They say you never forget your first, and I agree. From the fluid silhouette of the body to the smooth acceleration when I depress the gas pedal—can it even be called a gas pedal anymore?—everything screamed pure sensual power. I am, in fact, talking about the BYD Seal. Specifically, the BYD Seal Performance AWD EV in Arctic Blue. It was my first time driving an electric vehicle, and I wasn’t sure what to expect; surely it couldn’t be any different from a regular petrol-powered car. That’s where I was wrong. Keep reading for our BYD Seal Performance AWD review.
For starters, the BYD Seal Performance is the sportiest version of the Seal series (the other two being the Dynamic and Premium)—the four-door coupe-styled sedan has a sloping roof and a short rear deck coupled with fluid silhouettes reminiscent of a seal swimming in waters without breaking surface tension. It makes sense that the EV comes in an Arctic Blue colour.
However, outward appearances mean nothing if the car cannot perform. In the case of an EV, one of the more major concerns is range anxiety—especially in Malaysia where our charging infrastructures are still in their infancy. The BYD Seal Performance boasts a driving range of 580km and a battery capacity of 82.56 kWh. It also uses an 800V electrical architecture platform, which is typically used in high-end EVs. The 800V electrical architecture platform translates to an extended range thanks to enhanced efficiency and reduced weight. This platform also allows for faster charging capabilities—all qualities we want to check off, especially in our fast-paced lifestyles.
I took the Seal for a spin over one weekend, bringing it from the BYD Sime Darby showroom in Ara Damansara to the hills of Pantai in Seremban. My destination was Man Yun Space, a cute little hilly cafe known for its gorgeous, expansive views of the green trees on the hills across the valley. It was a wet morning, but that did not deter my party and I from the drive. In fact, the Seal made the drive that much better. Ample legroom on the back seats and ergonomic, ventilated front seats that feel as though they were hugging your form made for a comfortable trip. Entertainment was also top class inside the Seal Performance AWD with a 15.6-inch rotating screen on the floating centre console that supports Apple Carplay (and Android Auto) blasting music out of the HIFI Dynaudio Premium Sound system with 12 state-of-the-art speakers.
As I mentioned at the beginning, all I felt was sensual smoothness as I depressed the pedal to get the Seal going. This is all engineered science, of course—the Performance AWD variant is the topmost range in the Seal series, equipped with a dual-motor powertrain that has a 215 hp/310 Nm front motor added on to the 308 hp/360 Nm rear unit, giving us a total output of 523 hp/670 Nm. All this to say it can go from 0 to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds and its fluid design means 0.219 Cd; ultra-low drag coefficient. Despite being fast, it’s not dangerous; in fact, the team in BYD has made it as safe as they possibly could, adding the Intelligent e-Platform 3.0 system coupled with high-end suspension technology and iTAC (Intelligence Torque Adaptation Control) to allocate drive torque, which minimises skidding and enhances safety. It was definitely needed on that wet, rainy day.
When the drive started to get monotonous, I got into Adaptive Cruise Control. The EV is also a smart one, coming equipped with a breadth of safety features: Predictive Collision Warnings on the front and side, Adaptive Cruise Control Calibration to ensure that I don’t get too close to the car in front of me, and Adaptive Headlights because we all like demure, mindful drivers on the road.
Soon enough, we got to our destination but another hurdle approached: I had to navigate narrow, hilly roads. The all-wheel drive Seal Performance ensured that no wet or muddy path was too difficult to access. Before long, we got to Man Yun Space, safe and sound.
As for range anxiety? It barely occurred to me at all. With more than 200km clocked in to and fro, I arrived home with 22% battery life to spare—still in the green, and I began my journey at 80%. How’s that for fuel efficiency? Had I needed to stop for a charge, I had some trusty apps showing me where the closest DC charging stations were. This variant features 7 kw AC Type 2 charging, with the DC charging capabilities allowing you to go from 10% to 80% state of charge (SoC) in just 37 minutes.
With the EV market in Malaysia becoming increasingly competitive, the BYD Seal Performance AWD ranks fairly highly and checks all the boxes including aesthetic, performance, and a fair price point. On-the-road pricing without insurance begins at RM200,500 as of press time, and the EV is available for a test drive at the BYD Sime Darby Showroom in Ara Damansara.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA Malaysia October 2024 Issue.
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