Ever since Vinfast entered the Philippines, they’ve been rather shy in putting their cars to the test. They joined car shows and had mall displays, both of which were accompanied by test drives. These are confined around the vicinity of the event though and nothing extensive. Well a year after their launch, they finally decided they’ll take their lineup for a drive south.
In tow was the VF 5, VF 6, VF 7, and VF 9. With only a day to get our hands on their offerings, I decided to focus on the attainable end of their lineup with the VF 5 and VF 6. We drove from their showroom in EDSA Ortigas to Anya Resort in Tagaytay, then headed to Gourmet Farms, before going back to their showroom. Let’s see if the VF 5 and VF 6 can put up a fight against their more established rivals.
Before anything though, I must say the exterior look of the VF 5 and VF 6 are lackluster compared to the mature and imposing aesthetic of the VF 7 and VF 9. It could be because the VF 7 and VF 9 were designed by one studio only.
For some strange reason, the VF 5 and VF 6 were designed by Pininfarina (of Ferrari and Maserati fame, among others) and Torino Designs – a newer design studio that’s also based in Italy. This weird collaboration is probably the reason why the 5 and 6 have a bulbous look that’s not really appealing, at least to me, unlike the 7 and 9.
VF 5
Get past the exterior look and the VF 5’s cabin doesn’t really make things better. This Toyota Raize-sized EV has things angled towards the driver. There’s a single air vent in the center of the dash, another two for the front passenger, a low-resolution screen for the instrument cluster, another low-resolution touchscreen that has Android Auto but doesn’t work, a rear camera with low frame rate, seat cushion that is as stiff as Sarao’s finest, and the adjuster for the front seat backrest is a rotary handle.
Then as you move to the rear, things just get weird. The floor of the second row is higher than that of the first row, so your sitting position gives you elevated knees. Your thighs won’t be rested since they’re at an angle and all your weight will rest on your bum. Quick jaunts? Probably a 15-minute ride at most because I don’t want to be here for hour long drives even on the expressway.
Speaking of drives, the VF 5’s only saving grace is the improvement of its throttle response from the time I drove it in Vietnam last year. It’s bogged down by the brakes that are a huge miss, that needs to be stepped on around 50% immediately every time in order to bite. The transmission too cannot hold the car in place. Other automatics will either hold the car still or slightly move forward if you let go of the brakes. In the VF 5, if there’s a slight decline on the road, it will roll back.
The suspension too lacks any comfort. It only likes recently-asphalted roads. The VF 5 will make you feel every road imperfection if you’re going through bare cement even if it’s relatively flat. For the first time, I saw the fat in my arms shake while going through a seemingly normal (but not asphalted) road. Mind you we were not going through any bumps or road dividers.
The VF 5 has so many faults that I didn’t bother judging its efficiency. For its ergonomics alone, I won’t recommend it to anyone. If you’re someone that tries hard to be different, then please go ahead. But anyone who’s coming from any car, even a 2000s sedan, will find this inadequate. At PHP 1,191,000 there are far better options in the market.
VF 6
The VF 6 continues the bulbous look of the VF 5 but has elevated styling cues. The wings of the logo are slimmer, the headlights have projectors in them instead of the full reflectors, and the rear section has contours instead of being plain.
In a way, the VF 6 seemed like an apology for the mess that is the VF 5. The cabin of the VF 6 is a marginal improvement over the VF 5. For example, there’s now two air vents in the center of the dash (but it’s still angled towards the driver), a rear air vent (single and tilt only, you cannot direct it sideways), a heads-up display, a massive touchscreen with modern interface and working Android Auto (didn’t try it with Apple CarPlay), high-resolution cameras, a Parking mode on the gear selector, better audio quality out of the speakers, and better materials in the cabin overall including the foam in the seats.
Vinfast tries to run before it could even crawl, and so their seemingly high-tech car is still riddled with a lot of shortcomings. The rearview mirror is too small for the car’s size, the stalk for the turn signal is stiff, the touchscreen isn’t intuitive, there’s a wide cladding on the sides that once you open the door it will look like a stepboard, and a huge blindspot on the rear quarters of the car.
The second row still has a high floor level, though not as high as the VF 5. Still, it will give you an awkward sitting position that will result in pain. We had a 1-hour travel time from Tagaytay to EDSA Ortigas and at the 30-minute mark, I could already feel discomfort on my lower back. Once we’re in front of their showroom, it was straight up painful that I had to take a few seconds before I could walk to the restroom.
One would hope its driving dynamics can save it but alas, it also fell short. While the throttle is a slight improvement and there’s now a real Sport Mode, the brakes are still a miss. It also has the same habit of rolling back like the VF 5. The only upside is the quiet cabin and softer cushion on the seats.
The PHP 1,610,000 price tag on the top-of-the-line VF 6 is plain nuts, with a bit of salt on the side. The VF 6 may be a baby step improvement over the VF 5 but it’s still miles away from the competition. In 2025 you can get an American, Japanese, Korean, or even a Chinese car with the same – if not better – amount of tech, but with more sound engineering. Vinfast can boast of Pininfarina design all they want but their cars aren’t doing the necessary talking to carry the brand.
