My finger poked at the D-for-drive button on the center console again to no avail. “Is this thing even on?” I mused aloud. Already in gear, there was no indication of any change of state from Park until my right foot pressed the accelerator significantly further than expected to finally engage the electric powertrain. It was an inauspicious start to a first drive of the vanguard for a new Vietnamese auto brand.
Moments before, I’d climbed into the driver’s seat of a glossy red preproduction copy of the VinFast VF8 in Plus trim, the top-spec equipped with the largest of two battery options. Like the exterior, the design of the interior of the mid-size crossover looked mature — somewhat unique, but still familiar. The seats were comfortable and supportive, the leather-wrapped, flat-bottomed steering wheel was contoured to fit hands just above the horizontal spokes. The front passengers were separated by a console swathed in leather that spanned the entire distance from the seatback to the dashboard.
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