BYD Sealion 7 Review: A Strong Package With Some Misses

BYD Sealion 7 Review: If you are looking for an EV SUV priced at ₹55-60 lakh with a bold, good-looking design, comfortable seating, and good performance, there are various options available in the market. These EV SUVs offer good driving range, a premium, upmarket cabin experience, and competitive pricing. Around its price, buyers can check out the BYD Sealion 7 in the market.

BYD entered the Indian automarket with the Atto 3 and upgraded its offerings with the e6 (which is now eMax 7) and the Seal in the premium category. Now, the Chinese automaker offers the Sealion 7 in the premium EV SUV segment in the market, with two variants, a single battery pack, and four colour options to choose from. It has features like a panoramic glass roof, multiple driving modes, ambient lighting, dual wireless charger, dual-zone climate control, a rotating infotainment screen, and more. Regarding its rivals, it competes with the BMW iX1 LWB and the Volvo EX40 Recharge in the market.

Recently, we drove the BYD Sealion 7 in the city and on highways and tested its comfort, features, range and other factors. Here are our thoughts on whether or not the Sealion 7 is worth considering in its segment.

Let’s get started!

What’s Good

– Range

The BYD Sealion 7 is offered with a 82.56kWh battery pack, which uses Blade Cell LFP technology. It has a claimed range of 542km on the AWD variant and 567km on its RWD variant.

As we drove the AWD variant for a shorter time period, during our experience, if you drive it sedately, then you can easily achieve a real-world driving range of around 400 to 450 km on a single charge. We even used the one-pedal drive mode, and the regenerative braking is quite useful in gaining some extra kilometres while you are in peak city traffic.

– Performance

Talking about the motor performance, since it was an AWD variant, we enjoyed driving the Sealion 7, and the motor quickly responded to the lightest of throttle inputs. The combined power output of the motor is 390bhp and has a peak torque output of 690Nm.

The BYD Sealion 7 has quick acceleration, and as soon as you put the foot down, it pulls effortlessly and gives you a kick in the pants feel. As there are different driving modes, we kept it in the Eco mode, the power delivery was linear and gave a smooth experience. If you go for the RWD variant, you’ll be able to feel the difference in performance compared to the AWD variant, as this variant makes slightly less power, but it is enough for an SUV of this size in the segment.  

However, once you hit triple-digit speeds, BYD does not offer any artificial sounds in the Sealion 7, and the cabin is smooth and silent, but you start to hear some noise from the outside world, particularly at the rear.

– Design

The exterior design of the BYD Sealion 7 is curvy and futuristic. The front profile comes with a sleek design for the LED headlamps and LED DRLs, with sharp cuts and creases on the bumper lower down. The LED headlamps have a good throw at night, and the road is well-lit. Moreover, you get functional air curtains, which enhance the overall aerodynamics of the SUV.

Coming to the side, the BYD Sealion 7 has a coupe-style, with a sloping roof line. The ingress and egress are simple and easy, and although it runs on 20-inch alloy wheels in the AWD variant, it is an easy car to be in. The Sealion 7 comes with flush-door handles, which pop out while unlocking and feel sturdy to hold.  

At the rear, you have a connected LED tail lamp with a crystal effect, which gives it a premium appeal. There is a roof-mounted spoiler, and the wiper is neatly integrated into it. The blacked-out bumper reduces the visual bulk, and there is a diffuser treatment on the lower side. Talking of boot space, you have gestured powered tail gate opening, and there is ample space on offer. 

BYD claims the Sealion 7 has a 500L space, which can easily accommodate large suitcases, and since the loading lip is not too high, it will not be a problem to stuff the boot with the luggage.

– Comfort

The seats of the BYD Sealion 7 are pretty comfortable. The front seats get electric adjustment, and the cushioning is on point, and there is a good amount of space on offer. You have a good view of what’s around, and the A-pillars are not too thick, so the blind spots are taken care of.

Coming to the rear seats, there is a good amount of knee and leg room on offer. Since BYD places the battery on the floor, the footboard is flat, and you can easily fit three passengers in the rear seats. Though the cabin is wide enough and you have good space on offer, since the battery is placed on the floor, you sit with a slightly knee-up position, and it can take some time to get used to it. 

The recline angle of the seats can also be adjusted, and with that, it can increase the overall comfort and premium experience of the cabin. As BYD offers an all-black cabin, despite offering a panoramic glass roof, you may feel a bit claustrophobic.

What’s Bad

– Ride and Handling

Though the BYD Sealion 7 has good, comfortable seating, on the contrary, the ride quality is on the softer side. As a result, there is some body roll while pushing it around the corners, and you can instantly feel the higher centre of gravity and the mass of the SUV. The steering wheel has a decent amount of feel and feedback on offer, but we expected it to be slightly tuned better for more agile driving, and a bit more sharpness could have provided more fun and made it engaging to drive.

Though the BYD Sealion 7 runs on 245/45/R20 alloy wheels, it tends to filter a ‘thump’ sound to the cabin while going on bad roads and potholes or on the expansion joints.

– Features

Despite the BYD Sealion 7 being a feature-rich premium offering in the market, it offers plenty of features but misses out on some as well. For starters, it has Level-2 ADAS functions with a long list of offerings like lane departure prevention, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, driver attention warning, auto emergency braking, and more. 

Though these features are for the safety of the passengers and for the people on the road, they kept intruding, and sometimes it became quite disturbing while driving.

Moreover, it has a digital instrument cluster, which shows multiple pieces of information, including speedometer, navigation, music information, battery percentage, and others. It feels too cluttered, and sometimes you have to dedicatedly see what’s there, which feels very distracting while driving.

What is the price of the BYD Sealion7?

The price of the BYD Sealion 7 starts at ₹52.27 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the Premium variant, and the price of the Performance variant is ₹58.03 lakh (on-road, Noida).

Republic Auto Says -

Now, coming to the main question, should you consider the BYD Sealion 7 or not? Our answer is Yes! The exteriors of the Sealion 7 are sporty and curvy, and the interiors have a premium and upmarket feel. BYD offers the Sealion 7 with the latest tech, and though it has a single battery, the Sealion 7 offers a decent real-world range. Moreover, compared to established automakers, BYD’s sales and service network is comparatively low; it is growing as the demand for its cars is increasing.

Regarding the Sealion 7, in our first impressions, it’s one of its kind at the price it is offered, and a premium EV SUV buyer should check it. However, if you are looking for some other performance luxury EV SUV, you can check the  BMW iX1 LWB, Kia EV6, or the Volvo EX40 Recharge in the market. 

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