BYD Sealion 8: The family-friendly rocket

What is it?

The Sealion 8 range is the Chinese BYD’s first seven seater and has a big role to play.

Sharing its platform and mechanicals with the five-seat Sealion 6, it is positioned as a family-friendly alternative to the likes of the Toyota Kluger, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and other large hybrids.

It blends a petrol engine with electric motors and a sizeable battery, aiming to deliver EV-style efficiency for the day-to-day commute with extended range for longer trips.

In typical BYD fashion it leans hard on tech, with distinctive styling that ties with the brand’s “Ocean” design language and a strong focus on electrification.

As one of the newer entries in the segment, it’s also part of BYD’s push to expand beyond smaller EVs into mainstream family SUVs.

What’s it cost?

The plug-in hybrid or PHEV as they are known comes in three grades: Dynamic FWD ($56,990), Dynamic AWD ($63,990) and Premium AWD ($70,990).

Our test vehicle, the Premium AWD, sits at the top of the trio and is the most powerful and best-equipped version, with more bells and whistles than a one-man street band.

Standard kit includes 21-inch alloys, real leather trim, tri-zone climate control with second and third row ceiling vents, heated and cooled power-adjust seats with massage and adjustable leg rests, plus a heated and power-adjust steering wheel.

There’s also smartphone access and start, a full-length sunroof with electric sunshade, a powered tailgate, LED head and tail lights, head-up display, adaptive cruise control, and a full suite of comfort and convenience features expected in a modern seven-seat SUV.

Instrumentation is provided via a customisable 10.25-inch digital screen.

Infotainment comes in the form of a 15.6-inch touchscreen, but it is fixed and does not rotate as does the screen in the smaller Sealion 6.

The system offers four-zone voice control, Bluetooth with audio streaming, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, built-in satellite navigation, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (both wired or wireless).

In this model, sound comes courtesy of a 1500 watt, 21-speaker DiSound audio system — BYD’s in-house premium brand.

Dynamic models score a 10-speaker Infinity system.

Updates are over-the-air and the BYD Store allows users to download a variety of applications, including YouTube and a suite of arcade games (for the kids).

Built in 4G comes with 2GB of data per month for the first two years, while NFC connectivity means you can set up your phone to lock and unlock as well as start the car.

There’s also wireless phone charging, with USB -A and -C ports in the back, plus another 2 x USB-C, an SD card slot and 12-volt socket in the lower console area in the front.

It’s one of the few wireless chargers that did not try to cook our phone.

As yet the Sealion 8 does not have a Safety rating from the ANCAP organisation.

But as all BYDs have earned a full five-star rating so far, it is likely the Sealion 8 will fare well.

Safety is a strong focus, with nine airbags, a 360-degree camera, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring usually standard.

Sealion 8 is covered by a 6-year/150,000km warranty, with 8-year/160,000km cover for the high voltage battery.

What’s it go like?

Sealion 8 follows the current BYD design language with a sleek, modern front end, LED lighting signatures and clean surfacing that sets it apart from more conservative rivals.

Its footprint is similar to other large seven-seat SUVs, so it fills a fair chunk of the road, but the overall look is cohesive and contemporary rather than boxy.

Getting in and out is straightforward thanks to wide-opening doors and a sensible ride height that doesn’t demand a climb up or down.

But the pop-out door handles are fiddly, not so much when it comes to opening the doors using the keyfob — but trying to reopen them after they have retracted.

It requires a coordinated prod and grab manoeuvre to grab the handle before they disappear again.

Cabin layout is very tech-forward: the dash is dominated by the central touchscreen, backed by a clear digital instrument cluster, and materials are generally impressive for the price point, with soft-touch surfaces in key areas and thoughtful detailing.

Space in the first and second rows is generous, with good leg and head room and supportive seats; the third row is more occasional-use, best suited to kids or short journeys for adults.

What’s more, access to the third row is difficult, with seats that do not fully tumble forward if the front seat is set too far back.

In fact, a partially tumbled second row seat will not return to its original position until the front seat has been moved and it can complete its forward journey.

Had us stumped for a bit.

Boot space with all three rows in use is small but expands significantly when the third row is folded, giving family-friendly practicality.

With all rows in use, there’s 270 litres of space, with the third row folded 960 litres and with both second and third folded 1960 litres.

The infotainment system was slow to load on several occasions and indicated that it was operating in “simple” mode — but this soon disappeared.

All-wheel drive Sealion 8 debuts BYD’s next generation hybrid system known as DM-p, which stands for dual-motor powerful.

The front wheel drive retains the DM-i (dual-motor intelligence) system as found in the Sealion 6 that we tested previously.

