BY BRIAN BYRNE
AFTER driving the BYD Seal U, I told the distributor contact that it ‘is very European’. Which left him slightly bemused at my description of a wholly-Chinese car, but in fact is one of the reasons this SUV is looking to munch the lunches of not just its own Asian-region competitors but those in Europe, and Australia, too. Competitors have reason to fear the car.
The Seal U (odd name, but it’s also known as the Song Plus or the Sealion 6 in other markets) is a shift from the BYD impetus in that it is not a pure battery-electric vehicle (BEV), but a plug-in hybrid. Which opens up a wider buyer segment for the marque in a space where diverse power options remain very important.
There is a BEV version already available in Europe, and it will probably arrive here in due course.
It’s actually hard to ring visual changes on the SUV format without going all coupe curvy and in the process losing some of the actual utility and space of the traditional shape. In the Seal U, the traditional is retained. The front end treatment of horizontal lines and a lower air scoop, to my personal aesthetic doesn’t work, but such things are for individual taste. And there’s no doubt you’ll see it coming.
I like the profile detail, especially the upper character line with the back end lift that faultlessly links to a rear styling which I think is superb. The wheels design is somewhat ordinary compared to a lot of such we see lately, but the overall effect is perhaps better for that.
Inside, the style and trim are tilted traditional upmarket rather than avant-garde (such as in stablemate Atto), and for that reason the very large screen looks rather out of place. For me, the screen is too big anyway, and the BYD trick of revolving it to a vertical doesn’t do anything for me either. The graphics are decently large for touch operation, though. For volume, really usable roller-scrollers, on the centre console and the steering wheel respectively, allow easily getting the preferred sound levels. The transmission selector is a class act.
In size, the Seal U sits between Hyundai competitors Tucson and Santa Fe, the latter of course being a 7-seater against the five of the BYD. There is seriously good room for those in the rear, in seating that for all occupants is really comfortable. The boot space has length, but the floor is set high, possibly because of the PHEV setup and its fairly substantial battery, so the 425L capacity isn’t extraordinary.
The mechanicals on my review car are based on a 1.5 turbocharged petrol engine and a pair of electric motors which give the car AWD capability. There’s a total of 324hp on tap which can provide 0-100km/h in less than six seconds — my experience with that was of a seamless acceleration with no sound or fury. The balance of the 1,700kg vehicle was also excellent through my various driving places and conditions. It was in fact quite a joy to drive.
There’s a rated 70km range on the EV battery, and if your standard commute is within the daily real range of that — say 50km — and you are disciplined enough to start with a full charge each day, a fuel consumption of 1.2L/100km is achievable. Used as a standard full hybrid, as would be the case on a long down-country trip, you can get around 7L/100km, which is respectable for this size of car.
Maybe I’m a little jaded at this end of the year, and I wasn’t expecting to be particularly impressed with this latest in a highly competitive market space. Enough to say that I left it back in a highly complimentary frame of mind.
Very European, you see. Watch your lunch boxes, guys.
