BYD DOLPHIN (Design) review: Good overall package for little money?
A TEST REPORT from David Haydl 
on February 17, 2024, 11:33 | Write a comment
The BYD DOLPHIN is the Chinese manufacturer's most affordable model. I was able to find out for two weeks what advantages it offers in everyday life and where the disadvantages are.
The BYD DOLPHIN is a very solid car. It is very suitable for the city as it is very clear and thanks to the fairly good range it is not possible to cover further distances Proproblem. The comfort that the car offers is sufficient even if four people are traveling with luggage. And what's more, the DOLPHIN simply looks chic.
However, there is still a bit of a problem with the details in the design, which is particularly noticeable in the software. The infotainment and various assistance systems are simply not running completely smoothly yet. In addition, the power delivery when pressing the power pedal could be better tuned. However, many of these things can be eliminated over time with software updates and then the BYD DOLPHIN is really a good electric car for a fairly low price.
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Design
The DOLPHIN from BYD is very clear and appears compact, even if it really isn't. It is 2,01 meters wide, 4,29 meters long and 1,57 meters high. The ACT 3 In comparison, it is 2,05 meters wide, 4,45 meters long and 1,61 meters high. The DOLPHIN weighs just 1.680 kilograms.
The choice of paint finishes is very wide. In the photos my first impression Last October you saw the “Surfing blue + Urban gray” version and now I got the “Skiing white + Urban gray” version to test. Otherwise there are six other color options. The plus in the name of the paintwork means that the color from the hood is different than that of the underbody. The whole thing looks great and is definitely a nice unique selling point.
The door handles are flush with the rest of the door and there is another button in the driver's door handle for keyless locking and unlocking. This is of course much more reliable than the solution from all other manufacturers, which requires running your hand over the door handle. Nevertheless, I occasionally had to press the button a second or even third time until the feature wanted to work.
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- Picture: TechnikNews
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- Picture: TechnikNews
The front is very similar to that of the ATTO 3, although the company logo is much more present here. In addition, a light strip has now been installed under the BYD logo for even better illumination of the street. In general, the headlights are very bright, so I always do everything without them Procould see problems. I also really liked the automatic high beam, which almost always acted appropriately for the situation.
BYD did not integrate a frunk into the car, but you do get a spacious false floor in the trunk. And Apropos trunk, the flap must be opened and closed manually.
inner space
The interior is less “daring” than the BYD ATTO 3. There, the manufacturer experimented, among other things, with the design of the door handles, the ventilation slots and the gear selector lever. With the BYD DOLPHIN they didn't do that.
Probably the first thing I noticed is that there are a lot of shelves and storage spaces. We have an area under the windshield, a shelf under the infotainment screen, a cup holder, a compartment with a flap, a Qi charging area and an area under the center console. However, I wouldn't put anything under the windshield except maybe a parking ticket, as things can quickly slide to the side when cornering (I speak from experience, because I could have almost cleaned up my lunch once if I hadn't reacted quickly). The area under the touchscreen is perfect for storing a smartphone and the cup holder could be a little larger. What's missing is a box under the armrest.
The row of buttons and the gear rocker provides added value. Thanks to their positioning, you don't always have to look down into the center console when you need to activate the alarm flashing system, for example.
The infotainment touchscreen measures 12,8 inches diagonally. Just like in the ATTO 3, it can be rotated into a portrait position at the touch of a button on the screen itself or on the steering wheel. It's nice that the option exists, but I feel like this setting blocks my view to the right too much.
The information display for the driver measures five inches diagonally and is therefore the same size as in the ATTO 3. Unfortunately, it doesn't show much more than the current speed and various information about the vehicle. It would be especially cool if you could see the next navigation instruction. A ProThe problem with the information display is that the dark and light modes do not match the settings in the infotainment or do not adapt correctly in the automatic setting. You may be able to see the bright display in the dark. You don't get a head-up display in the BYD DOLPHIN.
The steering wheel is the same as in the ATTO 3. My version of the DOLPHIN uses a bit of a piano lacquer look, but I actually like that more than the silver plastic in the ATTO 3. However, I didn't like the fact that there was no dedicated button There is a need to pause media playback and it is difficult to tell the buttons for controlling the distance apart. Both show two cars with an arrow pointing in opposite directions, but on one the line of the arrow is a little longer to signal that this button increases the distance to the car in front, while on the other it is a little shorter.
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- Picture: TechnikNews
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- Picture: TechnikNews
The seats are made of leather and are electronically adjustable in several directions in the front row. In winter, the front passenger and driver can benefit from the heated seats profit, which can be regulated in two stages. I can't fault the comfort of the seats; I was able to sit on them several times prosit comfortably for a few hours.
