[vijay shekar]

Originally Posted by TokyoDrifter

I have noticed the same on my longish test drive — the Eastern Freeway in Bombay — the lane changes were a bit jarring to say the least! And even the speed-breakers around Antop Hill - Dadar area too were a bit of a tricky proposition.

Do the FSDs help? I think they do.
The iTAC surely helps in composure I reckon.

What’s the range efficiency you were able to manage on this 1200km trip? Thanks!

I have a premium variant so both are not available in this model - Spirited driving 400kms - sedate driving 500 kms

[TokyoDrifter]

Originally Posted by SRTPorsche

is there any update or news on when the Seal facelift will be available in India?

Was told that whenever it hits the UK market, route to India will be open.

BUT, the LiDAR update is not a great welcome in our country — isn’t it? So don’t see a great value-add by just waiting for the facelift — what are your thoughts on the same?

[TokyoDrifter]

Originally Posted by vijay shekar

I have a premium variant so both are not available in this model - Spirited driving 400kms - sedate driving 500 kms

Yup. When I test drove the AWD Performance variant on the exact same roads/route:

1. Composure was leaps ahead of the RWD version. No jarring at all.
2. Surely tackled the speedbreakers lot better + the ride also felt more comfortable in city limits.

I do intend to test drive both variants back to back for a more clear understanding.

So 75% of claimed range is a good benchmark to go by it seems — another owner said 65% after being an owner for 6 months.

This way, AWD variant will be a downer in terms of range. Trade-offs, trade-offs!

[Venkatesh]

The year of wins for the BYD Seal.

[TokyoDrifter]

What a dichotomy: the year of wins for Seal but Indian consumer still only shows love to equivalent but high-priced and well-established brands!

India is truly a tricky consumer market.

[Monaro]

Right, so I hit the 10k mark on my Seal today and just couldn't believe I did it so soon. Been a 90% perfect car for me so far, and fingers crossed for more. A few quick points of note:

1) GC has been a complete non-issue for me, scraped a couple of times on desi breakers but apart from that its gone over smoothly without even having to do the squat move

2) Range has been pretty good considering I do 450+ kms highway runs over the weekend consistently at 100-110kmph once a week, without having to recharge. I am normally back home within 10-15% charge left in the tank. I had a a close shave just once where I had 210km worth of charge left and 190kms to go, tried going down to 90 and then some at 80 and it pulled through with 30 odd kms still left on tap. I don't recommend leaving it so close, but just to give you an idea that you could make it if you keep a vigil and slow down accordingly and maintain a healthy difference between range and distance to go. I bet I could do the whole 650km range test at 60kmph.

3) One sore point I am finding is the lightweight metal body, it ain't no OG Skoda, I have been super careful in driving and parking, but still see a few dings here and there which reflect in sunlight and are super annoying to my OCDs. Any tips as to how to get these micro dents done?

4) The other thing I am kind of annoyed with right now are the speakers/tweeters which kind of feel tinny sometimes when I go loud with them, especially a high bass number. This was not an issue at all earlier, but maybe I've gotten them lose or blown holes in them by being a loud listener. I'll get it checked at next service though. No other niggles at all.

5) Took the Rs.70k extended warranty so I should be ok till 8years or 150k on the odo

6) Got a call from BYD for the sim which should mean the app would finally be working in India

7) Lastly, I love the Seal and hopefully it keeps loving me back for a few more years! :P

[zandot]

Originally Posted by Monaro

Right, so I hit the 10k mark on my Seal today and just couldn't believe I did it so soon. Been a 90% perfect car for me so far, and fingers crossed for more.

Congrats on the 10k! Just crossed 15k myself and the car has been an absolute dream and a joy to own and drive - barring of course the tyre issues I faced in the beginning.

Good to know the sim card activation has started! Will follow up with my local dealership. Also those who don't connect to the WIFI regularly there seems to be some console system voice updates available for us in India.

[exhaustbreather]

Originally Posted by Monaro

1) GC has been a complete non-issue for me, scraped a couple of times on desi breakers but apart from that its gone over smoothly without even having to do the squat move

I have seen a 2 Crore worth Electric Vehicle, the Audi RS e-tron GT catching dust at a dealership because it scrapped the underside on a curb somewhere. 40 Lakh Worth Batter just came in from Germany after 2 months. Just be careful on breakers and obstacles of any kind.

[SR5471]

Was it only a "scrape"? I never knew t E-tron was such a fragile car. If so they should come with underbody protection similar to WRC cars to tackle our roads. It will be safer to take battery protection cover for low ground clearance EVs.

[vijay shekar]

Charging Protocol

The manual says we need to charge to 100% SOC at least once a week and also from less than 10% SOC at least once in 3 months . But majority of online posts asks to maintain the SOC between 20 to 80 %. So, which is prudent charging protocol

Thanks.

