Forget about GIFs, emails and the like, for me, (growing up), Valentine’s Day is all about the anonymous cards. Sending soppy messages of undying love, wrapped in a pink envelope and then sealing it with a loving kiss – aka SWALK. Of course I’m far too old and jaded to do things like that, but I may have discovered a new SWALK – a Seal With A Loving Kick.
BYD launched on to the NZ motoring landscape a couple of years ago with their award-winning ATTO 3, an all-electric (somewhat eclectic) ICE challenger. This was then followed by the first of their aquatic-themed ‘oceans aesthetics’ EVs, the Dolphin. Both are good, but hold the phone, the Seal is better.
The BYD Seal is a Sporty Sedan that to me, really ups the game for the brand. With a good-looking silhouette, more refined (and less polarising) interior, and in the case of the Performance model, a powertrain that excites.
There are 3 Seals in the NZ range (does that make it a colony, herd or pod?), the Dynamic, Premium and Performance, as I said, I had the latter. The Dynamic comes with a 61kWh blade battery (460km range), while the two P’s have an 82kWh (570km/520km) and only the Performance comes with two electric motors that offer 390kW of power and 670Nm of torque and a 0 to 100km/h time of 3.8 seconds – hence why I wanted the Performance model.
All three are lookers, with a traditional 4-door sedan shape accentuated with strong character lines, a sculpted nose (with enhanced front wings that look like a 911 from the driver’s seat), slim ‘double U-shaped’ LED headlights and distinctive DRL’s that feature on the lower front bumper.
The profile offers up some additional wing and sill garnish, 19-inch flippers and retracting door handles. While the rear comes with a ‘Dot Matrix’ light bar, a multi-layered 400L boot (it also has a small ‘frunk’), a 3.8s badge (referring to its 0-100 time) and a lower valence that comes with plenty of fins. Point of note, my review model came in ‘Shark Grey’.
As outlined before, the interior takes things up several levels, with the likes of leather supportive seats, tactile materials in all the right places, and modern tech in all areas, including the rotating landscape or portrait (so you choose) 15.6-inch infotainment screen, great 12-speaker Dynaudio stereo and two wireless phone charging stations.
I picked up the Seal boasting 100% battery and 582km of range, so even factoring in my lack of efficient driving focus, I felt sure that range anxiety was not going to be an issue, but more on this later.
The first thing I noticed about the Seal was just how normal and familiar it was. Seat comfort, visibility and even getting moving, are all pretty intuitive, which for my older mind was a pleasant experience. The gear selector (yes I know it doesn’t have gears as such) is a clear-cut knob in the usual place and the 10.25-inch LCD drivers screen tells you all you really need to know – speed, range, I am a simple man.
With its 4.8m length, 1.88m width and 1.46m height, the Seal navigates the city streets with aplomb, however, even with its sloping roofline, there is more than enough room for 4 good sized adults (plus one smaller one) on those longer out of town drives. The cabin is quiet on the road, with its 0.219Cd drag-coefficient, sleek design and ample rubber aiding occupant comfort.
For those that like one pedal driving, the Seal unfortunately doesn’t offer that, but the battery regen levels can be preset and/or altered via the infotainment screen (or I’m told via a toggle on the centre console), which does slow the sedan to a reasonable level when not giving it heaps on the accelerator.
Then there’s the Seal’s performance. Instant torque delivers an impressive off the line speed and lets you know that your investment in this EV was a wise one. It’s pretty darn good in the corners too, with its low centre of gravity and firm suspension combining well. Traction is EV good and even when pushed, the Seal keeps well within the white lines, however, the ADAS driver and safety assists do complain a bit, letting you know that you’re doing things that maybe you shouldn’t. On that note, I maybe had to switch off the traffic sign alert as it was a little too berating.
One last thing to mention, its attraction. On the highway, the Seal garnered more than a second glance as people looked to see its refreshing design (or maybe what brand it was) and I even watched it get photographed twice while it rested in a mall car park.
My week with the Seal was spent mostly in Sport mode, thrilling both myself and anyone that dared to venture inside, so let’s not talk about the advertised 582km of range upon pick up. I will say though that despite my performance-led driving, I still managed a very impressive 460km.
The Seal is a performance sedan that turns heads and had mine pushed back in the headrest. It’s playful on the road and yet can also be a more mature upmarket drive. A big differentiator from the other two models in my opinion and a great view of what BYD can and will offer in the future – SWALK.
