BYD Atto 3 First Drive Review - An Electric Draconic Dream?

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Build Your Dreams (BYD) is not a firm that many people in India are familiar with. After all the firm's only offering to date has been the e6 electric MPV has been on sale to the general public for just a few months now.

However, BYD isn't one to wait around and the Atto 3 is the firm's new offering for the Indian market. Like the e6, the Atto 3 is powered by the firm's revolutionary Blade battery pack that offers up massive range. So is the BYD Atto 3 what electric dreams are made of? We drove the BYD Atto 3 in Chennai to find out...

BYD Atto 3 Exterior Design - Dragon-faced Dreamer

The BYD Atto 3 follows the EV firm's Dragon Face 3.0 family design and when you look at this crossover from the front it does seem to look a bit like the mythical flame-spouting reptile.

The Atto 3's triangular crystal LED combination headlamps feature blue highlights and are connected by a thick bar of chrome that has the words 'BYD' embossed into it. The front end also features what appear to be air intakes on either side of the front bumper that add to the sporty look of the electric crossover.

The sides of the BYD Atto 3 feature some distinct design characteristics including the 18-inch aero alloy wheels that immediately draw attention to themselves and the scale-like elements on the C-pillar that once again show off the draconic design language of the Atto 3. Other highlights include the sculpted side including the thick character line that stretches across the doors of the electric crossover SUV and end up at the taillights along with the shiny roof rails and the bulbous wheelarches.

The rear section of the BYD Atto 3 is dominated by the sleek lightbar style LED taillights above which sits the manufacturer's name in a stylish font finished off in chrome. Also seen at the rear is the integrated roof spoiler which hosts the third brake light and the reversing light that sits low on the rear bumper.

BYD Atto 3 Interior & Features - Design Gone Wild

The interior of the BYD Atto 3 is what happens when you allow the designers to let loose while shutting the paper pushers into a dark closet. The interior of the BYD Atto 3 is the place to be thanks to its quirky design features that make every time you get into its cabin a special occasion.

Properly look inside the BYD Atto 3's cabin and you'll find design features that are as outlandish as they get. These include the multilayered dash with the lower section that looks to be made of some sort of foam material.

Other crazy design details include the dumbbell-style vents for the air conditioning system, the aircraft controller-like gear lever, the grip-style door handle and the absolutely nuts bass guitar strings on the lower section of the door that help keep whatever you've shoved into the door pockets from falling out.

The seats are well-proportioned and plush and the massive panoramic sunroof adds to the airy and spacious feel of the cabin. The rear seats though don't offer much under-thigh support which is a quirk of many born electric cars due to the batteries stuffed under the floor and the sloping roofline reduces the headspace on offer for taller people.

However, the biggest highlight of the cabin is the large 12.8-inch infotainment display. The infotainment display rotates from landscape to portrait mode at the press of a button which is a cool party trick and it supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (only wired). The driver's display is another pain point due to its tiny size which makes you sometimes squint and search for the relevant data.

The BYD Atto 3 also comes packed with a host of other features like a wireless charger for your phone, an NFC card key and an automatic tailgate which features an opening height memory function. The BYD also comes packed with a safety kit including 7 airbags, a 360-degree camera, ABS, ESC, traction control, and hill descent control. The electric Atto 3 SUV also gets a host of ADAS features like automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane-keep assist and front and rear collision warning.

BYD Atto 3 Performance & Driving Impressions - Almost A Blade Revolution

The BYD Atto 3 is powered by the firm's revolutionary 'Blade' Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LFP) battery pack that allows the cells to be packed more densely and does away with traditional cooling solutions to help save space. The Blade battery pack has also undergone a host of safety tests including the bonkers nail penetration test.

In the Atto 3, the Blade battery pack has a capacity of 60.48kWh which delivers an ARAI-certified range of 521 kilometres on a single charge. We will require more time with the Atto 3 to find out just how close it gets to that figure but in our minimal time with the electric SUV, we found it was quite frugal with the watts.

Charging up that battery pack is quite quick especially when connected to an 80kW DC fast charger which recharges the LFP setup from 0 to 80 per cent in just 50 minutes.

The BYD Atto 3's Blade battery pack feeds a single electric motor that drives the front wheels. The Atto 3's electric motor develops a peak output of 201.1bhp (150kW) and 310Nm of torque. This allows the BYD Atto 3 to sprint from 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds which is quite brisk for a vehicle of its size (1,825kg).

The BYD Atto 3 is quite a decent-sized vehicle measuring 4,455mm long, 1,865mm wide and 1,615mm tall. The wheelbase of the BYD Atto 3 is 2,720mm long and the ground clearance on offer is 175mm.

On the road, the BYD Atto 3 is a smooth operator with the linear delivery from the electric motor allowing for a very predictable increase in speeds. There are three driving modes on offer - Eco, Normal and Sport - though the difference between them is not very noticeable.

Also on offer are two Regen modes, though once again there isn't much of a noticeable difference. The Atto 3 also does not get a one-pedal driving feature which is seen on most other EVs.

The suspension setup of the Atto 3 deals with bumps and ruts and potholes with ease. Big potholes and big speeds don't gel well and this remains the case with the Atto 3 where some thuds can be felt from the lunar landscape that is many of our roads.

Word of advice, the Atto 3 is best experienced in a relaxed manner so avoid those big ruts at high speeds. And while the Atto 3 is not set up for the corners it will take them quite nicely at decent speeds. Any quicker and the vagaries of the steering and the body roll start to act up.

Braking on the Atto 3 is done with the help of disc brakes on all four wheels. However, the spongy feel of the brake pedal doesn't really inspire confidence when you drop the anchors.

The NVH levels inside the cabin of the Atto 3 are quite top-notch and the EV does its best to keep the noisy world outside from permeating inside. However, at low and medium speeds, a slight whining sound can be heard inside the Atto 3's cabin. Build quality is also brilliant on the Atto 3 with everything both inside and out feeling solid and well-made.

Thoughts About The BYD Atto 3 - A Draconic Dreamer

The BYD Atto 3 more than lives up to its maker's name with its very unique design (both inside and out) and a large battery pack that promises to keep range anxiety out of the picture.

The lack of both charging and dealers/service centres is something that may concern buyers but those who dare step inside the Atto 3 will experience something that is so way out there that it promises to keep you coming back for another go.