[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by sudev

How many will buy this for straight 40% income tax depreciation?

Sudev, I’ll wholeheartedly agree.

In our estate we have around ~10 EVs ranging from the MG Comet, multiple Nexons & MG ZS’es and ~2 humongous Audi e-Trons. As far as I know, none are individually owned and are either business-registered or company leased vehicles.

Anyways, they are usually charged even during power cuts on our diesel gensets .

Needless to say, their owners are not known for any specially green credentials.

[MightyHorse1188]

Congratulations ManiPrakash and Monaro ,

I also took delivery of a polar white Seal (Premium) in Bangalore 2 weeks ago, however posting it now since Im a new member here.

The car is brilliant except for a few quirks having driven ~450kms so far.

I intend to post a detailed ownership review after a few more months and more miles are put into the odometer.

However few things I like to mention now,
1. The ADAS features seem a little inconsistent at times, especially the Frontal collision warning doesn't seem to work always.
2. I expect the car(premium variant long range) to give a realistic range around 500 kms (Claimed WLTP 650 km) based on my driving in Bangalore. On occasional expressway runs (Airport Road Bangalore) the trip meter returned an average efficiency of ~12Kwh per 100 kms and in the city traffic that range is easily north of 16kwh
3. The Steering weighs up well at high speeds (Also steering can be configured to Comfort or Sport mode). However at one instance the car steered slightly to the left at high speed, not sure if it was due to torque steer or that road condition. (Appreciate if other fellow owners can comment on this)
4. Braking Regen could have had more levels, I would love to try 1 pedal drive. Maybe the next software update fixes it.

These are my few words, and also my first post here.Hope it helps.

Cheers

[MightyHorse1188]

Originally Posted by Monaro

Finally got my hands on my BYD Seal Premium this Sunday. The car everything I expected and drives like a dream. Still to hit a speed bump in Noida and Delhi, so hoping the GC wouldn't be much of any issue going forward.
...

I have ordered the OEM dashcam as well from TOPBYD website. Look forward to that. My dealer told me the camera is already fitted in the vehicle and I just had to insert SD card, which is absurd, because it is clearly visible behind the rear view mirror the designated slot is empty, and not to be mistaken with the ADAS cam and radar., Shall do a DIY, there are plenty videos on YouTube which help with installation. Also the recording captures some important data other than speed such as braking, etc which helps when you need those footages(Hopefully not).

Cheers.

PS: I have a question for the existing fellow owners, may I know what was the odometer reading of your respective vehicles while taking delivery. Mine had already clocked 80 kms for which dealer said that is since it is a new vehicle it was driven for PDI and also driven from stockyard to the showroom, which is not an excuse since most cars get delivered in a flatbed these days.

[newenergy]

Originally Posted by MightyHorse1188

I have ordered the OEM dashcam as well from TOPBYD website.

Do they ship to India? if yes, how much time it takes to arrive, and any customs charge that needs to be paid?

[Monaro]

Originally Posted by MightyHorse1188

I have ordered the OEM dashcam as well from TOPBYD website. Look forward to that. My dealer told me the camera is already fitted in the vehicle and I just had to insert SD card, which is absurd, because it is clearly visible behind the rear view mirror the designated slot is empty, and not to be mistaken with the ADAS cam and radar., Shall do a DIY, there are plenty videos on YouTube which help with installation. Also the recording captures some important data other than speed such as braking, etc which helps when you need those footages(Hopefully not).

Cheers.

PS: I have a question for the existing fellow owners, may I know what was the odometer reading of your respective vehicles while taking delivery. Mine had already clocked 80 kms for which dealer said that is since it is a new vehicle it was driven for PDI and also driven from stockyard to the showroom, which is not an excuse since most cars get delivered in a flatbed these days.

Thanks and congrats to you too!

The dashcam is an important accessory and I might go for a DIY as well, just hoping I don't screw up something else and warranty gets voided.

My odometer was around 40kms, which they said was accurate as they had to drive (god knows why) it from Delhi office to Noida. Anyways, I did a thorough PDI and took their word in good faith.

