[Ripcord09]

BYD has launched the Seal electric sedan, its third EV model in India after the E6 and Atto 3. The highlight of the new Seal is the claimed range of 650 km. The blade-battery technology continues to be the heart of the Seal with rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations. We drove it recently, and here's a link to the full review. We also had a poll for the BYD Seal vs its competitors where it gathered 42.27% of the 220 votes. Clearly, there is a lot of hype around the BYD Seal and a lot of expectations as well. So let's take a deep dive into all the variants to help you identify the most valuable trim for your preferences.

Variant-wise features breakdown

Dynamic

Top Features
- LED Headlamps
- LED DRLs
- LED Taillamps
- Panoramic Glass Roof
- 18-inch Alloy Wheels
- Powered Tail Gate
- Heated ORVMs
- 10.25-inch Digital Instrument Cluster
- 15.6-inch Infotainment
- Ambient Lighting
- Leatherette Upholstery
- Powered Driver & Co-driver Seats
- Heated & Ventilated Front Seats
- Wireless Android Auto
- Wired Apple CarPlay
- 12-speaker Audio
- Dual-zone Climate Control
- Dual Wireless Charging Pads
- Rear AC Vents
- 10 airbags
- Front & Rear Parking Sensors
- 360-degree Camera
- Level 2 ADAS
- 110kW DC Charging

Premium

Top Features Over Dynamic
- 19-inch Alloy Wheels
- Fixed Front Brake Caliper
- Heads-Up Display
- Front Seats With Memory Function
- Driver Seat Recall Function
- Memory Function for ORVMs
- Leather Upholstery
- 150kW DC Charging

Performance

Top Features Over Premium
- Frequency Selective Damping
- Torque Vectoring
- Electronic Child Lock
- AWD

Conclusion

Note that the 3 variants of the Seal have 3 different powertrains. The Dynamic variant gets the 61.4 kWh battery pack and a 201 BHP motor powering the rear wheels. The Premium variant gets the larger 82.5 kWh battery pack with a 309 BHP motor sending power to the rear wheels only. The top-end Performance variant which costs Rs. 7.50 lakh more than the Premium variant gets the same 82.5 kWh battery pack but makes 523 BHP with its twin-motor all-wheel-drive setup.

When you look at the prices of all three variants, the jump from the Dynamic to the Premium variant is just Rs. 4.50 lakh. In that money, you get a bigger battery pack, ergo more range, faster DC charging, more powerful motor and a bunch of feel-good features. The Performance variant offers exactly what it is supposed to - a very quick car! So, if Performance is the only criterion for purchase, the Performance variant would be good for you, otherwise, the Premium variant makes for the most value for money.

Do you think the Premium is the most value-for-money variant? If you had to buy the BYD Seal, which variant would you pick?

[Omkar]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Shreyans_Jain]

While there is no doubt that the mid Premium variant is the most value for money of the lot (might just be the single most VFM model for any car in India), the top end Performance has to be the enthusiast’s choice. 500+ bhp, AWD and 0-100 in 3.xx seconds, this is the closest supercar performance has ever been to the public. Gets my vote.

[GTO]

I've always been the one to go for the biggest, most powerful engine available in the ICE line-up. And also, the fully loaded variant, from the 1st-gen City Vtec onward. Hence, it has to be the AWD variant. The BYD Seal is anyway so well priced & the AWD variant offers unbeatable bang-for-the-buck for ~55-lakh on the road.

[Anki_252hp]

I have driven Performance variant for about 20 KM, it was very quick and fun to drive ( It was my first EV drive ever )
I found suspension bit stiff as I felt some road joint jerks inside cabin at low speed.
Car looks premium and if they offer some discount may be all inclusive around 43L in coming months, I may end up buying my first EV.

[itwasntme]

I’ve driven only the Performance variant and would go for it, being the quickest and fully loaded one. It also gets the semi-adaptive FSD dampers which the others lack.

However, I would not buy one now, but wait for the dust to settle on the new EV policy first. While BYD will probably not be allowed to utilize it, others like VAG, BMW, MB, KIA & Hyundai may well bring in CBUs at recalibrated prices.

I am guessing Tesla is out as of now.

[vivekrvcse]

Can the car be driven on our roads with its GC? Any hacks to increase the GC?

[speedmiester]

If I had to buy, it's performance variant (AWD) only. The car feels skittish in the premium variant and given it's a RWD one, this can catch one off under less than ideal conditions.
I will recommend the AWD variant just for this one trait.

