Which variant of the BYD Seal would you buy and why

This electric vehicle comes with 3 different powertrains and is available in RWD and AWD configurations.

BHPian Ripcord09 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

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?

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

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.

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say about the matter:

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.

Here's what BHPian itwasntme had to say about the matter:

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.

Here's what BHPian speedmiester had to say about the matter:

If I had to buy, it's the 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.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.