[Monaro]

Originally Posted by newenergy

Do they ship to India? if yes, how much time it takes to arrive, and any customs charge that needs to be paid?

Mine took 3 weeks as it got routed through Singapore. I had to pay additional Rs.920 for customs, plus some random charges they gave me a receipt. I used the code EAN5 to get 5% off when purchasing on TOPBYD.

[Procon]

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

Congratulations! This is a dream car for me at the moment. Does wired Carplay / Android auto work?

I drive an MG ZS and none of the above two points are an issue, even though MG is a Chinese company. Government restrictions seem to become a lot less strict if you have a proper Indian partner.

Looks like JSW's partnership has effectively made MG on par with the other car companies here. I wonder why BYD hasn't found a good Indian partner yet.

They had found one in Megha Engineering (remember Electoral bonds top donor) but Indian government rejected it. Also check out Instagram page of Megha's owner. You will have a good laugh.

[Monaro]

500km update!

The drive puts a smile on my face every time. Super smooth and plenty of pace on tap, I am still being light footed as the service advisor asked me to take it easy till the first 1000kms. No speed bumps kissed yet and charged just once after driving close of 400kms and 150kms range still available. Installed the dashcam myself, which was a breeze to do and just plug and play.

One downer so far has been the infotainment software, which is far from perfect. The android auto / carplay has a mind of its own and starts when it feels like. The inbuilt maps, the lack of connectivity is a pain point. Hopefully all this sorts itself out in the coming update.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Monaro

500km update!
The drive puts a smile on my face every time. Super smooth and plenty of pace on tap, I am still being light footed as the service advisor asked me to take it easy till the first 1000kms. .

Did he explain why? I am guessing it's the tyres as nothing else needs 'running in'. Even the tyres need barely 100 km to bed in.

[Monaro]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Did he explain why? I am guessing it's the tyres as nothing else needs 'running in'. Even the tyres need barely 100 km to bed in.

He said its just a guidance from BYD to 'run-in' all moving parts. I don't mind it really, another 400 to go!

[zandot]

Finally managed to get a test drive of the Seal yesterday and very seriously contemplating swapping my Ioniq5 for it would surely miss the extra space of the Ioniq but the seal is a really great vehicle with a lot going for it.

Btw might be a stupid question for a vehicle with ADAS 2 but do the sensors auto activate in traffic situations if someone gets too close? Noticed while parking the front sensors didn’t make a noise even though the parking camera was on.

[Monaro]

Originally Posted by zandot

Btw might be a stupid question for a vehicle with ADAS 2 but do the sensors auto activate in traffic situations if someone gets too close? Noticed while parking the front sensors didn’t make a noise even though the parking camera was on.


Attachment 2626374

They do auto activate and brake, but there is an option to deactivate them manually, so maybe in your case the collision sensors were turned off.

I am still to warm up to ADAS features to be honest, have just enabled warning sounds in case of close proximity. Auto brakes scare the hell out of me, so I would rather avoid.

[volkman10]

BYD SEAL facelift coming in 2025, spotted in China.

- The facelifted version of the BYD Seal is being tested in China, with a new name for the market. Seal 07 EV.

- Version is based on the e-platform 3.0 Evo

- Gets a LiDAR system, adding an AR-HUD system, and improving the electric motor and drivetrain.

- Single electric motor 228 hp, maximum speed 220 km/h

- Battery capacity 61.4 kWh, driving range 510 km

- The maximum power of the whole system is 523 hp, the maximum speed is 240 km/h

- The capacity is 80.6 kWh, the driving range can be 600 km, the battery supports 800-volt technology

- Interior design has been redesigned.

[SRTPorsche]

Originally Posted by volkman10

BYD SEAL facelift coming in 2025, spotted in China.

- The facelifted version of the BYD Seal is being tested in China, with a new name for the market. Seal 07 EV.

I was just discussing with my colleague how BYD will quickly update the BYD Seal to respond to the competition from Xiaomi Su7.

The dashboard, especially the screen behind the steering wheel in the current generation, felt like an afterthought. I hope they will bring this version to India quickly, with at least 160+ mm of ground clearance.

