[Caramba]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Don't know if posted earlier but this the KA pricelist with the new 10% lifetime tax:

We are now used to the tax , its the insurance quote which really **&*^%(blew) my mind.

[Hume]

BYD Seal RWD - Test Drive Impressions :

Firstly, in general I agree with most reviews out on the web. So for everyone's sake, I didn't want to repeat on what has already been said often. A quick summary instead on the items that I agree first :

• Great design - looks just as good in person
• Solid build - no sounds or creaks and everything seems to be put together well.
• Comfortable seating
• Good power on sports mode and OK on normal
• Screen is nice and big to use with wireless android auto working just fine albeit not being the slickest.

Points that I felt needed to be said a bit more on :

• GC was not an issue surprisingly. Went over a number of decent sized speed breakers with four onboard and no problems. I remember that I wasn't able to take the 340i in the same stretch with 2 onboard without scraping. Mind you, we are after all talking about a sedan - comparison with that of a crossover or an SUV won't make sense, horses for courses and all.
• Mild regen - Forget the one pedal drive which by its own is a miss, but the regen in itself is terrible. Has only two regen settings (and that too on screen - no paddle shifters) and one is mild and the other is milder! While the Kona, XC40, EV6 (one pedal) and ZS have varying levels between them, all four have much stronger regen than the Seal. I find that a strong regen makes it easier to manoeuver in traffic and less tiring to drive, especially in the city. Very strange to see this not being incorporated as well.
• Sunshade can be covered only manually with a curtain of sorts - not very convenient. If left uncovered, our Indian summers and even just the sunlight can be a bit disconcerting.
• Nimble - the sedan form factor, along with low CG help make it a decent handler. Fortunately the steering feedback and control also is adequate making it fun to drive.
• Suspension setup is surprisingly good on the despite being stiff. Especially on speed breakers, the thud is softer compared to other stiff suspension vehicles. All-in-all, this makes the ride comfortable whilst keeping the drive fun.
• Controls being on screen can get annoying quickly especially with HVAC, Seat Ventilation, regen and the likes all in menus or submenus on a screen.

Also IMO, BYD has missed a trick by not offering the AWD for test drives in most places right off the bat. Could've really cashed in on the positive marketing - democratization of performance and what not.

No vehicle is perfect and this has it's share of shortcomings. Not having a strong regen is the biggest miss for me. But I think it is still a very good product for it's price for many who might not be as particular about some of its quirks. Keep them coming BYD.

[GTO]

Thanks for the review, Hume! On our homepage today.

Originally Posted by Hume

Sunshade can be covered only manually with a curtain of sorts - not very convenient. If left uncovered, our Indian summers and even just the sunlight can be a bit disconcerting.

Got a picture to share? I believe this is a dealer fitment, not standard?

Also IMO, BYD has missed a trick by not offering the AWD for test drives in most places right off the bat. Could've really cashed in on the positive marketing - democratization of performance and what not.

1. I don't think they have spare AWD cars. Very badly planned launch. Media drives still haven't taken place. In the automotive marketing world, one must strike the iron when it's hot and if they held media drives at the time of the launch buzz (due to the killer pricing), it would have given them eyeballs equivalent to 100 crore rupees of advertising (websites, YouTube, TV channels, newspapers, magazines etc. all bragging about this super sedan).

2. Again, BYD has goofed up this launch by not getting media drive publicity from a 100 journalists. Many people have stopped talking about the Seal. This thread too is showing signs of slowdown.

3. Another reason for not offering AWD test-drives = too fast. Customers test-driving cars around the world (and especially India ) drive the TD cars like maniacs. For some reason, people think test-driving a car means flooring the pedal 100% of the time. You would see a lot of damaged AWD Seals. This is also why, if you want to TD a performance car from a German car showroom, they will put you through some kind of formal / informal screening.

[Hume]

Originally Posted by GTO

Thanks for the review, Hume! On our homepage today.

Got a picture to share? I believe this is a dealer fitment, not standard?

Thank you. Did not see it personally. Shared only what the salesman told me. I don't doubt it however - Do check out the youtube link below (time-stamped for convenience). It should very much be the same. Edit : 6:35 is the time stamp. Doesn't seem to be working on the link

YouTube Link

1. I don't think they have spare AWD cars. Very badly planned launch. Media drives still haven't taken place. In the automotive marketing world, one must strike the iron when it's hot and if they held media drives at the time of the launch buzz (due to the killer pricing), it would have given them eyeballs equivalent to 100 crore rupees of advertising (websites, YouTube, TV channels, newspapers, magazines etc. all bragging about this super sedan).

