BYD Dolphin Surf review

On first sit, you'll think this car is a winner. The cabin finishes are mostly decently plush in a big-car way, as opposed to the cheery unapologetic cheapness of a Grande Panda. Furniture shapes are extravagantly curved, and two-toned for emphasis.

The screen rotates from portrait to landscape at the touch of a button. A decent array of actual switches sits above a centre console with dual-level storage. Rear comfort and space is properly impressive, although the window design and big front seats do make it feel dark back there.

But annoyances soon show up. We've never really seen the point of that rotating touchscreen on any BYD, but maybe that's because BYD continues with its hopelessly inflexible use of the screen estate. You can opt for a split-screen layout with navigation and Spotify music, but if that's not your chosen source you're stuffed.

Apart from a row of buttons along the base, everything else – climate, music, trip computer, settings, phone – ambushes the entire screen. You can't tile it.

In most cars that wouldn't matter, because they let you put a navigation arrow or music track onto the driver's screen. Not this one. So despite the presence of traffic-aware navigation on even the base model, you'll cede the screen to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

The actual stereo sound isn't at all bad. And well done on having a down-swipe that brings ADAS and other shortcuts, and a triple-finger swipe that lets you change fan speed or cabin temperature. A few more configurable shortcut spaces at the base of the screen.

The driver display houses a stupidly small speedo, plus useful power/regen indicator and some consumption info.

Boot storage is good for a small car, at 308 litres including a big underfloor space. But there's no froot, and all the cubbies in the interior are unlined hard plastic. So everything in them rattles like a day nursery after the kiddies got a sugar rush.