BYD Sealion 6 2024 Review

The vehicle formerly known as the Seal U but now revealed for the Australian market as the 2024 BYD Sealion 6 is a five-seater mid-size SUV that comes in two flavours here: the entry-level Dynamic, starting at $48,990 plus on-road costs, and the more powerful Premium, priced from $52,990 plus ORCs.

Interestingly, the Dynamic and Premium Sealion 6 have almost identical (and very handsome) equipment lists, so the entry-level vehicle is better described as the ‘low power’ model, given the flagship version really only brings an upgraded hybrid powertrain – for stronger performance but higher fuel consumption too.

BYD is best known as an EV brand, so this pivot to plug-in hybrid power with the Sealion 6 – to be followed soon by the BYD Shark ute – will be a litmus test for the Chinese car-maker.

Measuring 4775mm long, 1890mm wide, 1670mm high and with a 2765mm wheelbase, the Sealion 6 occupies a similar, if slightly bigger, footprint to planet Earth’s best-selling vehicle for 2023, the Tesla Model Y EV, and also compares favourably against Australia’s biggest-selling SUV – the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

Other rivals include the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, MG HS PHEV, Nissan X-TRAIL e-POWER and hybrid versions of the Kia Sportage and Honda CR-V.

The BYD Atto 3 EV is also officially classified as a mid-size SUV, but is slightly smaller at 4455mm long, 1875mm wide and 1615mm high, with a 2720mm wheelbase. It starts from $48,011 plus ORCs.

Warranty provisions look good on the surface with a six-year/150,000km vehicle warranty and an eight-year/160,000 battery warranty, both adding peace of mind. But scratch the surface and read the fine print and you’ll discover that things like the shock absorbers and multimedia system are only covered for three years.

Few other car brands have such complexity and inconsistency around their warranty and we’re not convinced it is good policy in Australia and could lead to owner frustration when it comes time to make a warranty claim.

Nevertheless, BYD seems content to do things differently, and given sales here and globally are on an upward trajectory, it’s unlikely to change.

The 2024 BYD Sealion 6 has emerged with a very high level of equipment across the range.

Standard features on both Dynamic and Premium model grades include synthetic leather-covered seats – heated, cooled and power-adjustable up front – which have a reasonably high-quality feel. Also used on the multi-function steering wheel, the upholstery certainly doesn’t have that cheap vinyl texture you sometimes see.

Other equipment includes a huge panoramic glass roof with a powered sun shade, tinted rear windows, a powered tailgate, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, automatic LED headlights and 19-inch alloy wheels.

There’s a pair of high-resolution screens, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, native GPS satellite navigation and AM/FM and digital radio, pumped through a 10-speaker Infinity audio system.

Keyless entry/start, dual-zone climate control and multi-colour interior mood lighting with audio sync rhythm functionality is noted too, along with USB-A and USB-C ports for front and rear seat occupants.

The only major equipment bonus the Premium gets over the Dynamic is a digital head-up display that projects road speed and other data onto the windscreen in the driver’s line of sight.

All five exterior colours – Harbour Grey, Arctic White, Delan Black, Azure Blue and Stone Grey – are no-cost options. Two-tone black/brown decor is offered on both models, with the Premium adding an optional blue/grey cabin finish.

At the time of writing, the 2024 BYD Sealion 6 had not been tested by independent safety authority ANCAP, but local representatives for the car-maker were confident it would get the maximum five-star rating.

The full-electric version of the closely related BYD Seal U nabbed a five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2023, which is a good sign for the Australian-market Sealion 6 PHEV.

The Sealion is equipped as standard with seven airbags and a full complement of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) including intelligent cruise control, lane departure prevention, blind spot detection, traffic sign recognition and front/rear cross traffic alert with active braking.

Automatic high beam assistance works with the LED headlights to automatically dip them at night if it detects another vehicle.

LEDs are also used for the animated rear indicators, daytime running lights and tail-lights, ensuring the Sealion 6 will be highly visible day and night.

Like all BYD models, the 2024 BYD Sealion 6 comes with a novel rotating central touch-screen. The big 15.6-inch unit looks great in both landscape and portrait settings, the latter improving the satellite navigation functionality by allowing you to see more of what’s ahead on your route.

