A specialist in electric cars, the BYD brand has burst into the Spanish market with enormous force. The Dolphin is their entry model to the range, it has very competitive prices and a list of virtues that place it among the best options in its segment, where, for example, models such as the Cupra Born, the VW ID.3 and, shortly, the Citroën ë-C3.
Battery capacity is essential to achieve long range in an electric vehicle. In the case of this Dolphin, BYD is opting for a 60.4 kWh, enough to approve up to 427 km of autonomy on a charge.
The average consumption, according to WLTP measurements, is 15.9 kWh per 100 km. As usual, this figure can vary noticeably - usually upwards - in real conditions, although in the test carried out by Moveo La Vanguardia we have been able to verify that when driving at legal speeds the figure is quite close to the approved one.
The electric motor of this Dolphin develops a maximum power of 150 kW, equivalent to 204 HP. Its thrust is very noticeable from the start, generating sports car accelerations, since it is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 7 seconds. For its part, its maximum speed is self-limited to 160 km/h.
The reload speed is another of its virtues. This BYD can be charged with alternating current up to 11 kW. Logically, the ideal is to have access to a direct current charger and, in this case, the Dolphin is capable of charging at speeds of up to 88 kW, recovering from 30 to 80% of the battery in less than half an hour, a period of time which allows the vehicle to be used with few limitations.
To achieve maximum energy efficiency, the Dolphin has an integrated heat pump, responsible for intelligent thermal management for extreme weather conditions and which allows you to enjoy greater autonomy when the vehicle is used at low temperatures.
The Dolphin has a length of 4.29 m, width of 1.77 m and height of 1.57 m. The 2.7 m wheelbase allows for a spacious interior, with sports front seats that are heated and electrically adjustable.
The front seats of this BYD are spacious and the driver has a small instrument panel, but with a lot of information. This circumstance is compensated for by its spectacular central screen, which is also rotatable, a practical detail for viewing.
The quality of the materials used inside the Dolphin is very correct, although there are some areas where hard plastics have been used. For their part, the rear seats have optimal space, both in width and distance between rows of seats. In the case of the trunk, it offers a correct capacity, a useful volume of 345 liters, expandable to a maximum of 1,310 liters. Without being the best resolved aspect of the vehicle, it performs satisfactorily.
The generous provision of equipment is, without a doubt, one of the virtues of the new BYD Dolphin. Among other elements, the top-of-the-range version has two-tone paint, three-color alloy wheels, a panoramic roof, etc. It also has adaptive headlights and V2L bidirectional charging technology with power of up to 3.3 kW, thus being able to power other devices from the car.
The Dolphin is a practical and functional vehicle, but it does not give up offering some doses of driving fun. It is not a sports model, but its agility and stability allows it to move along twisty roads with high efficiency. It is, consequently, a vehicle with an interesting balance between comfort and efficiency.
In the city it is agile in its movements, has an outstanding turning diameter -10.5 meters- and is easily parked thanks to useful technologies such as the 360º vision camera.
We really liked the Dolphin for its provision of safety-related equipment. This Chinese model features forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, rear collision warning, forward collision traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, rear collision warning, rear cross traffic alert with automatic braking, vehicle maintenance assist. lane, lane change assist and preventive lane keeping.
It also has such useful technologies to help the driver as adaptive cruise control, intelligent cruise control, 360º panoramic camera, blind spot detection, traction and stability controls, descent control and automatic hold on slopes and traffic sign recognition. with speed limit control. This equipment allows us to have important support when driving, since it monitors everything that happens around us and warns of its existence.
The BYD Dolphin Design is for sale for 37,690 euros, a figure that can be significantly reduced with the contribution of the Moves III Plan, extended until July 2024.
