Test drove the BYD Seal Premium variant: My quick review

It's hard to look past the value and efficiency this brings along with warranties that go for 6 years/150,000 km for the vehicle and 8 year/160,000 kms for the battery.

BHPian benbsb29 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

When you're on the Xmas shutdown and with time to spare, what's the best way to spend some time? Test driving some popular cars may be one of the options that appeal, and that's exactly what DBHPian kiku007 and I embarked on.

We test drove the BYD Seal 'Premium' variant which happens to be the mid variant among Dynamic, Premium and Performance.

This model has a claimed 0-100 kmph of 5.9 seconds and 650 kms of driving range. On first glance, what strikes you is the overall pleasing design and attention to detail given to some of the elements such as the taillamps design which look brilliant.

Step inside and you are greeted with the overall theme of minimalist design which has become the norm now with a large 15.6" display that grabs your attention. This screen can also be rotated to portrait mode at the touch of a button.

Sound insulation is good and there was barely any road noise that crept into the cabin during the roads we took this car on as part of our brief test drive. My daughter who accompanied us on the test drive brought our attention to the interior ambient lighting that actually synced to the beats of the music being played! We didn't expect this and a quick search within the menu later, we found the setting that enables this.

Acceleration is brisk and no surprise being an EV, the sudden push back into the seat under rolling acceleration.

I found the interiors quite pleasing and what i truly appreciate is how BYD have set about trying to win over customers used to internal combustion powered cars without the need to be radically different. There is a gear selector that is conventional without resorting to a swipe on a screen (Tesla Model 3), the indicator stalks are conventional (and on the correct side too!!) and there is also a screen in front of the driver which provides information where you want it, rather than on a centre placed screen.

The information displayed via the HUD is clear, bright and easy to read; we didnt explore the range of information that can be displayed on here owing to the limited time we had with the car. Infact, there was another customer waiting for the car to test drive when we got back.

The quality of the switchgear is good along with the overall design theme that resonates within the cabin, including the design of the airvents. A simple swipe on the screen is used to adjust the direction of the blowers, which I found interesting for a vehicle at this price point.

To address the common pain point about lack of physical buttons for common tasks such as volume, aircon, blower etc the Seal has these addressed. A swipe of three fingers in horizontal direction brings up these options, although I've briefly forgotten which option comes up under the horizontal and vertical swipes. There are roller buttons beside the gear selector as well which can be used for volume control without having to use the screen, which is in addition to the ones on the steering.

In my opinion, the learning curve as you step into the BYD Seal is minimal as opposed to my experience getting used to the Model 3.

Summary:
There is no doubt that BYD along with its other fellow Chinese manufacturers have done exceedingly well playing to their strengths and providing VFM options with products that are right up there with established manufacturers. The quality of interiors, exteriors and strategic product placement ensures that the earlier stigma of opting for these brands no longer exist as a major deterrent. The sheer number of BYD, HAVAL, MG and other cars on the roads here in Australia show how they've captured a good share of the market.

Back to the Seal, I would go on to state that if I was looking at adding an EV to my garage for the urban runs with the odd trips that are longer, this would most certainly be an option on my list. It's hard to look past the value and efficiency this brings along with warranties that go for 6 years/150,000 kms for the vehicle and 8 year/160,000 kms for the battery - sure exudes confidence in the product.

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