It surprises in many ways, it is not just "another electric one." The BYD Atto 3 is one of the most outstanding models of a manufacturer, a true colossus of electric cars, ready to conquer Europe.
In the segment of compact electric SUVs there is more and more competition and a new participant has arrived that has all the signs of becoming one of the protagonists: the new BYD Atto 3. This model is one of the spearheads in our country of a Chinese brand that should not be lost sight of.
BYD is short for “Build Your Dreams” which would translate something like “Build Your Dreams”. Don't be fooled by this Mr. Wonderful message, BYD means business and is one of the biggest car manufacturers in China. It is the world leader in plug-in vehicles (EV + PHEV) and the second-largest producer of batteries for electric cars (only surpassed by CATL). Almost nothing.
So when BYD announced its launch of an ambitious offensive of 100% electric products to conquer the Old Continent, they must be taken into account. In their strategy they are going to have a range that aims to cover a large part of the market: C-SUV segment (Atto 3), E-SUV segment (Tang), B segment (Dolphin), D segment (Seal), and E segment ( They have). A little of everything.
I have had the opportunity to live for a few days with the Atto 3, a model that is marketed in other continents under the name BYD Yuan Plus. This compact crossover measures 4,455 mm in length, 1,875 mm in width, and 1,615 mm in height.
A cabin with a lot of personality
The BYD Atto 3 sports a style defined with the European public in mind created by German designer Wolfgang Egger, formerly of SEAT, Alfa Romeo, and Audi. The exterior of this SUV displays a pleasant, understated look defined by the "Dragon Face" design language.
The bumpers have generous air inlets that seem more typical of combustion models than of an electric one, the sides have smooth surfaces, the C-pillar has a contrasting finish and a pattern like dragon scales, and the 18-inch alloy wheels. inches complete the set. The onboard charger cover is located on the right front wing.
A trim runs along the front from side to side and under it are the daytime running lights, which go beyond the optical group that contains the led headlights and continues with a led bar across the entire width of the vehicle. Behind, the LED lights linked together have reminded me a lot of those of the Smart #1. It is quite an attractive car and the only point that irritates me is the "Build Your Dreams" lettering that stands out too much on the tailgate.
The commercial range is structured in Comfort and Design finishes. The Comfort access level has extensive standard equipment including keyless entry and starting, heat pump climate control, a huge panoramic sunroof, a wireless charging base for smartphones, heated and electrically adjustable front seats, leather upholstery, leather, ambient light with various colors or front and rear parking sensors.
For its part, the Design finish adds the electric opening system for the tailgate, specific ambient lighting in the door handles, an air purifier for climate control, a larger multimedia screen, and incorporates V2L (Vehicle-to-Data) technology. -Load). This technology allows bidirectional charging, that is, using the energy stored in the car battery to recharge electrical devices (such as an electric bicycle, for example) offering energy with up to 3.68 kW.
The doors can be opened with a normal key using the hands-free access function or with an NFC card, a solution reminiscent of the one used by Tesla in its models. The drawback of the card is that you have to take it out of your pocket and put it on top of the rearview mirror, which is where the reader is. It's only in the left mirror, so if you're on the other side of the car it can't be opened. It is not entirely practical.
Inside, the materials feel quality, feel attractive to the eye, and offer plenty of soft-touch areas. The design may be a bit extravagant for some but it is certainly very original. There's nothing generic about it, and it feels like BYD has worked hard to make a cabin that is eye-catching and has character.
Surprising elements related to sport. The shapes of the dashboard represent muscles in tension, the peculiar cylindrical air vents look like barbells, the gear lever in the style of a kettlebell ("kettlebell" for connoisseurs) or the central armrest with a design inspired by a treadmill.
In addition, the interior handles of the doors are integrated into the speakers or the opening of the doors with three elastic bands that appear to be a guitar. Well, they don't just look like it because since each string has a different length, they emit a different sound, so perhaps the most skilled can compose a melody.
Imagination has not been lacking except for the 5-inch LCD instrument panel, which is perhaps too basic. The resolution is good and there is a lot of data from the onboard computer, but it would have been nice if the navigation instructions were also reflected here.
BYD has preferred to concentrate the information on the infotainment screen, which holds another surprise that goes unnoticed at first glance. It is a 12.8-inch (Comfort) or 15.6-inch (Design) touch screen that has the particularity of being rotatable. Yes, as you read it. At the touch of a button, it can be electrically rotated to stand horizontally or vertically. Be careful, if you wear polarized sunglasses you can't see anything when placed in a vertical position, horizontally there is no problem.
Through this screen, the BYD DiLink 4.0 multimedia system is managed with Over Air (OTA) updates and connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The interface is extremely fluid, and intuitive to operate, with a layout similar to that of a mobile phone, and the resolution is fantastic.
It also has a voice recognition system and with voice commands you can ask to raise the temperature of the air conditioning, lower the windows or close the sunroof blind, for example. This voice control system is not yet in Spanish, it will be an improvement that will be included soon via OTA.
Telenav's navigation system with maps calculates routes quickly and has real-time traffic indication, charging points, and even a representation on the map of how far we can go with the current autonomy. The screen also shows the images of the 360º camera system with a very good resolution and 3D visualization. I have been impressed with how well everything is going.
The rear seats are spacious, especially longitudinally, and in this area, there are air vents, pockets behind the front seatbacks, and a pair of USB-A and USB-C sockets. For three adults it is a bit cramped, as is normal in this segment, but at least the passenger in the center seat has room to put his feet because the floor is completely flat, and there is no transmission tunnel to bother.