The back seat offers space for three people. There is a small shelf in the center console for, for example, a smartphone and two USB-C ports for charging devices.
The trunk has a capacity of 345 liters without the seats folded down. That's not a lot and is only enough to transport a slightly larger purchase. The double floor gives you a little more leeway. Basically, it is intended to accommodate the charging cables, but as a colleague from my day job correctly pointed out, you can also quickly accommodate a bicycle if you clear out the false floor. With the seats folded down, the total volume is 1.310 liters.
Picture: TechnikNews
If you look up, you will notice the glass roof, which extends over the entire vehicle. Since the thermometer showed around 15 degrees Celsius several times during my test, I was able to turn down the heating several times and thus save more battery.
One final point of criticism at the end: I would like the reading lights (like in each other car too) when I get in and out in the dark.
infotainment
I have to say right away that the software and infotainment didn't perform particularly well in my test of the ATTO 3. Several over-the-air updates have now been released to improve a variety of things. Unfortunately, others appeared in the meantime Proproblems arise and there are still one or two things that, in my opinion, are working fundamentally wrong. I will explain these topics in this and the following chapter. By the way, at the time of my test from January 22nd to February 25th, software version 13.1.32.2310180.1 was installed.
BYD's infotainment operating system is based on Android, which makes everything feel a little familiar. You can also modify the experience to a certain extent with the right moves. The system is very easy to use while driving, thanks to the simple structure and large user interface elements. And everything runs very quickly, you hardly ever experience any stuttering. In addition, German is now fully integrated as a language, including in the language assistant. However, I don't fully understand why the navigation system still says "school zone ahead" instead of "school zone ahead" - hasn't anyone noticed that yet? The only con at this point is that the settings couldn't be as nested.
As already mentioned, there are occasional difficulties when switching between light and dark mode. In principle, you either decide on a mode or the car itself determines how the user interface should be displayed based on the time of day. However, this often doesn't work automatically until you turn the display. And then it often happens that the driver information display remains in a different mode than the infotainment display. It's a shame that it's still so unreliable, because it didn't always work with the ATTO 3 proflawless.
The infotainment supports Android Auto wirelessly and CarPlay only with a cable. The latter didn't work on any of the ports in my car, which is a shame because that's another point that didn't work as it should in the ATTO 3. At least I can say that the function is probably only defective in my test car. It's still annoying though.
Picture: TechnikNews
Let's move on to the navigation app. I liked the structure of this app just as much as I did when I tested the ATTO 3 - the user interface is nice and the app offers all the features you would expect. Another plus point is that this time I didn't receive any incorrect navigations (even on the route where I got the wrong instructions with the ATTO 3) and an area for loading planning has now been implemented. The only bad thing is that the app startup time was often around 10 seconds, even with good reception.
Last but not least, we have to briefly discuss the speakers; BYD installed a total of six of them. I found the sound quality of these to be sufficient, but they won't win any prizes. I attribute this particularly to the bass, which is often too strong. The speakers could also be louder because of strong winds and 130 kilometers pro For an hour on the highway I could no longer understand my podcast and I could hardly hear any music.
Further experiences with the software
Unfortunately, there are a few other points of criticism about the software that go beyond the infotainment.
Let's start with the behavior of the lane departure warning system on the highway. Normally I'm used to only briefly activating the turn signal before changing lanes, so that it goes off automatically after a few moments and the lane change assistant doesn't countersteer. With the BYD DOLPHIN it's different: you blink briefly to change lanes and as soon as the indicator is off and you're not yet driving in the other lane, the car tries to compensate. This is simply incredibly disturbing, as you always have to assume that the car is interfering with the driver's intention. Or you turn off the assistant, but then you can't do it either profit when you really need it.
The second thing I was surprised by was the alarm system. I actually just got in line for the car wash, although the engine wasn't running and I was in the car with the key. And suddenly the ruckus started, even though it could have been quite clear to the DOLPHIN that there was no danger since I was in the interior of the vehicle with the key.
Detection of the permitted speed
But the tip of the iceberg is the detection of the permitted speed. In principle, an EU regulation requires that all newly registered cars show the maximum speed to the driver and issue a warning if they exceed it by two kilometers pro hour is exceeded. However, with the BYD DOLPHIN it almost worked never at all Accurate, I was almost never presented with the correct speed. Either I didn't get a suggestion because the system had no idea or it was icy, or I saw something that was canceled by turn or other signs or may not apply at all. For example, I once saw a 90 kilometerpro-hour limit, although there is no such thing in Austria. Or on the motorway I once received the suggestion “50?” (with free travel). The funny thing is that the navigation almost always knows the correct limit.