The government is also chalking out rules for JV's with Chinese companies. Either we get the CBUs or we have to wait a bit longer for BYD to set up local manufacturing and then assemble them locally.

[Rajeevraj]

Got a chance to do a TD of the Seal. A friend of my friend was on the look out for a car and the Seal was one of the shortlisted ones. He was smitten by it but wanted a 2nd opinion from my friend. Both of us had been eyeing a Test Drive for some time now and this was a good opportunity to try it out. Being a sedan person, I was also eager to try this out. Few comments from the drive.

Showroom and Initial impressions.

• Since we planned to go on a Sunday, had called the BYD contact number and they confirmed the showroom is open. Within 10 min got a call from the showroom also confirming the same. Good start.
• Went to the PPS BYD showroom near KR Puram ORR, Bangalore. Only one person was available and he was the person who reached out to me.
• The TD car was parked out front and was the top performance variant.
• Show room experience was smooth. I was worried that they may give some excuse for the TD. No such thing happened, quick to take the details and we were ready for the test drive.
• The Sales Advisor was fairly knowledgeable and we were truthful with our intentions and his behavior did not change at all.

The Car

• Looks absolutely smashing. Quite large in person. Loved it in all angles.
• Interior is all black. Personally not a big fan of all black interiors. While it looked and felt premium, not sure how well it will age.
• The full glass roof is nice. Does bring some element of light to the black interior.
• The controls all seemed laid out well. Did not get much time to try everything out, but it all seemed easy to understand and use.
• Beautiful Screen, no lag at all. The rotation is bit of a gimmick though.
• All controls on the screen is not something I am used to. But seemed ok considering it is such a massive screen.
• Nice gear lever. Slick to use. The scroller for mode changes is on the left of the lever and not very user friendly. Had to take eyes of the road to find it. Matter of getting used to, but an easier implementation would have been good.
• Tons of space all around. Cannot complain at all.
• Good boot space. The frunk is an added advantage.
• HUD is nice. Not visible to the co passenger.
• Sound quality seemed ok in a quick test. Seemed very bassy. Assume there is some fine tuning available.
• All kinds of camera views. Again, because of the massive screen, easy to access and manage.

The Drive

• My experience with Electric Cars has only been with the Nexon. So not much context for comparison.
• Although honestly does not matter. No need to compare to any other EV, Petrol or diesel. Oh boy, what a fantastic performance.
• No drama in regular driving. As expected, smooth and silent. Noise insulation is fantastic. You are in your own world.
• Step on that accelerator, it just throws you back and you literally fly. Being a Sunday, there was some space on the ORR to test this acceleration. Even with me driving, the push back made me giddy. I would buy this car just for this performance. As I write, I go back to those moments of the test drive. Well done BYD.
• Being a low slung car, I expected the ride to be stiff. It was surprisingly good. The ORR is fairly rough and the flyover expansion joints can give a jolt. Did not feel any of it.
• Felt planted and solid even with heavy acceleration. Turning radius seemed good for such a large car.
• Went over couple of humps. It was fine. Although ground clearance looks low, I think it is not going to be a problem as long as you are careful.
• Did I say about the performance. Oh Yes! I did.

A bunch of pictures. Not adding any detail as all the elements are well known.

Summary: After a long time I got really really excited by a new car. Of Course, there is a sedan bias in me and part of it was due to the fact that no one launches sedans anymore. Even considering that, I think BYD has done a fantastic job with the Seal. Such a powerful well rounded car. I also had a mind block for EV's that it should have a range of 500-600km for me to consider. That too is delivered by the Seal. All of this as a CBU at an OTR ranging from 48L to 63L. It brings back an X factor that was kind of missing in my view with a lot of recent launches. Interestingly if you want a Sedan above the C Segmenters at 20-25L OTR, then this is the cheapest one you can buy. 50L is still a lot of money, but I personally think this car is worth it.

I am still in 2 minds about going electric, but if I do and I can get to a stage where I can afford it, then this one is definitely in the shortlist for a next upgrade.