[zandot]

Deliveries were supposed to start today for the first 70 bookings. Anyone with a booking received any update? Mine was part of the first 70 lot but I haven't received a call by the charger people so guessing things are late.

[itwasntme]

And the search goes on. SeaLion 7 was stunning in terms of being a heavy fast cruiser in RWD form. Quite magnificent and upmarket. Deathly quiet and quick (this was the RWD), huge in size but very manoeuvrable and comfortable too.
Legacy manufacturers better beware!

Neighbor got in the iX1 and booked it. Couldn’t not manage a TD myself though.

[beemer5499]

Originally Posted by zandot

Deliveries were supposed to start today for the first 70 bookings. Anyone with a booking received any update? Mine was part of the first 70 lot but I haven't received a call by the charger people so guessing things are late.

Congratulations! Any reason of getting the Sealion since you already own a Seal?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Quite magnificent and upmarket. Deathly quiet and quick (this was the RWD), huge in size but very manoeuvrable and comfortable too.

Neighbor got in the iX1 and booked it. Couldn’t not manage a TD myself though.

The Sealion 7 looks much better than the IX1.
And the shape and form of the Sealion 7 will age better than the IX1 too.

I think all these legacy manufacturers and automotive power centres had definitely better beware of the Chinese onslaught.

The rules have been forever broken, the market forever disrupted and the landscape forever changed.

I hail this. Because quite honestly Im tired of this Western Superiority thing being constantly drummed into us.

[zandot]

Originally Posted by beemer5499

Congratulations! Any reason of getting the Sealion since you already own a Seal?

I went from mostly SUV's for the past 10-12 years to all sedans, which is fine for me but a little difficult for my wife I also find the features and finish of BYD far superior then the other current offerings in this price range.

However, it does seem like BYD are a bit lost on when they'll start deliveries as they have categorically said not in March which will probably result in me cancelling and going for the iX1-L, as my wife prefers the BMW badge sadly.

[Maverick Avi]

Maybe a dumb question but still would take liberty to get views from experts.

The whole idea of EVs cropped up due to emissions that ICE give off so ideally the focus of all EV companies should be maximum efficiency or range. But I see that most EV motors have pretty high BHP(more than 300 for Sealion). Why can't companies stick to 100 to 150 bhp which is more than enough for most users(and in line with most ICE cars currently) and extract maximum range.

[bijims]

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

Maybe a dumb question but still would take liberty to get views from experts.

The whole idea of EVs cropped up due to emissions that ICE give off so ideally the focus of all EV companies should be maximum efficiency or range. But I see that most EV motors have pretty high BHP(more than 300 for Sealion). Why can't companies stick to 100 to 150 bhp which is more than enough for most users(and in line with most ICE cars currently) and extract maximum range.

Options are coming and Maruti with its e-Vitara is going to do exactly that, even the Creta EV is made on similar lines. However considering the weight of EVs due to heavy battery, an adequately powerful motor is definitely required to offer good performance.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

Why can't companies stick to 100 to 150 bhp which is more than enough for most users(and in line with most ICE cars currently) and extract maximum range.

Glad you asked this question. Even I keep thinking whats the use of all those zillions of horsepower and squillions of torque, especially in our daily driving conditions in India.

Originally Posted by bijims

However considering the weight of EVs due to heavy battery, an adequately powerful motor is definitely required to offer good performance.

Glad you answered this in such a simple, logical, common sense fashion. Saying that, my Kona EV weighs about 1600 kgs unladen, so while I like its 136bhp and 395NM of torque very much, are such levels really necessary, to move the 1600kgs?

[determinism]

Originally Posted by vedantpatkar17

Are these rear privacy glasses legal as per Indian regulations? I almost got challan for having UV cut glasses in my car.

They're not, which is why deliveries haven't started yet. I visited my local dealership, and they mentioned that deliveries will likely begin around the 25th of the month. The delay is due to a required change from privacy glass to standard glass to comply with regulations.

[shankar.balan]

I have been curious about the BYD Sealion 7 - I visited PPS BYD in Mahadevapura.

Being a Sunday morning there was no traffic. I test drove the BYD Sealion 7 and spent a good 40 minutes with it.

All I can say is ‘what a car!’.

The AWD provides phenomenal traction to all four wheels. It grips the road with a reptilian stickiness. There is a Tsunami by way of power when one steps on the pedal. And the delivery is as smooth as silk.

For the Premium variant they have given 255/45/19 size Conti Contact tyres at the rear and 235/50/19 size tyres in front. (57 odd lacs on road Bangalore)

For the Performance (AWD) variant it has 245/45/20 sized Michelin tyres both in front and rear. (64 odd lacs on road Bangalore)

It is a seriously, eye-peelingly, blisteringly, blazingly fast car. I tried it in Eco Mode and Normal mode. I did not bother with Sports mode or any other mode. Honestly with such power, Eco itself is perfectly fine.

The braking too, is phenomenally confidence inspiring.
The car takes bad roads perfectly. I drove it up and down the outer ring road with all its imperfections and then went on the winding road behind HAL and back on to Marathahalli and back onto the ORR.

Truth be told I did not spare the whip.