[coldice4u]

Originally Posted by vijay shekar

Charging Protocol

The manual says we need to charge to 100% SOC at least once a week and also from less than 10% SOC at least once in 3 months . But majority of online posts asks to maintain the SOC between 20 to 80 %. So, which is prudent charging protocol

Thanks.

The manual is the bible

[newenergy]

Originally Posted by vijay shekar

Charging Protocol

The manual says we need to charge to 100% SOC at least once a week and also from less than 10% SOC at least once in 3 months . But majority of online posts asks to maintain the SOC between 20 to 80 %. So, which is prudent charging protocol

Thanks.

Well this is true if the battery pack is NMC. But BYD uses LFP battery pack and it is recommended to get to 100% as written in the manual. Also LFP cells do not degrade that easily compared to NMC but they do have less density. They have other advantages like higher thermal runaway. This is the reason they are perfect for our harsh climate conditions here in India. So don’t worry and follow what’s there in the manual

[d3mon]

I test drove the BYD Seal AWD recently. Few observations.

Positives:
- Performance is explosive - pressing the accelerator is like engaging warp drive. Did a 0-100 sprint in 3.7 seconds.
- Effortless acceleration at any speed and the electronics meter out the perfect amount of power to prevent any sort of wheelspin.
- Interior quality is pretty decent - leagues ahead of something like the EV6.
- Driving position felt comfortable
- Noise insulation at highway speeds was good.
- Low speed ride is fine - not too harsh.

Negatives:
- Over reliance on touch screen controls is very irritating and ultimately dangerous. Even the vent direction needs to be controlled using the touch screen!
- Steering is completely dead. It can have artificial weight added with steering modes, but it's still sans any feel.
- AWD works a bit too well - there's absolutely no drama even when accelerating from 0KMPH.
- If you let off the throttle pedal suddenly, the car still keeps accelerating hard for half a second. Extremely disconcerting and needs to be fixed. Happened multiple times.
- Ride at high speeds on the highways was not completely settled especially on undulations. The car needs adaptive dampers to fix this.
- Both the front passenger and the rear seats are pretty bad in terms of under thigh support, since the floor is so high and the seat is placed low.
- GC is obviously pretty low - needs utmost care to prevent underbody hits. The worst part is that with EVs, you never know if a scratch on the battery pack is enough to total the car because the manufacturer denies warranty due to external damage.

My final take was that the Seal is a one trick pony - explosive performance, but no driver engagement or fun, or comfort for the passengers.
If you just want straight line speed, this is your car, but if you want a more balanced car, you may need to look elsewhere.
Having said that, since performance options in this price range are limited, it is still a compelling option if you can put up with the negatives.

[benbsb29]

When you're on the Xmas shutdown and with time to spare, what's the best way to spend some time? Test driving some popular cars may be one of the options that appeal, and that's exactly what DBHPian kiku007 and I embarked on.

We test drove the BYD Seal 'Premium' variant which happens to be the mid variant among Dynamic, Premium and Performance.





This model has a claimed 0-100 kmph of 5.9 seconds and 650 kms of driving range. On first glance, what strikes you is the overall pleasing design and attention to detail given to some of the elements such as the taillamps design which look brilliant.





Step inside and you are greeted with the overall theme of minimalist design which has become the norm now with a large 15.6" display that grabs your attention. This screen can also be rotated to portrait mode at the touch of a button.



Sound insulation is good and there was barely any road noise that crept into the cabin during the roads we took this car on as part of our brief test drive. My daughter who accompanied us on the test drive brought our attention to the interior ambient lighting that actually synced to the beats of the music being played! We didn't expect this and a quick search within the menu later, we found the setting that enables this.



Acceleration is brisk and no surprise being an EV, the sudden push back into the seat under rolling acceleration.

I found the interiors quite pleasing and what i truly appreciate is how BYD have set about trying to win over customers used to internal combustion powered cars without the need to be radically different. There is a gear selector that is conventional without resorting to a swipe on a screen (Tesla Model 3), the indicator stalks are conventional (and on the correct side too!!) and there is also a screen in front of the driver which provides information where you want it, rather than on a centre placed screen.





The information displayed via the HUD is clear, bright and easy to read; we didnt explore the range of information that can be displayed on here owing to the limited time we had with the car. Infact, there was another customer waiting for the car to test drive when we got back.



The quality of the switchgear is good along with the overall design theme that resonates within the cabin, including the design of the airvents. A simple swipe on the screen is used to adjust the direction of the blowers, which I found interesting for a vehicle at this price point.



