The exterior of the BYD Sealion 6 is not going to turn heads, but it is still stylish enough to admire. Photo: Supplied
It seems like the BYD Sealion 6 was released a long time ago, but it was only in April that the Chinese manufacturer brought this plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to South Africa.
It was the first PHEV to retail under R1 million in the country and at the time, this felt groundbreaking.
It felt like it was the vehicle that could really make an impact for BYD in the South African market as its catalog only contained pure electric vehicles (EV).
EVs have struggled in South Africa due to a number of factors such as range anxiety and lack of charging infrastructure, but the Sealion 6 eliminated those fears, being a hybrid. To top it all off, it did it at a reasonable price.
Little did we know that other brands like Chery, Haval, Omoda and Jaecoo would follow suit and by the end of the year, we would have a variety of PHEVs that cost under R1 million to choose from. But it must be noted that the Sealion 6 was the vehicle that set this new-energy revolution in full motion.
It took me a long time to get it for a test, but when it finally arrived, I was excited because BYD usually knows how to throw a vehicle together in the most beautiful way.
I was also excited because I’ve tested many of the Chinese PHEVs that cost less than R1 million, so comparatively speaking, it would be easy to assess where the BYD Sealion 6 sits amongst its competitors.
The exterior
At first, I was not quite sure where I sat with the exterior. It’s bold, it has a sporty design and looks very aerodynamic.
The front has a U-shaped headlight design that blends in well with the overall aesthetic of the vehicle.
At the back, it’s a case of, the closer you get, the better it looks. The BYD Sealion 6’s rear design features full-width connected LED taillights with a refined water drop dot matrix pattern.The standout feature is a continuous, full-length LED light bar that runs across the entire tail.
However, the back of the vehicle moves away from the sporty SUV style that is equipped in the front and takes on a more boxy, traditional SUV shape. While this design makes you wonder about the boldness of the front of the vehicle, it has been done to allow a spacious cabin and boot space.
The exterior of the BYD Sealion 6 is not going to turn heads, but it is still stylish enough to admire.
The interior
The interior is where BYD excels in all its vehicles and nothing is different with the Sealion 6. The interior is available in plain black or in a black and brown combination. Luckily for me, the test vehicle came with the black and brown combination which gave the cabin a more premium look.
From the stitching on the seats to the soft touch materials along the dash and door panels, the BYD Sealion 6 offers such a captivating yet peaceful environment inside the vehicle.
All seats are clad in synthetic leather for a premium feel. The driver’s seat features power adjustments (six or 8-way depending on trim), while the front passenger seat also has power adjustability. The seats are also heated and ventilated.
There is a 12.3 inch digital cluster and BYD’s famous 15.6 inch rotating infotainment display that can be rotated to portrait or landscape depending on the driver’s preference.
The way everything is just put together is just extremely satisfying. It’s comfortable, spacious and for me, it sits up there with the Omoda C9 for the most pleasing Chinese cabin on the market right now.
To top it all off, there is a panoramic sunroof as well.
The Sealion 6 keeps backseat passengers comfortable as well due to its long wheelbase. In addition, because the battery is nestled under the vehicle, it has a flat floor which allows for even more space.
The drive
The BYD Sealion 6 comes in a front-wheel drive variant and an all-wheel drive variant.
The former uses a 1.5 litre naturally aspirated engine in conjunction with an electric motor to provide 160kW of power and 300Nm of torque, while the latter uses a 1.5 litre turbocharged engine in conjunction with an electric motor to provide 238kW of power and 550Nm of torque.
The great part about stepping into the front-wheel-drive variant is that it offers more range and a better fuel consumption.
BYD claims that the front-wheel-drive variant will give you 1080km of range while the all-wheel-drive variant will give you just above 950km of range.
We tested the all-wheel drive variant and the drive was as smooth as it comes.
The vehicle was agile, it picked up speed with no turbo lag thanks to the electric motor and didn’t feel like too much at any point.
Because the battery is located in the floor of the vehicle, it also makes the car feel more aerodynamic.
In fact, the drive felt right for the type of person who is carting his or her family along.
Even the broken N3 didn’t make it feel like it was struggling.
On a totally unrelated note, I thought that they were fixing that road for the G20 leaders summit, but it’s still broken.
It now serves as a testing ground for how stable or nervous a vehicle is for me. Luckily, the Sealion 6 did not crumble to the effects of poor service delivery.
Safety
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program has given the BYD Sealion 6 a five-star safety rating. It has a total of seven SRS airbags, including dual front, dual side (front & rear), dual curtain, and a front-centre airbag.
Other safety features include adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, blind spot detection, and traffic sign recognition.
The vehicle also comes with a 360 degree camera and I find that BYD really makes it impossible for you to knock your car in tight situations especially with the cameras that give you a view of each front wheel on the vehicle.
Pricing and verdict
The BYD Sealion 6 is available in three variants: comfort (R639 900), dynamic (R689 900) and Premium AWD (R789 900).
In my books, the Omoda C9 stands at the top of the tree in terms of PHEVs under R1 million, but it’s also R200 000 more than the BYD Sealion 6.
A fair comparison for the Sealion 6 is the Chery Tiggo 7 CSH and Jaecoo J7 SHS, which are priced around the same as the dynamic variant, but the BYD stands above them in terms of looks, general comfort, build quality and also how confident it is on the road.
It’s not far ahead, but it just edges it and that is why I have to take my hat off to BYD for the work it has put into this vehicle, because it is truly what set off the affordable PHEV market and because it is the best value PHEV in the country.
More to come
After launching the Dolphin Surf as South Africa’s most affordable EV in September, BYD is now on a quest to really change the game with PHEVs.
The brand has indicated that it will launch the Sealion 5 in early December and it will come in at less than R500 000.
This means that the Sealion 6 may lose the title of the best value PHEV very soon, albeit to its baby sibling.