There is no loss of composure. No rocking and swaying and bumping about. Extremely well tuned suspension.

The comfort inside is like that of a Club chair - lovely seats with fantastic lumbar support and thigh support. Massive headroom too, even for a tall person. In my case, I found the rear seat behind the driving seat comfortable, even with the front drivers seat adjusted for my driving position. The long wheelbase is what ensures it all.

This can be the perfect chauffeur driven office commute car. And when the mood strikes, then one can enjoy taking the wheel one’s self too!

In todays drive the only negative was that one particular big bad vertical speed breaker caused the under body to lightly touch.

Yet I do think that despite the bad Bangalore roads, the 164mm Ground Clearance should be sufficient by and large.

Today it was only me and the Dealer Executive in the car and there was no luggage. I am sure it will sit down much more when loaded and being a long wheel base (2930mm) we have to be watchful of speeds when on roads filled with mountainous speed breakers.

The music through the Dynaudio 12 speaker system sounds brilliant. Just the right levels of bass and treble and mid range. Good sound separation and the overall feel of a home cinema theatre.

The panoramic moon roof is sealed by glass so that moronic humans cannot stick their heads out of it!
The window glass has a sandwich layer of sound insulation. And it works!

The internal fit, finish and finesse of this vehicle is way above all the equivalent vehicles and even those of a segment or three above.

This car is designed so much better than the earlier BYD vehicles like the Atto3 and all. This one is not at all over the top the way the earlier ones were. It just reeks of quality all the way.

I don’t think that any of the Europeans can or will even come close. It really is way better than anything BMW or Mercedes or Audi is dishing out.

Range? No problem. 560kms they say, on a full charge. Im sure even if one drives all the way on sports mode without being judicious on the accelerator, one will reach Ooty via Sigur Ghats from Bangalore in one single charge and with plenty to spare as well.

It’s a big car. Great for families. The Cavernous boot will swallow up lots of luggage. Superb highway touring vehicle. For the city, yes, it is a bit large but it is surprisingly nimble because of its responsive steering.

Luxury car fit, finish, features and finesse and Supercar performance delivered, at a fraction of the price.

My plain verdict is that if one is searching for the right SUV in that bracket at the present moment, then the 64 lacs on the Road Bangalore is well worth it for the BYD Sealion7 performance variant.

BYD - Build Your Dreams - Yes I do think they really are fulfilling many dreams for us, quite unlike the traditional Western Automakers.

Leave aside the jingoism and faux patriotism and all for a moment. Evaluate this objectively as a Product. It will always come up trumps even when pitted against anything else the world has to offer.

Our Indian manufacturers are definitely trying very hard. But I think honestly that they still have a really long way to go, to get to BYD’s level. They may never quite catch up either!

The BYD company’s innovations are at a different level. And I think the world has changed so much in the last 4-5 years and will change even more in the next 5, all in favour of the Eastern World, that the West will be left far far behind.

The West can play at rattling sabres by raising tariffs and they will then have to promptly back down again, because by keeping up all that noise, they are just going to be blocking themselves out from all the innovation of the East if they do!

[Ravi Parwan]

I had driven the BYD Seal last week, AWD version for a very short stint. I agree with all your statements. The fit and finish of the vehicle, both interiors and exterior are top notch. Since the Seal is 150 Kg lighter than the sealion, and I used the sports mode, you can imagine the feeling of being pushed into the seats.

My test drive car was the 2024 model, with just 144 mm ground clearance and no curtain on the roof. Although the sales staff was trying very hard to convince me, I found both of these problematic for our roads.

The car touched on the out ramp of the dealership itself. We were 3 people on board.

And the car parked in sun, had a seriously hot roof. Although it is supposed to be blocking 98% sun rays, I felt the AC struggling to cool the car, due to the blazing sun hitting the huge glass roof...

But the car does manage to blow your socks off with the power delivery and manners on road. It sticks to the road and with regen allows you single pedal driving, which was very intuitive for me.

I have started saving up....

[sudeepg]

Thank you for such good feedback about the Sealion. The only thing I do not like with this car (and with many other cars end EVs) are those large screens which stick out like an afterthought. How I wish those screens were integrated into the console well rather than sticking out like a computer monitor!

I am loving these Chinese car designs way over the Toyotas and Suzuki's now. Those A- Pillar speaker integrations are just so sweet!

Except for the charging apprehensions at destinations, there is nothing else holding me back from getting one.

Quick question on the single pedal driving - Do the brake lights come on automatically when using single pedal driving?

[PreludeSH]

People who dreamt about German trio could get swayed by Sealion. Of course the electric drivetrain does provide some extra bias to gloss over some qualities of the Germans.

Unless the Germans can provide EVs at substantial lower prices (for their present), it would be difficult. BYD needs to bring the quality and design they have in this to their other cars.

They should also give us something on par with real SUVs like the Land Rovers etc. We like imposing, tough designs

[ron178]

Expect the Sealion 7's Euro NCAP crash test rating to be published soon, likely on 9 April:



Screenshot source: www.euroncap.com

[timus]

For anyone who has booked Sealion 7, have you got the delivery / delivery date?