[ManiPrakash]

Hello fellow automobile enthusiasts,

I'm currently facing a delightful yet challenging decision and could use some wisdom from this knowledgeable community. My heart is torn between two very appealing options: the BMW X1 and the BYD Seal. Having always dreamed of owning a luxury vehicle, I find myself at a crossroads, weighing ownership costs, brand value, and the evolving landscape of EV infrastructure in India.

On one hand, the BMW X1 represents the quintessential luxury SUV experience with a high sense of ownership and prestige attached to the famed brand. On the other, the BYD Seal caught my attention with its impressive value for money—offering commendable power delivery, spaciousness, and lower running costs. The prospect of owning an electric vehicle is tantalizing, especially considering the future of mobility.

Until now, I've been driving a Honda City and was initially inclined towards buying an SUV for the versatility and ground clearance it offers. However, experiencing the BYD Seal in the showroom made me reconsider the sedan form factor. I reside in Gurgaon, where ground clearance can be a concern given the road conditions. This leaves me pondering if opting for a sedan with lower ground clearance, like the Seal, makes practical sense.

I'm open to both sedan and SUV forms but find myself oscillating between these factors: ownership costs, brand allure, and the readiness of India for electric vehicles. If any of you own these vehicles or have insights to share from your experiences, I would greatly appreciate your advice. Your input could be pivotal in helping me make a well-informed decision.

Thank you in advance for your guidance and for sharing your experiences!

[Haze]

You haven't specified what engine for the X1 that you're looking at, but all I'll say is a 55 Lakh rupee car with a 134 BHP engine is making a mockery of the uninformed buyer.

Hyundai, Skoda, Kia and VW give more powerful engines at half the price.

And on the diesel side things aren't much better. Heck, even the Mahindra Thar has more power than that joke of a BMW.

X1 diesel 148 BHP
Thar diesel 150 BHP
Harrier 170 BHP
Xuv 700 diesel 170 BHP

X1 petrol 134 BHP
Slavia virtus kushaq taigun 150 BHP
Verna turbo, Creta N line, Seltos GT 160 BHP
XUV 700 petrol 200 BHP

[vattyboy]

Consider choosing the BYD SEAL.

It is a superior product that is available in India at a lower price than its retail price outside India, where it is sold at a similar price range as the C class or 3 series.

In terms of performance, the figures speak for themselves - with 530 bhp, there is simply no comparison to the 134 bhp offered by other options.

[Shreyans_Jain]

BMW X1 is a vehicle that is on my personal blacklist. The company offering a 55L rupee car with a 130 something bhp petrol and a 145bhp diesel is like literally giving the middle finger to the customer. There is nothing much to like about the X1 apart from the badge itself. It’s a fairly average vehicle for the asking price.

Seal comes in as a breath of fresh air. It is a highly acclaimed and globally well received car that has won many international awards. It offers something new and different and frankly, there are very few vehicles which provide this kind of value for money. As for EV tech, Seal offers the latest and best from BYD, which is means it is right up there with the very best in the world. And once you experience the sheer brilliance of electric propulsion, there is no looking back.

Seal over X1, any day.

[CentreOfGravity]

As other members said, the BYD Seal is the better choice. This is the first time I am recommending an electric car over an ICE powered one

While the BMW offers a premium interior experience, the engines are disappointing on paper and not worth the asking price. On the other hand, the Seal is a cracker of a sedan whose interiors and exteriors are classy. Get this - the Seal has close to four times more power than the petrol Bimmer while costing around the same! Also, it is a known fact that entry level luxury cars are overpriced and paying for them is open robbery.

If you really want to go electric, the Seal should ‘seal the deal’. But if you’re open to other options, I would suggest you to look at the used car route too. Just imagine the kind of cars you could get with half a crore!

[ManiPrakash]

Originally Posted by Haze

You haven't specified what engine for the X1 that you're looking at, but all I'll say is a 55 Lakh rupee car with a 134 BHP engine is making a mockery of the uninformed buyer.

Hyundai, Skoda, Kia and VW give more powerful engines at half the price.

