The all-new BYD Dolphin is as comfortable on North Coast roads as its namesake in the ocean.
Launched in South Africa earlier this year, the Dolphin is an electric vehicle manufactured by the Chinese Build Your Dreams brand, abbreviated as BYD.
At R539 900 for the standard model and R599 900 for the extended model, the Dolphin is among the most affordable electric vehicles on the local market.
The Courier took the extended model for a test drive last Friday and found it to be surprisingly powerful for its compact hatchback build.
Despite its near absolute silence on the roads, the Dolphin drew plenty of lingering eyes from passersby who were no doubt caught by the coral pink and metallic grey bodywork.
There are a few different colour options for those looking to be a little less conspicuous, however.
While on the point of aesthetics, the main silhouette of the car is cleanly drawn and inoffensive, while the interior takes inspiration from the ocean.
With wavy lines and a retro-futurist design, the dashboard was very user-friendly and I found my way around in minutes.
There’s a whole host of features including ventilated and heated seating, a rotatable central touchscreen, rear-view camera, Apple CarPlay, satnav and keyless start to be found inside too.
As for performance, the Dolphin’s extended model is very responsive off the mark and will get you from 0-100 in seven seconds, while maintaining higher speeds with comfort.
The claimed top speed is 159km/h behind 150kw of power and 310nm of torque. BYD says it will travel 427km on a full charge.
The front two seats are very comfortable, while the back is reasonable without being roomy. There is also a 345-litre boot with the seats up, which can be extended to 1 310 litres when the seats are folded down.
Overall, the Dolphin proved agile and zippy on Ballito’s busy roads and more than comfortable when taken on some more testing roads inland.
You can find it at BYD Ballito at 8 Moffatt Drive.
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