Juniper
BYD Atto 2 Road Test Review by Dr Long SP
I have always got a soft spot for affordable and value-for-money automobiles. BEVs included and even more so. Of course, many will digress on this automotive preference: upscale neighbours, professional associates, sportscar club friends/fiends, blood relatives and even some car companies’ bosses – grinning or smirking with puzzled or even subtly disdainful expressions. Or just painful silence, on their part. Understandably, most if not all, have been indoctrinated over the past half a century to think that cheap equals nasty.
Shopping for a good “base model” vehicle – usually B-segment – can be quite a daunting but fun experience. Since the usual suspects don’t usually tick all the right boxes. With this BYD Atto 2, it looks like you can have the cake and eat it too…well, almost.
The Atto 2 has ticked off the first box as a relevant offering, in the form of a modem yet attainable SUV. BYD Malaysia has rightfully replaced the Dolphin by offering the Atto 2 at RM100k. Placed squarely at the floor price dictated by Miti for CBU EVs and possibly into the future as a CKD BEV sold in Malaysia.
As a B-segment SUV, its dimensions are 4310mm in length, 1830mm wide and 1675mm tall – hosted by a compact wheelbase of 2620mm. From the outside, this little but tall crossover looks deceptively bigger, somewhat like a B+ segment offering.
Don’t let that rather short wheelbase fool you though. With a flat-floor plus smart packaging, the Atto 2 offers a spacious rear legroom complemented by a rear bench which is thick, chunky and nicely angled to be supportive of the rear passengers’ thighs. Sitting three abreast at the back is still manageable, albeit at a squeeze. As expected of a B-segment vehicle, which characteristically lacks width.
With the neverending race to make modern BEVs interiors minimalistic, bucking this mind-boggling trend is Atto 2’s back-to-basics interior. Items like flickable air vents on its dashboard, door armrest’ mechanical switches, steering Left-Right stalks with physical buttons are simply functional, intuitive to use while offering good old tactile feedback. Aircond controls are digitally rendered within the 12.8” touchscreen but logically stays as a locked task bar at the bottom of the screen. Another intuitive selectable driving safety function is the Lane Departure Warning/Assist which requires just a one-time setting to turn off – permanently. No frustrating, recurring default “ON” annoyance when the car restarts for a new drive.
Over a weekend, I found the Atto 2 to be a highly livable and practical city car. Tall headroom, soft surfaces on dashboard to door cards, with leatherette-lined seats and stitch-wrapped steering. It doesn’t feel like bargain-basement at all.
With a claimed WLTP range of 350km from its 51.13 kWh Blade battery, I clocked it running about 300km easily before needing a recharge with electrons – levelling up from an SoC of about 10%.
The DC motor dishes out a maximum 290Nm of torque delivering effortless and zippy acceleration, though not seamlessly progressive into the regeneration braking zone. Many times you will still need to brake manually, even with the drive set in high braking regen mode. Should you find yourself rushing headlong towards a speed hump, you may find that the brakes are not very biting and tend to fade. Somehow I wished there was more thumping brake servo assistance afforded here – in times of urgency and during more spirited drives.
It was the same deal with the Seal 6 EV (my daily driver) and even a smidgen in the much bigger Seal Performance. Perhaps it’s the higher kerb weight of BEVs due to the heavy skateboard-like floor pan LFP Blade battery. Need super high motor-braking regen to compensate? Then again, our eyes will already be popping out of their orbits (skull sockets)!
Typical of most Chinese BEVs, the steering feels quite numb, but reasonably quick with a small turning circle of 10.5m, making it easier to park and execute tighter 3-points turns. If there is one single thing that may nudge one into signing the dotted (Sales Order) line is the absolute cushiness of the Atto 2’ suspension. Much appreciable comfort – more so for rear passengers – with none of the wobbly, swaying and busy ride associated with the typical rear torsion beam set-ups. It handles predictably well too, just don’t gun it all out like an Atto 3, the Seal 6 EV or Seal sedan brethrens, and all will be good. Just sit back, relax and simply enjoy this compact SUV’s calm, comfortable and soft riding nature.
For the initiated, 0 – 100 km/h is dispatched in a claimed 7.9 seconds and continues to a governed top whack of 160 km/h, powered by a single front motor spinning out a max output of 130kW (174hp).
Coming back to ticking selection boxes of an entry-level model, I am glad to report that the Atto 2 is not a bare-bones entrant to BYD ownership. ADAS is still standard i.e. adaptive cruise control, AEB and other electronic safety nannies. Its 360 degree surround view cameras and display is just as high definition as the pricier Atto 3, Seal 6 EV and Seal Performance. If only it comes preloaded with blind spot-warning blinkers. C’mon! BYD Malaysia. This is another small box not ticked! Then again, I’m nit-picking here. Also, as I have highlighted before, the Atto 2’s fixed-headrest seat doesn’t contort your neck like in the older models. By the way, both front seats are ventilated and electrically-powered too.
Above all, the Atto 2 presents a more contemporary look that’s fresher than the ageing Ocean series’ Atto 3, which cost about RM25k more – give or take. At the promo price of RM88k at most BYD dealers, the Atto 2 is an excellent choice as a first BEV. One that comes with a high-voltage battery included.
