Have you ever heard of the VinFast VF8? It was never offered for sale in the Philippine market, but it was one of the models that headlined the Vietnamese automaker’s entry into the United States along with the VF7 and VF9. Unfortunately, it didn’t fare well with reviewers, and that negative reputation has stuck ever since.
Earlier this year though, VinFast revealed an all-new generation for the compact crossover to shrug off its past shortcomings through sharper looks and an updated tech package. This updated VF8 has also recently cropped up in the Department of Energy’s list of recognized EVs. Let’s take a look at the attached spec sheet to see what it could bring to the table soon.
The new VF8 features VinFast’s new ‘Tech Fluid’ design language. It’s a sharper philosophy that better defines the vehicle’s silhouette, as opposed to the curvy egg-like profile of the VF6 and VF7. The front fascia lightbar is here to stay, but the more aggressive angle and segmented ‘wingtips’ add a lot of character. The glossy black grille and side vents also make it look more cohesive in general.
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Under the hood, the new VF8 is powered by a single electric motor driving the front wheels and making 228hp and 330Nm of torque. It also packs a 60.13kWh battery that translates to 500km of NEDC range. Support for Type 2 AC and CCS2 DC charging is available, with a quoted 10-70% charging time of under 30 minutes with a 250kW fast charger.
The new VF8 has actually shrunk a bit, now measuring 4,701mm long, 1,872mm wide, and 1,670mm tall, riding on 19-inch alloys. This puts it squarely within the neighborhood of familiar compact crossovers like the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V. The VF8’s ground clearance is on the shorter side at 170mm, though (still an 8mm increase over the old model).
In terms of tech, the VF8 has a fairly comprehensive ADAS package with adaptive cruise control, lane assistance, collision warning and avoidance, and occupant monitoring. Some creature comforts like vegan leather upholstery and driver-seat power adjustment are also standard.
For those curious how much the VF8 might sticker for, it costs VND999 million (around P2.338 million). This is around middle of the pack as far as mainstream crossovers from legacy brands are priced.
In the Philippines, VinFast achieved its number one spot in CAMPI’s BEV chart through aggressively priced mass-market models. Now that it’s at the top of the ladder, should the Vietnamese brand look into pushing its more premium-leaning models to the front? Let us know what you think in the comments.
More photos of the all-new VinFast VF8:
