The 2024 VinFast VF3 Reminds Us of the Cute (and Forbidden) Suzuki Jimny
It's tiny, adorable, and ... not available to Americans. Bummer.
Our love of the Suzuki Jimny—that boxy, rugged little SUV that looks as good as it goes off-road—is of the unrequited variety. So you will probably not be surprised that when we saw the VinFast VF3, we fell head-over-heels for the diminutive vehicle. It has a similar chunky look, a basic interior, and it's small enough to make 16-inch wheels and matching all-terrain tires look right.
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VinFast enters into the mini-car market with the VF3, a tiny SUV-looking vehicle that allegedly seats up to five people. The overall length of VinFast's mini SUV is only 10.2 feet, so tiny that the minuscule Suzuki Jimny is a full 2.9 feet longer. But unlike the Jimny, this is an EV that will "offer an impressive travel distance" for the market it's intended for.
That's where the bad news comes in, because it's not coming to the U.S.—just like the Jimny. Unlike the Suzuki, though, the VinFast VF5 will only be available to its home market of Vietnam and orders for those customers will start in September 2023 and VinFast states it will deliver the VF3 in Q3 2024. Seriously, VinFast, you're breaking our hearts here. First with the VF8's poor first showing and now telling us we won't get this adorable off-roading mini SUV.
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he's had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He's best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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