For BYD, the success of the "Dynasty Series" has definitely become a good story, but after achieving stage success, the "Ocean Series" has followed, officially opening a new era of BYD's pure electric vehicle models. Dolphin is the first model built based on BYD's e platform 3.0, although this name is very in line with the product positioning of the "Ocean Series", but the dolphin is an animal swimming in the water after all, and it is used to name the cars running on the road, how to feel a little abrupt. Since you think of dolphins, what comes to mind first? Human good friends, light and agile, cute and cute... In my opinion, if most of these adjectives are used, they may really have something to do with the car in front of me.
Appearance: "Marine Aesthetics" design concept
In terms of design, don't look at the dolphin as just a small car, but there are still many exploration attempts on it. The new car adopts the design concept of "marine aesthetics" and for the first time is equipped with BYD's brand LOGO, which is highly recognizable. According to the official statement, the aesthetics of BYD e platform 3.0 pay attention to dynamics, low wind resistance, and large space, and these elements can be said to be vividly displayed in dolphins. From the side, the front of the car is very short, and the compact body contrasts strongly with the sharp waistline of the two-segment style, and the visual effect is very eye-catching. The design of the front face and tail echoes, the overall feeling is more flexible, and the rounded shape is also very full and solid, which is quite similar to the real dolphin body.
In the details, the test drive adopts the color of "poof powder", and the body area is dark pink, and the visual effect is cute and cute. However, it still adds dark gray to the hood and roof, which looks a bit like dolphin skin, and perhaps this part is also a reference to the design concept of "bionics". The middle of the headlights on both sides of the front face is connected by trim panels, and the interior is equipped with BYD's newly designed alphabet LOGO, which is simple and stylish, and highly recognizable. The design of the geometric polyline through the LED tail light group is very careful, and the corrugated LED light strip has a bit of a "wave" feeling, but unfortunately it does not add blue or white light embellishment, otherwise it can be more freehand.
The low wind resistance rim is also a major feature of the BYD Dolphin, and the stout five-spoke design is cut into a combination of silver and pink panels, which is quite textured. The top-of-the-line Knight Edition model is equipped with 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, which is at least quite coordinated in terms of visual effects. The original test drive factory is equipped with chaoyang tires, which are mainly energy-saving and silent, which is more in line with the positioning of its pure electric vehicle model.
Interior: fresh and simple Excellent workmanship
In the interior part, BYD Dolphin's design concept of "marine aesthetics" is also reflected, such as fish fins and waves and other elements, as long as you have a pair of eyes that are good at discovery, you will definitely find these "little Easter eggs". The center console adopts a symmetrical layout, refreshing and simple, and the interior panels also use the same color scheme as the body, which is very consistent and very avant-garde and stylish. The detailed part, although the soft material occupies only a small part, but fortunately the workmanship is solid, so the overall sense of quality is still quite good, which is completely acceptable for a model with a price range of about 100,000 yuan.
In terms of details, the three-spoke steering wheel is relatively small and exquisite, and the two sides are also equipped with a wealth of multi-functional buttons, which is very practical. The 5-inch full LCD gauge is a modestly sized one that sits behind the steering wheel without obtrusiveness or obscuring content. The electronic gear shift mechanism adopts a "roller" design, the overall feeling is relatively new, when shifting gears, the car will also emit a sound similar to "dolphin call", with a strong sense of substitution.
The center console is equipped with a 12.8-inch floating screen, which supports BYD's classic rotation function and is very adaptable to applications. DiLink car engine system is powerful, the interface design is quite similar to tablet computers, icons and font sizes are very large, the hardware screen supports rotation, and the software level system supports split-screen display. Although it is not equipped with physical buttons, the interaction experience is quite good thanks to the fast response of the system and the design of virtual shortcut keys at the bottom of the screen.
BYD Dolphin is equipped with automatic heat pump air conditioning as standard, which is adjusted through the central control screen, and the operation is more intuitive and convenient. The design of the air conditioner outlet is very distinctive, the switch and wind direction can be adjusted at will, and the outside of the air outlet is also designed with decoration similar to the whirlpool style of water flow, and the personality is avant-garde. In addition to automatic air conditioning, Dolphin also has a PM2.5 filter device as standard, which is also a more practical function.
Power: Light and agile Excellent ride
BYD e platform 3.0 has many industry-leading technologies, such as eight-in-one electric drive assembly, card-issuing flat motor, fast charging and direct heat and direct cooling of battery packs, etc. As the first model built based on the platform, BYD Dolphin naturally enjoys these "dividends". The test drive is a top-of-the-line knight version, equipped with a drive motor with a maximum power of 130 kW and a peak torque of 290 N·m. The battery system is equipped with BYD's iconic lithium iron phosphate "blade" battery, which has a battery energy of 44.9 kWh and a NEDC cruising range of up to 401 km.
