BYD Sealion 7 review: Chinese electric SUV makes strong debut despite testing mishap

Despite a hilariously short test drive, the BYD Sealion 7 left a strong first impression thanks to its tech, power and poise

BYD Sealion 7

BYD SEALION 7
Rating	★★★★☆
Price	€45,435 - €47,030 as tested
Power	There is some 308bhp on tap
Range	Claimed range is 482km
The Spec	Pretty impressive, even in entry level model
Verdict	Pretty impressive, even in entry level model

WHEN you cock something up, it is always best the best policy to put your hands up and admit as much. So, here I am throwing myself down before the altar of forgiveness, begging for mercy.

It all has to do with a recent test of the seemingly excellent BYD Sealion 7, the latest all-electric SUV from the Chinese manufacturer which hit the streets here in Ireland recently and is already having a big sales impact.

Having been booked in to test the beast, I duly arrived at the local dealer in Cork early one Monday morning to collect it. I assured the dealer principal it was unnecessary to give me a run-down on the workings of the car because, well, I’m a motoring correspondent and therefore all-knowing.

As is the case with many Chinese cars these days, they are ready to go from the moment you plonk your ass on the drivers’ seat — once you’re in possession of the key, of course. I duly did so, engaged ‘Drive’ on the auto gearbox and drove off, with well over 400km of range being shown.

Now, as sometimes happens with diary bookings this was a week where I had two cars for one reason or another and it was my intention to share the week between them, I was going to take one home to West Cork from my city lair and then come back later in the week and drive the other.

Coming from Little Island to the city I noted the vast amount of tech on offer with the Sealion 7, its enthusiastic response to the throttle, excellent brakes, top drawer interior décor, and its spaciousness.

When I got to my city base, I locked the car and went in home. At this point I was of the opinion it would be going west the following morning. Sadly, this was far from being the case.

I was going to the local shop — on foot, as it happens — later that evening and as I walked past the car the lights suddenly came on. I thought: ‘My God, those Chinese have technology in the car which recognises you as the most recent person to drive it, even if you haven’t got the keys on you.’

Thinking little more of it, other than how ingenious the Chinese were, I went to the shop. I came home about 20 minutes later and the lights were still on. I had supposed that the ‘welcome back’ lights would have turned themselves off. But no, they were still on and so too was the infotainment screen and so forth.

BYD spacious interior

The lights were obviously daylight sensitive because when I came back the following morning, they had turned themselves off. As I readied to go west, I decided to just check that there was a charging cable with the car, but could find nothing of the sort in the boot.

The frunk, I presumed, would be where it was stored. Except I could not access the space under the bonnet. There did not appear to be any interior handle to open it, so I tried to see if there was some control to open it with via the infotainment system, but I couldn’t find one.

If it was not chargeable, then it was not going west — simple as that. I’d leave it in Cork and take it for a good spin when I got back on Sunday. That was the plan, but it turned out to be a bad one.

When I returned on Sunday the battery has drained to the point where there was just 80km of range left. There was going to be no ‘good spin’. According to one of my observant neighbours, the lights came on every night and the infotainment screen seemed to be permanently engaged. He had calculated I was losing roughly one kilometre of charge every hour.

I was dismayed. For a start, it turned out I knew diddly-doo about anything, not least the start/stop procedure on this BYD. That meant that the recharging cable issue was irrelevant anyway. I had to get to the bottom of it.

Having locked and unlocked the car again many times, I still could not solve the lights/infotainment screen situation and they remained doggedly on. In some desperation I sat back into the drivers’ seat to recalibrate.

Like many Chinese cars, there are few actual buttons and everything is largely controlled via the screen. But then I looked down and to my left and, to my horror, I saw a small start/stop button which had previously avoided my attention. What a prat.

So, this was on one of those Chinese cars (or a Volvo EV, which has the same characteristics) which comes alive when your bum touches the seat and turns off when said bum departs. I’d got it terribly wrong and we were now looking at one of the shortest test drives in the history of Examiner Motoring.

You may already know that BYD is now the fastest-selling EV brand in the world, shifting 4.2m of them last year. That’s an impressive achievement considering that in 2020, it sold just 430,000 units.

That being so I can tell you that the Sealion 7 is related to the company’s Seal model, but is styled like a Coupe SUV, although the interior space belies the fact. The tester was the entry level Comfort version with a single motor mounted on the rear axle and driving the rear wheels only.

BYD Sealion 7

There is some 308bhp on tap and this converts into a 0-100km/h time of 6.7seconds and a top speed of 215km/h. Claimed range is 482km and the 10 to 80% charging time is a very respectable 32 minutes, but, sadly, I never got to see that in action.

The two other models in the range — the Design and the Excellence — are both 4WD machines which boast added levels of kit and tech, but the Comfort version is not exactly shy in this regard. The cockpit is dominated by a 15.6” rotating infotainment screen and a separate digital screen in front of the driver for all relevant driving information.

It is a well appointed and built cabin and, as Tesla is one of its main rivals, there’s a lot in here which apes the tech on offer there, which is no surprise.

ALTHOUGH we didn’t get to drive it on the roads which usually provide us with the down and dirty on handling and ride prowess, it seemed decent enough in both departments. As to how engaging it is to drive, we can only guess.

For the price, however, the package seemed to be a very attractive one and we can easily surmise that they’ll sell a shedload of them for the bobs being asked.

However, thanks to the ineptitude of yours truly I can only place myself at the mercy of the generosity of the distributor and suggest they might give me another go in it to truly evaluate how this car performs.

They say that shit happens, but in this case the blame can only be apportioned in one place and I can, therefore, only put my hands up and say: ‘Mea culpa.’