[Monaro]

Down 1500kms.

Still a hoot to drive! No speed bumps scraped still both city and highways. Got myself a Jio sim and voila don't need my phone to get spotify or run other apps. I have also gone ahead and sideloaded some apps - waze, weather, office suite, poweramp, a browser and couple of apps that work for live streaming - sony liv and fancode, for when I am not driving. The sideloading apps process involves downgrading and then upgrading the OS, so plz do it at your own risk.

Got a few scratches on the bonnet, as the neighbourhood dogs parked themselves on the roof, to avoid getting wet in the rains. I think the low slung stance of the car made it easier for them to climb up, but have now put a couple of planters at the front and it seems to be working for now :P

Also, got the 3kw slow charger and the V2L adapter (white colour with 2-3 plug points) during delivery complimentary as I booked early during some scheme, however they both appear cheap knock-offs with no BYD branding. The dealer says that's when they got from the company, but I am not entirely convinced. Can other owners confirm this?

[zandot]

Originally Posted by Monaro

Down 1500kms.

Still a hoot to drive! No speed bumps scraped still both city and highways. Got myself a Jio sim and voila don't need my phone to get spotify or run other apps.

Thanks for sharing! Didn’t know that you can put your own sim in the vehicle - will be sure to pick one up as well as look into the side loading of apps.

Already loving the amount of accessories available for this car. Anyone looking to order from top-byd at the moment, I got my parcel within a week - tracking is not that great and it still shows as en-route despite it being delivered. Came via Line shipping and it got re-couriered after arriving in the country and delivery was via DTDC without taxes.

[RR Hexaseal]

Thanks for sharing, @Monaro!
Have also been thoroughly enjoying my Seal Premium since taking delivery 2 weeks ago. Can you really insert a SIM card into it? Could you please share how? Didn't see any Youtube videos on it..TIA

[Monaro]

Originally Posted by RR Hexaseal

Thanks for sharing, @Monaro!
Have also been thoroughly enjoying my Seal Premium since taking delivery 2 weeks ago. Can you really insert a SIM card into it? Could you please share how? Didn't see any Youtube videos on it..TIA

Just pop open your armrest compartment, remove the rubber mat and use your sim ejector pin to get the tray out and put in the sim. Nothing else needs to be done, it'll just automatically work!

[CarKid@40]

I test drove BYD SEAL(Premium ) and 330Li back to back and though of adding some more colours to the review for those in dilemma between the two.

Interior
330LI interiors is much more bright and plush with tan leather, SEAL welcomes you with all black Alcantara. 330Li driver cockpit is more inviting tilted towards you however both the cars will wrap around you. Those bucket Seats in SEAL is a winner. It bolsters you with a nice hug. I also felt to be sitting lower in SEAL than in 3.

There was no cover for the sunroof and the A/c wasn’t effective, which is a big let-down. There is a manual after marker kind cover for the fixed glass roof which isn’t the best for Indian summers.



Exterior
330Li is balanced with a mix of sporty and classy European looks, SEAL is menacing with strong silhouette of proper sports car character. While it is notch short of the length and considerable less in width than 3 series, it is hard to make out of the difference in flesh.



Steering
Steering of Seal is more chunky to hold and adjusts to the sports mode well with ample heft. It still cannot compare with the precision 3 series provides, although it is not as fun to hold as that of SEAL’s.

Back Seat
While there is plenty of legroom on offer in SEAL at the back(with driver seat adjusted to my height – 6”) , it is not inviting to be chauffeured in even though with a flat floor it is much easy for 3 people than in 330Li. Back seat passengers will feel more cocooned in dark Alcantara surround and sitting low while 330Li feels more comfortable and welcoming.



How’s is to Drive


The first stark difference you notice in the two sports car is right after putting them in D mode. 330Li lunges forward as soon as you put in drive mode. You have to tame and hold on the to the horses (pun intended) between brakes and gas pedal combination.

