Test drove the BYD Seal: Why I feel its the best sedan below 60L

Interestingly if you want a sedan above the C Segment cars at 20-25L OTR, then this is the cheapest one you can buy.

BHPian Rajeevraj recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Got a chance to do a TD of the Seal. A friend of my friend was on the look out for a car and the Seal was one of the shortlisted ones. He was smitten by it but wanted a 2nd opinion from my friend. Both of us had been eyeing a Test Drive for some time now and this was a good opportunity to try it out. Being a sedan person, I was also eager to try this out. Few comments from the drive.

Showroom and Initial impressions

• Since we planned to go on a Sunday, had called the BYD contact number and they confirmed the showroom is open. Within 10 min got a call from the showroom also confirming the same. Good start.
• Went to the PPS BYD showroom near KR Puram ORR, Bangalore. Only one person was available and he was the person who reached out to me.
• The TD car was parked out front and was the top performance variant.
• Show room experience was smooth. I was worried that they may give some excuse for the TD. No such thing happened, quick to take the details and we were ready for the test drive.
• The Sales Advisor was fairly knowledgeable and we were truthful with our intentions and his behavior did not change at all.

The Car

• Looks absolutely smashing. Quite large in person. Loved it in all angles.

• Interior is all black. Personally not a big fan of all black interiors. While it looked and felt premium, not sure how well it will age.

• The full glass roof is nice. Does bring some element of light to the black interior.

• The controls all seemed laid out well. Did not get much time to try everything out, but it all seemed easy to understand and use.

• Beautiful Screen, no lag at all. The rotation is bit of a gimmick though.

• All controls on the screen is not something I am used to. But seemed ok considering it is such a massive screen.

• Nice gear lever. Slick to use. The scroller for mode changes is on the left of the lever and not very user friendly. Had to take eyes of the road to find it. Matter of getting used to, but an easier implementation would have been good.

• Tons of space all around. Cannot complain at all.

• Good boot space. The frunk is an added advantage.

• HUD is nice. Not visible to the co passenger.

• Sound quality seemed ok in a quick test. Seemed very bassy. Assume there is some fine tuning available.

• All kinds of camera views. Again, because of the massive screen, easy to access and manage.

The Drive

• My experience with Electric Cars has only been with the Nexon. So not much context for comparison.

• Although honestly does not matter. No need to compare to any other EV, Petrol or diesel. Oh boy, what a fantastic performance.

• No drama in regular driving. As expected, smooth and silent. Noise insulation is fantastic. You are in your own world.

• Step on that accelerator, it just throws you back and you literally fly. Being a Sunday, there was some space on the ORR to test this acceleration. Even with me driving, the push back made me giddy. I would buy this car just for this performance. As I write, I go back to those moments of the test drive. Well done BYD.

• Being a low slung car, I expected the ride to be stiff. It was surprisingly good. The ORR is fairly rough and the flyover expansion joints can give a jolt. Did not feel any of it.

• Felt planted and solid even with heavy acceleration. Turning radius seemed good for such a large car.

• Went over couple of humps. It was fine. Although ground clearance looks low, I think it is not going to be a problem as long as you are careful.

Did I say about the performance. Oh Yes! I did.

A bunch of pictures. Not adding any detail as all the elements are well known.

Summary: After a long time I got really really excited by a new car. Of Course, there is a sedan bias in me and part of it was due to the fact that no one launches sedans anymore. Even considering that, I think BYD has done a fantastic job with the Seal. Such a powerful well rounded car. I also had a mind block for EV's that it should have a range of 500-600km for me to consider. That too is delivered by the Seal. All of this as a CBU at an OTR ranging from 48L to 63L. It brings back an X factor that was kind of missing in my view with a lot of recent launches. Interestingly if you want a Sedan above the C Segmenters at 20-25L OTR, then this is the cheapest one you can buy. 50L is still a lot of money, but I personally think this car is worth it.

I am still in 2 minds about going electric, but if I do and I can get to a stage where I can afford it, then this one is definitely in the shortlist for a next upgrade.

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