Cabin check: What’s inside the VinFast VF 5?

The VinFast VF 5 is now available in the Philippine market. It offers all-electric performance at a reasonably affordable starting price of P992,000. 

For power, the electric vehicle (EV) model uses a single motor setup, capable of producing up to 134 horsepower and 135 Newton-meters of torque. It also has a range of 326 kilometers, as estimated by the New European Driving Cycle, and a quick charged rate of 10-70 percent in just 30 minutes. 

Safety-wise, it has dual front airbags, curtain airbags, and side airbags. It also has blind-spot detection, rear parking assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and a rearview parking camera. 

For exterior styling, the battery-electric model gets a slick front fascia with LED lighting fixtures. Its profile also comes with black plastic claddings, which is typical of crossovers. Over to the rear of the model is a shapely tailgate enhanced by an LED light bar. Up above, the vehicle gets a small roof-mounted spoiler, while its lower rear section gets a chunky-looking bumper.

For its exterior looks and powertrain department, the VF 5 is a nifty package with the potential to be an in-city daily driver. But what about its interior? What does its cockpit look like, and what is it offering in terms of creature comforts? 

Straightforward cockpit

While it has some curves and interesting design details, the VF 5’s dashboard and general cockpit area are as straightforward as they get. 

For starters, plastic materials are plentiful within the car’s front cabin. It has some bits of soft-touch surfaces, but the steering wheel, a majority of the interior door cards, and the main center console structure are all plastic. 

As a consolation to the simple and practical dash, the VinFast model does come with a seven-inch digital gauge cluster and an eight-inch infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

The said digital gauge can show helpful information such as driving range, battery levels, and vehicle speed, among others. The central screen, meanwhile, gets the usual infotainment functions like a music player and several apps, among others.  

For the driver, the vehicle provides a dial-type gear shifter, which is decorated with chrome. Below the shifter is a 12-volt accessory outlet, a singular USB port, and the car’s manual hand-operated parking brake. 

The only physical buttons on the vehicle’s dashboard are the ones for the hazard lights, a push-to-start button, and another for the door locks. The vehicle’s air-conditioning system’s settings are instead found on the EV unit’s touchscreen. 

The vehicle’s seating, on the other hand, is all clad in leatherette. Adjusting the two seats on the front is done manually. 

Simple rear section

The VF 5’s rear cabin has a bench-type seat, which can accommodate two adults at most. The said section doesn’t come with many features, but it offers door cup holders, one USB charging port, plastic handholds, and additional storage pockets on the backs of the front seats. 

With the rear seat folded down, it offers up to 900 liters of space. Notably, the rear bench seat doesn’t have a split-folding functionality, so some versatility is sacrificed. 

Variants, Price

• VF 5 (without battery pack): P992,000
• VF 5 (with battery pack): P1.191 million

Final thoughts

When it comes to its interior, the VF 5 is straightforward. It has some tech due to its digital displays, but its heavy use of plastic goes to show its position as an affordable, no-nonsense EV model that will get its users from A to B. 

Sure, its EV powertrain may offer a bit of driving enjoyment, but it's a basic car with just enough features to qualify it as a convenient and easy-to-use daily driver. 

For folks considering the VinFast VF 5 as their next purchase, it is highly recommended that they give it a test drive first. Doing so will make for better car-buying decisions in the end. Guides like this can be useful, but seeing it in the metal would be ideal. 

Also read: 

VinFast VF 5: highs and lows

Here are VinFast VF 5's color options

VinFast VF 5 vs. the competition