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Introduction

The Global Times Foreign Test Driver Group is the first of its kind in China. With the goal of testing Chinese vehicles using international standards, this group is built by foreign drivers to judge all Chinese automobiles, and help Chinese automakers enter the international market.

Second Season

BYD F0, F3, F6

Time: September 20, 2009

Place: Xi'an

Drivers:
Daniele Chiapello
Nicholas Byrne
Ogu Ahaneku
Glenn Harmond
Patrick Antony
Deborah Howard
Terry Stillman

Test drivers

  • Daniele Chiapello

    • Hometown: Cuneo, Italy
    • Height: 1.86 m
    • Length of time driving: 9 years
    • Cars owned: Ford Fiesta, Ford Ka, Fiat Uno

    votes  

  • Ogu Ahaneku

    • Hometown: London, UK
    • Height: 1.78 m
    • Length of time driving: Not many years
    • Cars owned: I used to drive a Ford Escort

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  • Nicholas Byrne

    • Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska, USA
    • Height: 1.80 m
    • Length of time driving: 9 years
    • Cars owned: Volvo Sedan,Buick Electra,Dodge Power Ram,Dodge Voyager,etc

    votes  

  • Glenn Harmond

    • Hometown: Sydney, Australia
    • Height: 1.82 m
    • Length of time driving: 25 years
    • Cars owned: BMW 530, Nissan Patrol other cars made in Australia

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  • Patrick Antony

    • Hometown: Wisconsin, US
    • Height: 5 feet 7 inches
    • Length of time driving: 15 years
    • Cars owned: Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan XTerra SE

    votes  

  • Deborah Howard

    • Hometown: Brisbane, Queensland
    • Height: 1.68m
    • Length of time driving: 35 years
    • Cars owned: GM Holden, Toyota-Landcruiser, Nissan, Ford

    votes  

  • Terry Stillman

    • Hometown: Marton, New Zealand
    • Height: 6 feet 2 inches
    • Length of time driving: 35 years
    • Cars owned: Mini, Ford, VW, Holden, Lancia, Rolls Royce

    votes  

  • Christina Holzer

    • Hometown: New York
    • Height: 6 feet 4 inches
    • Length of time driving: 10 years
    • Cars owned: Volvos, BMW, Subaru Outbacks

    votes  

Car reviews

What attracts you most aboutthe interior and appearance of the car? Please state one pointfor each.

  • Daniele

    For the F0 it is the design and the dashboard; the F3 is nothing special, and the seat of the F6 is the best.

  • Glenn

    (F6) It is quite stylish from the appearance and interior is good. And the materials are good.

  • Nick

    F0,I like it`s the appearance most. And its dashboard is pretty good.

  • Ogu

    (F6) It looks classic from the appearance and the dashboard in the interior are neatly designed.

  • Terry

    I don’t care about the interior and appearance.

  • Deborah

    I like the adjustable mirrors, the driver’s seat of F3 and F6. F0 needs both mirrors put near driver. I like the F3, a neat small sized sedan. F0 is a cool single girls car; F6 is a good family sized car.

  • Patrick

    Of the three cars, the F0 attracts me the most for its small size. In America, we don’t have cars of this size. Maybe in Europe they have small cars. I have never driven a car that small. Look at the tire – so small! And its engine is no bigger than my motorcycle. I want to drive that car because it is special and really tiny. It is a small city car.

Have you ever driven other vehicles of the same price range? If yes, what’s the biggest difference between the two?

  • Daniele

    Yes. I haven't driven long enough to notice any particular differences, but the F3 is like the worst Ford I have driven.

    Patrick

    No. Not really. Buying a brand-new car for 50,000 yuan or 70,000 yuan in America is impossible. But if I am buying a car for that price range, the F3 is in my price range. But I wouldn’t automatically say “Yes, this is the one.”

  • Nick

    Have the Honda and Toyota, they have better stereo，they are also more expensive.

  • Deborah

    Yes. I didn’t have enough time to test it properly, so I could not make a good comparison.

Can you easily find a comfortable driving position by adjusting the seat and steering wheel? Is there enough space for your legs andhead?

  • Terry

    Yes. But the seats are too high.

  • Deborah

    Yes. Front driver’s seat is easily adjustable. Head room is fine.

  • Daniele

    Yes, in the F6 and F3, but not the F0. Even the steering wheel is adjusted to its highest level, my legs still can touch it, and sitting in the F0, I can’t completely see the front, because I am tall and the sun visor blocks part of my sight. The F3 is Ok, the F6 is the best.

  • Ogu

    (F6)Yes, I can find my comfortable position after adjusting the seat. There are enough space for my legs and head.

  • Patrick

    Refer to the next question. In fact, when I got in, it was all set.

Are you satisfied with the craft of the car’s interior? How do you like the material used forthe dashboardand the door? Is it hard or soft?

  • Deborah

    Average for cost of car. Not an expensive car so not expecting expensive interior.

  • Nick

    The dashboard of F0 is pretty good.

