BYD's first 7-seater SUV arrives in New Zealand.
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Amongst the rapid influx of carmakers from China, the ability to stand out is becoming critical. It’s not enough to simply bring in a compelling mid-size SUV with a quadrillion-kilometer range and a bargain price. You need to be a little different.
BYD, arguably the most mainstream Chinese carmaker to have landed in New Zealand, is looking to stand out by catering to every possible segment it can get its hands on. Not content with its bevy of compact and mid-size SUVs, it’s launched a ute, a 30 grand pure electric hatchback, and now this big plug-in 7-seater.
The BYD Sealion 8 requires a good chunk of preamble. Its pricing (which we’ll get into shortly) and dimensions pitch it as a plug-in hybrid alternative to the conventional 7-seater SUV segment. Think Toyota Highlander, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Kia Sorento. But, BYD is keen to underscore that the 8 isn’t just a mainstream, utilitarian family hauler.
Rather, the 8 is intended to be taken as a proper luxury offering — something a little more elevated than its already fairly plush Sealion 7 and 6 counterparts. We attended its local launch last week to see whether it meets those targets.
The Sealion 8 is sold here in two trims and two drive formats. The range starts at $74,990 for the Dynamic front-wheel drive. The same variant but with double the number of driven wheels is another $9,000. Then the range tops out at $91,990.
Model | Price before on-road costs |
|---|---|
BYD Sealion 8 Dynamic FWD | $74,990 |
BYD Sealion 8 Dynamic AWD | $83,990 |
BYD Sealion 8 Premium AWD | $91,990 |
Whilst the Sealion 8 isn’t exactly what you’d call a ‘cheap’ car, its pricing is arguably on point relative to the three 7-seater mainstays I mentioned earlier. Although it is admittedly difficult to find the point of parity.
The Toyota Highlander starts at $72,990 in base GXL trim, the Hyundai Santa Fe starts at $69,990, and the Kia Sorento starts at $66,490. All three undercut the cheapest Sealion 8, and two of them — the Highlander and Santa Fe — come with AWD straight out of the box. But, the Sealion 8 comes with quite a bit more kit in Dynamic form than these alternatives, and of course it comes with all the benefits of a plug-in hybrid.
Given its more luxury-based positioning, it could be argued that the Sealion 8 actually matches up as more of a rival for the Mazda’s two 7-seaters — the $80,990 CX-80 PHEV and the $92,990 CX-90 Hybrid.
As far as rivals from China are concerned, the Sealion 8 is outstripped on a price basis by the $66,990 Chery Tiggo 9. The Chery is styled much more like a traditional SUV, but packs an enormous amount of equipment, a comparable battery and plug-in hybrid system, and all-wheel drive.
Those who haven’t been inside a BYD since it launched the Atto 3 are in for a bit of a treat. There wasn’t much that was necessarily wrong about the Atto 3 inside at launch, but the gaudy colour choices (blue, red and white) and quirky features like the bungy-cord ‘guitars’ in the door cards were a little too eccentric for some people’s tastes.
BYD has taken plenty of feedback on board, and these days is home to some of the nicest mainstream cabins in class — albeit still with an occasional touch of oddness here and there. And the Sealion 8 features the brand’s best put together and most luxurious cabin space to date.
In terms of design, the 8’s dashboard is more minimalist than most of its BYD cousins. It’s open and airy, and the fabric-faced wrap-around speakers on the flanks of the dashboard give the interior a proper premium look. Dynamic trims get faux leather upholstery, whilst the flagship Premium gets proper leather.
All models get the same huge 15.6-inch central touchscreen and supporting 10.25-inch digital cluster, as well as a 360-degree camera, vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality, a panoramic glass roof, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, heated and ventilated front seats, and buckets more.
At launch, we drove the Premium AWD, which comes with a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated second-row seats, massaging first row and second row seats, a 21-speaker sound system, ambient lighting, and more.
Space in the front is exceptional, and backed up by two very comfortable front seats. The second row has quite a lot of sliding adjustment. At its maximum, it offers a remarkable amount of legroom for its occupants — although this is entirely at the cost of those in the third row as a maxed-out middle row leaves almost no room in the very back. Thankfully there’s plenty of adjustment, and those in the third row are reasonably well catered to with the middle bench seat slid forward.
In three-row configuration, the boot offers a pretty healthy 270-litres of cargo space, expanding to a huge 960-litres with the third row folded flat, and 1960-litres if all rows barring the front pair are in reserve.
