BYD globally has overtaken some legacy ICE brands in terms of sales and that shows how fast this EV maker is climbing the charts. Hence, in no time BYD has developed a huge range of products and similarly, in India, it has steadily expanded its product range while the Seal is its best product yet. It is a global Tesla Model 3 rival and in India, you get single and dual-motor versions.
The top-end Performance is the one that grabs your attention since it claims to do 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds — hence the badge at the rear. That much performance is due to the dual motor AWD configuration with 530hp and 670Nm. The battery pack is a large 82.5kWh one and you can easily get 400-450 km while the official range is 580.
However, the BYD Seal Performance is not about the range but instead the sheer crazy levels of speed that you get. In short, it is perhaps too fast for most but its 0-100 km/h figure makes it a bargain with the kind of performance you are getting.
The Seal looks low-slung when you approach but has an elegant/clean styling theme too with aerodynamics kept as a focus point. It is a long car at 4.8m but looks sporty while having loads of presence. Flush door handles are expected of course and once you get in, the interior is high quality enough to compete with German luxury cars.
The main touchscreen is 15.6-inch and in typical BYD fashion rotates into either portrait or landscape mode.
Let's move to the main highlight and there is no other way to say it — the BYD Seal Performance is fast. Put your foot down and it has the kind of acceleration that makes you uncomfortable. The grip is excellent and the way it climbs up to big speeds is shocking. It is one of the fastest EVs you can get and the AWD puts down all of that power cleanly. Despite its weight, the Seal handles well and the weight distribution which is perfect is one reason. That said, it feels more softly tuned and that is fine since this is no sports car.
The ride is not uncomfortable on the plus side while the only thing being that you need to be careful of its 145mm ground clearance, however, even on some monsoon-riddled roads, it was no issue. The Seal Performance is Rs 53 lakh and that means it is a sizable increase over the single motor long range. For most the single motor is the one to get as performance on offer is more than enough but if you want one of the fastest and also humiliating sports cars, then this is it!
What we like: Looks, quality, performance, value
What we do not like: low ground clearance, glass roof heats up the cabin
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