[UD17]

Originally Posted by Ripcord09

which variant would you pick?[/b]

My single rule is to always opt for the topmost variant available - You get better powertrains, features, exclusivity But most important factor is relevancy, one need not to upgrade soon with the top end variant as it gets all bell and whistles.

For the same reasons, i opted for Hycross ZX(O) OTR 40 Lakhs, It has got ADAS, Ottoman seats which are exclusive features as per my requirements. So this car will remain relevant for me for a long period.

With Seal performance, one is entering an exclusive territory, so i would any day choose this variant for small incremental price hit.

[DeKay]

If the BYD Seal can be in your garage, why settle for anything less than the Performance beast?
Yeah, it's a few lakhs extra, but trust me, that 0-100kmph in 3.8 seconds is gonna feel just as sweet 10 years down the line.

I'm all about buying a car you won't get bored of. And with that level of face-melting acceleration, the Performance is gonna keep me entertained for a looooong time.

Sure, if my wallet was screaming "NO!", I'd snag the Premium. But if there's any way to swing it, I'm going ALL IN on the big daddy Performance. #NoRegrets baby!

[₹itzylove]

Voted for Premium RWD and we are leading the poll for now

I'd go for the Premium RWD version. Since I'll be mostly on highways and not on race tracks, longer range matters more than power. The 309 bhp in RWD is ideal for highway drives. If it were FWD, I'd reconsider, but RWD meets my needs perfectly. I want an affordable, powerful electric car (below 50 lakhs) with a real-world range of 500 km, and this ticks all the boxes.

[ghost-was-here]

Voted for premium just cause of the extra range i would get. Performance is lacking (compared to Performance variant) but its not a slow car. Thoroughly enjoyed the 15-16km test drive I took. This would be my first choice if i was changing cars.

[beemer5499]

I don’t understand why there is such a huge gap of almost 8 lakhs between the premium variant and the performance variant in India.

In most countries, the performance variant is steeper by around 3-5L (Talking about UK, New Zealand, Europe, Malaysia, etc).

BYD Prices worldwide converted to INR
China:17-32L
Australia : 28L, 33L, 38L
New Zealand : 32L, 37L, 43L
UK : 48L, 51.5L (Premium, Dynamic)
Malaysia : 32L, 35.5L (Premium, Performance)
Europe : 41L, 50L
Brazil : 50.6L Performance variant
Thailand : 30.5-37L
India : 43L, 48L, 56L

With the indian pricing of the performance variant, the VFM quotient diminishes a bit given that it is entering Volvo, BMW, Audi, Mercedes territory. Also the interior quality is the same with the Dynamic and performance variant. This also seems to be the only car to have different powertrains in each of it’s variants.

Is there any price cut or discount expected on the BYD seal?

Also, one thing I found surprising is that all the variants of the Seal are equipped with the same tyre profile (235/45/R19). Surely 200 hp vs 530 hp should require different/thicker profile tyres.

Given that with 530 bhp and 670 Nm of torque, one is entering into supercar territory, I would expect the car to need thick tyres atleast at the back like the 530d staggered setup or atleast 265/275 profile tyres at the back. Are EV’s different?

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by GTO

I've always been the one to go for the biggest, most powerful engine available in the ICE line-up. And also, the fully loaded variant, from the 1st-gen City Vtec onward. Hence, it has to be the AWD variant. The BYD Seal is anyway so well priced & the AWD variant offers unbeatable bang-for-the-buck for ~55-lakh on the road.

With GTO on this - always get the fully loaded trim if it's within your extended budget reach. Only once I skimped on it and I regretted it.

Also, it's one of the very few cars in India offered in AWD and would be a hoot to drive around town, country and mountains.

[VWAllstar]

Originally Posted by GTO

I've always been the one to go for the biggest, most powerful engine available in the ICE line-up. And also, the fully loaded variant, from the 1st-gen City Vtec onward. Hence, it has to be the AWD variant. The BYD Seal is anyway so well priced & the AWD variant offers unbeatable bang-for-the-buck for ~55-lakh on the road.

Where will you put the extra power to use? Unless you are ok getting multiple 2K challans. I believe for Seal, the premium with longer range is the most ideal choice in India. AWD with such low stance is almost useless. Also, Seal premium variant is not slow by any means.