[Kevinrevvz]

Originally Posted by Jangra

I’ve heard Bangalore afternoons are hot and sunny these days. How was the roof without the blinds? I’ve tried in my Kodiaq driving with open blinds and it gets super sunny for the passengers in the afternoon to the point it cannot be tolerated.

Wonder what was BYD thinking offering exposed sunroof! This is the single downside that would prevent me from buying this beast

You’re right, the temperature was around 40 degrees and the cabin was properly cooked. The glass however is extremely tinted to the point where you can’t see out of it clearly even in broad daylight. This really helps in keeping the cabin temperatures lower.

The AC effectiveness however could be much better. The AC in the RWD car I drove was excellent in around 35 degree outside temperatures. The particular AWD car I had driven being a Euro spec import might have something to do with this.

[Venkatesh]

BYD Seal media drive is scheduled from 15th -19th April.



Link

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by Kevinrevvz

You’re right, the temperature was around 40 degrees and the cabin was properly cooked. The glass however is extremely tinted to the point where you can’t see out of it clearly even in broad daylight. This really helps in keeping the cabin temperatures lower.

The AC effectiveness however could be much better. The AC in the RWD car I drove was excellent in around 35 degree outside temperatures. The particular AWD car I had driven being a Euro spec import might have something to do with this.

Can the glass opacity be adjusted like in some luxury cars? As nice as it is, I don't really see the point of a sunroof if I can neither see through it nor open it.

[FourBanger]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

BYD Seal media drive is scheduled from 15th -19th April.

Attachment 2594463

Link

I am assuming team-bhp will be part of this. Can’t wait for a proper review of this car.

[volkman10]

BYD Seal - Media drive begins!

Auto experts joined us for the enthralling media drive with the BYD SEAL across various locations Delhi, Bangalore, Kochi & Mumbai for an adventurous drive.

[itwasntme]

Briefly test drove the SEAL AWD top end variant (Shark Grey colour) a couple of days back. My thoughts:

Exteriors:
Very novel looks for India at least with a heady mix of the Taycan and the Tesla family look. Turned heads consistently wherever I drove it.
Swoopy front end is particularly eye-catching, although will need PPF from day one given the risk of chipping
Sides are sporty and the rocker panel black accent was pleasing or revolting depending on various members of my family
Back end is good except for those pencil-thin brake lights. TD was carried out in blazing 38C afternoon hence did not get the chance to assess the exterior lighting.

Interiors:
Cossetting in a sportscar way but not opulent in the true Euro manner.
Materials used looked high end and fit and finish also up there with overall expectations.
Seats are quite bolstered hence larger body frames may feel uncomfortable.
Humungous but sharp MFD screen which more or less controls everything. I am completely unused to such gadgetry and I refuse to comment on it.
Slightly cheesy joystick type electronic shifter - not a fan as such.
Rear seats low to sit in but comfortable again for a slimmer body. Rear headroom looked low but once you sit, it's fine. Getting in can be a chore for taller people due to the swoopy roofline. Expect a lot of muttered abuse and vigorous head rubbing from rear pax as they get in.

Noted that the pano glass roof was covered by a 'laser-cut' type of griege/beige shade which the SA mentioned was being provided FoC by BYD. It seemed to be held up with small clamps and/or velcro; unfortunately did not spend much time on it.

Frankly, the AC was working fine and soundlessly, and hence did not prioritize given that I was much more keen to get out of the sun and drive it!

Driving:
Drove it for a ~8 km round trip which mirrored my usual TD route + my usual 330i route to the local supermarket. I know more or less every dip, crest and rough patch on it, and hence could benchmark the Seal well.

Eerily quiet (first time I drove an EV!) and insanely but linearly quick. This was the 523 bhp AWD and drove surefootedly with zero drama at pretty high speeds on both twisty badly cambered state highway as well as on village roads. However, the feeling is a bit wooden, and could be due to the very stiff chassis + fat EV tyres + the lack of any ICE sounds.

Straight line acceleration was scary quick accentuated by the fact that there were no 'burps, farts or growls' as my son puts it, which he is vey much used to from my MPE-equipped 330i.

Suspension felt a great deal more stiffer than my (already stiffish) 330i and this was with 4 on board. Could be an issue for rear seat pax on outstation trips, especially on the last mile sections. GC was not an issue on medium speed breakers, although I suspect the usual crabbing will be required on the sharp unscientific ones.

In summary, the driving experience was enjoyable but a little soulless.

Overall: An interesting buy I feel for:
Those getting onto the performance sedan scene for the first time.
Those who already own multiple quick vehicles and looking for a novelty.
Those just bored with their already-quick ICE car and wants to try something new.
Those interested in leasing benefits if they can get much more preferential EV rates.
Those constrained by idiotic company car lease restrictions. Increasingly enough, top Western employers are dictating the power celling for company leased cars but are more lenient towards powerful EVs.

Would I buy one?
No, already have one of the last great 'daily driver' ICE engines, transmission and chassis combos in the shape of the SWB 330i. I'll hang onto mine for the next few years, and decide again when Tesla or Lucid or even the Neue Klasse 3/5 come on the scene.

Also feel that the recent EV policy will thoroughly churn premium EV pricing and hence best to wait till things are clear. Having said that, with a 62L OTR in KA as of April 2024 it can blow most 'sportscars' away if driven aggressively.

[Venkatesh]

BYD Seal in cosmos black color, from the media drive.









Link

[volkman10]

Some more media drive pics:

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

I meant the initial throttle response is muted, it is not as sharp as in other EVs.

Is it worse than lower segment EVs such as the MG ZS or even hybrids? Even in sport mode?

