Test drove the BYD seal on Mumbai roads: 8 quick observations

Speed bumps will be a problem. I crossed a normal-sized speed bump at 15 kmph, and the underbody scraped the ground.

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Test drove the BYD Seal on Saturday. What an absolutely brilliant car!

Some observations:

• Interior fit/finish are on point. Feels better than <INR 70 lacs Audis, equivalent to BMWs, and just a little behind Mercedes cars.
• Overall design is very sports-car like. During my TD, almost everyone stopped to take a second look.
• Even in Mumbai heat/humidity with the sun blaring down, the tinted moonroof did a good job in keeping the sun out. North India with 40+ degree weather may be a different beast and one may need to put on the moonroof cover for long distance drives.
• The Performance variant was a little scary to drive in the lanes of Hiranandani Powai, Mumbai. It accelerates so fast.
• Speed bumps will be a problem. I crossed a normal-sized speed bump at 15 kmph, and the underbody scraped the ground. Below 10 kmph, didn't find this issue even with gigantic speedbumps on Hiranandani Link Road (or most popularly known as the worst road on Planet Earth).
• The SA mentioned that we can buy an additional underbody protection plate for ~INR 20K to ensure even further protection against damage to the chasis/battery in case of scrapes.
• The range on the Performance variant was ~500KM (50% battery down at ~250KM). Truly amazing, given that people abuse cars during TDs.
• The mid-variant is the one to buy, 0-100 in 5.8s and additional 70-80KM range. But it doesn't come with FSD suspension that the top end variant does.

If I decide to upgrade from my Civic, I'll still go with the GLA (X1 FWD is a joke). I often travel to a small place I have near Palghar, and the Seal will not be able to cope with the rural roads.

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