[Ripcord09]

BYD Seal

What you'll like:

• Good build quality coupled with very appealing styling
• Punchy motor offers fast performance. RWD variant's 0-100 km/h time of 5.9 seconds is enjoyable; AWD variant's performance is ballistic (0-100 in 3.8 seconds)
• Good high-speed stability coupled with sorted handling
• Spacious and well-built cabin with comfortable seats
• Useable 400-litre boot, along with a 50-litre frunk (in the front)
• Inherent EV advantages such as a green image, zero tailpipe emissions, low running costs (charge at home) & top-notch NVH
• We find the BYD Seal to be well-priced for what it offers
• Selectable regenerative braking and drive modes allow you to extract maximum performance or efficiency, as needed
• Sufficient driving range (approx 500 km) for urban commuting as well as the usual road-tripping with family
• 6-year/150,000 km warranty on the car, 8-year battery & motor warranty, 6-year roadside assistance
• Features such as the vehicle-to-load function, soundproof glass, rotating 15.6-inch touchscreen, climate control with heat pump, panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control, electrically adjustable A/C vents, NFC key card, etc.
• 5-star NCAP rating, top-notch safety kit & level 2 ADAS to keep you safe

What you won't:

• 145 mm ground clearance requires you to drive with care over large speed breakers & broken roads
• Firm low speed ride. Liveable, but not plush in the city. You feel bad roads
• Low slung body makes ingress & egress a challenge for the not-so-flexible and elderly
• No option of a lighter-coloured interior theme (cabin is full-black)
• Rear seat offers poor under-thigh support
• Most functions and settings are controlled through the touchscreen, which makes them difficult to access on the move
• Vertical movement over road joints can get annoying
• Missing features such as connected car tech, a spare wheel (in India!!!), wireless Apple CarPlay, etc.
• Poor rearward visibility due to the acutely-angled rear windscreen and large rear headrests
• BYD's currently small dealership & service network. Even major cities like Mumbai & Delhi have just 1 dealer

First Drive Review

Hyundai Ioniq 5

Review Link

Kia EV6

First Look Preview

BMW i4

Launch Discussion

Volvo XC40 Recharge

What you'll like:

• A sharply styled SUV. Volvo’s new designs sure are head-turners!
• Solid build & top-notch quality, inside out
• Quick performance will keep most owners happy. Well configurated one-pedal driving feature makes it very easy to drive in the city
• Real-world range should be ~350 km, which is enough for most users
• Excellent high-speed stability coupled with sorted handling. Mature ride quality at speed too
• Zero emissions, cheap running costs & green image will appeal to a lot of people
• Features such as panoramic sunroof, electric front seats with extendable seat bases, one-pedal driving, button-less starting procedure, air purifier etc.
• 5-star NCAP rating. Loaded with safety equipment such as 7 airbags, collision mitigation support (front & rear), lane keeping aid, blind spot information system, cross-traffic alert & more

What you won't:

• Rear seat comfort levels are mediocre. Raised floor & upright seatback. It’s best for just 2 & ingress / egress are tricky too
• Firm low speed ride. Liveable, but not plush in the city. You will feel the bad roads
• No drive modes and no adjustable regeneration means you cannot customise your drive experience
• Spare tyre is placed above the boot floor and eats into luggage space
• Missing features such as ventilated seats, head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, full-size spare tyre (has a space saver tyre), Vehicle to Load etc.
• Small dealership and service network isn't a patch on its German competitors

First Drive Review

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[vattyboy]

No other option beats Byd Seal unless ground clearance is a priority.

[saikishor]

The Seal is a steal if you look at the overall product. If BYD can commit to stay, nothing beats the Seal IMO.

[thesidmania]

Voted for the Ioniq 5.

BYD Seal, while a VFM option has its own set of drawbacks to me- future brand uncertainty in India, dealer network, low ground clearance and a touchscreen cockpit. I haven't driven it but I hear it doesn't feel as fast as the numbers suggest which negates its main USP.

KIA EV6 in the AWD avatar is overall a good package. Didn't vote for it as I don't like the looks of the exterior and interior. Same reason why I bought the Ioniq 5 over the EV6.

BMW i4 is a no because its a 'judaadu' EV which rightly doesn't impress the EV buyer. Adding to that the 125mm ground clearance and my bad experience with BMW after sales service, its out.

Volvo XC 40 in the AWD variant is a great option. It simply lost out because of its cabin space, uncomfortable rear seats and for not feeling special at all as a driver or passenger.

[GTO]

All great EVs in this line-up. Voted for the BYD Seal for its combination of price + performance + all rounded nature. That being said, the Ioniq 5 is a very, very close 2nd. Both are the class leaders here.

Love the EV6, but Kia would need to price it better to get my money. Especially in the wake of all the newer competition, the EV6 is no longer the only trick in town. It had a first-mover advantage & whoever bought an EV6 is extremely happy with it. The muscle-car styling is also deadly. But again, 65-70 lakhs on the road is too much.

[Hume]

Difficult to pick one since they're all different cars intended for different purposes (sedans vs crossovers vs mid suv; high power vs med power and VFM vs exclusivity)

• For many who are not particular about super fast performance, the Ioniq (especially the one with black interiors) is a really practical, fairly luxurious option. Surely the most practical pick of the lot.

• For anyone who is into performance but doesn't mind a low-slung sedan form factor and not particular about brand image or geo-politics, BYD is a no brainer.

• Both of the above are excellent VFM options also. But for some who might prefer exclusivity to VFM, EV6 continues to be an excellent no-compromise option being a non-Chinese Crossover form factor.

