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-   -   BYD Seal : A Close Look (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/electric-cars/277895-byd-seal-close-look.html)

Mod Note: Our BYD Seal Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

Introduction

The BYD Seal has been launched in India. It is available in three variants - Dynamic (rear-wheel drive), Premium (rear-wheel drive) and Performance (all-wheel drive), priced at Rs. 41,00,000, Rs. 45,50,000 and Rs. 53,00,000 lakhs (ex-showroom), respectively. The car can be booked for Rs. 1,25,000.

BYD showcased the Seal at the 2023 Auto Expo which was held in Greater Noida. The car is based on BYD's 3.0 e-platform and comes with the option of two BYD Blade battery packs: a 61.44 kWh pack and an 82.56 kWh option. The former is available on the Dynamic variant and has a claimed range of up to 510 km. The latter is available on the Premium and Performance variants with a claimed range of 650 km and 580 km respectively. The Performance variant develops 523 BHP & 670 Nm and has a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 3.8 seconds.

Customers who book a BYD Seal by March 31, 2024, will receive certain benefits including a 7kW home charger and installation service, a 3kW portable charging box, a BYD Seal VTOL mobile power supply unit, six years of roadside assistance, and the first service free of charge. In addition, the BYD Seal comes with an 8-year or 1,60,000 km warranty (whichever comes first) for the traction battery, an 8-year or 1,50,000 km warranty for the motor and motor controller, and a 6-year or 1,50,000 km warranty for the vehicle itself.

The Seal is equipped with all the safety features one would expect in a car of this price including 9 airbags, a 360-degree camera, ISOFIX and ADAS Level-2 with features such as automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, lane departure prevention, rear cross-traffic brake and more. The Seal has received 5-star ratings in Euro NCAP and ANCAP crash tests.

The Seal is available in four colours - Arctic Blue, Aurora White, Atlantis Gray and Cosmos Black.

Download the BYD Seal brochure here: BYD Seal Brochure.pdf


Based on BYD's "Ocean Aesthetics" design concept. The front end bears some resemblance to the Porsche Taycan. Front windshield and windows get soundproof double-glazed glass:


Double-U floating LED headlamps


LEDs look rather simple for a car costing this much. "Ripple" lamps on the bumper are based on the ripple of an ocean wave:


Bumper gets a slim air dam finished in glossy black:


Front camera is located in the centre:


Bonnet is raised on the sides and features a prominent centre dome:


Strong character lines on the side along with a glossy black insert at the bottom - Coupe-like roofline looks swell. Drag coefficient = 0.219. The Seal measures 4,800 mm in length, 1,875 mm in width and 1,460 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,920 mm and a ground clearance of 145 mm. It has a turning radius of 5.7 m:


19-inch precision blade alloy wheels shod with 235/45 Continental EcoContact 6 tyres. Ventilated and drilled disc brakes at the front:


Ventilated disc brakes at the rear:


Waterdrop-shaped ORVMs with integrated LED turn-indicators:


The car can be locked/unlocked by touching an NFC card at the top of the ORVM:


Camera is mounted on the underside:


Glossy black insert with "BYD DESIGN" lettering on the front panel:


Door handles pop out when the car is unlocked:


Quarter glass has a very small transparent area:


Comes with AC and DC charging options. The Seal also gets a Vehicle To Load function allowing it to be used as a portable power supply for electrical devices with a total output of up to 3,000W:


Glossy black running board has interesting detailing towards the rear:


Silver-plated panoramic sunroof cannot be opened:


Rear features a rather minimalistic design. The LED light bar connects the tail lamps. An antenna is mounted on the rear windshield:


Water drop dot matrix tail-lamps are eye-catching:


AWD badge on the LHS:


Make and model badges on the RHS. 3.8S badge denotes the 0-100 km/h acceleration time of the car:


Rear bumper holds the button to open the boot and the rear camera. It also gets a large glossy black diffuser. Slim reversing lamps and reflectors are placed on the diffuser:

Interiors get a Thaumas Black theme, The Ocean Aesthetics concept is continued here as well. Prominent features include a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 15.6-inch self-adapt rotating touchscreen head-unit, head-up display, climate control electrically adjustable A/C vents, dual wireless charging and ambient mood lighting:


Suedette has been used in various places. Quality is acceptable:


Chunky leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel is wrapped in leather and gets white stitching. It has 3 spokes finished in brushed silver and piano black inserts in the middle. It gets tilt and telescopic adjustment:


Tablet-like 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster displays information like a power meter, speedometer, regenerative braking intensity, state of charge, remaining driving range and more:


