World’s leading electric car manufacturer, BYD (Build Your Dreams), is expanding its Indian portfolio with Sealion 7 electric SUV. It will sit above Seal electric sedan and is based on the same e-Platform 3.0. BYD India hosted a notional media drive in Jaipur, Rajasthan. After driving the Sealion 7 in and around Jaipur for over 150 km across varied driving conditions including city traffic, highways and expressways, this is what we think about this electric SUV.
BYD Sealion 7 First Drive Review – Design & Appeal
We drove BYD Seal electric sedan last year in Gurgaon as part of the media drive and returned impressed. However, we managed to scrape Seal’s underbelly a couple of times due to its low ground clearance. At that instance, we thought if only Seal was an SUV with a little more ground clearance to better adapt to Indian roads. That’s exactly what Sealion 7 is and it is a lot better suited to Indian roads than Seal. Prices for Sealion 7 start from Rs 48.9 lakh for Premium variant and Rs 54.9 lakh for Performance variant (both Ex-sh).
Sealion 7 shares the same Ocean family design language as the Seal. In fact, Sealion 7 is a tad sharper in design. Headlights and LED DRL elements are slimmer and prominent C-shaped cuts are more aggressive, in keeping with SUV tag. These C-shaped elements have an air channel for improved aerodynamic performance. It has tough body cladding, sizable ORVMs, flush door handles and up to 20-inch alloy wheels. Overall stance is that of a predator about to pounce on its prey, especially when you look at the wide rear haunches.
Rear windows and rear windshields get privacy glass with factory-fitted and legal dark tint lending it a premium appeal. Rear gets a sloping roofline like a Coupe SUV, even though it is not marketed as one. Rear gets an interesting roof spoiler design along with a lip spoiler on the tailgate. LED tail lights are connected and get a wrap-around design with a soothing pattern and BYD Tech branding. Rear bumper has C-shaped elements along with many blackened elements to reduce visual bulk.
Luxurious Interiors!
Interior is an aspect that BYD has nailed, especially when considering its segment and price bracket it falls in. Touch and feel of materials along with fit and finish are just as good, if not, better than rivals from German luxury brands. Overall ambience is excellent and the noise insulation from the outside world is impressive. BYD has done an excellent job in reducing the tyre noise, suspension noise and wind whistles from A Pillars and ORVMs. Thanks to double-glazed soundproof glass at front windscreen and windows.
BYD Sealion 7 offers soft Nappa Leather upholstery for a luxurious feel and packs plush soft-touch elements on dashboard, door pads and centre console. Only the bottom-most elements are hard plastics. All touchpoints where an occupant’s fingers and elbows would touch are all soft and plush. All the parts an occupant’s knees would graze are soft to the touch. These even include the glovebox cover and outer ends of the centre console.
Centre console storage area has felt-lining so that nothing that you keep there, will ever rattle. Also, the cupholders get rubber mats and are height adjustable so that they would even accommodate a Venti-size cup. Storage under the armrest is deep and there are soft materials inside to reduce any unwanted noises. Inside door handles are unique in BYD Sealion 7 and they have a futuristic vibe.
There are metallic finishes on door panels and dashboard for a luxurious appeal. There is a sophisticated ambient lighting setup inside a Sealion 7 with a multitude of colours. Gloss black panel on dashboard towards the passenger side has an interesting light pattern too. The massive glass roof floods a lot of light inside and interior LED lighting adds to the overall elegance. Knurled rollers for audio control and the crystal gear selector are notable too.
Space & Storage
Front seats are electrically adjustable and get a fixed headrest like in a sportscar. Driver’s seat gets more electrical adjustments than front passenger, including electrical lumbar adjustment. These seats are extremely supportive and hugging while being accommodating even for larger frames. Steering is manually adjustable for both height and reach. Rear occupants get a flat floor and ample room owing to the 2,930 mm long wheelbase. Steering wheel is leather-wrapped and feels great to hold.
