For the many people wondering if a vehicle can work for their family, Jana Askeland offers what she calls Real Mom Reviews, which examine a car from the perspective of a mom of, in her case, two young boys. She recently reviewed the VinFast VF 9, a vehicle definitely designed for families, and Ewing VinFast of Plano gives you this summary of what she found.
Having a mom review a three-row SUV is entirely appropriate, as it is often moms who use these cars daily for school and after-school runs, as well as for the daily tasks that keep the household running. In this test, she looked at the VF 9 Plus, which, as she states, trades some range for additional amenities compared to the Eco model. Some of those amenities include a premium vegan leather interior, a 12-way power driver’s seat with memory, a panoramic glass roof, roof rails, second-row captain’s chairs, second-row vents and touchscreen control, and a premium 13-speaker audio system.
Perhaps because of her mom’s perspective, Jana devoted considerable attention to the second row, which offers several amenities, including the second-row captain’s chairs. These features include an eight-way power configuration for the seats and a center console equipped with four USB ports, a wireless charging pad, and a rear touchscreen for climate control adjustments. She notes other luxury car features, such as ambient lighting in essentially any color and soft-closing doors that cannot be slammed or left insufficiently closed, as the vehicle completes the closing itself.
Jana demonstrated generous access to the third-row seats, enabled by the fold-and-tumble second-row seats. She did have a mishap, pinching her thumb while closing the door with the second-row seat still tumbled forward. However, this is an unlikely scenario in everyday use, as it is unlikely that the third row would be occupied while the second row would not, so the seats would indeed be returned to their normal position for occupancy before the door was closed.
When driving, she certainly took note of the 420 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque, figures that are unlikely to be found in a gas-powered drivetrain, which enables a 0-60 acceleration time of 6.7 seconds. On the flip side, three levels of brake regeneration allow for a range of operation, from one-pedal driving to the smoothness of a lower regeneration setting. She also noted the “Creep” function, which enables the vehicle to slowly crawl forward when the brake is lifted, if desired, or can be turned off to keep the car stationary when the foot is lifted from the brake pedal.
All EVs perform best when they can be charged at home overnight and can meet daily driving needs, which are likely far short of the VF 9 Plus’s 290-mile range. When longer trips are required, the VF 9 can transition from a 10% to a 70% state of charge in approximately 35 minutes with a Level 3 charger.
While the VF 9 does not have a conventional driver’s display, she notes that the head-up display, standard on both the Eco and Plus models, more than compensates by being in the line of sight and providing a driver’s choice of information. The 15.6-inch touchscreen is powered by the Google Built-in operating system and features intuitive, easy-to-understand graphics across a variety of systems.
Overall, she presents a strong case for the VF 9 as not just a three-row EV SUV but a true luxury vehicle.
As of this writing, the VF 9 is not yet in Ewing VinFast of Plano’s inventory, but it will be arriving soon. If it is still not available by the time you read this, you can ask one of the Ewing VinFast sales professionals to notify you when the first models arrive. Amid the limited number of 3-row EV SUVs available, the VF 9 is a must for your consideration.