Door pads get glossy black and suedette inserts and ambient lighting:


Tweeters are placed next to the door handles:


"BYD" branded scuff plates:


Low-slung design means ingress & egress are not easy for the elderly. Bolstered sports seats get ventilation, heating and memory functions:


Driver seat gets 8-way electric adjustment and 4-way lumbar adjustment. Passenger seat gets 6-way electrical adjustment:


A closer look at the upholstery and white & blue stitching:


Pedals are well-spaced out. Wide dead pedal has a comfortable angle. The bonnet release lever is placed on the right and you have to pull on it twice to unlock the bonnet:


Roof bezel features two individual map lights. IRVM gets an auto-dimming function:


Centre fascia features a large tablet-like touchscreen head unit with A/C vents on either side. :


15.6-inch touchscreen can be rotated with a finger touch. It has a 1080P high-resolution display and a 5.9 mm bezel design which gives it an 83.1% screen-to-body ratio:


Dual wireless charging pads up to 15W:


Storage area with Type-A and Type-C USB ports as well as a 12V power outlet are located below:


Crystal gearshifter looks funky. Around the gear shifter are the start/stop button, electronic parking brake, hazard lights switch and controls for the auto hold, audio, climate control, blower, defogger and drive modes. There’s a snow mode button for better traction in snowy conditions:


Two cupholders are located on the centre console. Driver's side unit is adjustable for height:


Centre armrest has a deep storage bin underneath:


Well-sized glovebox gets a soft lining:


1.9 sq. m panoramic sunroof is enormous. BYD claims that it has less than 4.2% visible light transmittance and less than 16% solar transmittance. BYD also claims that it provides an ultraviolet insolation area of more than 99% :


Rear doorpads have a similar design to the front ones:


This is a low-slung sedan with low seating. Getting in and out is not very easy, especially for the aged. Legroom and headroom are adequate even for taller occupants. However, the under-thigh support is lacking due to the slightly raised floor as batteries as located in it.

All three passengers get adjustable headrests and three-point seatbelts. ISOFIX child seat mounting points have been provided as well. The backrest is split in a 60:40 ratio:


Centre armrest houses two cupholders:


Two small and one large seatback pocket have been provided behind each of the front seats for the rear seat occupants to keep stuff in:


Rear A/C vents do not get an air volume controller:


Slot to store your smartphone and Type-A and Type-C USB ports have been provided below:


Boot is fairly spacious with a luggage capacity of 400 litres. Taller bags might not fit though:


There's a hidden storage space underneath the boot floor:


Boot lid is fully covered on the inside:


Powered boot lid gets height adjustment and pinch control:


Pretty much everything is covered inside the bonnet:


Bonnet gets insulation underneath:


Frunk capacity = 50 litres:


Disclaimer: BYD invited Team-BHP for the Seal launch. They covered all the travel expenses for this event.

Such a good-looking car with features packed to the brim. I hope the government allows BYD to operate at scale with local manufacturing so that we customers benefit from the competition.

This is not dumping, this is price after 70% import duty. If other makes can’t compete even then, that’s on them.

Indian EV industry is not in a nascent stage. Mahindra bought Reva some 15 years back. They have been competing in Formula E since 2014 and showcased the 1900bhp Pininfarina Battista in 2019. Yet, all they have to offer here is the XUV400, and the entire upcoming range is based on VW’s MEB platform.

Then there is Tata, which was initially a pioneer, but has now only been focused on playing the feature game and seems to have forgotten about rapidly falling battery costs and improving technology.

Mind you, this is after full government support, clear long term roadmap, 5% GST, PLI scheme, anti dumping duties on competition, high tax on hybrids, EESL tenders, FAME subsidies and forced obsolescence of ICE cars.

BYD has already spent 15+ years in India and is hugely successful in the electric bus market. Them bringing such disruptive products is great for the market.

This may well be a game changer in the premium EV space. Ioniq5 is the only other option that's closely priced and it would feel the heat.

500 bhp at 50 lakhs, 600 kms range, 5 star Euro NCAP rating, 6 year car warranty, 8 years warranty for batteries and motor, RSA, plethora of features including ADAS level 2 and many more. What more does one need for 50 lakhs?

Now imagine the relevance of a car like Superb, if at all Skoda brings it back. Seal and BYD is going to make many super premium EV players lose their sleep too and that includes BMW, Merc, Jaguar etc, all of which are priced above 1 Cr. Interesting times ahead for the buyers and the industry.

I had a look at the BYD Seal yesterday. I liked the presence and the looks of the car. I found the quality of materials used to be good.