The native menu system allows for a good amount of finetuning across infotainment and vehicle settings, and while Apple CarPlay only works in landscape mode it looks awesome, taking up the entirety of the large display screen.

Both CarPlay and Android Auto work wired or wirelessly, while a large wireless phone charger has room for two devices but only a 15W output, which is crummy when some rivals such as Tesla offer up to 60W to charge phones much faster.

There’s a comprehensive 12.3-inch instrument panel screen for the driver, offering loads of functionality including energy/power flow graphics that show you when the engine, e-motors or both are running or charging.

As mentioned, the Premium model goes a step further with a crisp head-up display.

Across the range, a novel ‘karaoke’ mode is designed to be a bit of fun, while the Sealion 6 can also receive over-the-air (OTA) updates for a broad range of vehicle systems – not just the sat-nav or the karaoke.

For instance, recent BYD models in Australia were updated to dial back the aggressiveness of certain driver assist safety systems.

Until now, BYD has only sold EVs in Australia, in the form of the Dolphin, Seal and BYD Atto 3.

So the brand has changed lanes with the 2024 Sealion 6 by employing a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid powertrain dubbed DM-i (dual-mode intelligence), offered in regular and performance guise.

The entry-level BYD Sealion 6 Dynamic combines a modest 78kW/135Nm naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder ‘Xiaoyun’ petrol engine with a reasonably powerful 145kW/300Nm front-mounted electric motor to produce a combined output of 160kW/300Nm.

Step up to the Premium model and the 1.5-litre engine adds a turbocharger to lift output to 96kW/220Nm, while the front e-motor also upgrades to 150kW (with the same 300Nm). This powertrain also adds a rear e-motor (120kW/250Nm) to produce a very healthy 238kW/550Nm combined, making the Sealion 6 Premium one of the most powerful mid-size SUVs in the segment.

The dual-motor arrangement also provides the benefit of extra grip via all-wheel drive.

Both vehicles use a single-speed automatic transmission.

According to BYD, the front-drive Dynamic accelerates from 0-100km/h in a claimed 8.5 seconds, while the more compelling Premium version dispatches the benchmark sprint in a claimed 5.9sec.

If you’re expecting whipcrack levels of EV-like thrust, you’ll be disappointed – even in the Premium. After running several full-throttle launches, the claim of a sub-6.0sec 0-100km/h sprint is best described as optimistic.

But what the powertrain lacks in initial oomph it makes up for with an elegance and seamlessness that will likely appeal to a broader spectrum of buyers.

By and large, the Premium powertrain attempts to favour the e-motors in normal operating conditions, but if you drop the hammer, combustion and electric motors work in tandem and the shift between propulsion modes is almost imperceptible.

The petrol engine is also remarkably quiet in operation and is only really heard/felt after burying the throttle for several seconds.

As a plug-in hybrid, the 2024 BYD Sealion 6 can run in pure-electric mode and is good for a claimed 92km in the Dynamic model, or 81km in the Premium. This is based on the NEDC test method, which is not as stringent as WLTP protocols.

The electric-only drive comes from drawing energy from an 18.3kWh lithium-ion ‘Blade’ battery that can be charged by the petrol engine or plugged into a conventional household power point (1.9kW), where it’ll take just over nine hours to fully recharge, according to BYD.

Recharging takes 2.7 hours using a more powerful AC wallbox charger (6.6kW), while a public DC fast-charger (up to 115kW) will take 30 minutes to top up from 20 to 80 per cent capacity.

It was impossible to verify the EV range and recharging claims during our controlled drive route within GM Holden’s former proving ground at Lang Lang in country Victoria, but we’re willing to bet real-world EV range will be around 50-60km.

According to the car-maker, the 2024 BYD Sealion 6 will consume just 1.1L/100km (Dynamic) or 1.4L/100km (Premium) on the combined fuel consumption cycle, although that figure is unlikely to ever be achieved in the real world.

Considering the SUV’s 60-litre fuel tank, BYD says 1000km is achievable with a single tank of fuel and a fully replenished battery, which would result in fuel consumption of around 6L/100km – closer to what we’d expect to achieve.

Not unlike its Seal sedan cousin, the 2024 BYD Sealion 6 is a comfortable and cushy cruiser rather than a dynamic corner carver.