[speedmiester]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

Is it worse than lower segment EVs such as the MG ZS or even hybrids? Even in sport mode?

I didn't try the sports mode.
Yes, I found it weak compared to my ZS EV

[Kevinrevvz]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

Is it worse than lower segment EVs such as the MG ZS or even hybrids? Even in sport mode?

Originally Posted by Kevinrevvz

I recently drove the Seal Premium and BYD has done their throttle and powertrain tuning very differently to most other EV brands.

The problem is not in the throttle response, which is quite responsive in Sport mode but the power delivery is not instant like other EVs. Instead of delivering 100% of the power and torque the moment you put your foot down, it ramps up the power linearly like a turbocharged ICE car.

While in other EVs, you feel a strong jolt for a second or two which then subsides, the feeling of acceleration lasts longer on the Seal. The second you floor it, you feel the powertrain respond with the power building up linearly and you feel the torque push you back more and more as you accelerate similar to a BMW 530d.

This can arguably be more satisfying to drive and seasoned ICE drivers may prefer this to one dimensional acceleration of other EVs. Other EV drivers who are used to the sudden shove might not like it.

I hope the AWD version is a good combination of both where you can enjoy the ramp up in the power for longer as well as a much more aggressive push-back in the seat.

Originally Posted by Kevinrevvz

BYD Seal Performance AWD Driving Impressions

I recently got to drive the BYD Seal Performance AWD at PPS BYD, Bangalore and oh boy is it a completely different animal to the Premium RWD variant.

Let’s address the elephant in the room, the Performance! In Sport mode with iTAC turned on, there’s none of that linear ramp up or delay from the RWD here. The throttle is extremely sharp and the moment you put your foot down, it brutally takes off. It keeps you strongly pinned to your seat till about 100Kmph after which the initial storm subsides.

It feels very much like the 3.8S 0-100 car it’s supposed to be. It feels more brutal when accelerating from a standstill than a BMW M340i or an Audi RS5.

The car feels very well insulated even at triple digit speeds with pretty much zero powertrain, road or wind noise. Put your foot down from triple digit speeds and you notice the numbers rapidly climb up in the speedo but you don’t experience that sudden jolt of G Force you feel from lower speeds.

I was initially quite underwhelmed with the Seal Premium but the Seal Performance has completely changed my mind about this car. It’s not only a great EV but also a fantastic driver’s car which can keep the most discerning of enthusiasts happy both in a straight line as well as in corners.

Hence, I feel like it’s more of an engineered in power delivery style than a lag in the RWD variant.

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Briefly test drove the SEAL AWD top end variant (Shark Grey colour) a couple of days back. My thoughts:
Also feel that the recent EV policy will thoroughly churn premium EV pricing and hence best to wait till things are clear. Having said that, with a 62L OTR in KA as of April 2024 it can blow most 'sportscars' away if driven aggressively.

Thanks for the review. Definitely worth the wait for BYD to apply for EV policy and refresh the price (I have a feeling that some China govt and BYD trickery is already in play to get the price this low).

btw: It is 56L OTR in KA, where did 62L come into picture?

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by WRXXX

btw: It is 56L OTR in KA, where did 62L come into picture?
Attachment 2594991

You forgot your personal contribution to the poll guarantees.

March KA pricelist:

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

You forgot your personal contribution to the poll guarantees.

March KA pricelist:

Power distributed free to thousands of homes recovered with a single Seal purchase. This squarely might offset what happens if BYD applies for the new EV policy.
All in all makes sense to wait for one to two year atleast.

[autohead115]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

Is it worse than lower segment EVs such as the MG ZS or even hybrids? Even in sport mode?

I am not sure what exactly you are asking but after driving both premium and performance and some other performance cars over the last two years under 1cr in India, i can tell you this.

The performance and throttle response of the seal premium is faster than of a c300d and the awd performance feels faster than a m340i. My recent test drove towards the new airport road in bangalore had me and my friends pushed inside the seats like no other car we have experienced and unless MG ZS EV does 0-100 in 3.8 seconds the statement of it not feeling as fast makes no sense and before someone comments that their nexon ev feels faster let me make it clear, the BYD seal feels like how a 500 bhp car would feel like, and unless youve been playing around a tesla plaid model as your daily, no matter what car youve been driving in india under 2cr, you will come out with your jaw dropped.

Unless you are talking about the acceleration in the first 0.0X seconds, coz it doesn't take off at the very instant and gives you like a quarter of a second before it would push you inside the seat and pull like a train until 120 kmph. Its maddening.

Originally Posted by speedmiester

I didn't try the sports mode.
Yes, I found it weak compared to my ZS EV

No offense sir, this statement makes no sense whatsoever. Are you sure you drove the BYD seal under normal circumstances i.e the car was perfectly allright? The ZS EV accelerates to 100 in 8 odd seconds while the premium version of seal does this is 5 odd seconds, how did you feel the seal is slower? The pull was so good it gave me a little headspin in the premium version itself. Reminded me how impressed i was with the c300d. The zs ev is not even close.

The performance variant is not even in contention, its one of thr fastest production car under 2cr in India.

Originally Posted by WRXXX

Thanks for the review. Definitely worth the wait for BYD to apply for EV policy and refresh the price (I have a feeling that some China govt and BYD trickery is already in play to get the price this low).

btw: It is 56L OTR in KA, where did 62L come into picture?
Attachment 2594991

Carwale did not update the 12% lifetax recently added. This is why ive decided to buy this in Andhra where my company is registered. They removed the lifetax this February that was applied last year. This is also not updated in the carwale calculation.