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When we first drove the VinFast VF8, we weren’t impressed. Our headline said it was “simply not ready for America,” and the criticism only got worse from there. VinFast clearly rushed the development process and didn’t have a remotely competitive product to offer. Supposedly, the Vietnamese automaker planned to improve the VF8 over time, so it should be better now than it was initially. Based on Consumer Reports’ recent experience, however, the VinFast VF8 is still half-baked, uncompetitive and also maybe worth leasing if you’re into that sort of thing.
To be clear, Consumer Reports didn’t hate everything about the VF8. In fact, it liked the styling, spacious cabin and long warranty. The list of complaints, on the other hand, is much longer, though, including the power delivery, brakes, regenerative braking programming, ride, steering and suspension tuning. And while it may look like it can run with the electric crossovers offered by the competition, Consumer Reports isn’t confident the interior materials will hold up.
Testers also plan to keep an eye on seat comfort, how the rear seats fold, excessive road noise, the actual functionality of the cargo area, the controls, the infotainment system and the driver assistance features. Software can eventually be updated and could hypothetically get better, but there isn’t much that can be done before a mid-cycle refresh if things start to wear out or break.
Consumer Reports tends to keep its criticisms as professional as possible, so it doesn’t usually come out and blatantly trash a car. Still, lines such as, “The Vietnamese automaker rushed to the U.S. market with a luxury-inspired EV crossover—and it shows,” and, “It feels like a knockoff of a decent car,” are plenty devastating even if they don’t go as far as to call the VF8 a steaming pile of crap. Other choice quotes include:
The ride quality is best described as unsophisticated. This is expressed through stiff impacts, abrupt rebounds, and pitching motions that expose a suspension that is short on body control or absorption.
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When you sit in it, the inspiration appears to have come from photos, rather than a physical car.
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All drivers found the steering to be among the worst on the market, putting it behind even the Chevrolet Blazer EV.
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Some plastics are without texture, as we often see on pre-production parts.
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The screen is like an unorganized iPhone, making it very difficult to interpret while driving. This is particularly important when the absence of physical buttons means everything is done through the screen or voice commands, even adjusting the mirrors and steering wheel. Even worse, the steering wheel can only be adjusted when the vehicle is in Park.
That said, despite the VinFast VF8’s $50,000-plus price tag, you can get some incredibly tempting lease deals. The base model is currently going for $199 a month with $0 down, while the higher trim costs $249 a month. With prices like that, maybe the VF8 really is worth looking at as a cheap daily driver. Just don’t buy one for anything close to MSRP.