from you with hardly any cons.

I have seen this pretty much with lot of people who have put heaps on praises on the car but eventually not bought it, is it because it has chinese roots?

Hi Thanks for asking this question. Truth be told I dont want to be a Jingoist or wear Patriotism on my sleeve. I evaluated this purely as a vehicle.
But my decision is more to do with the fact that the vehicle is more suited to the needs and wants of a family. Also, since Ive cross tested a number of these vehicles back to back more or less, I put together the following facts and formed the following impressions. Make of these what you will.

Its 36 lacs for BYD Atto3
25 lacs for Kona EV
47-48 lacs for Ioniq5
65-67 lacs for Kia EV6
27 lacs for MG ZS EV
21 lacs for Tata Nexon EV Max facelift
21 lacs for XUV400 EL Pro Max or whatever they choose to call it…

Out of all these, honestly, the Kona EV represents the best combination of all traits, functionality, safety, value, build,’solidity, features, range, styling, chassis tuning, suspension tuning, handling and load carrying capacity etc.

And the Ioniq5 is the most desirable of the lot because it is RWD and capability packed and it looks so Back to the Future De Lorean DMC ish.

My Verdict:
The best of the EVs from the whole lot that Ive seen and driven so far are;
ioniq5 and kona.
The Ioniq5 is superlative and very desirable. But it is expensive at 45-47 lacs.
The Kona is the most sensible. It is a lovely car indeed. In every way. Just like my Skoda Yeti was. Best priced. Perfect proportions. Small footprint, Compact, manoeuvrable with a well weighted steering. Good luggage room. Solid build, Good handling. Responsive. Comfortable. Not too big of a screen and all. Tactile feel and great switch gear. It has a Spare in these days!

It looks like a nice big hatch. A bit like that I20 Active, on Steroids and thats not a bad thing.

The niggles in my head are on account of the following;

It does (despite that 170mm ground clearance) bottom out on some of the Elephantine and Sharply inclined, non-banked, un-marked Speed Breakers of Bangalore, if one misses seeing the obstacle and doesn’t slow down to crawl speed. I drove it all over my neighbourhood back streets where there are plenty of these. There is even one place with a huge hume-pipe underground and is like a sharply defined hillock.

The anxiety about ‘range’ - basically going Bangalore to Ooty via the Sigur Ghats on a single charge.

The fear about buying a 5 year old product, especially when they have already released its newer and improved Version 2/ Gen 2 in other markets, with a much bigger battery and better range and all that.

So frankly I am back to square One!

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

The Kona is the most sensible, best priced, very comfy, excellent suspension and handling,compact size and in many ways just like my Skoda Yeti was.

Kona ground clearance is really bad. Car scrapes just about everywhere. And less said about the rear seating, the better. It’s the automotive equivalent of the Indian style toilet seat. But for the self driven, it’s a good option for the price.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Kona ground clearance is really bad. Car scrapes just about everywhere. And less said about the rear seating, the better. It’s the automotive equivalent of the Indian style toilet seat. But for the self driven, it’s a good option for the price.

Im looking at 2 seats max 3 occupied. And for that its perfect. But indeed I did scrape the bottom as mentioned in my earlier post.

[newenergy]

I came across this teardown video on YouTube which shows the Atto 3 internals. I wish such level of detail could be released for our homegrown EVs too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoQxZqZxlMw

[84.monsoon]

With the recent steep price cut that MG has done on the ZS EV, resulting in an effective reduction almost 15%, BYD needs to do something similar to move volumes for the Atto 3 product. The Atto3 is a great.produst but overpriced for what it offers. I expect Mahindra will shortly bring in the BEV XUV.e8, which will offer an full-size 80 KWHr battery, better range and a proper three row SUV at a price lower than the Atto3.

With the ZS EV now starting from 18.98 lakhs, and the upcoming competition from multiple quarters, BYD will get annihilated unless it prices the Atto 3 more realistically. Lithium battery prices have dropped significantly and there seems to be an oversupply of these batteries around the world. BYD should offer a slightly de-speced Atto3 at 25 lakhs to stay competitive. At that price point, it can draw in an entire new segment of buyers who will be looking at top end Creta/Seltos - which work out to similar on-road pricing given BYD's zero EV road tax advantage in many states.

[newenergy]

Since BYD Atto 3 has been on Indian road for quite some time, can any BHPian share their service review? I am curious about part availability.

After seeing the price of SEAL, I hope there could be some price correction for Atto 3. Battery prices have been falling too.

[volkman10]

New 2024 BYD Atto 3 launched in Thailand: 18% cheaper, bigger 50.25 kWh battery, no more torsion beam rear suspension.





The entry Standard Range Dynamic variant now starts from 899,900 Baht, which is 18 percent cheaper than before, while the highest specifications Extended Range Premium variant is now 12 percent cheaper, at 1,049,900 Baht.

New for 2024 is a third, mid-range variant called Standard Range Premium, at 949,900 Baht.

The updated 2024 is differentiated by the lack of ‘Build Your Dreams’ lettering on the tailgate, now replaced with just a BYD badge.

The previous model’s silver painted C-pillar is now black. There’s also a new Quantum Black exterior colour.


Link:

[DIY410]

Originally Posted by volkman10

New 2024 BYD Atto 3 launched in Thailand: 18% cheaper, bigger 50.25 kWh battery, no more torsion beam rear suspension.

That article is wrong, there is no changes to the battery capacity. Instead that website confuses the nominal capacity quoted in some places vs useable capacity.