Dealership Drives:

Experiencing America's Newest Car Company Through a Consumer's Eye

October 21, 2025

Written By: Greg Murphy

Most new EV startups come from the United States or China, but there’s a new player looking to make a name for itself, VinFast. The Vietnamese automaker has entered the American market by building a traditional dealer network. In many ways, creating dealerships might be the only realistic way for VinFast to gain traction in the U.S. for a company that isn’t based here. Establishing a local presence and brand awareness is far easier with independent dealers who can actively promote the brand. Out of pure fascination and curiosity, I decided to visit the only VinFast dealership in my area to see what their new three-row SUV, the VF9, was really like.

The Dealership Experience

I pulled into the VinFast lot under the impression that they are a new EV luxury car company that is from a nation whose automotive market is rather unknown to us Americans. First, after I got out of my car, I walked the lot and perused through their small lot of VF8 and VF9 models. The VF8 is their smaller model of the two but the VF9 was what I was really curious about. As I was walking the lot the VF9 had a nice stance and presence when approaching the vehicle. There is a nice combination of solid lines and soft surfaces throughout the exterior providing a powerful yet subtle presence due to the mix in design. The vehicles on the lot were all locked, so I went into the showroom, which had a similar modern feel to a Volvo or Ikea showroom, providing a mature and welcoming atmosphere that conveyed an established look. Before speaking with a sales person I decided to explore the interior of the VF9 that was in the showroom. They had a white VF9 with a saddle brown interior that gave a luxurious vibe. The trunk was what I looked at first and it had decent space, but felt tighter than expected given the segment. Then I moved to the back seats where I was surprised to find a center console and power seats. Finding such amenities in a car under $70,000 was rather impressive, given that competitors which are more expensive and have more room don’t offer such options. After hanging in the back seat for a moment I moved up into the driver seat.

From the driver seat it felt semi luxurious with leather all over the cabin and nice materials where you expect them in a luxury SUV. The massive iPad screen in the middle made it feel more futuristic than it had to be. Although I’m sure that's the feel they wanted, it still felt out of place in a luxury car. Normally I would consider such a setup to be in more of a mainstream vehicle compared to where this vehicle is positioned. This setup resembled a Tesla and gave me a less luxurious impression of the company, since most other vehicles in the segment have a more natural display setup. I decided to do one more lap around the car while I waited for the test drive vehicle to get pulled up and I opened the back seat again since I wanted to see the third row. The quirky thing about getting into the third row in the VF9 is that you have to fold the second row seat like you would in an Escalade or Yukon even though the second row seats are powered. This is not ideal for three row SUVs since many buyers may have kids in child seats. If there was a more convenient way to move the seats, I did not find it. The opening into the third row appeared too tight for me to squeeze into, so I didn’t bother, but I did notice that the tiedown rails for the trunk extended into the third row. I have never seen tiedown rails in any three row SUV, especially that extended into the passenger area. It looked rather rough and unfitting for a luxury SUV.

The Test Drive

The test drive vehicle was ready and the dealer showed me how to adjust the mirrors and steering wheel which were through the screen like most cars with one main screen. To turn it on you just put your foot on the brake and it automatically turns on and then when you get out and lock the vehicle it will shut off. The first thing I noticed when I began to pull out of the spot was that the signals are annoying to use. The signal stalk bounces back whenever you hit them as you just tapped them for merging. Although this is minor I don’t see a reason to mess with such a standard vehicle system. The second thing I noticed was that the vehicle had little to no feel between the road and the steering wheel. I have driven everything from the Cadillac Celestiq, to massive box trucks, to tiny city cars, they all have better steering feedback. Every time I made a turn, I had no idea where I was actually going. There was no real oversteer but I just was not confident while driving this vehicle. It didn’t help that the rear window was the smallest piece of glass on such a vehicle and there was no rear camera mirror. From a ride quality standpoint it wasn't as bad. The vehicle was smooth and quiet which was a nice upside, I would much rather be a passenger in this vehicle than the driver. Once I finally got back to the dealership and began backing the vehicle into the spot, the driver door randomly opened. What happened was that the electronic release for the door handle is right where your knee would rest and the fabric of my jeans accidentally popped the door open. Most vehicles have a safeguard to prevent doors from randomly opening, but apparently VinFast didn't incorporate one. This was the most shocking aspect of the test drive and unfortunately a huge turn off. I’ve seen cars that if the door opens while driving at low speeds (like backing up) the vehicle would shoot to park, the VF9 kept going. I obviously stopped immediately, mainly out of shock. I hope there is a way for customers to prevent this from happening, or that VinFast finds a way to fix this so the doors stay locked while in gear. I know other manufacturers have their button either higher up or further back out of the way of anything banging into the vehicle.

Now that I am done driving, I wanted to play with the screen a little more, and there was not much to play with. Maybe the vehicle was in demo mode, but everything in the vehicle said no WiFi connected, and I believe that is the reason why I was unable to play the radio and view the navigation. What was weird was that I didn’t even see a radio or navigation icon on the screen or anywhere in the cabin. I was able to play with the climate controls which felt over complicated, and some other minor vehicle controls like the one pedal driving which I did not use since I was unaware of how to turn it on before I began driving. There was a faint regen feel when I was driving that I actually liked, since the vehicle kept rolling but slowed down just slightly enough to feel. Most cars either roll or come to a sharp halt with regen when turned on.

Is VinFast ready for the US Market?

VinFast may not be refined enough to directly compete with household luxury names like Cadillac, BMW, or Lexus, but if they can fix their steering feel, door release placement, and infotainment layout, they have a fighting chance to compete with companies like Acura and Buick. The company should also sharpen their brand strategy and decide what segment of the industry they actually belong with. Having a clear message to their prospective customers and marketing it in an effective way may be all it needs to carve out its own piece of the market. I do admire new car companies both foreign and domestic because it is not an easy thing to do and the ones who do it successfully have a clear message, branding, and mission that their customers can rally behind. I hope VinFast finds their message in the near future.