oi-Dennis Abraham James
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.
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