And on the diesel side things aren't much better. Heck, even the Mahindra Thar has more power than that joke of a BMW.

X1 diesel 148 BHP
Thar diesel 150 BHP
Harrier 170 BHP
Xuv 700 diesel 170 BHP

X1 petrol 134 BHP
Slavia virtus kushaq taigun 150 BHP
Verna turbo, Creta N line, Seltos GT 160 BHP
XUV 700 petrol 200 BHP

Diesel is a no go. So i a, looking for the petrol version of x1. I understand that the car is severely underpowered for its price but the drive quality is still good for the regular city commute. 90% usage will be in the city and considering the speed limits, not sure if i should settle for this power. Ofcourse the badge value is much higher than BYD.

Moreover with higher ground clearance, coupled with terrible Gurgaon roads, i am inclined towards X1. I had almost finalised this when Seal was launched 2 weeks ago.

The look and feel of Seal is mesmerising and cant be ignored. Only concern is lower ground clearance and the future of an EV car after some years of use.

[ManiPrakash]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

BMW X1 is a vehicle that is on my personal blacklist. The company offering a 55L rupee car with a 130 something bhp petrol and a 145bhp diesel is like literally giving the middle finger to the customer. There is nothing much to like about the X1 apart from the badge itself. It’s a fairly average vehicle for the asking price.

Seal comes in as a breath of fresh air. It is a highly acclaimed and globally well received car that has won many international awards. It offers something new and different and frankly, there are very few vehicles which provide this kind of value for money. As for EV tech, Seal offers the latest and best from BYD, which is means it is right up there with the very best in the world. And once you experience the sheer brilliance of electric propulsion, there is no looking back.

Seal over X1, any day.

Agreed. Being my first big car purchase, I am just super cautious of the decision that I make.
Considering the terrible roads in NCR, not sure if lower ground clearance of SEAL will live upto the mark.

Another concern is that SEAL might limit my ability to take it beyond city or to road trips considering the roads arent really good once we deviate from highways. Dont wanna be stuck on a speed breaker.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by ManiPrakash

Diesel is a no go. So i a, looking for the petrol version of x1. I understand that the car is severely underpowered for its price but the drive quality is still good for the regular city commute. 90% usage will be in the city and considering the speed limits, not sure if i should settle for this power. Ofcourse the badge value is much higher than BYD.

If ‘still good for regular city commute’ is good enough, get a Creta or Kia Seltos and be done with it! When you are spending upwards of 50L rupees, you gotta get your money’s worth.

[AtheK]

Except for the badge, nothing is going for the BMW X1, which is a joke of a product at that price point. That steering wheel itself looks like an eyesore.

With BYD Seal, you can also include the Volvo XC40 recharge in the mix if you want to keep the SUV form factor in consideration.

Ultimately, it is your money, and the X1 will win any day over Volvo or BYD if you want that badge. Still, I always believe in buying the top end of another manufacturer rather than an aspirational brand's base model.

[ManiPrakash]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

BMW X1 is a vehicle that is on my personal blacklist. The company offering a 55L rupee car with a 130 something bhp petrol and a 145bhp diesel is like literally giving the middle finger to the customer. There is nothing much to like about the X1 apart from the badge itself. It’s a fairly average vehicle for the asking price.

Seal comes in as a breath of fresh air. It is a highly acclaimed and globally well received car that has won many international awards. It offers something new and different and frankly, there are very few vehicles which provide this kind of value for money. As for EV tech, Seal offers the latest and best from BYD, which is means it is right up there with the very best in the world. And once you experience the sheer brilliance of electric propulsion, there is no looking back.

Seal over X1, any day.

SEAL ofcourse is much better in terms of specs and value. But with terrible NCR roads (apart from highways), i am just concerned about being stuck on massive speed breakers or scrapping the bottom of my car every now and then.

Moreover, with such low ground clearance, will it be practical for taking SEAL beyond city limits for occasional road trips, as roads are a concern beyond highways. Even my city gets scratched on breakers meant for truck and tractors, which breaks my heart. How will Seal cope up with it?

