In thirty years, BYD has grown from a battery manufacturer to the world’s best-selling EV brand. The new BYD Sealion 7, a high-performance SUV, is expected in the price range of 50,000 to 60,000 euros. Is this a strong new player? Irwin from InstaAutoVlog discusses it here.
This article in short:
- Versatile SUV: The BYD Sealion 7 is designed as a high-performance SUV with a luxurious interior and a focus on space and comfort.
- Three versions: are available Comfort RWD, Design AWD, and Excellence AWD, with ranges of up to 505 kilometers.
- Fast charging: the top version charges from 10-80% in 24 minutes thanks to 230kW fast charging capacity.
- Powerful performance: the Excellence AWD delivers 530 hp, a top speed of 215 km/h, and a towing capacity of 1,500 kilograms.
- Points of attention: stiff damping in the city and vague steering could use improvement.
Competition
The BYD Sealion 7 is, according to BYD, a car ‘that the European customer has been waiting for’. A model that will compete with cars like the Cupra Tavascan, the Nissan Ariya, and the BMW iX1. A comparison with the Tesla Model Y and XPENG G6 is quickly made, although the Sealion 7 appears to be built differently.
Alfa Romeo and Audi designer
The BYD Sealion 7 is 4.83 meters long, 1.92 meters wide, and 1.62 meters high. It has a wheelbase of 2.93 meters, which gives it generous proportions. This makes the Sealion 7 longer and almost as wide as the Audi Q6 e-Tron and significantly larger than the Nissan Ariya. The SUV coupe design seamlessly follows the Ocean Series design by former Alfa Romeo and Audi designer Wolfgang Egger, making the model look like a version of the Seal standing higher on its wheels.
Luxurious interior and finish
The interior of the BYD Sealion 7 combines vegan leather materials, original design, and advanced technology. The finish is of a high standard, with standard features such as heated seats and steering wheel, heated rear seats, seat ventilation, and a 50-watt wireless phone charger. The seating position is comfortable and slightly higher than in the Seal, although the seat offers a bit too much support for the thighs. The second row of seats offers excellent space and comfort. The luggage space is 520 litres (expandable to 1750 litres), with a 50-litre frunk. The most expensive version has Nappa leather upholstery.
Variants and driving experience Sealion 7
The BYD Sealion 7 is available in three versions:
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Comfort RWD: front-wheel drive with an LFP Blade Battery of 82.5 kWh, 313 hp, a range of 485 kilometers, 11 kW on-board charger and 150 kW fast charging function.
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Design AWD: four-wheel drive with two electric motors, combined power of 530 hp and 690 Nm of torque, good for a sprint from 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and a range of 453 kilometers.
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Excellence AWD: The latest variant with a 91kWh battery, 230 kW fast charging (10-80 percent in 24 minutes), a range of 505 kilometers, and a towing capacity of 1500 kilograms.
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All Sealions 7 have a top speed of 215 km/h and all AWD variants have a towing capacity of 1,500 kilograms.
Driving impression Excellence AWD
The Excellence AWD, tested with 530 hp and four-wheel drive, delivers powerful performance thanks to a renewed electric motor that reaches 23,000 RPM. Active dampers are used all around, but the Sealion 7 feels noticeably stiffer than the Seal U, which emphasizes comfort more. The tuning can be less pleasant, especially in urban areas. On the highway, the Sealion is stable and quiet. However, the steering remains a weak spot: it is too vague for a car in this segment, but BYD is working on improvements.
BYD Sealion 7 in pictures
Does the BYD Sealion 7 deserve the label ‘High-Performance SUV’? I’ll tell you in the video below.