SEAL, apart from being quiet doesn’t show urgency to move forward with regen set to normal. I drove the long range premium variant, 82.6 Kw battery with a single motor. In Sports mode, SEAL is a real DEAL. It quietly and dangerously accelerates to 100 in no time. While 3 series will give you a lot of satisfaction accelerating to higher speeds with the vocal chords of engine, there is no drama that happens here. The best part is, acceleration of the two from 0-100 are comparable. Part throttle to the EV motor produces higher torque than pressing on accelerator at one go. AWD version was not available for test drive, but with it’s claimed acceleration figures, it is more of M340i category.

SEAL ride is stiffer compared to 330Li which has definitely find tuned the suspension towards comfort in comparison. Potholes do barge in with large thuds and one has to be careful on them.

Manoeuvrability

Both car measures almost the same in length, while 330Li does feel it’s length SEAL didn’t feel like like driving a car this long. I did zig-zag overtakes and it was much easier in SEAL than in 330Li. Something which I would give a lot of merit for a person like me who spends majority of drive in urban/city.

I didn’t test the cars much on high speed cornering, but if you are looking at majority of drive in city- at 30 Lakhs less, SEAL is a serious package to be considered.

Sharing a video of me enjoying the SEAL.

https://youtu.be/DIcx6C-L7qo

[RR Hexaseal]

Have also clocked close to 1500 km and she drives like a dream! Does anyone know when BYD plans to launch it's app in India? I saw a Youtbe channel from Australia (Ludicrous Feed) where everything including locking/ unlocking can be controlled via the Phone/ Apple watch..

[MightyHorse1188]

Originally Posted by Monaro

Down 1500kms.

Still a hoot to drive! No speed bumps scraped still both city and highways. Got myself a Jio sim and voila don't need my phone to get spotify or run other apps. I have also gone ahead and sideloaded some apps - waze, weather, office suite, poweramp, a browser and couple of apps that work for live streaming - sony liv and fancode, for when I am not driving. The sideloading apps process involves downgrading and then upgrading the OS, so plz do it at your own risk.

Got a few scratches on the bonnet, as the neighbourhood dogs parked themselves on the roof, to avoid getting wet in the rains. I think the low slung stance of the car made it easier for them to climb up, but have now put a couple of planters at the front and it seems to be working for now :P

Also, got the 3kw slow charger and the V2L adapter (white colour with 2-3 plug points) during delivery complimentary as I booked early during some scheme, however they both appear cheap knock-offs with no BYD branding. The dealer says that's when they got from the company, but I am not entirely convinced. Can other owners confirm this?

Great news! My Odo reading is somewhere close to 1300 kms and still smiling as well Its Sad to hear about the minor scratches on the bonnet.I highly recommend getting a good PPF installed for your car. I got it on my car within the first week itself, not only does it protect your car from such scratches, it helps retaining the original paint finish of the car for much longer.

Thanks for letting us know about the hidden SIM card tray in the car, I shall get a dedicated SIM as well. Also, how do you download apps directly on BYD info system? Currently I'm just using apple CarPlay.

About the 3Kw slow charger and V2L, I got them in that special offer as well along with the standard 7KW AC charger(Which they promptly installed free of cost within 15 days of delivery) and a sunshade for the roof(To be used when parked only). I haven't really got an opportunity to use the slow charger or the V2L yet, however both visually appear to be of a decent quality so was not suspicious of it yet. I can tell you they are not branded as BYD.The standard 7KW AC wall charger is of Exicom which is a well known charger manufacturer, and it is working perfect for me so far!

To add to it,I understand the other accessories provided in the car such as floor mats are also not part of standard BYD SeaL offering, so the dealers are providing 3rd party accessories.In my case,I found the quality of such accessories great and fits to the premium feel of the car.So my guess would be given that there is no standard offering from BYD at the moment, each dealer is providing different products at their discretion, which could be a hit or a miss.