The Sealion 8 sports BYD’s latest-generation DM-i plug-in tech, which aims to improve on the already solid level of refinement and efficiency previously seen in the likes of the Sealion 6.
The combination is familiar. A 110kW/220Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol 4-cylinder is paired to a plug-in hybrid system that varies based on the model. The Dynamic FWD combines this with a front-mounted DM-i electric motor, with combined output rated at 205kW/315Nm, and the smallest battery — a 19kWh unit.
The two all-wheel drive models get a larger 35.6kWh battery unit, and BYD’s more powerful dual-motor DM-p plug-in powertrain (the ‘p’ denoting performance). Both produce a heartier 359kW/675Nm, and both carve the 0–100kph acceleration time almost in half relative to the FWD — down from 8.6 seconds to a sharp 4.9 seconds.
With respect to range and economy, BYD claims a combined fuel consumption of 1.1L/100km for the FWD and an even more miniscule 1.0L/100km for the AWD. Both of these figures of course come with caveats. Each is only possible when there’s more than 25% of charge in the battery, which of course relies on drivers to charge up regularly. Nevertheless, it’s an impressive topline figure for a car that weighs three tonnes.
Equally impressive is the Sealion 8’s pure electric range, which tops out at 152km on the NEDC combined cycle for AWD trims, and 103km for the FWD. When it comes to overall range (petrol plus electric), the tables turn and the FWD becomes the big star — BYD claiming it can do 1118km on a single tank and single juice of the battery. The AWDs are rated at 1017km.
Our first sample of the Sealion 8 began at BYD’s new site in Newmarket, leading north to Te Arai links. A fairly straightforward set of roads, but with a couple of twisty bits and plenty of chip seal surfacing.
The first, most striking observation I had with the 8 is how incredibly silent it is — to the point I was second guessing whether this was a plug-in hybrid or an EV. At operational speeds the Sealion 8 is incredibly quiet, more so than most dedicated electric vehicles. And even when you step on the throttle, the 1.5-litre petrol engine is often totally indiscernible.
The dual-motor AWD powertrain in the Premium we drove was also plenty quick. There’s a tiny amount of hesitation on pick-up from a stand still, but it’s hard to ignore how impressive these feats are given the 8’s significant kerb weight.
Beyond the performance stuff, the Sealion 8 was also very comfortable. China’s various attempts at cars with a luxury leaning has produced all sorts of interesting results with respect to suspension tuning. Most models tend to be almost too soft for New Zealand roads, with plenty of roll and wallow. The Sealion 8 largely swerves this, with a ride that effectively walks the tightrope between comfort and handling.
Speaking of handling, the Sealion 8 is actually pretty decent and controlled when thrown around corners. Some of this is somewhat inevitable of course, given its low centre of gravity and significant wheelbase. Its steering feel is predictably very numb, but you can be quite precise with it. A considerable contrast to the Chery Tiggo 9.
Inevitably, all Sealion 8 trims come loaded with equipment. Whilst the Dynamic FWD and Dynamic AWD share the bulk of their spec lists, there are some notable add-ons that come with the latter — namely a series of mechanical differences that includes adaptive suspension and quicker charging.
BYD Sealion 8 Dynamic FWD equipment highlights:
Sealion 8 Dynamic AWD adds:
BYD Sealion 8 Premium AWD adds:
At a time where plug-in options in the 7-seater SUV space are still somewhat lacking, the BYD Sealion 8 has the bones, the looks and the tech to be a serious force to be reckoned with in the segment.
It’s not cheap of course, but at this level of execution and equipment it shouldn’t be. With plenty of space, plenty of tech, decent handling chops and a remarkably quiet powertrain, BYD’s largest model should have a few legacy carmakers looking over their shoulder.
Where expert car reviews meet expert car buying – CarExpert gives you trusted advice, personalised service and real savings on your next new car.
Matthew Hansen co-founded motorsport outlet Velocity News, worked as a freelance photographer for various race teams, and was a specialist journalist for NZ Autocar Magazine and Driven at the NZ Herald. Most recently, he was Editor of Motoring at Stuff.co.nz.
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† Displayed prices exclude on-road costs such as delivery charges, registration fees, number plates, insurance and applicable road taxes. These prices are subject to change without notice and may not reflect current market pricing or dealer offers.
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