Domestic three-door coupe for just 40k! Why is it still popular after 15 years of selling?

If you ask what car is the evergreen tree in the independent brand sedan? That BYD F3 is definitely one of the most qualified to speak.

BYD-F3?Guide price: 49,900-47,800

From 2005 to the present, some of the models of BYD F3 have retained the classic appearance of the very beginning of the market, and there have always been people to pay for it. So what's so heavenly about the F3? With the F3's current product performance, is it still really worth getting at the moment? How long will the F3 continue to be produced in the future? Will it be replaced?

2020 BYD F3 manual classic

In fact, not all styles of F3 retain the classic appearance of the very beginning, the classic F3 had a few years discontinued. The 2020 BYD F3 now on sale is divided into two styles, the manual Classic and the manual Value, and the one that has been sold for more than a decade without a change, as BuyBuyBuy says here, is the manual Classic.

The F3 manual classic chassis platform reverse imitation from the old Toyota Corolla, its face and side of the overall contour of the same and the old Corolla is very similar, only in the headlight contour and other details can be seen on the different, so more than a decade ago when the F3 just listed, many people will buy back to change their own after the Toyota label "pretend to be Corolla".

The rear of the car mimics the Honda Fit, which was also a hot-selling joint-venture car. The taillight design looks better on the F3's butt than it does on the Fit.

The interior of the F3 manual classic is also almost identical to the old Corolla, with various functions laid out on the center console in the form of physical buttons, which is simple and easy to use, and is the favorite design of the older generation, and is also convenient for newcomers to familiarize themselves with the vehicle's functions quickly. Only well, the configuration is only more than ten years ago level, only to meet the basic needs of the car, big screen, cell phone connectivity, reverse camera? I don't think so!

Since it was born more than a decade ago, the F3 manual classic's spatial and ergonomic model was naturally designed according to the stature of the people at that time, so the front seats and steering wheel have limited adjustment, and it's hard for a 1.8 meter tall person to find a suitable sitting position.

At this time, if you sit in the back row, a 1.7 meter tall person can just sit in it, and then a taller person is simply "stuffed" into it, and the legs and head are stuck by the front backrest and the roof, and even the headrests are fixed, which is almost no comfort by the standards of the era.

The power is BYD's reverse Mitsubishi 4A9 series 1.5L self-engine with a 5MT transmission, and the 109 horsepower is only good enough for Buddhist driving. But the good thing is that the F3 is not high quality, the gearbox ratio setting is also biased towards low speed driving, so the speed below 60 kilometers is still relatively brisk, coupled with the clutch bonding point is relatively wide, the newbie driving a manual gearbox will not have a greater pressure.

2020 BYD F3 Manual Value Model

From the introduction of the buyer, it can be seen that the F3 manual classic, if judged by today's standards, is a cheap old car that only meets the needs of daily commuting, and even if you spend an extra 2,000 yuan to buy the value model, the difference lies only in the appearance of the interior design, keyless entry and keyless start, as well as the replacement of mechanical hydraulic power to electronic hydraulic power assist from the mechanical hydraulic power assist. power steering to electro-hydraulic power steering.

2020 BYD F3 manual value model

If the standard is more strict, F3 manual classic is not a qualified car, after all, there is no automatic gearbox, the big city stop-and-go left foot is not comfortable, the lack of reversing camera, in the big city of the narrow parking space will be even more difficult. And today's driving school test C1 out of the newbie will rarely buy a manual transmission car to practice, most people directly to buy an automatic.

Since there doesn't seem to be much of a market for cars like the F3, why do they keep making them?

The root cause is two words - cheap.

50,000 bare car budget to buy a compact car, BYD F3 is certainly not the most stylish configuration of the highest, and other cars have an automatic transmission and F3 does not, but 49,900 F3 is the cheapest car in the same class, there is no one. Buy this kind of cheap car people, do not care whether there is an automatic transmission, configuration high or not, anyway, they have to buy the lowest price, is to care about the difference between the two or three thousand, to buy a cheapest car on the end, then the lowest price of the F3 naturally became the first choice.

Secondly, some people prefer the design and configuration of the F3, which has remained unchanged for more than a decade.

These people are generally older users or "old drivers", they are not sensitive to fashionable design, big screen and other new trends, but like the old design, have long been accustomed to the city to drive a manual gearbox, reversing only look at the rear-view mirror, the other configurations can be used on the line, high-tech for them is also superfluous. The F3 is a simple and reliable car that meets the needs of these users.

Then again, F3 more than a decade, although the appearance has not changed, but the connotation is still changing with the times, do not look at the F3 design of the old, its engine and transmission with the latest Qin fuel version of the 1.5L model is the same, but also to meet the national 6 Oh!

The F3 is such a classic, how long will it continue to be produced? Will it be replaced?

From BYD's point of view, the F3 still has a certain sales volume, if the production is discontinued, is equal to the original market to give away, there is money is not to earn? From the user's point of view, a lot of people are attracted to the F3 car, as mentioned earlier, buy F3 in addition to its cheap, there is also the factor of sentiment.

One is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer, so buy buy gentleman think that the current F3 will not be discontinued in a short time.

As for whether the F3 will be replaced, I think the odds are against it. The reason for this is clear, people buy F3 is cheap and that a sentiment, the current F3 can be sold so cheaply, away from more than a decade of cost-sharing, production line costs have long been recovered to a clean slate, it can be said that only earn no loss. If the replacement, is bound to need R & D investment, Accord is bound to be very difficult to do so low, whether the user accepts it is also hard to say, so manufacturers will have to bear the cost risk, it would be better to continue to produce the current version of the F3, "sitting on the rent".

BYD - Qin Pro?

Instruction price: 7.98-115,900

Besides, the current Qin Pro and Qin have actually replaced the F3's original position more than a decade ago. The Qin Pro and Qin are positioned a bit higher in the compact trim market, while the F3 is at its lowest, so wouldn't it be nice to have a mix of high school and low school to eat up the entire market? BYD is very smart!

All in all, despite the controversy over the BYD F3's overly-obvious imitation and borrowed design, and the fact that its product performance is clearly outdated today, the BYD F3 made many Chinese families realize their automotive dreams back in the day, and it's not easy for it to be loved by some of its users today, so it's a classic, and its position and significance in China's automotive industry development process is irreplaceable.

If you also have a special affection for the F3, willing to drive manual, do not mind the low configuration, the key is to actually experience the test drive after feeling the car and your body to match, to sit in the normal drive, then buy F3 is also completely no problem.

This article was written by the author of AutoNavi, and does not represent the views of AutoNavi.