The absence of a tunnel is typical of electric cars sitting on a specific platform for electric cars. This is the case of the Atto 3 which uses an architecture that has been baptized by BYD as e-Platform 3.0. That "3" is what makes this car called Atto 3, a reference to its platform.
And now you may be wondering: ok, I see where the 3 comes from but what is that "auto"? An auto is one trillionth of something, for example, an attosecond is one trillionth of a second. What does it have to do with BYD? I have no idea, frankly, but the model name comes from there.
As for the cargo space, the Chinese brand proposes an electric gate-opening system that gives access to a 440-liter trunk. The floor has two heights and the storage volume can be increased by folding down the rear row in a 60/40 ratio to reach 1,338 liters. Unlike some electric ones, this BYD does not have a front trunk despite the fact that under the hood it seems that there would be some space that could have been used for this purpose.
An electric SUV with 420 km of autonomy
BYD's compact SUV uses a permanent magnet synchronous motor that develops 150 kW (204 hp) sent to the front axle. With that cavalry and 310 Nm of maximum torque, the Atto 3 accelerates intensely but without jerkiness. It gains speed quickly but instead of "kicking" you it is progressive. It is capable of overcoming 100 km/h from a standstill in 7.3 seconds and, as usual with many electric cars, the top speed is electronically limited to 160 km/h.
It is easy to drive and is smooth and refined. It is quiet although at high speeds the aerodynamic noise is felt. The address is not very communicative but it complies well with a level of assistance that can be regulated in two levels. The suspension in general does a good job but not always. At low speeds or when the asphalt is in good condition it appears plumb. However, in bumpy areas, the damping is very "bounced" and loses a lot of agility. It is not that it is a car designed to make very dynamic driving.
On the console, there is a selector that allows you to choose between four driving modes: Normal, Sport, Eco, and Snow. Another button allows you to vary the intensity of the regenerative braking in two levels. There is not a huge difference between them and even at the highest, the retention is always moderate. Unlike other electric cars, the Atto 3 does not have a single-pedal function.
The giant BYD also develops its own batteries and the one used by this electric car, named BYD Blade, has a gross capacity of 60.48 kWh. The battery pack weighs 420 kg and has an energy density of 140 Wh/kg. The manufacturer grants a guarantee of at least 70% of its capacity for 8 years or 200,000 km.
The battery is LFP, that is, the cathode material is lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). Unlike the usual NCM batteries with a chemical composition of nickel, cobalt, and manganese, LFP batteries have lower performance and energy density but in return are cheaper, more environmentally friendly, safer, and have a longer useful life.
|
BATTERY |
ATTO 3 |
|
Denomination |
BYD Blade |
|
Type |
Li-ion |
|
Cathode |
LFP |
|
Ability |
60,48 kWh |
|
No. of cells |
126 |
|
Energy Density |
140 Wh/kg |
|
Nominal voltage |
403,2 V |
|
Rated capacity |
150 Ah |
|
Weight |
420 kg |
The Atto 3 announces an approved consumption of 15.6 kWh/100km and a range of 420 km in the WLTP cycle. The consumption that I have been obtaining in this test has been between 16 and 17 kWh/100 km circulating carelessly, which allows me to go around 370 real km approximately. If efficient urban driving is done, 400 km can be exceeded without great difficulty. On the highway, going at high speeds, it will be around 300 km or a little less.
With the 11 kW on-board charger on alternating current (AC), it would take about six and a half hours for a full charge (0-100%). The CCS 2 port of the Atto 3 can also charge in direct current (DC) at a power of up to 88 kW and as a reference, the manufacturer indicates that half the battery can be charged (30-80%) in 29 minutes and one charge complete (0-100%) would take 80 minutes.
That 88 kW peak may be too little for some users when traveling and therefore reduce the versatility of use of this model, a shame because long-distance journeys can be considered due to autonomy. My charging experience is that while it's not very high power, it's at least usually close to that peak on a stable basis.
|
CHARGING TIMES |
ATTO 3 |
|
CA 7 kW 0-100% |
9h 42m |
|
CA 11 kW 0-100% |
6h 30m |
|
CC 88 kW 0-100% |
1h 20m |
|
CC 88 kW 10-80% |
44 m |
|
CC 88 kW 30-80% |
29 m |
In general, it is a convincing model and certainly exceeds expectations. Even in other times, the products coming from China were characterized by their little safety equipment to save costs, but this is no longer the case. The BYD Atto 3 boasts of having obtained five stars in the Euro NCAP tests, the highest rating.
All versions have forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, rear collision warning, lane keeping, lane change assistant, blind spot detector, high beam assistant, cross traffic alert rear with automatic braking, or a traffic sign recognition system. It's not bad at all.
In the Spanish market, its most notable rivals with the "Made in China" label are the MG ZS EV and the Series 3. The BYD Atto 3 does not seek to be as affordable as these, but more generally looking askance at the KIA e-Niro, the Hyundai Kona Electric, the Volkswagen ID.3, or the CUPRA Born. For this reason, it has a sale price of 41,400 euros (Comfort) and 42,900 euros (Design).
These rates do not include the Moves III Plan and are interested to get a good electric car with a lot of personality. To give you more confidence in a brand you probably haven't heard of, BYD gives a 6-year or 150,000 km warranty which, in the case of the battery, is extended to 8 years or 200,000 km.
EXPERT VIEWS
- We liked it more
- Good ride comfort
- Lots of equipment available
- Media system
We liked it less
- The interior design is quirky and won't convince everyone
- The NFC card is not very practical
- DC charging power somewhat low on trips
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