Video: Up Close With the 2024 VinFast VF 9

They sell the VF 8, which is a two-row EV, and this, the VF 9, the three-row EV. And I'm really interested to check this out because there aren't a lot of three-row EVs on the market. With this being one of them, we wanted to see how it compares to our EV of the year, the 2025 Kia EV9, so let's check it out. So how much does the VF 9 cost? Well, it starts around $70,000, and it doesn't qualify for the $7,500 tax credit for purchasing, but it does for leasing. And current lease deals on the VF 9 are $599 a month. You can check out those details. But there are other perks that come with the VF 9, including an e-bike. Now this version on the show floor is $79,000 'cause it's an upper trim level with some options. And our EV9, it starts around $55,000. We paid 72 for our Land trim level. So you're not looking at that much of a difference between the VF 9 that around its starting price and what we paid for our EV9. So the next thing you might wanna know is how much range does this EV have? And the VF 9 has 330 miles of EPA-rated range, and that's pretty impressive. It doesn't necessarily come from great efficiency, however, it has a honking battery capacity of 125 kilowatt hours. Now compared to our EV9, EV9 has 280 miles of range, but from a much smaller battery capacity of about 95 kilowatt hours of usable energy. So how big is the VF 9? Well, it's actually longer than an EV9, but it's shorter. So you have this a long gated wagon-type appearance. It doesn't look as much like an SUV as kind of a wagon, low slung. This is a very interesting looking vehicle, very different than an EV9. One of the things I like to see on this, good tires, Continental brand tires. These are CrossContact RX tires, good stuff. And then another interesting bit is the airflow through the grill that goes up over the hood. And hey, look at that. It does, it goes right through. So obviously some aerodynamic enhancements here, but also just something fun to show off. So the interior of the VF 9 is very different than what I expected. It's a mix of controls you're familiar with and controls that you may have to become accustomed to. For example, this 15.6 inch touchscreen has a lot of control similar to a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y where the climate controls are all digital on the screen. The steering wheel tilt and telescoping adjustments are in the touch screen, same thing with the mirrors. But you have physical buttons to select your gears. And then you also have turn signal and wiper stalks, which are nice to have. So it's kind of a blend of what a lot of EVs are doing, and then just your normal car too. Now the interior quality is nice, and I would say it's similar to maybe a Chrysler product. You know, it's not quite luxury, but it's also not quite just entry level. And the visibility I'm gonna be interested to experience on the road, 'cause right now, over-the-shoulder visibility doesn't look great, but there are 360-degree cameras that could help with parking lot situations. But again, something that we'll have to further evaluate once we are driving the car. But let's check out the second row. So interior roominess in the back seat is pretty good. I expected a little more room for just how long this vehicle is. I don't think space efficiency is gonna be this car's greatest strengths, but these are the optional captain's chairs. And this is the Plus trim level. So this is the top trim level in the lineup, and they are comfortable, they're very cushy. Obviously we'll need a lot more time to determine if they're comfortable for long road trips. But a couple things I wanted to point out, this has massaging seats in the second row, which is a pretty interesting feature. And then also you have this center console which has cup holders and some charging ports in here and a wireless charger in the back too, which is interesting. The unfortunate part is that you can't get captain's chairs without this fixed center console. And that's a bummer if you really need to use the third row because you want that access to the third row. Here, this is more like kind of an executive type package where maybe having this as a family hauler isn't exactly gonna be great for daily duty. And some of that also has to do with the third row, which check out next. So back in the third row, you're not getting as much room as the EV9, and you're not getting as easy access either because of this fixed console. Whereas in the EV9 with captain's chairs, you have this path from the second row to the third. And also the tumble-forward second-row seats, not great if you have car seats. And my current life stage, I have a lot of car seats, so this stands out as something I'm not able to keep the car seats in the second row and have easy access to the third row. And you know, the third row is pretty tiny. You're on the floor so your knees are elevated, but I do have good head room, and I do have some decent width back here. One bummer about the third row is that there are no latch anchors at the bottom of the seat. So if you ever wanted to put a seat in the back or have a booster secure back here, you don't have those latch, but you do have top tethers, which is nice. You still can put a car seat back here, but you are gonna be limited by what you could put back here. So it was really interesting to check out the VF 9 at the Auto Show floor Chicago this year. And we'll say, you know, if you have any hesitations about considering a new brand like VinFast, know that this does come with a 10-year, 125,000 mile warranty. And we're looking forward to giving you a full road test report when we get a chance to drive the VF 9 where we can do our EV charging tests, EV efficiency tests, cargo tests, child seat testing. Really we're gonna put this thing through its paces when we get our hands on one. But for more news from the Chicago Auto Show, be sure to visit cars.com/news.