This works in the vehicle’s favour over rough roads, its benign suspension tune absorbing bumps, cracks and unseemly gashes in road surfaces with casual indifference.

It’s also a remarkably quiet vehicle to drive, whether you’re asking for the full beans, accelerating hard from 20-80km/h, or just meandering around a test loop at 60km/h in EV mode.

While the Sealion 6 isn’t exactly a road rocket, the 550Nm that builds in the Premium version gives it a fairly muscular gait. That said, the petrol engine seems to take its sweet time building a full head of steam, perhaps due to its tendency to favour the e-motors in its drive for efficiency.

Refinement levels are impressive – very little wind noise or road and tyre roar to complain about – and even when the small petrol engine is running it’s generally very quiet and operates more discreetly than the turbo-petrol powerplant in the Nissan X-TRAIL e-POWER, for example.

The dual e-motor Premium accelerates with more venom than the single-motor Dynamic, but both deliver more than enough pepper in pure-electric or hybrid mode for regular driving scenarios.

When it comes to driving dynamics, the Sealion 6 is not particularly confident, the soft-ish suspension unable to control the vehicle’s body as neatly as in a Kia Sportage or even a Toyota RAV4 through corners.

It doesn’t need to be sports-car-flat through turns, and the supple ride comfort is certainly a more important metric in a family-oriented SUV, but having a bit more car control would certainly improve its on-road behaviour.

The fact that both the Dynamic (1940kg) and Premium (2100kg) Sealion 6 are at least 180kg heavier than a top-spec Toyota RAV4 Hybrid (1760kg) also affects their handling response.

We wouldn’t be comfortable trekking up boggy, washed-out fire trails in the 2024 BYD Sealion 6.

However, we did have the chance to drive this Chinese chariot on some dirt roads around the Lang Lang proving ground and it performed predictably at both low and high speeds.

The perceived quality and design of the 2024 BYD Sealion 6’s interior is much like its sedan sibling, the Seal – good but not outstanding.

Loose plastics or dodgy materials are thankfully few and far between, while the big and cushy synthetic leather-upholstered front seats look and feel good, fitted with power operation for both driver (eight-way) and passenger (four-way), along with heating and cooling functions.

That said, integrated head restraints in sporty-looking front seats means you can’t adjust them for height – not ideal for taller drivers.

Storage solutions are very good with plenty of cubbies provided for your junk, plus there are spring-loaded cup holders and a reasonably large centre bin between driver and front passenger.

A stubby little imitation crystal gear shift lever is neatly integrated among a handful of physical controls in front of the twin wireless phone chargers, including a quartet of frequently used controls including climate on/off and auto toggles, plus front defroster and a physical volume dial (praise be!).

You still have to dial through the touch-screen menus to adjust temperatures and whatnot, but it’s appreciated that not all physical controls have been eradicated.

The back seat is roomy with more than enough space for two adults, three at a pinch, and cushion comfort is above-average. Amenity is so-so, comprising a pair of USB-C ports, air vents and a fold-down centre arm rest.

ISOFIX and top-tether strap anchorage points are provided for securing child restraints.

The powered tailgate exposes ample boot space for a mid-size SUV – 574 litres with all seats in place. This expands to 1600 litres when the rear seats are folded down.

There is no spare wheel, only a tyre repair kit.

Apart from the needlessly convoluted warranty provisions and floppy handling dynamics, there’s a lot to like about the 2024 BYD Sealion 6.

The cabin is modern, it has loads of technology and the powertrain is ultra-quiet, buttery-smooth and should prove economical too. Relatively sharp pricing, given the amount of equipment on board, should also tempt a lot of buyers.

There are better SUVs out there – including our Best Mid-Size SUV for 2024, the Kia Sportage – but as a challenger with some unique selling points the Sealion 6 is a solid offering in Australia’s most popular market segment.

We’re certainly looking forward to getting to know the Sealion 6 better, away from the controlled conditions of a proving ground.

2024 BYD Sealion 6 Premium at a glance:
Price: $52,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol-electric
Output: 96kW/220Nm (electric motors: front 150kW/300Nm; rear 120kW/250Nm)
Combined output: 238kW/550Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Battery: 18.3kWh lithium-ion
Range: 81km (NEDC)
Energy consumption: 17.9kWh/100km (NEDC)
Fuel: 1.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 32g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested