The VF9 is comfortable and spacious, but has issues when dealing with a Canadian winter.Miranda Lightstone/The Globe and Mail
I’ve always said that if you want to truly test a car’s mettle, you don’t take it to a track in California; you bring it to a slush-covered parking lot in Eastern Canada on a Tuesday morning in January.
Recently, I had more than one cold Tuesday morning with the 2025 VinFast VF9, which starts around $80,000. For those who haven’t been following the rapid-fire headlines, VinFast is the automotive arm of Vingroup, a massive Vietnamese conglomerate that decided to go from “zero to global” in record time. They’ve poured billions into North America, even breaking ground on a plant in North Carolina.
Why the rush to the U.S. and Canada? Le Thi Thu Thuy, VinFast’s Chairwoman, put it bluntly in a 2023 interview with Associated Press: “We wanted to go make our name in a very difficult market ... if we can make it there, people will believe in us.”
It’s a bold approval stamp strategy, but does the car actually live up to the hype?
Let’s start with the good, because there is a decent amount of it. At first glance, the VF9 is a genuine stunner. Penned by the legendary house of Pininfarina, it has a sleek, sophisticated silhouette that manages to look premium without being shouty. I am particularly fond of the bold hood design with massive scoops for aerodynamics, and they make clearing snow off the windshield and hood a breeze.
Step inside, and the well-designed story continues. The cabin is cavernous – a proper three-row beast. The materials feel high-end, the vegan leather is soft and that 15.6-inch touchscreen is the slick command centre for everything. And I mean everything. It is even used for changing the mirror and steering wheel position, turning your headlights on and off and opening and closing the trunk. If you’re looking for a mobile living room to haul the family around in, the VF9’s space and seat comfort are top-tier.
The Vinfast logo lights up on the ground when the door is open.Miranda Lightstone/The Globe and Mail
The VF9 charging on a Level 1 charger in the winter.Miranda Lightstone/The Globe and Mail
However, as any seasoned auto journalist will tell you, a pretty face only gets you so far. When I started living with the VF9, a few niggles became full-blown headaches.
First, let’s talk about manoeuverability. Despite its high-tech looks, this thing has a massive turning radius at 14.7 metres. To put that into perspective, the Chevrolet Suburban’s turning radius is a diminutive 13.1 metres in comparison and a Honda Civic’s is around 11. Navigating a tight underground garage or trying to turn around on a narrow street in the VF9 had me shaking my head. It handles like a cruise ship in a bathtub.
But the real kicker for us North of the border? The lack of a battery pre-heat option. In a Canadian winter, battery conditioning in an EV is a necessity, not a luxury. Without the ability to warm the battery before hitting a DC fast charger, you’re looking at significantly longer wait times in the cold. In a market where the Kia EV9 has already figured this out, it’s a glaring omission.
On paper, the VF9 Plus is no slouch. With a dual-motor setup pushing out 402 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque, it has enough grunt to hit 100 kilometres an hour in 6.7 seconds. For a vehicle that tips the scales at a staggering 2,968 kilograms (6,543 pounds), that’s actually impressive.
When you plant your foot to merge onto the highway, the power delivery is immediate, however, you can never quite forget that curb weight; it carries a lot of momentum and the suspension can feel a bit floaty when you’re trying to settle all that mass over uneven pavement or expansion joints.
Now, let’s talk about that dual-motor all-wheel-drive system. On a clear day, it feels planted and secure, but add a layer of Canadian winter’s finest brown sugar slush and things get interesting. During my time with it, the VF9 felt a little squirrel-y in snowy conditions. While the AWD system is working hard behind the scenes to find grip, there was a noticeable lack of confidence when the roads got slick.
To be fair to VinFast, this might be more about tire choice than the onboard tech. My tester was wearing massive 21-inch wheels with Continental rubber that felt more performance-oriented than winter-proof. A better set of winter boots would likely settle that rear-end wiggle, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re planning on frequent trips in the snow.
Despite these growing pains, VinFast isn’t backing down. Vingroup founder Pham Nhat Vuong has already pledged billions of his own fortune to keep the dream alive, stating the mission is simply “for a green future for everyone.” They are betting heavily on their “after-sales care” and a transition to a dealership-based model to win over skeptical North Americans. While they don’t have a nationwide dealer network, VinFast has five showrooms between Ontario, Quebec and B.C.
The VF9 charging at a public charger on a winter day. The wait is longer because of the lack of a battery pre-heat option.Miranda Lightstone/The Globe and Mail
The VF9 enters a segment that is getting crowded, fast. With the Rivian R1S offering rugged capability and the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 offering rock-solid, cold-weather-ready tech, VinFast has its work cut out.
The VF9 is a beautiful effort. It’s comfortable, stylish and spacious. But until they iron out the software for our winters and tighten up that turning radius, it feels like a work in progress. It’s got the soul of a contender, but it just needs more time in the gym before it should even get in the ring for a title fight.
Tech Specs
2025 VinFast VF9 Plus
- Price: $78,890 plus $2,300 for destination charge and air tax, before local incentives
- Motor / battery: Dual permanent magnet motors / 123-kWh Lithium-ion
- Transmission / drive: Single-speed automatic / All-wheel drive
- Horsepower / Torque (lb-ft): 402 / 457
- Range (kilometres): 462 (EPA/NRCan estimate for the Plus trim on 21-inch wheels)
- Energy consumption: Combined 30.9 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres (approx. 3.5 Le/100km)
- Curb weight: 2,968 kilograms (6,543 pounds)
- Alternatives: Kia EV9, Hyundai Ioniq 9, Rivian R1S, and Volvo EX90
The view from the screen as the VF9 charges at a public fast charger.Miranda Lightstone/The Globe and Mail
Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price.