  • Glenn

    (F0) I was satisfied with the craft the car’s interior. The dashboard and the console system look pretty and good.

  • Ogu

    (F6) I was satisfied with the craft of the car’s interior. The console system looks modern.

  • Daniele

    The interior is OK, not particularly attractive, but not too bad.

Are you satisfied with the brakes?

  • Daniele

    As for the F6 and F3, yes. The F0 should brake in a shorter distance considering the size.

  • Nick

    Break of F6 is soft.

Please comment on the car’s power and accelerating system.

  • Nick

    For F6 and F3, the power and accelerate system are not good, F0`s accelerate system is even better than F6.

  • Patrick

    The F0 does not have a lot of power. It is a 1-liter engine. But considering it is a tiny city car, it wouldn’t do any good even if it had high power. It is not a race car. But For the F6, the 2-liter engine is good with its price range. And the accelerating system is OK, nothing exciting.

  • Terry

    It's light, but I prefer heavier one, so I can feel it in the wheel.

  • Deborah

    F6 had plenty of power acceleration.

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  • Glenn

    F6 is powerful when I accelerate the speed.

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  • Ogu

    (F6) It is powerful when I accelerate the speed. I like the power system.

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  • Daniele

    The power and accelerating systems of the F6 are quite good, but both the F3 and F0 lack acceleration.

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A comprehensive evaluation of F0, F3 and F6. Which one do you prefer?

  • Daniele

    I prefer the F6 because it’s more responsive and powerful;, it has the best driving position and it feels better when driving it.

  • Nick

    F0, it is not expensive, appearance and dashboard are pretty good.

  • Terry

    F3, same size as my Jetta.

  • Deborah

    F0, it’s for round twon and fun, single person’s car.

  • Glenn

    I like F0 most, because it looks cute and is not expensive. I don’t like F3 because the dashboard looks cheap and the clutch feels bad and the gear box looks not good.

  • Ogu

    I like F6 most, because it has the best functional configuration and most expensive.

Photos of the event

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What they said about their test drives

  • Daniele enjoys the test drive

    It's been two years since Daniele sat behind the wheel of a car, but trying Chinese car was still an exciting experience for him.[More]

  • Nick: This is the first time I drove on a Chinese road

    Nick comes from Alaska in the US. He is a young man with nine years of driving experience.[More]

  • Ogu: Test drive- a good experience

    I very much enjoyed the test drive. I tested all three BYD cars (F0, F3, F6), taking them through their paces along the makeshift circuit.[More]

  • Glenn: An expat's test drive of BYD cars in China

    I feel great fun with this test drive. And now I work in Xi'an and hope to join in next time.[More]

  • Deborah: I really enjoy this test-driving career

    All of the cars handled well. I felt the clutch in all of them was a little ‘soft’ .[More]

  • Patrick: An opportunity to meet new cars and new people

    This well organized test drive impressed Patrick in many ways.[More]

  • Terry: A minor graze during the test drive

    Terry was being daring when he was testing the F0 car and when trying to pass Danny in the F3, Terry scraped the car.[More]

Review chart

Deborah

I like the F3, a neat small sized sedan. F0 is a cool single girls car; F6 is a good family sized car.

  

Daniele

Sitting in the F0, I can’t completely see the front, because I am tall and the sun visor blocks part of my sight.

Glenn

(F6)Yes, I can easily find a comfortable driving position and there are enough space for my legs and head.

  

Ogu

(F0)Yes, the interior space is a bit small and I may feel depressive when driving for a long time.

Daniele

The F3 and F6 are very easy to handle and quite responsive.

  

Glenn

(F3)Yes, the seat is a little hard. And I may feel my back is uncomfortable when driving for a long time.

Ogu

(F6) It looks classic from the appearance and the dashboard in the interior are neatly designed.

  

Terry

I don’t like the power steering because I can’t feel the road.

Glenn

(F6) It feels good when holding the steering wheel. It takes seconds to revert back to its original position after turning.

  

Daniele

The F0 does really badly when shifting gears. The clutch of the F0 is stiff, really bad. The F3 and F6 are better but still not satisfying.

Deborah

Front driver’s seat is easily adjustable. Head room is fine.

  

Daniele

Sitting in the F0, I can’t completely see the front, because I am tall and the sun visor blocks part of my sight.

Ogu

(F6) It is powerful when I accelerate the speed. I like the power system.

  

Nick

For F6 and F3, the power and accelerate system are not good, F0`s accelerate system is even better than F6.

Videos

Features

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BYD Auto


BYD Auto is China's seventh-biggest automobile manufacturer based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. The firm was founded in 2003 and it is a part of the rechargeable battery maker/IT company, BYD Co Ltd. In December 2008, BYD Auto began selling the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid vehicle, and plans to mass produce affordable electric vehicles in the near future. The company was features on the cover of Fortune Magazine, was rated on of the 50 most innovative companies in the world by Fast Company Magazine, and has received a $232 million investment from Berkshire Hathaway.

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