Some observations:

• Both front seats get powered controls which helps in easy ingress. Seats are very comfortable.
  
• Rear seats are easier to get in and out as it's slightly raised due to battery positioning.
  
• Legroom is adequate and should not be a concern.
  
• I found the thigh support to be sufficient in the rear.
  
• Headroom will be an issue for taller passengers.
  
• There are no sunblinds, which is a miss.
  
• Ground clearance will be an issue, especially in Bangalore.

It is definitely a terrific value for money car. I saw two walk-in customers placing their deposit.

It has the features, looks, range and the lower running costs of an EV while offering all that one will look for in a luxury barge.

Service intervals are at 20000Kms which is a big relief for high mileage runners.
Delivery will start by end of this month.

The Premium variant is the most value for money at 48.5 on road in Bangalore while the Performance one is coming under 56.5L

The performance variant will be an overkill as it's capped at 180KMPH and reduces range, but will be a fun to drive car on open highways.

If I go ahead with this, this will replace my current ZS EV and will be my daily driver. Seal will be a great highway cruiser and with over 500+km of real world range even at 100+kmph speeds, range is a not a concern.

My major concern is the ground clearance and the sheer length of the car. This will definitely increase my commute time as I cannot take the shortcuts that I usually take in my ZS. Also my office parking slot isn't that great and I do not want to use the valet service.

Test drive cars are not in yet and will take another week for test drives to start.

I have requested for two test drives, one on my usual commute and other on the highway. I will take a final call after the test drive.

Price list for Bangalore is below.
If one gets insurance from outside, the premium variant will be about 47.5L on road and performance will be around 55L.


Standard warranty is 3yrs/125K Kms. There is no option of extended warranty at the moment, this may be introduced later. This is for the car. Battery, motor and motor controller warranty is different.

Some pics I took yesterday.

Mumbai pricing

What exactly are documentation charges? Haven't seen that before!!
Are the accessory pack and PPF mandatory?

No idea. Will discuss when I do the test drive which they say will happen post 20th but preference will be given to those who have put down the booking amount.

Nothing is mandatory. I plan to negotiate hard and get insurance and ppf from outside.

They are absolutely fleecing their customers. I’ve seen some BYD dealers in TN do these as well. Documentation is a part of a dealer’s job and they aren’t supposed to charge 50K for it. Insurance quote seems to be more than double of what it would actually cost outside with a reputable company. Who in their right mind includes an overpriced accessory pack and PPF in the price list?!

Thank you BYD for making it possible for early-career professionals to own a fast car and fulfill their dreams. The launch of the BYD Seal at an affordable price has made it possible for many people to enjoy high performance without having to wait for years to own and pay 2 crore or more due to inflation.

As the market evolves, big German car companies must provide powerful engines in their cars and keep their prices in check to remain competitive. Indian companies should also speed up their game, or BYD may dominate the entire market soon.

It is very interesting that they are showing off the five star Euro NCAP/ANCAP even though the India-spec Seal does not have certification for i-Size child restraints (the EU/UK/AU-spec one does).

i-Size logo on Australian Seal for reference:


That aside, the safety equipment is impressive. Along with the Atto 3 this is one of the few cars on the good side of 50L that has rear pretensioners, a front centre airbag and the likes, not to mention the ADAS suite (including the latest tech like the cyclist dooring warning although without an actual arrest).

Overall it is a lot of car for the money. It's not much more than a 2WD diesel Tucson which now looks exorbitantly priced in comparison (despite being a CKD).

Insurance quote for the BYD Seal Performance from HDFC Ergo:



As of this moment, HDFC Ergo seems to be the only company offering online insurance for the BYD Seal. Even with a couple of essential add-ons, their quote seems to be half of what the dealers seem to be quoting.

EVs were cheaper to run, now they are getting cheaper to buy than their hybrid competitors. :thumbs up

The Premium variant of BYD Seal with a whopping 82KWH battery and way more tech is 5 lacs cheaper than a Camry hybrid in India! The Seal Premium is both faster and smoother to drive than the Camry. Wonder what's Toyota's excuse now.

Now we have to get a few EVs that can make the same thing happen under 20Lacs. i.e. EVs with similar space and cheaper to buy with a 55-60Kwh battery than strong hybrid Honda City/ Hyryder/ Grand Vitara.

I hope our govt allows Chinese car and battery makers to expand in India, under the condition of majority Indian control, Indian management and time bound make in India. If JSW Sajjan Jindal can majority own MG India, perhaps BYD India can be majority owned by Ambani.:). Long term, It can make India into a major exporter of EVs.