Made my day! (Picture: TechnikNews)
The whole thing is just annoying because you almost always hear the beeping sound that indicates that the speed is too high due to the many errors. It's a mystery to me how a piece of software was allowed to end up in the car in this condition. BYD assured me that an update for the system was in the works. In the meantime, you at least have the option to disable it in the settings.
driving experience
The BYD DOLPHIN has front-wheel drive with an output of 150 kilowatts (203 hp). This accelerates it from 7,3 to 0 kilometers in 100 seconds pro Hour. At a speed of 160 kilometers pro It is cordoned off for an hour.
When it comes to driving modes, you can choose between Sport, Eco and Normal. Basically, these only affect the acceleration; in my opinion, the steering always remains the same.
The DOLPHIN is designed for a more comfortable driving style. If you press the power pedal too much, it can quickly happen that the tires spin for a short moment. The power output could be better coordinated here. Furthermore, I didn't always feel completely safe when I took corners faster. The steering could provide a little more feedback, especially in these situations, but its ease of movement makes it particularly suitable for the city.
There are two levels of recuperation, one standard and one high. Even high is still very weak, which is why you can rarely avoid using the brake. The DOLPHIN also never comes to a complete standstill when you take your foot off the power pedal. What became noticeable, however, is that the recuperation is just so strong that you can climb many hills procan easily go downhill without using one of the two pedals.
Assistant
Cruise control with distance control is sometimes available to make driving more comfortable. This worked almost always perfectly review and was particularly helpful in stop-and-go traffic, as it allowed the vehicle to start moving again on its own. Unfortunately, sometimes it happened that the speed was reduced for obstacles that were actually not obstacles. It once happened, for example, that a car in the left-turn lane was classified as a danger and braked suddenly.
Of course, a steering assistant should not be missing, which is particularly useful for driving on the motorway. However, BYD still has to do a little work on this one. It's very shaky and occasionally doesn't turn in enough so that you end up in the other lane - even on slight curves. In addition, it often could not be activated even when visibility was good and goes unnoticed if, for example, you steer too hard.
With this view I was unable to activate the BYD DOLPHIN's steering assistant. (Picture: TechnikNews)
Furthermore, a blind spot assistant, a door opening warning and an automatic emergency braking assistant (also for cross traffic) are integrated.
range and charging
BYD is once again relying on its own blade battery for the DOLPHIN. This is an LFP battery with a capacity of 60,4 kilowatt hours.
The range in the design version I tested is 427 kilometers according to the WLTP standard. Since this value is always difficult to achieve in winter, I only barely got from Vienna to Graz with a few detours through Burgenland, covering an approximate distance of 230 kilometers. I was able to cover the approximately 235 kilometer long route from Graz through the Ennstal to Pongau with a remaining range of 20 Procent with a lot of headwind and an outside temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. That would have been 270 kilometers and if you consider that you wouldn't get much further than 310 to 330 kilometers in the summer, you can classify the range as good.
The WLTP consumption is 15,9 kilowatt hours pro 100 kilometers. In reality it was around 18 kilowatt hours for me pro 100 kilometers in city traffic and around 20 kilowatt hours pro 100 kilometers on the route described to Pongau. Here too, the values can improve at higher temperatures.
What is striking again is that you should never believe the range prediction. When fully charged, this shows 427 kilometers, which, as just mentioned, corresponds to the WLTP range and can therefore never be correct. After that, the value almost always corresponds to the remaining battery level.
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The BYD DOLPHIN charges with a maximum of 88 kilowatts. With full power you should then go from 0 to 80 Procent in 43 minutes, from 10 to 80 Procent in 40 minutes and from 30 to 80 Procan charge in 29 minutes.
88 kilowatts sounds pretty puny at first. The advantage of the DOLPHIN is that it can maintain performance for quite a long time. At one point I was at about 82 Procent still has an output of 59 kilowatt hours. It is also positive that it reaches 88 kilowatts immediately under almost all circumstances, as long as the battery is not completely empty. I can confirm the information about the loading time, because once I got from 37, for example Procents to 82 Procent in 30 minutes. So under no circumstances should you let the numbers confuse you.
What's also very practical is that with the right adapter you can use the Vehicle-To-Load feature to charge your e-bike or other devices on the go.
Picture: TechnikNews
BYD DOLPHIN: prices
The list price of my test car is 37.990 euros including taxes. With the e-mobility bonus and funding from the Austrian Federal Ministry, the price can be reduced to 32.980 euros. The entry-level version (Active) is listed at a price of 25.980 euros with all bonuses and subsidies.
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