Road tested By Hugh Maguire.
Like all BYD cars its an EV. Entry to the BYD Sealion 7 range begins with a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive ‘Comfort’ edition, followed by two all-wheel-drive models: ‘Design’ and ‘Excellence’, each fitted with a selection of all-inclusive standard specifications. Prices begin from €45,435 for the entry-level Comfort model. This week I am road testing the Sealion 7 ‘Excellence’ model.
First Impressions.
This is in my opinion one very handsome SUV. The proportions are just right and it has a style that just appeals.
While being an SUV its got a sleek purposeful stance with an almost coupe like shape due to the long sloping rear section. Wheels are 20” alloys on the Excellence model and finished in two tone black and silver they set the car off very nicely indeed. I really liked the look of it!
So What is it like inside?
The interior immediately impresses as being bright, airy, spacious and very well finished. All the materials used feel of high quality and the design of the cabin further impressed me with well thought out features for both driver and passengers.The Excellence model boasts real Nappa leather upholstery and it looks and feels superb.
The level of standard equipment is as we have come to expect from BYD very good indeed. Safety features include front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition and intelligent speed-limit control, amongst others. The centre console is dominated by a 15.6-inch rotating infotainment and driver assistance screen. It works well but some of the graphics are too small and some of the menu’s are annoying requiring numerous prods of the screen to get where you want. Then the ever present Infra red eye detector tells you to “focus on your driving”. We need to get away from this trend and back to easy to use tactile buttons!
However I particularly liked the way the digital driver display is integrated in to the contour of the dashboard and is of a decent size. Unlike some of the rivals offerings with tiny and rather poor driver displays.
The driving position is just about perfect. Both front seats are electrically adjustable and heated too. The rear outside two seats are also heated and leg and headroom in the rear is cavernous. The large panoramic glass roof really opens up the interior and lets in lots of light and for those occasional sunny days we get there is an electric blind to keep the cabin shaded.
Luggage capacity is 520 litres increasing to 1,789 litres, with an additional 58-litres ‘frunk’ and 20 plus cabin storage spaces. Overall then I found the Sealion 7 to be a very inviting place in which to travel.
What’s under the bonnet?
The Sealion 7 uses BYD’s latest Blade Battery with a capacity of 91.3 kWh in this case connected to two electric motors driving all four wheels. It can accept up to 230kW DC charging and 11kW AC. The claimed range is 502 km but as with all EV’s I found it did not achieve that at all. I began my road test with 100% charge and a then estimated range of 487 Km. I actually achieved 350km leaving 40km to get to a charging station so 390km if you ran it to empty.
How does it drive?
The Sealion 7 feels better sorted in terms of ride and handling than the very early BYD models. Overall it is very quiet on any road surface, with no wind noise and it grips extremely well whether on wet or dry roads with all four wheels being powered. It can feel a bit fidgety over poorer roads due to the suspension having to deal with the huge weight but overall it aquits itself very well.
Hugh’s Verdict.
This in my opinion is quite simply one of the best EV’s on the market! The new Sealion 7 really impresses in all areas. It does not excel in any one area but its winning combination of getting everything just about right make it a winner in my opinion. The Sealion 7 Excellence costs €56,490.
A six-year manufacturer’s warranty and an eight year battery and electric motor warranty applies to all BYD Sealion 7 models.