2023 VinFast VF 8 Interior and Cargo

Leatherette on the base model makes way for vegan leather on the upper trim, and the steering wheel is wrapped in vegan leather in each case.

Regardless of the exterior color, the color of the interior is Granite Black on the Eco model. The VinFast VF 8 Plus introduces extra-cost interior colors for the cabin like Saddle Brown, Cotton Beige, and Navy Blue.

As mentioned, quality is a little inconsistent. There are soft-touch materials covering many surfaces like the door panels, while others feel hard to the touch.

Behind the second seating row, the VinFast VF 8's cargo space measures a rather poor (for a crossover, anyway) 13.2 cubic feet. That increases to 48.4 cubes when these 60/40 split seats are folded, and you can store a small bag or two in the 2.7-cube frunk as well. The Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model Y, and Kia EV6 are electric crossovers that all provide more cargo space.

Interior storage space consists of bins in the doors and the usual center compartment that doubles as an armrest. Ahead of that are two cupholders. A modestly sized glovebox and another two cupholders at the back round out the storage options.

Without the brand recognition of legacy automakers, VinFast isn't yet at a point where it can ask buyers to pay extra for essential features. That's underlined by the VF 8's starting price, which isn't that low to begin with, so it needs to offer enough value in terms of features. For the most part, the car delivers.

Even the base Eco has heated and power-adjustable front seats (eight-way for the driver and six-way for the front passenger), a heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, an interior auto-dimming rearview mirror, multi-color ambient lighting, and keyless start/stop. Although some of the driver-assistance features need some refining, everything is included by default, so you won't need to pay extra for front/rear parking sensors, Level 2 Highway Assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, and a 360-degree surround-view camera system - the latter doesn't display the sharpest images, though.

The Plus has everything mentioned already, as well as front-seat ventilation with a wider range of adjustability, heated and ventilated rear seats, a powered steering column, a hands-free liftgate, and a panoramic sunroof.

VinFast has adopted a 15.6-inch touchscreen interface for the VF 8. As in a Tesla, it replaces most other controls. There is no traditional gauge cluster at all, and information that would usually be displayed here is now moved to the left side of the touchscreen. If you prefer to keep your eyes on the road, you can use the head-up display.

With so much reliance on the touchscreen, it was a relief that the infotainment setup is quite good. Menus are arranged in a logical fashion and responses are quite quick, if not class-leading. However, some icons are confusingly labeled, such as an Information icon that actually takes you to a Settings screen for the head-up display.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto make connecting your device easy, and you can charge your phone wirelessly as well. The VF 8 also comes with a standard eight-speaker sound system or a 10-speaker setup with a subwoofer on the Plus; we found the latter system delivers decent sound quality. There are four Type-A USB ports and one Type-C port at the back, and many functions can be controlled via voice. With the Wi-Fi active, customers can browse the web and take advantage of text-to-speech and speech-to-text messaging. Various games are also available to pass the time while charging, and both models are compatible with over-the-air updates.