Despite the sloping roofline, rear occupant headroom has not taken a hit. There’s excellent shoulder room and rear occupants are pampered with dedicated AC vents, reclining seats, a centre armrest with storage and expandable cup holders along with USB ports (Type-A and Type-C) and slots for smartphones behind front seats. BYD has thoughtfully incorporated rear quarter glass so that rear occupants don’t feel claustrophobic.
Boot space in BYD Sealion 7 is 500L in capacity. Luggage space is squarish and well laid out. It has multiple LED lights, nets for smaller objects and sturdy hooks to tie things down. Load lip is very low and coupled with the powered tailgate, it ensures easy transfer and retrieval of of luggage. There is no spare wheel, though. Sealion 7 also gets a 58L frunk as standard even though there is a front motor. This frunk is usable and we could place a cabin suitcase and a backpack in here, with room to spare.
Tech & Safety
BYD Sealion 7 is loaded to the brim with features and equipment. Starting with the interiors, Sealion 7 gets a 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen infotainment screen that supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. This screen also shows the feed for 360-degree cameras and blindspot assistance when driver engages turn indicators. There are 12 premium speakers in Sealion 7 from DYNAUDIO. This system has excellent fidelity in mids and highs but is slightly short on bass. Camera feed is of high quality and crisp in resolution.
There are no AC controls on dashboard, but we can see dedicated buttons for blower on/off, Auto AC and front defogger on centre console. This is also where we find dedicated controls for volume, regen modes, drive modes, Start/Stop, parking brake button, hazard light and more. Steering controls have positive actuations and feel very luxurious. Steering mounted buttons have audio controls, cruise control, controls to cycle through the instrument cluster and even a button to actuate the screen rotation.
Instrument cluster shows ADAS-related info and it projects the detected road users on this screen. Pedestrians, cyclists, cars and trucks are some of the objects that this system can scan and identify. Beyond this instrument screen, we have an excellent HUD that stays visible in a variety of seating positions. IRVM is auto-dimming and is a frameless design for premium appeal.
Charging port is in rear right quarter panel and it shows battery percentage level in three levels (33% each). The driver-side ORVM is NFC equipped and is compatible with the NFC keycard that BYD offers with Sealion 7. There are thoughtful features like Type-A and Type-C USB ports, a 50W wireless charger with active cooling, gesture control for rear tailgate, content streaming from USB and Micro SD Card, and much more notable equipment.
Sealion 7 offers a multitude of airbags to protect its occupants, 11 to be precise. ADAS features are extensive and incorporate adaptive cruise control and auto emergency braking as well. There’s a camera module inside the Sealion 7 powered by AI that continuously monitors driver for fatigue. We tried multiple scenarios to trigger this system and it works very well, flashing warning messages on instrument cluster. However, this system only works when you’re not wearing sunglasses.
Specs & Performance
BYD Sealion 7 is a rather long vehicle and it imparts a massive road presence, attracting a lot of eyeballs. Putting numbers on the dimensions, Sealion 7 measures 4,830 mm in length, 1,925 mm in width, and 1,620 mm in height and has a 2,930 mm long wheelbase, which is comparable to luxury sedans. Doors are aptly shaped to reveal a usable aperture for ingress and egress.
BYD India didn’t mention how much the ground clearance was, but it rides much higher than Seal EV. Global model has a ground clearance between 157 mm and 163 mm, depending on the variant. The one launched in India, must have similar ground clearance, considering it is brought into the country via CBU route.
The variants launched in India don’t get a 91.3 kWh battery pack option. Instead, BYD India is offering an 82.5 kWh battery pack option as standard, regardless of the variants. Premium variant is RWD only and gets a 230 kW (310 PS) and 380 Nm motor with 6.7s 0-100 km/h sprint and Performance variant gets two electric motors with a total system output of 390 kW (525 PS) of peak power and 690 Nm of peak torque with 4.5s 0-100 km/h sprint. Because of its single motor implementation, Premium variant has more range to offer at 567 km (NEDC certified) and Performance variant has 542 km (NEDC certified) range on a single charge.
