Review: BYD Atto 3 long-distance drive: 240+ km in a day, how does it hold up on our B-roads?

We've already written the full review of the BYD Atto 3. Spoiler alert: we like it. But we'll admit most of our tests were centred in the city, which we reckon will be the most common use case for one of these.

However we recently got the chance to drive one to Tanjung Malim and back, from Petaling Jaya. Most of the drive was on B-roads, equating to 240 or so kilometres of mixed tarmac – twisty, patchy, tight, or smooth, you name it, we went through it.

Everyday journeyman

It's a different challenge because sometimes cars that do well in town falter out of it. Common pitfalls are comfort issues, either the seats lose grip on you, or you get a cramp butt.

The quality of the drive matters too. Trunk roads are ones where you'll enjoy the sights, with the noodly bits allowing you to engage with the car in ways your everyday drive doesn't.

Also read: 1 month since launch, 500 units of BYD Atto 3 are on their way to Malaysia

The BYD Atto 3 delivers well in the first aspect. Yes the seats are a little funky but in terms of comfort they're pretty good, providing good support and cushioning through the curves. Notably there wasn't a nagging itch to stop the car and stretch for a bit, and that extends to rear passengers too.

Which as we've pointed out before, remains one of the better places to be among EVs of its price range. Legroom's fantastic; there's enough space to slot your feet under the front seats (quite rare for EVs), and the lack of a style-first, feature-second sloping roof means there's enough headroom.

Also read: Your next BYD, Hyundai, or Polestar will be a cybercafe on wheels, courtesy of Nvidia

But the same comments about the funky interior still stand: it's not so friendly, and demands more from you in challenging roads. The main culprit are the air-cond controls hidden in the rotating screen, so if you'd like to switch between that or anything else...there's considerable time taken off the road to look at the screen.

Err, not great. Ever.

Those aside, the power delivery and instant torque finds its place on fun drives like these. Sure the whole experience would've been wee bit better if the Atto 3 was a little more communicative, but the 204 PS/310 Nm, point-and-squirt electric power gives enough poke for a bit of fun amidst the ho-humness of it all.

Despite the numb steering wheel, the suspension is one of the better ones in its price segment, period. In our journey up the B33/B44, there were sections where the roads are badly patched...and the Atto 3 sailed through them without any drama. Fantastic.

More positives are felt in braking and nimbleness. Tight roads didn't feel like too much challenge for it – some credit goes to the doubt-crushing 360-degree camera – and the strong brakes were very nice to have when unannounced roadworks turned up at the end of a blind corner.

Also read: BYD Atto 3's LFP Blade battery - This is what makes it superior to its rivals

Ah, here's one thing you won't quite get with ICE cars – vehicle-to-load (V2L). There was a coffee machine plugged up to an Atto 3, and that shows the breadth of potential to have one of these; anywhere is a camping spot.

Also read: V2L demo: 34 units of BYD Atto 3 powered a 12-hour music festival in Thailand

Just be wary about charging points. We don't have too many of those 'round these parts and you need to get home somehow.

Admittedly that wasn't a problem in this round of the trip, and once we're back to Ara Damansara we still had 43% charge. Granted, it may not be the most efficient as our time with it also included some V2L usage, plus some degree of punching it on the highways.

Verdict

Coming off the drive, our point on the Atto 3 still stands: it's a very capable EV, and we're glad its here. It's a damn good yardstick for other brands to measure their offerings against, as it's an example of a well-studied product.

Save for the form-over-function interior (which isn't too bad, just...impractical sometimes), very little of the Atto 3 feel like filler or cut-rate. Now that we've taken one up for a short trip out of the city and smelled the roses with it, it's clearer that the Atto 3 will do the whole 'one EV for all' thing quite well.

All we need now are for charging infrastructures to keep up...

Also read: Review: BYD Atto 3 - Not without its pains, but it's probably the most complete EV SUV for RM 170k