[MightyHorse1188]

Originally Posted by RR Hexaseal

Have also clocked close to 1500 km and she drives like a dream! Does anyone know when BYD plans to launch it's app in India? I saw a Youtbe channel from Australia (Ludicrous Feed) where everything including locking/ unlocking can be controlled via the Phone/ Apple watch..

I'm following Ludicrous Feed too. He provides some great content on EV motoring in general and a very in-depth ownership review of his BYD Seal.

When I asked the dealer, he had no idea about BYD's plans to launch the app. My suspicion would be it will never happen soon, because the government hasn't been very friendly or welcoming for Chinese manufacturers in India for the obvious reasons. In the same fashion as banning other Chinese apps, they might see the BYD app as a security threat, hence unlikely to see that become a reality here. I hope Im wrong though.

Another frustrating thing is regarding the Vehicle software update, while I get to hear about latest OTA updates rolled out for Seal in other markets(Which includes wireless Apple CarPlay), here we are left in the dark (At least my dealer couldn't answer me clearly on that). However I tried manually checking for the update on the infotainment system and to my dismay just get a message that the software is up to date.

If any fellow owners or Seal Enthusiasts know something about this that I don't, please do enlighten me! Thanks in Advance!

[newenergy]

Originally Posted by MightyHorse1188

When I asked the dealer, he had no idea about BYD's plans to launch the app. My suspicion would be it will never happen soon, because the government hasn't been very friendly or welcoming for Chinese manufacturers in India for the obvious reasons. In the same fashion as banning other Chinese apps, they might see the BYD app as a security threat, hence unlikely to see that become a reality here. I hope Im wrong though.

A few days back I got a response from BYD regarding the app and as per them Q4 2024 is the timeline. You can also reach out to BYD for further information on OTA. My query to BYD was specific to Atto 3 but I think the app and SIM availability would be common for Atto 3 and SEAL.

[zandot]

Have joined the Seal club too! Sold the Ioniq5 for the seal shortly after the test drive as was very impressed by the looks and performance.

Currently the vehicle is getting PPF done and the black badges have been installed

Was very surprised the vehicle didn’t bottom out on the extremely poor Goa roads so far.

Originally Posted by MightyHorse1188

Another frustrating thing is regarding the Vehicle software update, while I get to hear about latest OTA updates rolled out for Seal in other markets(Which includes wireless Apple CarPlay), here we are left in the dark (At least my dealer couldn't answer me clearly on that).

My vehicle was delivered with this update as I can use CarPlay wirelessly. You can send the vehicle in to the service center and tell them to update your vehicle to the latest version.

There are videos on YouTube of people side loading apps and latest version of the software themselves but I’d be careful if you don’t have experience doing this.

[ferrarirules]

Originally Posted by zandot

Have joined the Seal club too! Sold the Ioniq5 for the seal shortly after the test drive as was very impressed by the looks and performance.

Congrats on your purchase. If you don't mind would you share what you could get for the IONIQ5? How easy was it to find a buyer?

This will help put a perspective on resale of EVs.

[zandot]

Originally Posted by ferrarirules

Congrats on your purchase. If you don't mind would you share what you could get for the IONIQ5? How easy was it to find a buyer?

This will help put a perspective on resale of EVs.

Without going into the specifics as I know the new buyer is a member here I can safely say most sellers look for and will get close to their IDV when they come to sell their EV. My vehicles usually go to a trusted local dealer who is transparent in his dealings and have bought and sold a few vehicles through him.

I have upgraded EVs every year since 2021 starting with the Nexon EV. I do about 50k km in the vehicle in a year which you will agree is on the higher side for any vehicle. Naturally there are questions of battery degradation but it’s still too early to answer that comprehensively for this current generation of vehicles and their batteries.

The only slight loss was on the MG ZS EV facelift as I purchased it for 26 lakhs and MG launched other iterations for 21-22 lakhs with the same body shape within a few months causing the price to drop for the resale market.

