BYD Song L 2024 Review

Currently only available in China, the BYD Song L tracks almost exactly on price with its electric brother, the Seal, and since that’s already sold in Australia we can make a fair assumption that prices should be roughly the same here, if it makes it.

That means that the base version of the Song L comes in at 189,800RMB ($41,800), around $2,000 more than the cheapest Seal in China, so you can reasonably expect something like a $60,000 starting price plus on-road costs when it rolls off the boat here. As with the Seal, there’s only one dual-motor variant of the Song L in China and both cost the exact same 249,800RMB ($54,100), which would nudge it just under $75,000 plus ORC if launched in Australia.

At that price, you’d be driving home with a pocket full of change in comparison to the Kia EV6 which, to these eyes, the Song L most resembles in terms of overall shape and styling. You’re likely snagging quite a lot more for your money in the process too, at least in terms of equipment levels. The EV6 is probably still the more daring of the two, but the Song L runs pretty close, and aside from the least powerful version, it will outrun the EV6 in both single and dual-motor forms, but not the rapid EV6 GT.

Standard equipment is fairly comprehensive, with electronic door release buttons on all four doors, an electronic tailgate, dual-layer silver coated thermal insulation panoramic roof, and front seat dual-layer glass. You will also find a 50W vented wireless charger in the front and dual 60W USB-C sockets alongside less powerful USB-A sockets.

The entry-level model sports 19-inch rims while the more powerful variants get 20-inch rims as standard. There’s a fixed ducktail spoiler and blacked-out window trim to enhance the sporty image, while a 48-litre frunk and 410-litre boot, complete with 220V socket inside, make it reasonably practical too.

Upgrade to either the 662km Excellence edition or the dual-motor for a neat three-pot fragrance system, which takes the form of three jewel-like plugs under the main screen. There is also ambient lighting, a light-sensitive panoramic glass roof, a dangle-your-leg-to-open tailgate, memory mirrors, and an active electronic spoiler, as well as facial recognition to access the car and your personal settings. There’s also a 5.8-inch screen in the rear to control the ventilation and heated seats on Excellence and dual-motor variants.

The vehicle warranty, in China at least, is for six years or 150,000km, but it’s unclear what warranty you get on the battery.

The BYD Song L hasn’t yet been subjected to C-NCAP or EuroNCAP testing but given BYD’s stellar five-star performances in EuroNCAP you’d have to imagine the Song L has been built to achieve the same. The standard passive safety kit list is certainly impeccable, with dual front airbags, front and rear side airbags, front and rear curtain airbags, and a driver’s knee airbag all included as standard.

It also comes equipped with the full repertoire of front and rear AEB, front collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, door opening warning, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning… you get the idea.

Just a couple of items are the reserve of the two premium models, including forward lateral collision warning and braking, and driver fatigue and distraction monitoring which is the reserve of Excellence editions and the dual-motor variant. All versions come with a plethora of cameras, millimetre wave radars, ultrasonic sensors, and an intelligent driving high-sensing camera, with a few more ultrasonic and millimetre wave radars the more you spend. Lidar is not an option.

As is now customary in BYD models, the BYD Song L features a 15.6-inch rotatable screen in the centre fascia alongside a 10.25-inch driver’s display. On the top two editions, there’s an additional 50-inch AR head-up display for greater visibility and this works quite well in combination with the satellite navigation.

The Di-link operating system was apparently developed jointly with specialist software developer Snapdragon. While it’s plenty quick enough, it’s fair to say BYD needs to invest more in their UI to bring it up to a standard to match the best in the business. It’s not particularly attractive and the English language system could benefit from a proofreader.

That all said, it does the job for video, TV, and music apps plus built-in sat nav, and a nifty split screen option ensures you see it all at the same time. It also comes with a 5G connection and WiFi, and, if you absolutely must, there are microphones available for karaoke on the top two editions. Depending on spec, the sound system consists of either eight standard speakers or 12 Dynaudio units.

There’s also an intelligent voice assistant that receives spoken commands from all four corners of the interior, and there are even some gesture control functions to control the air conditioning.

Three fully electric drivetrains, two rear-driven and one dual-motor, mean there’s a BYD Song L to suit pretty much all tastes and budgets whether you like your porridge lukewarm or with a dollop of Tabasco on top.

Slowest of the bunch is the 150kW motor producing 310Nm of torque, which compares to the EV6’s 168kW / 350Nm single motor variant. It’s sluggish, with a 0-100kph jog of 8.5 seconds, making it a whole 1.2 seconds slower than the Kia.

This result is reversed, however, with the 230kW / 360Nm rear motor variant which nips in ahead of the Kia at 6.9 seconds. In practice, it feels much faster than that and we half suspect BYD’s timekeeper had was snoozing on the day, because that time is also a whole second slower than the Seal with the same set-up.