• XC40 / C40 twin motor versions are decent options for someone who prefers brand value and performance with some glaring compromises such as back seat comfort.

• i4 is for the very few who are very particular about brand image and don't mind a sedan form factor. It has nothing else really going for it.

So like I said above, not apples to apples really. But if I have to pick one just for the sake, I'd go with the EV6. That for me is the best of all worlds for a daily driver like myself who loves to chauffeur his family as well.

Originally Posted by Guna

Probably Volvo C40 Recharge should be in the list instead of XC40 Recharge (more modern, born EV)

The XC40 and the C40 can be clubbed as one option to simplify things, but neither of them are BEVs.

[Guna]

Probably Volvo C40 Recharge should be in the list instead of XC40 Recharge (more modern, born EV)

[SR-71]

Love the EV6, specially its styling, but it makes no sense to spend the money with its similarly spec'd and popular sibling available at 75% of the cost (Bangalore OTR). Seal is great, a lot of power on tap though am unsure of the power potential in Indian roads. It suffers on few accounts in my perspective - all glass sunroof, lack of spare wheel and thin dealer network. So voted for Ioniq 5 which seems to be the best compromise at this point. While the Seal is equally poised, Ioniq will get a leg up if they start shipping with the new 82.5 KWh batteries.

[GoBabyGo]

Hi, voted for Hyundai IONIQ 5.

Although BYD Seal is a fantastic product for the price, but if I get very similar crossover e.g. IONIQ 5 (now also available with all black interior) for the same price (approx. 47 lacs onroad Delhi-NCR), I would rather go for it.

Seal is too low for sitting point of view. Anybody above 5ft. 7 inches height will have to sit knee up position at the back. Although majority of people who have test driven it did not face any major (or minor) issue with respect to 145mm ground clearance, still 163mm ground clearance of IONIQ 5 will be better for regular use.

Interior space is better in IONIQ 5, both for passengers and to keep the luggage. Although on paper luggage capacity on paper look better in IONIQ 5, but going by the reviews and have seen some videos, it may not have big advantage over Seal. Both will be able to keep almost similar quantity of luggage.

Driving range of both Seal & IONIQ 5 will be close to 475km to 500km in real world usage. Both are having capability of fast charging which are currently available in India (I think maximum of 80KW or 150KW fast chargers currently available on Indian highways).

Seal may have one advantage over IONIQ 5, longevity of it Blade Battery, which I assume can last upto 10 lacs km vs approx. 5 lacs to 6 lacs km of IONIQ 5, time will tell. Also most likely Blade Battery will withstand Indian hot climate better than IONIQ 5 battery (in most North Indian cities temperature can go upto 45 degree to 47 degree for 3 to 4 months).

[84.monsoon]

IONIQ5 and Seal are neck in my view. However, IONIQ 5's quoted range (621 km) seems much higher than the actual range many known folks have experienced (they report less than 400 KM on reasonably paced highway drives), while the various reviews report the Seal middle variant achieving close to 500 KM (versus claimed 650 Km). This is to be expected, since the Seal has a larger battery and lower drag compared to the higher slung IONIQ 5. A 500 KM highway range is critical in my view, to be realistically usable for people who do even a modest amount of long distance travel. This factor tilted me to vote for Seal. However, for the chauffeur driven, I would vote IONIQ 5 anyday, as the Seal's backseat is indeed uncomfortable. The others in the poll are either over-priced (BMW i4, Kia EV6) or too small (XC40). If Kia were to go the CKD route, and price the EV6 closer tot he IONIQ 5, I would vote for it over all the others.

[AD03]

I was in China last week and sat in a BYD taxi. Don't know the exact model but the car had done 4 lakh 40 thousand kms. Being the first time seeing an electric car with such milage i got a little curious. I saw the dash the car showed about 60% charge left and a range of 225 kms. Was mighty impressed to see an electric car with 4.4 lakh kms showing that much range with 60% charge. So i opened my translator and asked if the battery had been changed. he said the car is 4 years old and battery is original. Speaks well about the Chinese battery technology. Also the car had almost no rattles which is impressive too. So when the time comes to replace my 3 series i would check them out for sure as the rupee to horse power ratio of BYD Seal seems unmatched in Indian market as of now.

[IREV]

Voted for the EV6 even though I'm not a fan of it's pricing. I find it to be the best looking EV in the segment and drives better than other Hyundai and Kia cars. Being a CBU, the quality and fit & finish are much superior to the CKD ones. While the Seal is an excellent product for it's price, the BYD brand recall still remains a concern considering it's unknown reliability and less dealer network. After having a horrible experience with Hyundai dealers while checking out the Elantra, there is no way I'd spend that much on the Ioniq5 or any other flagship Hyundai. I'm still not confident on the brand when it comes to their flagship products. Their dealers still need to learn how to sell their flagship products, not just selling Cretas and i20s. I'd trust Kia and even VAG more than Hyundai in premium segment.

[soarersc300]

Voted Other - My choice is BYD Atto 3

The core of the EV is the battery technology - for me what matters is the charging speed, range and the battery chemistry.

BYD has got all 3 right with reasonably fast charging LFP batteries with decent range in their lineup of EVs. Tata's have LFPs too but with abysmally low charging speeds and range. Other cars in the voting list have all NMC batteries which have three issues - (1) Faster degradation in hot climate like India (2) Relatively unsafe (3) Lesser range when temperatures cross 25 which is almost the entire year in India.

While the other cars may be good but the battery tech is not suitable for India. Would have voted for Seal but for the lower ground clearance, hence my vote if for Atto 3 - the next best option.