What's the difference?
It’s about time for a change. Since the beginning of the EV era, Tesla has been the dominant name, and not without good reason.
Tesla made electric cars popular, cool, and above all, accessible. To this day, the Model 3 and Model Y remain excellent purchases in their respective categories.
And yet, the tide seems to be turning. Many buyers haven't been thrilled by Elon Musk's antics, how popular the Tesla brand has become or maybe they never liked the look and feel of Tesla to begin with.
For those prospective EV buyers, it looks like BYD is set to be the next big thing in electric cars.
Offered at a far more accessible price-point, the Chinese brand still stands out with its distinctively styled vehicles and innovative features.
And the new car we’re looking at for this review, the Dolphin hatchback, could be the one to elevate the brand to the levels of popularity and recognition Tesla currently enjoys.
At the time of writing, it was also the most affordable electric car you can buy in Australia. But is it more than that? Read on to find out.
For a small SUV that technically starts under the $40,000 mark, the 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc has a fair bit going for it.
It’s still in its first generation, but updates have made some parts of the T-Roc feel properly up to speed. And the parts that haven’t? Well, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
We’re driving the mid-spec Style 110TSI, which sits above the base CityLife, but below the R-Line. Then of course, there’s the wicked R variant.
But is this a Euro that could replace your trusted Japanese small SUV?
Chinese manufacturers have been impressing us lately with the strides they’ve been making, and BYD is no exception with its Dolphin.
Not only does this hatch help bring the price down for prospective EV buyers, but it leaves a solid impression of a cohesive, well-built car, which is also quite a bit of fun to drive.
It’s not the fastest, nor is it the most practical, and there are a handful of downsides to its design and software, but when it comes down to it, this is simply a great value entry-level electric car.
So that’s the T-Roc, a bit of Euro style that’s still priced to take the fight to some small SUVs from Japan or Korea.
Is it the cheapest style-forward small SUV you can get? No, but it’s far from the expensive end of things.
Plus, if you can resist ticking some option boxes, it beats some value-focused rivals and looks good doing it.
If the feeling of a sturdy fit-out and a confidence inspiring drive is important to you, I reckon the T-Roc should be an entry on your shopping list.