There is a lot of interest in used EVs as people that aren’t convinced enough to commit to a new one often buy a used one to see if it suits them without taking a major depreciation hit.

Needless to say this doesn’t apply to the luxury EVs (1cr+) which depreciate like rocks and it seems like inventory of these are piling up everywhere but dealers still aren’t interested in offloading with discounts, like they should, as they’re scared to tank the market. However that has lead to plenty of inventory of pre registered EVs that are currently available at BMW / Audi and Mercedes.

[MightyHorse1188]

Originally Posted by newenergy

A few days back I got a response from BYD regarding the app and as per them Q4 2024 is the timeline. You can also reach out to BYD for further information on OTA. My query to BYD was specific to Atto 3 but I think the app and SIM availability would be common for Atto 3 and SEAL.

Attachment 2637735

Originally Posted by zandot

Attachment 2637765


Have joined the Seal club too! Sold the Ioniq5 for the seal shortly after the test drive as was very impressed by the looks and performance.

Currently the vehicle is getting PPF done and the black badges have been installed

Was very surprised the vehicle didn’t bottom out on the extremely poor Goa roads so far.




My vehicle was delivered with this update as I can use CarPlay wirelessly. You can send the vehicle in to the service center and tell them to update your vehicle to the latest version.

There are videos on YouTube of people side loading apps and latest version of the software themselves but I’d be careful if you don’t have experience doing this.

Thanks for the insights!

Once again congrats Zandot on your new ride! The Atlantis Grey looks brilliant, initially I had booked the same but the waiting was too long hence I settled for a polar white. I also noticed that the BYD badging was black and not chrome. Is that standard for the grey? I got it repainted to black from chrome while getting the PPF, It looks killer in white too

Lastly, interesting that you swapped an Ionic 5 for the seal. Im just curious to know how would you compare your old car with this? Are there some bits you miss about it and what were the points about seal over the Ioniq 5 that led you to this purchase?

[Abhishek_fridjo]

Originally Posted by MightyHorse1188

Congratulations ManiPrakash and Monaro ,

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.


Cheers

I personally own a Byd atto 3 and i have taken the seal for a test drive . I feel that the steering is good and weighted correctly and I feel tat it was the road conditions which had to be blamed .
The break Regen will not increase as Byd as a whole doesn’t give a strong regen to do 1 pedal driving like other manufacturers. So waiting for an update is a no go

[zandot]

Originally Posted by MightyHorse1188

Thanks for the insights!

Once again congrats Zandot on your new ride!

Are there some bits you miss about it and what were the points about seal over the Ioniq 5 that led you to this purchase?

Thanks buddy! The black BYD badge is from topbyd and fits on top of the original, I think I must have bought 90% of the accessories listed on Page 1-2 of their Seal section A lot are yet to arrive like the dashcam, central console cover in black, trunk mat etc.

It's tough comparing a Crossover / SUV to a sedan as they are two completely different segments. They are both excellent cars and the interior space in the Ioniq is massive and probably what I miss the most. Obviously goes without saying the ground clearance as well for obvious reasons. I do however believe the Ioniq5 to be true value for money for the amazing package being offered in India when compared against the Kia EV6 (which I also contemplated before getting the Seal but decided it just wasn't worth it with the facelift around the corner) or say even the Volvo offerings.

The easy availability of accessories online, the overall looks of the Seal - even though Ioniq 5 has got me more thumbs up from passers by than any other car - the interior quality, big screen, heads-up display and the higher range were ultimately the decision makers for me and convinced me to swap the Ioniq5 for the Seal.

Those worried about poor after-sales support from BYD should try dealing with Hyundai India should their Ioniq need any EV- specific issues fixed and you'll soon realise that the local SA's have no EV training, are 100% dependent on a hotline number that's been setup for any Ioniq related problems and parts are also sadly not readily available.