By : RACHNA TYAGI
DELHI :
The BYD Seal is an elegant 3.8 second electric sedan, that is super comfortable, both in the driver’s seat as well as at the rear. This summer we drove it in the uber cool ‘Arctic Blue’ colour, and quite frankly, we can’t stop obsessing over it. So, what does the Seal have that makes it such a stand-out product from BYD? Plenty, and you are just about to find out…
In the business of automobiles where looks reign supreme, the Seal is an absolute knockout! One glance and we were smitten! Based on the Ocean design philosophy, everything from the beautifully designed LED DRLs to the aerodynamic styling, which you can see in the form of design cues on the bonnet and on the doors to the colour that we drove, (Arctic Blue) give the Seal a very fluidic semblance. Then, there is the sloping roofline that adds to the Seal’s overall appeal and the stunning rear with the diffuser which also adds to its massive good looks, and those gorgeous LED lights just dazzle brilliantly. (We really liked the way the rear taillamps glowed on the Cosmos Black colour.) Everything, on the Seal feels premium and if you were even remotely toying with the idea of dismissing the Seal as “Chinese Crap,” what you need is a serious rethink. Don’t believe us? Just check out the flush door handles, for instance, which feel robust and top notch and then there are those side skirts, which look striking to say the least, especially the way they gleam when they catch the light. Simply stunning! The Seal came shod with 235/45 R19s and the best part is that they seemed like the perfect fit which means that if you were thinking of an upgrade, you may just not need one. The Seal gets a 50-litre frunk and a 400-litre boot. Pity, it misses out on the spare tyre – a must on Indian roads, what you get instead is a puncture repair kit but we can’t complain as this weight reduction helps in making the electric sedan more agile.
On the inside, the Seal gets a well-appointed cabin with piano black as the dominant colour on the dash and grey on the seats and everything inside feels very high quality. The 15.6-inch touchscreen which can be used in both portrait and landscape mode does a great job, but that’s not the only tech onboard. There is also a 10.25-inch instrument cluster as well as a super-sharp heads up display that aide your driving. Also, there is a 360-degree camera which transmits live feed, allowing you view everything around your car, and we have to say that the display is very good. Besides, the Seal also gets USB-A and USB-C ports as well as two wireless phone chargers, so that way you and your co-passenger will not be fighting over who’s charging their phone first.
The fabulous black – coloured tilt and telescopic steering wheel with controls, the grey-coloured quilted and ventilated front seats and the headrests with metallic black inserts, all enhance the feature, comfort, and style quotient of the Seal. The beautiful blue stitching and the white piping on the seats also add to the whole luxe EV vibe. The seats are comfortable, no doubt, however, we would have liked additional lumbar support. Yet, the recline angle and the manner in which the rear seats are so beautifully scooped out mean that your back actually rests in that hollow thereby making you feel quite relaxed. Besides, there is plenty of leg room at the rear too and the absence of a transmission tunnel means a flat floor enough to accommodate a third passenger on the rear seat, for whom there is a headrest too. The crystal gear shifter looks delicate and if you have big hands like I do, it is really going to take some getting used to, especially considering how we’re so accustomed to chunky gear-knobs but this one, on the Seal, is a real game changer and each time I used it, it gave me a very smooth and sophisticated experience indicating to me that I was driving something truly extraordinary. The roof of the Seal is a dark tinted glass which seems to work well for the electric sedan, and also, not once did we experience a dip in the air-con’s performance under the scorching Delhi sun.
The Seal comes in three variants, Dynamic, Premium and Performance. We drove the Premium variant with 82.56kWh battery and a 313hp motor which delivers the highest range of 650km, amongst all the variants and quite frankly, I’ll admit, I wasn’t nervous at all about the range when I was behind the wheel of this EV. Somewhere deep down, I knew that the Seal was fully capable of long journeys without breaking a sweat and so, even if I drove all the way up to Manali from Delhi, which is roughly round 500 kms, I knew it would still have plenty of juice left. Overall, the Seal is a hoot to drive and with the Blade battery integrated into the Seal’s chassis using its famed Cell-to-Body (CTB) Technology, it offers more torsional rigidity. We simply loved how torquey (360 Nm) and quick this 2055kg car was! Also, the way in which the Seal feels so sure footed and so planted on our roads, at all times and especially while cornering, is just incredible! I’ll admit that when I first set eyes on the Seal during its launch last month, I was apprehensive about the ground clearance and thought that it would pose a problem on our Indian roads, however, I am happy to report that its 145mm ground clearance did not prove to be a hinderance at all, and in fact, it was smooth sailing for the Seal all the way! Plus, its double wishbone suspension in the front and the five-link suspension at the rear ensured not just brilliant handling but also a very smooth ride throughout where we glided over some bad road surfaces. The Seal is capable of some insane speeds but since the highway that we were driving on restricted car speeds at 120km, we had to abide by the rules. The Seal is a very capable EV, and little things such as the thick quality felt lining that BYD has used under the hood, for noise damping (Despite the Seal being an EV) speaks volumes about the attention to detail on this electric sedan.
In terms of charging, the Seal gets a 7kW home charger but according to the company, it can also be charged from State of Charge (SOC) 30%-80% via a 150kW DC Fast charger. When it comes to safety, besides a whole suite of ADAS Level 2 features, what you also get are 9 airbags, parking sensors (front and rear) and an electronic parking brake amongst other safety features. With other intelligent features such as NFC card integration to access the Seal’s services as well as Vehicle to Load (VTOL) Technology for electrical devices with a total output of 3000W, the Seal definitely makes for a smart choice. Plus, if you look at the 8-year or 160,000-km warranty (whichever comes first) for the traction battery, an 8-year or 150,000km warranty for the motor and the motor controller, and a 6-year or 150,000km warranty for the vehicle itself, it definitely looks like BYD has you covered. Not to mention its killer price tag which starts at INR 41 Lakh and makes it look like a steal. The Premium variant that we drove will set you back by INR 45.55 lakh (Ex-Showroom, India).
In conclusion, driving the Seal was sheer joy, from the fantastic power delivery to the incredible performance, just about everything on the Seal was absolutely remarkable. Perhaps that is why that there is no stopping the Seal which seems to be on some sort of an accolade winning spree and it sure doesn’t seem like it is slowing down anytime soon. Vroom…
