BYD Atto 3 Electric (100 kW) Review: Good Just Got Better
How do you make an award-winning package better? There’s a saying – It all starts to go downhill – so how do you improve something that was good to begin with?
The OneShift team awarded the BYD Atto 3 (150 kW) Car of the Year 2022. So when BYD handed us the keys to the 100 kW Atto 3 variant, I was slightly apprehensive if this new model could live up to the expectations of its higher powered siblings.
It is quite common for manufacturers to water down their lower powered models to have greater product differentiation. This is especially applicable for our tax heavy jurisdiction where manufacturers and dealers often strike a balance between factory features to keep import taxes low and power outputs to differentiate between Cat A and Cat B COEs.
It was then expected that the lower powered Atto 3 with a Cat A COE would be the more affordable model with not only a smaller electric motor but also have smaller rims and less interior features.
Here’s where BYD has got its priorities right. You essentially get the same car in either 100 kW or 150 kW electric motor outputs. (To readers who are not used to outputs in kW, 100 kW = 134 hp and 150 kw = 201 hp; former requires only a Cat A COE and the latter Cat B).
There is absolutely nothing else to differentiate the two models other than their power outputs. You get the same 18-inch rims, the same futuristically designed interior, a large panoramic sunroof and BYD’s patented 12.8 inch rotating infotainment display which now has Android Auto too.
Call me odd, but I personally prefer the driveability of the lower powered 100 kW Atto 3. Although power output is lower, the torque output is the same at 310 Nm between the two models. This results in a very respectable 9.7s 0 to 100 timing which is only 2.4s shy of the higher-powered model that achieves the same in 7.3s.
In our local driving conditions, there was never a time where I felt that the car was underpowered thanks to the high torque output. Cheekily, the car still has sufficient power to cause the front wheels to squeal at full throttle and with lesser torque steer. Put on a set of good tyres from a reputable tyre manufacturer and you should enjoy the ride and handling even better.
Both versions have the same 60.5 kWh batteries and the same 420 km maximum range according to the specification sheet. However, the staff at BYD did tell me that the 150 kW model has a range of 480 km which was also what we understood from our test in 2022.
With a list price of S$174,888, the 100 kW Atto 3 is S$23,000 cheaper than the 150 kW model. This is the model to buy unless you are looking forward to reaching your destination just slightly faster by a couple of seconds. Kudos to BYD for launching yet another excellent product without sacrificing any features for the sake of price and product differentiation.
BYD has made its award-winning Atto 3 an even better package.
Photos by New Gen Marketing
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