BYD is a growing brand in China these days with its products growing in comfort, technical innovation, and originality. The New F3, however, isn't one of those products. While it is the latest version of the sedan, it still harks back to BYD's old habits of copying another automaker's designs. In this case, it is Toyota. The Corolla-like car shares many similar features, but has seen some differentiation since the adoption of "New" in its title. As the old saying goes, the sincerest form of flattery is imitation - meaning the New F3 isn't a bad car, thanks mostly to the Corolla.
The New F3 offers the Chinese and other foreign markets a vehicle for basic transportation. Room for five and a decent sized trunk are present. So is a dual-clutch transmission. Now before you start thinking about a DSG or PDK, this gearbox is tailored more for fuel economy rather than lightning-fast shifts. That becomes even more apparent when considering what the transmission is mounted to; the 1.5-liter four-cylinder produces a scant 107 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque. The 60-mph sprint comes in 12 seconds with a top speed of 105 mph.
Sure, it's not a performance car, but the payoff is 44 mpg on the highway and 27 mpg in the city. As a whole, the New F3 seems very focused for shorter, in-town jaunts than long highway cruising. And that's just fine as most of its sales region is concentrated urban areas.
Click past the jump to read more about the BYD New F3.
BYD New F3 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 5 December 2014 16:00 EST.
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