Throw an additional 150kW/310Nm motor on the front axle and things get spicier still, with a combined output of 380kW / 670Nm – enough to outsprint the standard dual-motor EV6 by almost a full second (5.2 versus 4.3 seconds), but still half a second adrift of the dual-motor Seal’s best efforts, suggesting maybe the Song L is tuned to be a bit less aggressive than its looks suggest.

On variants of the BYD Song L with the less powerful rear-drive motor, a 71.8kWh LFP blade battery is sufficient to achieve a claimed CLTC (China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle) range of 550km, while the more powerful rear-drive variants, and the dual-motor range-topper, increase the pack size to 87kWh, with the rear drive variants claiming a 662km range and the dual-motor a still impressive 602km.

Our testing of the Song L heavily favoured the rather enjoyable Sport mode and included long static periods running the air con, plus a few hill climb sprints to test the dynamics. So our ‘real world’ figures came out closer to 69% of the official figure. With moderate driving and usage, we’d expect this figure to sit somewhere between 75 and 80% of the stated amount, which meets expectations.

Unfortunately, the Song L’s lack of an 800-volt platform means that charging is a bit less impressive than some rivals, with the smaller battery limited to a DC charging speed of 115kW, while the more powerful motor achieves 140kW. In both versions, a 30-80% charge can be completed within 25 minutes.

Whereas many Chinese cars tend to go a bit overboard on the steering assistance, leading to fairly dull dynamics and lack of feel, the BYD Song L is a joyous exception. From the moment you grasp the wheel there’s an immediate tactility about the weight and heft of the steering that makes you want to find more corners to attack.

It’s not quite at BMW levels of engagement, but it’s enough to put a smile on your face and encourage you to be more engaged in the driving experience. Given a few hairpin bends to tackle, the Song L will generally hold its ground very well, tending towards progressive understeer in the rear-drive version we drove.

Try to kick the back out with a hefty dose of acceleration and the traction control will step in almost immediately to reduce your right foot’s impact on power delivery.

In all rear-drive versions, the Song L comes equipped with something called FSD variable damping suspension, which does a decent job on the vast majority of road surfaces. But give it something more chopped up – typical country roads in Australia, for instance - and you will find it won’t match the non-air sprung Zeekr 007, as one example.

Dual-motor versions of the Song L instead get the Yunnian-C intelligent damping body control system which will likely iron out the rough edges in the standard suspension, while the AWD intelligent torque control system should help rein in some of that understeer in the rear-drive models.

Aside from our test car’s sickly salmon pink trim – an unfortunate trend for BYD models of late – the interior of the BYD Song L is actually a premium affair with a swathe of soft-touch materials on all of the surfaces that matter and some that don’t. Typically for a BYD, there’s also a whole bunch of switchgear to play with for those who prefer the tactile experience.

The three base versions all get leather seats as standard, while the Excellence edition we drove gets Nappa for the seats and steering wheel, and the dual-motor version gets a sportier suede upholstery. All versions come with heated and ventilated front seats as standard, while Excellence and dual-motor versions get heated outer rear seats too and 10-point backrest massage functions for the front.

While all versions come with an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat and six-way adjustable passenger seat, plus backrest adjustment for rear seat passengers, only the Song L Excellence edition or the dual-motor get lumbar support on the front seats and base cushion extension on the front seats. That said, the seats themselves, one-piece affairs up top, are plenty comfortable. The driving position feels low-slung and sporty and the generous side bolsters do plenty for lateral support too.

On the top two editions, the passenger seat comes with switches on the backrest so rear seat occupants can move it out the way for greater legroom if required, but space is generally decent in the rear albeit, a little tighter for headroom with the backrest reclined.

We’re certainly hoping that the BYD Song L will be the mystery SUV that BYD has promised for Australia, but it’s not entirely clear yet. If it does make it, however, it will offer a compelling alternative to the equally sporty-looking Kia EV6 and will likely undercut it on price by a significant margin.

The Song L is a looker, comes with a comfortable and well-equipped cabin with plenty of premium touchpoints, and it’s a pleasure to drive while being generally a little quicker than the EV6. But it falls down a little on charging speed, even if real-world range is right up there with the EV6. We should also add, while the infotainment system looks a little dated compared to Chinese rivals, it makes the EV6’s paltry screen look like Windows 95.

Much will depend on how BYD chooses to price the Song L but the company is building a reputation for offering attractive and well-made cars at competitive prices, and so it will absolutely warrant your attention if it makes it to these shores.

2024 BYD Song L 662km Excellence at a glance:
Price: Estimated around $70,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Unknown. Possibly late 2024.
Powertrain: Rear synchronous motors
Output: 230kW/360Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 87kWh LFP (lithium iron phosphate)
Range: 662km (CLTC)
Energy consumption: 13.1kWh/100km (CLTC)
Safety rating: Not tested

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