We managed to drive 152 km while consuming 33% of charge from the battery. Which turns out to be 460 km of real-world range from a single charge, which can be easily stretched to 500 km with sensible driving. Both variants get the same top speed, which is electronically limited to 215 km/h. Sealion 7 is based on the e-Platform 3.0, populated by BYD’s tried and tested Blade batteries. Both variants support DC fast charging up to 150 kW which can take the battery from 10% to 80% SOC in just 32 minutes.
Drive & Dynamics
There is grace in the way Sealion 7 drives which reflects BYD’s evolved expertise in vehicle dynamics. We say this because, BYD Sealion feels like it was set up for Indian roads, even though it is a fully imported CBU model. It has plush and pillowy ride quality, thanks to the variable damping shock absorbers at the front and rear, which are offered as standard, irrespective of variants.
BYD is offering 19-inch wheels for Premium variant and 20-inch for Performance variant. With Premium variant, front has 235-section tyres, while rear gets 255-section tyres, for that squatted sportscar appeal. Performance variant gets 245-section tyres on all four corners. This is an interesting choice as the less powerful variant gets fatter rear tyres. The Premium variant we drove came with Continental Ecocontact tyres. BYD could have offered stickier tyres. During our testing, we did manage to lose traction at times on loose surfaces, but the Traction Control System kicks in and brings everything to order, almost instantly.
At higher triple-digit speeds on the expressway, there is some vertical movement, but it is easily forgivable considering how pliant and lovable the ride quality is at lower triple-digit speeds. Steering is light, quick and precise and responds well to inputs. Not exactly sportscar levels, but beyond the average for this class and intended purposes. There’s very little body roll and Sealion 7 feels composed while cornering.
Speaking of acceleration, Sealion 7 is light on its feet. It feels like a predator about to pounce on its prey, something which the exterior design perfectly replicates. The minutest throttle inputs translate into meaningful responses in performance, demonstrating the sensitivity and calibration of the powertrain. Acceleration is instant and BYD is promising 4.5s 0-100 km/h sprint with Performance variant.
Braking performance is excellent too and it stops at your will. Brake pedal feel is consistent and doesn’t take a lot of effort as well. Braking hardware is the same between both variants. That said, Performance variant gets red-painted calipers for aesthetic purposes. There’s regen braking too and is not very intrusive even in ‘High’ setting. There is no “one pedal mode” with BYD Sealion 7, which we would have appreciated in chalk-a-block city traffic.
Some Reservations & Conclusion
There’s nothing to complain about the BYD Sealion 7, except for a few nitpicks. As in, there are no real dealbreakers on this vehicle, especially at the price point it is being offered at. Some of our nitpicks are as follows.
1. Rear windscreen is tiny and doesn’t offer a lot of visibility from the IRVM.
2. There’s felt lining on the inside of glovebox and on storage under the floating centre console, but the same could have been extended to door pockets.
3. NFC keycard is appreciable, but a digital smart key with smartphone and smartwatch compatibility is more convenient.
4. The rotatable infotainment screen does all the heavy lifting in Sealion 7, while instrument cluster is not very impressive. It could have had more functionalities, including map data.
5. Blindspot assist camera feed is projected on the infotainment screen and not on instrument cluster.
6. Rear seats could have been ventilated, considering the hot and sunny climate in majority of Indian topography.
7. ADAS works well, but it feels like it could have been more polished for Indian road conditions.
8. Steering is manually adjustable, which could have been electric to fit into the rest of Sealion 7’s futuristic appeal.
9. Charging port could have been at the front, preferably in the middle, for utmost convenience.
It took a long time to think about these reservations because they are only nitpicks. These are “could have been” points instead of “should have been” points. The best part about the BYD Sealion 7 is that there’s nothing wrong with it. It is an easy recommendation. Even the range is dependable as we consumed 33% of the battery to travel 152 km in Sports Mode with AC and ventilated seats on at all times. With sensible driving, one could extract more range.
Where BYD Sealion 7 falls short is in the customer perception. BYD is yet to establish a firmer presence in India and prospective buyers are more likely to choose an inferior rival vehicle carrying a legacy badge. If you’re in the market to buy a luxury electric SUV, we highly recommend you to look beyond the badges and test drive the BYD Sealion 7.