To address the common pain point about lack of physical buttons for common tasks such as volume, aircon, blower etc the Seal has these addressed. A swipe of three fingers in horizontal direction brings up these options, although I've briefly forgotten which option comes up under the horizontal and vertical swipes. There are roller buttons beside the gear selector as well which can be used for volume control without having to use the screen, which is in addition to the ones on the steering.

In my opinion, the learning curve as you step into the BYD Seal is minimal as opposed to my experience getting used to the Model 3.

Summary:
There is no doubt that BYD along with its other fellow Chinese manufacturers have done exceedingly well playing to their strengths and providing VFM options with products that are right up there with established manufacturers. The quality of interiors, exteriors and strategic product placement ensures that the earlier stigma of opting for these brands no longer exist as a major deterrent. The sheer number of BYD, HAVAL, MG and other cars on the roads here in Australia show how they've captured a good share of the market.





Back to the Seal, I would go on to state that if I was looking at adding an EV to my garage for the urban runs with the odd trips that are longer, this would most certainly be an option on my list. It's hard to look past the value and efficiency this brings along with warranties that go for 6 years/150,000 kms for the vehicle and 8 year/160,000 kms for the battery - sure exudes confidence in the product.

[kiku007]

Thanks for the BYD Seal write-up @benbsb29. It's a great VFM electric sedan.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance is the perfect performance sedan, well almost!

That's quite a bold statement isn't it? Hear me out. Actually, you can hear what Jason Cammisa and Matt Watson have to say. They know more than me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCPlZl6xJq4

https://youtu.be/F8KUdvmW2EQ?si=f9gYwloodjyy8_oM

Here's my thoughts anyways.

The Backstory:

• Tesla started the new Model 3 deliveries in Australia in 2024.
• The media called this the Highland facelift, although Tesla never officially called it by that name.
• The Tesla dealership offered me a test drive and I asked them for an extended drive. We couldn't make it happen until 2025!

What's great?

This is not just a facelift!
The Highland would easily be called a "All-New" model by any legacy car maker. You can read about the changes here.

Additional door reinforcements
The new door reinforcements increase structural integrity and stiffness. The door shut definitely felt stronger. Close the new and old Model 3s and the difference is apparent!!




One-pedal driving
Regenerative Braking isn't customisable anymore. However, the one-pedal driving implementation is THE best I've experienced. People new to EVs might have a learning curve. However, once you are comfortable with it, you'll love it.

Fantastic sound insulation
Acoustic glass across the range helps to keep external noise outside of the cabin.

Improved handling
I felt the new car handled better. It also has adaptive dampers.

Insane acceleration
Blisteringly fast!

Competitive pricing
The car has gotten better and the price has gone down. How many cars do that these days?

Dealership experience
10/10 for the customer friendly experience at the dealership as always.

What's not great?

Indicator stalks deleted
Australia has lots of roundabouts and it is quite impossible to use the indicator buttons in roundabouts. I'm just not comfortable with this. I was fine with the on-screen gear selector though. In general the lack of buttons is annoying though.

Still no display ahead of the driver
I don't know why Tesla is adamant on not giving a small display behind the steering wheel! Aftermarket screens are available though. Here's one from a Uber,


Glass roof has no blinds
The glass roof gets really hot in tropical Queensland. I cannot live without blinds.

Elon Musk
Personal preference.

High depreciation
I don't think I can stomach a random $10K drop in price just because the CEO said it's ok.

Final thoughts
Great family car: Our family was impressed with the car. The lack of indicator stalks was a deal-breaker though. The Model 3 next to our Mazda 3.

Quality and continuous improvement:I've always been objectively critical of Tesla's shortcomings. I'm glad Tesla has addressed most of the shortcomings, if not all and made the product so much more better!
Thank the Chinese competition: I'm enjoying the price wars!
Musk: A friend is shopping for an EV and I asked him to checkout the Model 3 to at least benchmark other cars. He refused to even TD the car because of Musk. Personally even I find it difficult to buy a Tesla with him as the CEO. At this point I reckon Musk is hurting Tesla sales.
Wait for the new Model Y: If you are planning to get the Model Y, then I would highly recommend waiting for the new one.
What about the Hyundai IONIQ 5N? Great car, but not so great to justify the price premium.

Conclusion
Both the BYD Seal and Tesla Model 3 are excellent options in the segment. I think people won't go wrong by choosing either one of them. It's just a matter of personal preferences really. It's a shame the Model 3 isn't available in India.

I believe the Tesla Model 3 is almost the perfect performance sedan that you can buy for under A$100K. I actually don't care if it's an EV or not. It offers an driving experience that is almost at the BMW M3 level but at a significantly lower price point and can still be the family's daily driver without breaking the bank.
Like Jason Cammisa said, you can

• Buy one BMW M3 Competition or
• Buy, a Tesla Model 3 Performance + Toyota/Subaru GR86/BRZ + Mazda Miata/MX-5!!