2024 BYD Sealion 6 review: first drive of plug-in hybrid SUV

JUMP AHEAD

• Is the 2024 BYD Seal U worth my attention?
• What powers the Seal U… sorry, Sealion 6?
• How does it drive?
• What about inside?
• Is it worth waiting for the 2024 BYD Sealion 6?

Is the 2024 BYD Seal U – sorry, Sealion 6 – worth my attention?

It certainly is. Not least because of its name change for Aussie shores, where European buyers get a car more closely linked to the fully electric Seal sedan. BYD Australia wanted to avoid such confusion.

Of bigger signifcance is the fact this car is a plug-in hybrid. Left-hand-drive markets get an EV version, but for now there are no plans for RHD. Instead we gain yet another contender in the hybrid SUV sector – albeit one with a few sneaky tricks up its sleeve.

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What powers the Seal U… sorry, Sealion 6?

There are two configurations: a 1.5-litre non-turbo 4-cylinder engine pairs up with a single, 145kW electric motor for the 160kW front-wheel drive Sealion 6 Dynamic.

Meanwhile the Sealion 6 Premium straps a perkier 1.5-litre turbo to an e-motor at each axle (150kW at the front, 120 at the rear) for a 238kW total output and 0-100km/h in 5.9secs – a whole three seconds quicker than the Dynamic while its 180km/h top speed is a smidge higher, too.

Both use an 18.3kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery assembled onto the frame of the car in a setup BYD calls ‘Blade Battery’.

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Besides its comic-book name it offers increased body stiffness, a lower floor to increase rear passenger legroom (often an EV bugbear) and improved thermal efficiency over more conventional rival battery setups.

It’ll charge on home AC power at up to 11kW and DC fast chargers at up to 18kW, with the latter yielding a 30-80 per cent top up in 35 minutes.

The Dynamic claims 80km of electric-only range and a startling 1.1l/100km fuel consumption with its powertrain fighting fittest; the heavier, more powerful Premium quotes 70km and 1.4l/100km. With a 60-litre fuel tank and you might squeeze out a total range of 1100km. Yowzers.

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How does it drive?

A lot like a single-speed EV. While the engine can provide direct propulsion to the wheels, its more prominent role is range extension while the motors take sole driving duty.

If the battery is topped up, you’ll sail along in complete hush – refinement is strong. If it’s down to 25 per cent charge – the minimum the car lets itself drop to – then the engine will frequently kick in, but it generally does so pretty quietly. Curiously, too; it moos away gently in the background at odds to your throttle input, as per a number of range-extender rivals.

The whole powertrain feels like it’s deliberately distancing itself from you – disconcerting at first, but if you don’t give two hoots about how sharply and precisely a car drives, then perhaps it’s a welcome distance.

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Much like sticking a ready-made dinner in the oven so you don’t get your hands dirty prepping anything.

Flicking through Eco, Normal or Sport modes will up the engine’s eagerness, but it’s a brisk and smooth car in all three. And there’s surprisingly little to tell between its two powertrain options, either – unless you’re accelerating and cornering hard (in which case a hybrid SUV probably isn’t for you) the gap between them is much larger on paper than in the real world.

This car’s lack of interest in keen driving is evident from the sat nav, which flags up ‘sharp bend ahead!’ warnings for gently sweeping curves that barely require a nudge of the overly light steering. The focus is on effortless progress, a parameter by which the Sealion 6 really delivers.

Ride quality is at the softer end of the scale, but repeated bumps on our Roman test route did agitate the damping a tad. Let’s give it a proper crack on Aussie tarmac for the full verdict.

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What about inside?

Measuring almost 4.8 metres, the Seal U is longer than many of its rivals – think Honda CR-V, Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage – though helpfully most of its supplement sits in the wheelbase, to the benefit of both its proportions and rear passenger space.

The back seat bench splits 60:40 with each section separately reclining – via a manual fabric pull strap – to allow some flexibility between passenger and luggage space.

Headroom is impressive front and back, despite the standard-fit panoramic sunroof, which pairs with expansive side windows for an airy, premium feel on board. Plush materials are used generously while harder-wearing plastics are well-concealed and mostly saved for the boot.

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Which does admittedly lag behind rivals a bit for luggage capacity; morphing from 425 litres seats up to 1,440 litres when they’re folded, it’s down about 20 per cent on a Tucson, Sportage or Qashqai to name just a few.

A Honda CR-V is notably roomier still. We recommend taking any bulky kids’ travel systems to the BYD showroom for a test run. Vehicle to load capacity does add a nice additional layer of practicality, though.

Tech is indeed a strong suit: the 15.6in rotating touchscreen flips between portrait and landscape format via a steering wheel button or a toggle on the screen itself.

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The latter is less distracting and more satisfying – it’s also your only choice if you opt to use the standard Apple CarPlay, for an almost comically large display compared to your phone.

Kudos to the screen for not incorporating your speed readout, too, saving it instead for a plain and simple head-up display and a row of nicely legible digital dials, which can also display an energy flow diagram should you wish to grasp what the powertrain is doing.

Or at least attempt to…

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Is it worth waiting for the 2024 BYD Sealion 6?

If comfort and value are top of your list, absolutely: this is vehemently not a fun or engaging car to drive, but it’s smooth and relaxing, caveats about its ride quality aside. And prices are punchy in the best kind of way, starting at $48,990 for the Dynamic FWD and rising to $52,990 for the Premium AWD.

Both get a tremendous amount of kit as standard: all the screen pixels you could ever wish for, six different phone charging ports, a pano roof, 19in alloys and abundant safety kit including a 360-degree parking system.

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Besides extra power and performance, the Premium’s main draw is its AWD ability with a handful of all-terrain modes (snow, sand and mud). Though we suspect most Sealion 6 buyers don’t have any great expeditions planned.

You’re not looking at a game changer, but you are looking at one of the best value hybrid SUVs on sale. A lengthier drive on Aussie roads will determine whether it’s one of the best mannered, too.

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