It may not be perfect, but this electric SUV still impressed in several ways, notably for its comfort
Chris Haining chris.haining@haymarket.com
DESPITE HAVING FRIENDS of a nautical persuasion, I have never taken the plunge (as it were) into proper boat ownership. I feel like I’ve had an enjoyable taste of the marine life, though, during my time with the BYD Atto 3.
It turned the M25 – on which the Atto 3 and I spent an awful lot of time together – into an expanse of calm, placid water. On those rare occasions that I managed to gather speed, it was unfazed by the road’s many concrete ripples, and even potholes felt no more harsh than when a yacht’s centreboard gently touches the bottom while exploring a shallow estuary.
Really, the Atto 3’s motorway ride is superb. In fact, I recently had the pleasure of driving a £142,000 BMW 7 Series luxury saloon, and while that was among the comfiest cars I’ve ever driven, I was amazed by how much worse the Atto 3’s high-speed ride isn’t. It’s a pretty quiet car, too; the rear suspension thumps every now and again and the tyres can generate a bit of a roar on concrete road surfaces, but there’s no need to raise your voice to talk to passengers.
As a result, dealing with the usual M25 war zone was as relaxing as an afternoon sail. The Atto 3 is a much quieter, smoother motorway companion than the Honda Civic I ran prior to it, and to compare it with an electric rival, it trounces the Kia Soul EV I once ran when it comes to comfort. My blood pressure level has never been so low on the commute.
Both of those cars are more rewarding to drive, though. On winding roads, the Atto 3 leans enough to remind me of my dinghy sailing days, bounces like it’s crossing a ship’s wake, and its steering feels more like a yacht’s tiller than a racing car’s wheel. Still, at least wide, 235-section tyres mean it has enough grip that you can cover ground pretty quickly.
Of course, most yachts have a motor for when the wind drops, but there’s no back-up for an electric car’s battery. Despite this, the Atto 3 had no trouble tackling my 234-mile commute in my first few months with it; a full overnight charge from my home wallbox would get me to work and back. But the car’s range steadily fell as the weather grew colder, until I was having to stop and get its 60kWh (usable) battery up by at least 17kWh at a public charger in order to make it home. At its worst, I couldn’t rely on it taking me any farther than 200 miles
