Deciding on a dependable family-mover involves a lot of factors and a VinFast customer shares insights on that, being one of the proud owners of the VinFast VF MPV 7
Story: Gaurav Davare
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
It’s not too long now before VinFast’s India journey completes one year, and they’ve been far from calm; rather, their expansion has been quick. They’ve already surpassed the 50-showroom mark and are aiming to establish 75 dealerships by the end of the year across more than 60 cities in India. Expanding touchpoints aside, they’ve also recently added a new member to the line-up, the VF MPV 7 alongside the VF 6 and VF 7 electric SUVs.
When it comes to deciding on purchasing a family-mover such as an MPV, it’s not quite as simple as one may think as compared to a traditional car or SUV. This is because there are many key factors to consider including space, comfort, ride quality, boot capacity, and, depending on their preferences, a well-balanced package of features. It’s a lot more intricate than simply an MPV that can accommodate a fair number of family members for long distances or to go from point A to B. One such customer revealed some of these factors including the ones that really had him convinced on getting a VinFast VF MPV 7. We decided to take a closer look at the story behind this choice and give you the low-down.
Srinivasan Ramakrishna Bunderpalli is part of the IT Service Sector industry, based in Pune, and has been quite the experienced car enthusiast, owning a number of vehicles over the years, so he’s well-versed on how to recognise a genuinely well-packaged product as well as a compelling offer for it. In fact the VinFast VF MPV 7 is one of two EVs he currently owns alongside an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.
When it came to why he decided on an electric vehicle (EV) for an MPV, it helped that he was quite well-versed on the current happenings in the automotive industry and, more importantly, with the current situation regarding fuel regulations in the country, he felt EVs were the way to go for the future. Thus, apart from his need for an EV, he wanted something that was spacious, comfortable to be driven and seated in, reliable, covered the necessities in features, and crucially looked and felt premium and stylish.
With all these requirements, he went on quite a lengthy research journey, reading multiple reviews, comparing plenty of cars. During this journey, VinFast caught his attention, particularly impressed with their strong reputation in existing global markets, especially their home market in Vietnam. Interestingly, after experiencing their products, he was initially convinced by the VF 7 for its build quality, design, competitive pricing, space, and lengthy feature list. However, his mother convinced him to try out the VF MPV 7. What impressed him immediately was the massive presence and space inside that gave him a positive feeling—similar to that of a certain iconic MPV in India. Keeping that in mind as it would be more than spacious enough for his family, he went ahead with the VF MPV 7.
After living with the electric MPV, Srinivasan came to appreciate its ease-of-use as a dependable family-mover. What he loved the most was the massive presence as well as the oodles of space inside, which makes long distance running comfortable. He also really appreciated the minimalist and clean cabin layout and didn’t face any challenges having most of the car’s key controls limited to the floating 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system. So far as the features go, sure, it wasn’t as loaded as the VF 7 but he was more than satisfied as it covered all the key necessities such as multiple charging ports, a PM 2.5 air filter, automatic climate control, as well as a six-way adjustable driver’s seat.
Driving it was also a boon for Srinivasan as the MPV rode and handled comfortably and the 150-kW (204 hp) electric motor was adequate for his needs. Even though he’s yet to take the VinFast VF MPV 7 on a long road trip, he hasn’t really faced any range anxiety issues from the 60.13-kWh battery as yet, and is actually another reason why he considered it over another EV. Basically, the 60.13-kWh battery has a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) chemistry which is known to be more stable than NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) and is more reliable when it comes to thermal degradation and consistent DC fast-charging top-ups.
In the end, it’s been a positive ownership experience with the VinFast VF MPV 7 and he recommends it to close friends and family particularly for its size, space, premium materials, and the fact that it aligns with his values in terms of alternative propulsion sources. We’re happy to hear all about his experience and look forward to a longer drive ourselves.
Leave a Reply