The plug-in hybrid system pairs a 1.5-litre turbocharged four cylinder petrol engine with one or more electric motors and a battery large enough to offer a useful all-electric driving range.

Combined outputs for the AWD flagship are prodigious at 359kW of power and 675Nm of torque, delivering brisk acceleration and confident performance even when loaded with passengers and luggage.

There’s six drive modes plus it’s the first BYD to offer Nap, Camping and Carwash modes — whatever they do.

The battery in this grade is 35.6 kWh in size. The FWD has a smaller 19 kWh battery which means less electric range.

DC charging at a rate of up to 74kW takes 30-40 minutes for a 10–80 per cent top up.

AC charging at 11kW will take 3.5-4 hours for a 0-100 per cent charge, or well over 10 hours from a household powerpoint.

The dash from 0-100km/h takes a brisk 4.9 seconds.

Power is sent through a CVT-style automatic transmission to all four wheels, providing extra traction in poor conditions.

In EV mode, the Sealion 8 can run silently for everyday commuting and school runs, with the petrol engine joining in as required under heavier loads or when the battery becomes depleted.

Keep the battery topped up and fuel consumption can be very low.

Once the battery is spent, it behaves more like a traditional hybrid, still trimming fuel use versus a conventional petrol SUV.

Sealion 8 is 5040mm long with a 2950mm wheelbase, and turning circle of 11.9 metres.

On the road, the steering is light and responsive, with enough weight as speeds rise to feel stable.

But you need to be aware of the car’s length because it turns quite sharply, and dragging a rear wheel over guttering is a possibility.

Obvious scrapes on the rear rims, confirmed previous drivers may not have been as vigilant.

Suspension is double-wishbone at front with a multi-link set up at the rear, with four-wheel ventilated disc brakes and 21 inch wheels with 265/45 series Goodyear rubber.

AWD grades add DiSus-C adaptive suspension. Great idea but unfortunately it made my partner carsick.

She did not have this problem in the traditionally sprung Sealion 6.

Haval H6GT PHEV: Plug-in and blast off

The cabin is quiet and ride comfort is generally good, though large wheels and the weight of the battery and drivetrain can make it feel a little firm over sharp bumps.

In this respect, the smaller 20 inch wheels of the entry model with their higher profile Hankook tyres are likely to work better on country roads.

Handling is secure rather than sporty, but body control is competent and the AWD system gives reassuring grip in wet weather.

Braking feel in PHEVs can sometimes be affected by regeneration blending with the friction brakes, but calibration is usually tuned to feel natural once you’re used to it.

The head-up display is large and easy to read, except with polarised sunglasses.

Importantly, the driver assist warnings are subdued, so the negative feedback must be doing its job.

With a 60-litre tank, claimed fuel consumption with a 25 per cent or greater battery charge is 1.0L/100km, rising to 6.3L/100km with less than 25 per cent.

Energy consumption is 19.9kWh/100km and it has an all-electric range of 152km (NEDC) or about 130km under the more realistic WLTP standard. For the FWD it’s 103km NEDC (about 88km WLTP).

We were getting 5.5L/100km after close to 600km of mixed driving, with some 690km remaining according to the trip computer.

The battery hovered around the 70 per cent mark in hybrid mode.

Braked towing is rated at 2000kg and a tyre repair kit is supplied in the event of a puncture.

What we like?

Strong plug-in hybrid performance with usable EV range
Tech-rich cabin with big screens, digital instruments and modern connectivity
Seven-seat practicality with good space in the first two rows and a flexible cargo area
Competitive pricing and warranty for a hi-spec, AWD PHEV family SUV

What we don’t like?

Third row best for kids or occasional use
Ride can feel firm at times due to weight and wheel/tyre combo
PHEV efficiency depends largely on regular charging and driving patterns
Infotainment and touch-heavy controls may overwhelm some buyers who prefer simpler layouts

The bottom line?

The BYD Sealion 8 Premium AWD takes the brand’s EV and hybrid know-how and wraps it in a genuinely family-friendly seven-seat package, with strong performance, impressive tech and keen pricing for an AWD plug-in hybrid.

It’s more than the sum of its parts if you use the EV capability as intended, plugging in regularly and keeping a lot of your running on electric power.

There are areas that still need work, particularly the ride quality and some of the touch-based controls.

Traditional buyers may be cautious about a newer brand in the large SUV space, but if you’re prepared to embrace a tech-forward, electrified family SUV, the Sealion 8 Premium AWD is worth a close look.

In fact, we’d hate to think what this car with this level of equipment would cost with a BMW badge on the back.