Taking these into account, the confusion to choose between SUV AND SEDAN form factor.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by ManiPrakash

On one hand, the BMW X1 represents the quintessential luxury SUV experience with a high sense of ownership and prestige attached to the famed brand.

It's actually not the quintessential luxury SUV experience at all. It's an entry-level luxury crossover, with compromises in its engines & overall size / space. I drove the Seltos Facelift 1.5 Turbo & 2024 X1 back to back and was genuinely wondering where the 40-lakhs extra of the X1 is going? Impossible to justify it.

Yes, keeping the quality & badge in mind, the X1 is a great car at 40 - 45 lakhs (maximum). But not at the 60 - 65 lakhs BMW wants for it.

Between this & the Seal, I would pick the Seal any which day. Other than the badge & ground clearance, it blows the X1 away to smithereens. Performance, tech, space, running costs etc. Don't overlook the fact that BYD is the global emperor of EVs, bigger even than Tesla. Since you have the budget, go for the AWD variant which offers sportscar-like acceleration.

If absolutely smitten by badges, look for good deals on the Audis (Q5 followed by Q3 & A4).

[ZenMaster]

Even if its for Snob value alone, I think the BYD will get more attention than the X1 from people who don't even know what it is.

Its a sporty good looking bright blue sedan in a sea of non descript Crossovers. And I genuinely love the styling of the Seal. It manages to look interesting and quirky but also elegant at the same time.

[Asoon]

You buy a BMW for the driving experience and the punch behind the wheel, sadly X1 is no where near in both the parameters, It comes with some Creta level engine and the dynamics is not typical BMW dynamics (3 series)

No coming to the question, It depends on how your garage looks like and what are you expectations from a car, EV cannot be the only car/ primary or if you are someone who prefers long distance driven across states. On the other hand GLA offer better engine , premium feel and better drivability, Kodiaq is VFM offers everything what X1 has at less price, Tucson is another option you can consider. Entry level german luxury brands (x1, gla, q3) offer too little for the price tag and there are better alternatives in the 30-50L range (without brand tag)

Seal is 4.8M sedan with insane looks and 0-100 <4 sec (performance version), there is no way X1 stands a chance if solely compared on the specifications

[GoBabyGo]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Seal comes in as a breath of fresh air. It is a highly acclaimed and globally well received car that has won many international awards. It offers something new and different and frankly, there are very few vehicles which provide this kind of value for money. As for EV tech, Seal offers the latest and best from BYD, which is means it is right up there with the very best in the world. And once you experience the sheer brilliance of electric propulsion, there is no looking back.

Seal over X1, any day.

Hi, I agree with you about BYD Seal. However, I strongly feel that as of 2024, Hyundai IONIQ 5 offers better peace of mind at similar price. It offers very similar driving range (about 50km less than Seal but good enough for long highway drive), higher seating and respectable ground clearance. Feature wise IONIQ 5 is very well loaded.

I am given to understand that NCR dealers are offering 1.5 lacs to 2.0 lacs discount on IONiQ 5.

[mugen_pinaki27]

Originally Posted by ManiPrakash

I'm open to both sedan and SUV forms but find myself oscillating between these factors: ownership costs, brand allure, and the readiness of India for electric vehicles. If any of you own these vehicles or have insights to share from your experiences, I would greatly appreciate your advice. Your input could be pivotal in helping me make a well-informed decision.

On a different note, I do find the MG ZS EV and the BYD Atto 3 terrific options to consider keeping in mind the ground clearance. Having experienced the ZS EV personally, it was quite a revelation.

Given the fact that the SEAL is a new product in Indian markets, I would advise waiting for version 2 or 3 before considering a buy. The two I mentioned have had time to mature and would not disappoint you.

If you want more finesse, also consider looking at the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV 6. The following links should help:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/elect...lectric-3.html (My New Hyundai Ioniq 5 | Ownership Review | Going Electric)

https://www.team-bhp.com/news/1-year...-other-updates