As we all know, the working characteristics of the motor are strong in the initial stage, and the continuous output of the middle and rear sections is smooth and linear, which is obviously different from the traditional fuel vehicle. Although the parameters of the motor are very eye-catching, when the start of acceleration, the explosion of BYD dolphins is not as "explosive" as imagined, but a very confident sense of smoothness. Within about 80km/h, the power response is almost always on call, and this "smooth feeling" is always accompanied, and it is quite agile and agile to move around the city.
THE BYD Dolphin is definitely a very easy to use electric car, with only two driving modes, namely ECO and SPORT. The driving experience in different modes is very consistent with the literal meaning, and the daily driving choice ECO mode is very suitable, the overall feeling is relatively light and comfortable, the power response is not too lazy, and it can fully meet the needs of urban commuting. In SPORT mode, this car is still quite "grumpy", slightly with a little bit of "small steel cannon" potential, after all, the parameters of this electric motor are quite outstanding, driving such a small car with a small size, it is indeed more than enough.
Daily driving, the acceleration pedal is light in feedback, whether it is starting or accelerating in the middle, the power release is quite smooth and smooth. The brake pedal feels moderate, providing standard and comfortable two kinds of force options, but the subjective feeling is not much difference, no matter how to step will not feel very "thief", the braking force release is quite linear, in short, it is a good sense of control. The "comfortable parking" function is worth highlighting, after opening, when the vehicle brakes are about to stop, the system will automatically "slow down" at the last minute to make the vehicle stop very smoothly. Without the help of electronic systems, the requirements for the driver would be very high if they wanted to complete such a delicate operation.
In the chassis part, bydir Dolphin adopts a front McPherson independent, rear torsion beam type non-independent suspension structure, and the tuning style is obviously inclined to comfort. The compression stroke of the spring is not very long, has good elasticity, and has a strong ability to resolve bumps and shocks. Because the body is more dexterous, even if it is a fierce driving, the posture of the body will not appear particularly exaggerated.
The steering wheel is very precise, after all, the body is very small, so it will feel particularly agile and easy to control when driving. The overall tuning of the BYD dolphin is very suitable for swimming in the city, light and agile, and the smoothness is excellent. Of course, the soft suspension tuning will certainly be more in line with the preferences of the vast majority of consumers, but for the top of the Knight Edition model, since it has been equipped with a more powerful electric motor, then I think the suspension setting can actually be changed a little, making it more solid and tough, I believe it will be more helpful for improving the handling.
Space: Between the square inches to show off
The 175cm tall experiencer sat in the front row, the riding space is still relatively spacious, and there is still a balance of about two fists on the head, which is not counting the excellent vision brought by the panoramic canopy, and the performance is quite outstanding. In terms of storage, the door panel storage slot has a moderate volume and space division, plus the door handle is also a back cover design, which can put down a lot of items, which is very practical. The bottom of the center console adopts a three-dimensional design, the storage slot is provided under the central control screen, the cup holder adopts a through design, and the front side is also equipped with a storage compartment with a cover plate and a power connector. In front of the central armrest is the phone slot with a wireless charging pad inside. At the bottom of the armrest is a hollowed-out storage slot where you can hold your handbag or other larger items, and the space utilization in this area is very high, and for a small car like the BYD Dolphin, the front seating and storage capacity are already satisfactory enough.
Keeping the front seat position unchanged, the experiencer comes to the rear seat, although the BYD Dolphin is positioned as a small car, but it has a wheelbase of 2700mm, so the rear seat space is quite spacious. After the experiencer sits well, there is a punch allowance on the head, about two punches on the legs, and the length of the cushion is also good, and the thighs can be effectively supported. The rear floor is fully flat, and although the back seat will feel crowded with three adults, it is fortunate that the legs will not fight and will not be particularly uncomfortable.
In terms of storage, the rear door panels are designed to be consistent with the front row, allowing you to hold a lot of items. The front seats are equipped with a storage bag on the back side, and they also have a multi-layer design that can hold a variety of items such as mobile phones and water bottles, which is quite clever and the space utilization is very high. The rear side of the front central armrest provides a cup holder for the rear passengers, the depth performance is acceptable, and some small items can be placed when the water bottle is not resting.
The interior space of the BYD Dolphin's trunk is quite regular, and the fly in the ointment is that the wheel arch does encroach on some of the lateral space. Under normal conditions, the 345L volume performance is completely justified for a small car, and there will not be much pressure to meet daily household use. The rear seats support the overall reclining, although it will form a large "step" after being reclined, but the volume is also extended to 1310L, and it is not too difficult to place some large items.
Safety: Equipped with a rich active safety system
BYD Dolphin is equipped with a wealth of active and passive safety configurations, and the actual experience is also relatively good, such as lane departure warning, lane keeping assist and active braking system, which will not feel particularly dramatic when working. The 360-degree panoramic image system is indeed very "luxurious" for a small car like BYD Dolphin, although the picture clarity is very general, but fortunately, the distortion of the edges is within an acceptable range, and from the perspective of functionality and practicality, there is basically nothing wrong with it.
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