2. Again, BYD has goofed up this launch by not getting media drive publicity from a 100 journalists. Many people have stopped talking about the Seal. This thread too is showing signs of slowdown.

3. Another reason for not offering AWD test-drives = too fast. Customers test-driving cars around the world (and especially India ) drive the TD cars like maniacs. For some reason, people think test-driving a car means flooring the pedal 100% of the time. You would see a lot of damaged AWD Seals. This is also why, if you want to TD a performance car from a German car showroom, they will put you through some kind of formal / informal screening.

• Fair assessment on the potential dangers of providing TD for such a fast car to possibly not-so-refined drivers. It is a very valid point indeed and I do dread the thought of such vehicles not being handled with caution. However, I still do wish they strike some sort of a balance - perhaps having 1 or 2 AWD for every 10 cars or so. By not providing that option at all, BYD fails to showcase and thereby cash-in on it's biggest USP for the Seal - performance ("Innovation meets acceleration", "Luxury meets acceleration" are some of their own official marketing terms!).

Also, I am very aware that I am clearly in the minority in this regard. So this might not be as much of a factor for others. This is possibly another reason for BYD to primarily focus on the premium variant - most buyers would find the premium's performance all they ever need and not to mention is possibly the more VFM variant.

• WRT to the media drives, launch and publicity, sure, they could've certainly done better and seeing their overall global experience and aggression, I too expected better from them. Still, early days for BYD in India and their intent seems to be positive - case in point: the simple effort they put at the time of the 1st consignment dispatch. Great Job there! I am optimistic on their learnings.

[Shreyans_Jain]

It is with good sense that BYD is not offering the full power AWD variant for test drive. There is no mass market car that has even half the power or performance of the Seal AWD. It would have only meant that every “enthusiast” with a driving license be queuing to get a test drive to experience 500bhp and 0-100 in 3.xx seconds. Ergo, crashes. It is one thing to own such a machine after purchasing it. Entirely different to take it for a joyride for free.

[gnome]

Originally Posted by GTO

Thanks for the review, Hume! On our homepage today.

Got a picture to share? I believe this is a dealer fitment, not standard?

Yes, it's a dealer fitment. Dealer near me in B'lore told they are yet to get it from company. Car definitely does not have any arrangement to fit it nicely.

Originally Posted by GTO

Thanks for the review, Hume! On our homepage today.
2. Again, BYD has goofed up this launch by not getting media drive publicity from a 100 journalists. Many people have stopped talking about the Seal.

Not sure what BYD's long-term plan is for India. Seal is fully booked for the small yearly quota they have. India has blocked their investment. What is their motivation for brand-building?

[wheeledwanderer]

Just a thought: with this full glass roof, if the vehicle topples and lands on the roof, wouldn’t it be prime cause for head injuries/death? Is the glass toughened so as yo withstand the impact / weight of the whole car on its roof?

[Freespirit27]

Originally Posted by DeKay

1. No matter what inbuilt navigation system any vehicle uses, Google Maps will be superior 10/10 times; rendering it useless. The Seal has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, so that shouldn't be a problem. I don't remember the last time anyone I know used a car's built in navigation.

Using the car's inbuilt navigation (it has to be user friendly - mine is!) has inherent advantages of saving on phone battery or not having to plug it into a car charging all the time(especially for people like me who don't like wires criss-crossing in a car!).
Plus the saved routes are a great help.
Also Google maps have this irritating ability to re-route moment you miss a turn which is handled way better on my car navigator. So I guess there are a few of us who will not ignore a feature offered in a car. I also feel a phone while driving is best placed in a slot or pocket out of sight of driver, to avoid distractions of other notifications. Carplay/ Auto etc are ok for those into it, for others the car usually provides

[Sachin26]

Originally Posted by Hume

Also IMO, BYD has missed a trick by not offering the AWD for test drives in most places right off the bat. Could've really cashed in on the positive marketing - democratization of performance and what not.

BYD Landmark Noida has AWD model for the test ride. The model was not registered till last week so they were providing the test ride very near to the showroom. More importantly the road near the showroom are so narrow, in fact all around the area that you cannot test ride to enjoy and experience the full potential of the car

Had a quick test ride for half a km and showroom guy wanted me to floor the car in a 100 meter stretch to see the potential.

Have asked for a proper test ride when the vehicle is registered and can be taken out on proper road.

[StarrySky]

I have driven the AWD version with the claimed 3.8s 0-100km/h time. The car may do that when someone mashes the A-pedal and launches the car, but I felt the performance to be muted in everyday situations. There really is no urgency when you tap the A-pedal, like in a traffic situation, even in Sport mode.

