In less than a year of commencing its India-operations, Vinfast has swiftly secured a slot in the list of the top-five best-selling EV makers in the country. With an aim to strengthen its position, the Vietnamese carmaker will soon introduce its third offering in the country. Called the VF MPV 7, which, as its name clearly suggests, is an electric seven-seater MPV that’ll take on competitors like the Kia Carens Clavis EV and BYD eMax 7 head-on.
This MPV is called the Limo Green in its home market, but for India, Vinfast has reserved this moniker for fleet buyers and taxi operators. And while the Limo Green will be fundamentally identical to the VF MPV 7, which is reserved for private car buyers, to create differentiation, it’ll miss a few features, have minor cosmetic differences and of course, a lower price tag.
Vinfast VF MPV 7 design and engineering – 7/10
As far as road presence goes, the VF MPV 7 does a great job. It is larger than a Kia Carens Clavis EV in every dimension, and it looks more proportionate too. In profile, it isn’t pretending to be anything other than a people-mover; however, its signature LED DRLs upfront, 19-inch alloys, chrome window line, and signature connected LED tail lamps certainly infuse some much-needed flavour. Other specifications of interest include a substantial 2.8-meter wheelbase and a generous 183mm of ground clearance.
Vinfast VF MPV 7 interior space and comfort – 7/10
Like the VF6 and VF7, the VF MPV 7’s cabin adopts a rather minimalistic design approach, and although functional, it lacks the sense of occasion of the Kia Carens Clavis EV’s cabin. That said, the textured hard plastics feel good to touch, and the fit-finish is quite nice too. The flat-bottomed steering and the padded (leatherette) central and door armrests add a premium touch, as does the expensive-looking frameless mirror, which has a manual day-night function. The silver speaker grille styling could, however, polarise opinions.
Taking centre stage is a 10.1-inch touchscreen which embeds the speedometer, air-con controls, outside mirror controls, drive modes, regenerative braking settings, etc. The user experience, however, leaves a lot to be desired. In the absence of a conventional instrument cluster or a head-up unit, you have to take your eyes off the road to check vehicle speed. Also, it doesn’t allow you to adjust your mirror on the move, which is a bit inconvenient. Our test car had wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and while an aftermarket dongle can address the need for wireless connectivity, sound quality from its four speakers left a lot to be desired.
Storage areas are plentiful, including a dedicated area to stow your phone, cupholders, a deep central console, a lower storage area with USB Type A and C charging ports, and generous door pockets.
The front seats are broad, and they are excessively cushioned; they don’t offer adequate lateral support. A power adjustment as well as a seat ventilation function would have been welcome.
The middle row is very spacious, and the seat is placed higher than the front row, giving passengers a theatre-like seating. Although like the front, cushioning feels excessive, especially in the thigh support region, which is meant to compensate for the short squab, but feels a bit protrusive. Passengers have the option to slide the seat and recline the backrest to a comfortable angle, too. There are three adjustable headrests, too, as well as a flat floor. And while the cabin is wide enough to seat three adults abreast, the seat itself is narrow, so the outer passengers will have limited support. Also missing here are window sunshades as well as a central armrest.
To access the third row, the middle row tumbles down (60:40), although the mechanism doesn’t feel as effortless as the Clavis’. Appreciably, headroom in the last row is generous, even for tall adults, despite the seat being placed higher than the middle row. That, along with the large quarter glass, gives the passengers an airy feel. Also, there’s a step beneath the middle row to tuck your feet, which ensures that occupants seated here don’t feel cramped. The backrest reclines up to a certain degree for comfort too, and passengers have access to roof-mounted rear AC controls, as well as air vents.
The VF MPV 7’s boot, at least on first impression, seems to be as large as the Clavis EV’s. The latter, however, gets a front luggage area too, which the VF MPV 7 misses.
Vinfast VF MPV 7 features and safety – 6/10
This version gets kit like auto LED headlamps, 19-inch wheels, leatherette upholstery and a 10.1-inch touchscreen, to name a few. However, it misses goodies like a sunroof, ventilated and powered front seats, rear sunshades, instrument cluster, among other which the competition offers. Also, while Vinfast says the VF MPV 7 is ADAS-ready and even a 360-degree camera can easily be fitted (in the next update), these features are unlikely to be available at launch.
Vinfast VF MPV 7 performance and refinement – 7/10
The Vinfast VF MPV 7 will draw energy from a 60.13kWh battery, which powers a 204hp/280Nm electric motor that drives the front wheels. What you notice almost immediately is that acceleration doesn’t feel overwhelmingly responsive. In fact, power delivery is gradual, something owners will appreciate. Still, if you insist, it will sprint to 100kph from a standstill in a shade under 10 seconds. There are three drive modes too – Eco, Normal and Sport, and on first impressions at least, there’s little difference between them. Interestingly, it’ll max out in Eco mode at a speedometer-indicated 140kph, while it’ll accelerate to a little over 160kph in the other two modes.
There are three levels of regenerative braking, and you also have the option to turn it off. Deceleration, even in the strongest setting, doesn’t feel very aggressive, and while it comes down to a crawl at around 5kph, there is no single-pedal drive mode.
Refinement, however, didn’t seem to be this car’s strong suit. The motor whine comes through prominently, and even wind noise at legal cruising speeds seemed a bit excessive.
Vinfast VF MPV 7 range and efficiency – 8/10
While the Vietnamese version has a claimed range of around 450km (NEDC cycle), Vinfast is confident that the VF MPV 7 will have a real-world range of over 500km in India.
As far as charging goes, its battery supports up to 80kW of DC fast charging speeds, which means it is capable of charging from 10-80 percent in merely 30 minutes.
Vinfast VF MPV 7 ride and handling – 6/10
The high-speed ride and stability were certainly impressive, however some minor imperfections did reveal a slightly busy low-speed ride. Body roll, however, felt a touch excessive too, and your passengers are likely to be tossed around the cabin while making quick direction changes. Its steering felt sharp and infused confidence at the dead centre position; however, from thereon it felt rather slow-geared and seemed to lack the Kia’s precision or consistency. Braking performance, though, felt strong and predictable.
Overall, we will reserve our judgement on its ride and handling balance as we only got to experience it on the company’s smooth testing track. Also, the company said that the “Indian version” will have a reworked (softer) suspension to cater to our (bumpy) road conditions.
Vinfast VF MPV 7 price and verdict – 7/10
The Vinfast VF MPV 7 has strong fundamentals like a spacious cabin and a healthy 500km (claimed) range. Additionally, the company’s 10-year warranty, free-charging till 2029, as well as the ICE to EV incentive, make the ownership experience even more attractive. Sure, the VF MPV 7’s functional approach could deter some buyers who are looking for the latest features and tech, but going by the company’s past record, we can expect Vinfast to price it very aggressively, and could fill the void between petrol-automatic Maruti Ertiga/XL6 and the Kia Carens Clavis EV. While this is a mere speculation, and we’ll get more clarity when it launches on the 15th of this month, however there are high chances the VF MPV 7 is likely to spell tremendous value, which will make it hard to ignore.
