BYD have launched their fifth model the SEALION 7, a large SUV powered by the BYD Blade battery. It’s been specifically designed for the European market & although targeting all marques, it’s undeniably aiming at Tesla, which with its current political standing, seems like very good timing.CC&V was there at the model unveiling in Milton Keynes recently.
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The SEALION 7 takes the Ocean Series design language, seen on models like the DOLPHIN & SEAL & adapts it to an SUV body style. It’s 30mm longer & 160mm taller than the SEAL U plug-in hybrid which we like & is based on the company’s e-Platform 3.0 architecture which has been designed purely for electric vehicles.
Model choice & cost
There are three models, Comfort RWD from £46,990, Design AWD which costs £51,990 & range topping Excellence AWD at £58,990.
Battery, power & range
Comfort comes fitted with an 82.5kWh battery & power of 230kW, which is good for 300 miles. Design also feature the 82.5kWh battery, but power increases to 390kW with range dropping to 283 miles ,thanks to this models AWD set-up which adds 115kg to the cars weight. Range topping Executive has a larger 91.3kWh batter, with 390kW of power which although heavier increases range to 312 miles.
Charging
All three models can be charged at speeds of up to 150kW DC & feature 11kW AC charging & a heat pump. Plug-in the Comfort & Design & DC charging time from 10-80% take just 32 minutes, whilst the Excellence achieves this in only 24 minutes. At home on a 7.4kW AC charger you’ll be able to add 55kWh of charge in five hours when overnight electric tariffs are cheapest for under £5. All versions come with a V2L function as standard.
Driving modesThe SEALION has four operating modes. ECO which focuses on efficiency, Normal for a balanced approach, Sport which delivers more acceleration & Snow which maximises traction on slippery surfaces.
OutsideThe front of the SEALION 7 incorporates an ‘X face’ motif, familiar from other Ocean Series models, with Dual U ‘floating’ LED headlights & sculpted curves that the brand tell us echo the motion of waves. The sides are smooth with flush door handle, whilst the rear comes with a fastback profile thanks in main to the ducktail rear spoiler. You also have a fullwidth rear light signature & Ocean Series water-drop tail lights.
InsideThis is the brands most expensive car so you’d expect some quality & plenty of features inside & it doesn’t disappoint. The steering wheel has four-way adjustment & the driver’s seat is electrically adjustable in eight directions, as well as offering four-way power-adjustable lumbar support. The front seats also feature ventilation & heating as standard. The cabin also comes with layered laminated glass in the front doors, a panoramic sunroof with an electric blind & privacy glass in the rear.
BYD are learning fast because the build quality of the fixtures & fittings, are top-notch. Even lower down the plastics are good with a proper thickness to the door pockets for example. The dashboard finish on our mid-range Executive model echoed the style of the SEAL saloon, so you get plenty of soft touch finishes, in light grey, black & chrome. It’s very tactile.
TrimsComfort, comes with heated & ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, keyless entry & start, dual-zone climate control, 15.6” touchscreen, a 10. 25″digital instrument panel, wireless smartphone charging, a pair of USB ports for both front & rear passengers
The main difference between Comfort & Design spec is that Comfort cars have 19″ alloy wheels, while Design models feature 20″ wheels. And the standout features of Excellence compared with the other two versions are Nappa leather seats instead of vegan leather & a head-up display.
PracticalityThe SEALION 7’s boot capacity is 520 litres with the rear seats in place, whilst lowering them extends this volume to 1,789 litres. There’s also a 58-litre front boot (‘frunk’) that’s ideal for storing charging cables..The cabin itself has more than 20 cubbyholes, including an area for smartphones at the base of the dashboard, that includes a wireless charging pad.
Front occupants can access a centre armrest storage box, along with a semi-open space beneath the lower fascia with room for a couple of bottles. Door pockets are generous & rear passengers get front seat back pockets & a fold down arrest with a storage area & drinks holder built-in.
Infotainment & techThe centre of the new model’s dashboard houses a 15.6″ screen that can rotate between portrait & landscape orientation.The set-up comes with BYD’s latest software which allows users to act on visual cues to activate items, such as pressing on the windows or doors, instead of searching through a list of functions. Android Auto & Apple CarPlay are now more fully integrated into BYD’s own system. with content like navigation instructions & song information also displayed on the SEALION 7’s 10.25” digital instrument panel.
Four-zone voice control enables both front seats passengers to adjust settings, with the option of allowing rear passengers access this too. The interface comes with a wider range of backgrounds, with the system’s 12 speakers developed with Danish speaker specialist Dynaudio. It sounds excellent !SafetyExtensive. Every SEALION 7 comes with BYD’s DiPIlot 10 safety suite, so front & rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, intelligent speed-limit control, forward & rear-collision warning, front & rear cross-traffic alert & cross-traffic braking, lane departure warning, intelligent high-beam light control, blind-spot detection, automatic emergency braking, driver fatigue management, door-opening warning, lane centring control & driver-distraction warning.
WarrantyAll versions are offered with a six-year manufacturer’s warranty & eight years for the battery & electric motor.
DrivingA circular route around Milton Keynes was our testing ground & like plenty of electric SUV’s the SEALION is a pleasant companion in town. Thanks to the electric motor the SEALION glides around the city in near silence enabling passengers to take full advantage of the cars excellent infotainment system. There’s some brake regeneration offered although it’s not particularly strong.
The cars suspension does a fine job of coping with poor road surfaces & is even better when you head out onto the motorway as smoother tarmac is an EV’s best friend. At higher speeds you will notice some wind & tyre noise which intrudes, mostly in the rear with the front windows being laminated.I took the opportunity to sit in the back & it’s impressively spacious as well as comfortable, with reclining seats adding a touch of luxury. This is probably the cars best selling point & I know my adultt children would be very happy back there indeed.
The adaptive cruise control & other safety systems are easy to work as is the wireless connection to Apple CarPlay. As with other Chinese SUV’s you sit quite high up in the cabin, so the forward view is excellent. Large C pillars & small rear window mean you’ll want the cars built-in reversing cameras when you’re reverse parking.As far as real world range goes, it’s difficult to be precise as we only drove the SEALION for a couple of hours but we’d surmise that 200 miles is a minimum in Winter with a 250-275 mile range a likely warmer weather scenario.
ProsIncredibly well equipped, very well built & very, very comfortable. Furthermore it’s an attractive looking car & comes with both low BIK & a strong warranty. It’s perfectly designed for UK customers.
ConsBattery range is average for the sector.
VerdictThe SEALION 7 surprised us in good way & proved that BYD are learning quickly. Perhaps it’s not the greatest car to drive, nor does it come with the longest battery range. However, we feel that these are areas that the UK car buying public will largely ignore in favour of what the SEALION does well. Take your pick from an amazingly spacious interior, incredibly comfortable seats, high specification, excellent build quality, an attractive exterior & a competitive starting price. There’s also some great contract hire offers for fleet customers & it’s definitely an alternative to the Tesla’s as well. Whilst others may do some things better, none are miles-ahead & in that respect the SEALION 7 looks set to be a success.
A Milton Keynes Bowl 4/5