For comparison, I have driven the Model Y Performance earlier, which has a similar 0-100 time, and its throttle response was on another level.

[Shresth_EV]

Originally Posted by wheeledwanderer

Just a thought: with this full glass roof, if the vehicle topples and lands on the roof, wouldn’t it be prime cause for head injuries/death? Is the glass toughened so as yo withstand the impact / weight of the whole car on its roof?

In case of model 3/y it has been a non issue so far. Only really a matter of how strong the glass is and how strong the structure holding it is.

The toppling of a low slung sedan that too one with low CoG due to battery, is unlikely unless in extreme scenario involving high speed collision which causes rollover or driving off a cliff (as a certain rigged tesla did)

[GTO]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

There really is no urgency when you tap the A-pedal, like in a traffic situation, even in Sport mode.

For comparison, I have driven the Model Y Performance earlier, which has a similar 0-100 time, and its throttle response was on another level.

I have driven EVs from almost all the brands. NOTHING touches a Tesla EV drivetrain in terms of throttle response, sheer pull & fun-to-drive nature. Just like how BMW inline-sixes & ZF gearboxes are in a different league, VW turbo-petrols & DSGs in the mass market and Honda's small NA petrols (e.g. the wonderful 1.5L City engine), Tesla is king-of-the-hill in terms of EV driving pleasure. Porsche might be a match with the Taycan, but it's really not as attainable as Tesla's models are (in the USA & hopefully soon in India).

Even if you go over to Ferrarichat.com, there are hundreds of Ferrari owners who happily use a Model S as their daily & rave about the performance.

[Kevinrevvz]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

I have driven the AWD version with the claimed 3.8s 0-100km/h time. The car may do that when someone mashes the A-pedal and launches the car, but I felt the performance to be muted in everyday situations. There really is no urgency when you tap the A-pedal, like in a traffic situation, even in Sport mode.

Originally Posted by GTO

I have driven EVs from almost all the brands. NOTHING touches a Tesla EV drivetrain in terms of throttle response, sheer pull & fun-to-drive nature.

I recently drove the Seal Premium and BYD has done their throttle and powertrain tuning very differently to most other EV brands.

The problem is not in the throttle response, which is quite responsive in Sport mode but the power delivery is not instant like other EVs. Instead of delivering 100% of the power and torque the moment you put your foot down, it ramps up the power linearly like a turbocharged ICE car.

While in other EVs, you feel a strong jolt for a second or two which then subsides, the feeling of acceleration lasts longer on the Seal. The second you floor it, you feel the powertrain respond with the power building up linearly and you feel the torque push you back more and more as you accelerate similar to a BMW 530d.

This can arguably be more satisfying to drive and seasoned ICE drivers may prefer this to one dimensional acceleration of other EVs. Other EV drivers who are used to the sudden shove might not like it.

I hope the AWD version is a good combination of both where you can enjoy the ramp up in the power for longer as well as a much more aggressive push-back in the seat.

[autohead115]

I test drove the premium model and have had the performance booked a week prior, I have experienced the pull to be absolutely amazing and really near perfect for our conditions, it gives you half a second to prepare yourself and behaves like a fast ICE car, the pull was somewhat similar to the c300d i drove recently and the braking was sharp, i used the brake pedal slightly harder than required and it took me a second attempt to correct the pedal pressure.

I am very relieved to hear the performance variant also builds up progressively as i have been confused on my decision to switch to premium or not as that would push my booking number back but have been constantly worried if id get in trouble with instant acceleration. So Performance variant it is - in all black!

A special note to the suspension, what an amazing and muted experience, small road undulations felt non existant, and car felt muted and silent throughout, it was a few notches above the A6 that i felt was nice and soft suspension. I also test drove the ioniq 5 right after and felt a lot more lateral movement on regular tarmac while the speed brakers seemed more absorptant and easy to go on in the ioniq 5.

Overall what a fantastic car, i went in with zero expectations and have been blown away, the ioniq 5 was great but lacks the overall X factor of the Byd inside out.

I am very excited and eagerly waiting for the delivery.

One more point i noticed. The Byd had 49% of battery left and the distance to empty was at 315kms. The ioniq 5 had 65% battery left and the DTE was at 270 kms. So the extra 10kw battery pack results in very usable real world milage.

I found this drag race video where you can see the lack of instant launch (choice by design i guess) at play

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HJExT5QIO_Q

[Anonymous guy]

Hi all, can anybody tell me the range they saw at what battery percentage with how many kilometres left in the mid variant??