BYD Sealion 7

Long-awaited and highly-anticipated, the Chinese automaker’s latest model release officially launched in Malaysia, the new BYD Sealion 7.

An all-electric coupe-SUV, the D-segment contender underpins BYD’s Intelligent e-Platform 3.0 architecture and BYD’s Blade Battery Technology.

Fully-imported (CBU - China), available via Sime Darby Beyond Auto (BYD distributor) are two variants (Premium - MYR 184,500, Performance - MYR 200,500).

Prices (OTR, w/o insurance) cover vehicle (six years/150,000 KM), blade battery (eight years/160,000 KM), and drive unit (eight years/150,000 KM) warranties.

Four (single-tone) exterior colours (Atlantis Grey, Shark Grey, Aurora White, Cosmos Black). One (single-tone) interior colour (Black).

The new Sealion 7 gets a sailboat-esque and tiered dashboard design, linked to a high-rising-wide centre console (ball-head gear shifter, wireless charger).

Soft-/hard-touched, it sees a single-tone scheme (Black - dash, centre console, steering wheel, doors) with contrast trims (Silver - dash, steering wheel, centre console, doors).

Fitted is a floating-rotating touchscreen (landscape/portrait - infotainment), a dash-integrated driver display (instrument cluster), and an illuminated panel (passenger side).

Heightening the ambience is an RGB dynamic mood lights with rhythm system (ambient lights - dash, door panels).

Inclusively, the layout is ergonomic and non-cluttered, with accessibilities purposefully-arranged (driver-centric, user-friendly).

Mounted for the driver is a 10.25-Inch LCD digital instrument cluster with a 50-Inch Head-Up Display (W-HUD).

Comfortably-plush, the interior sees genuine leather upholstery in a single-tone colour scheme (Black - quilted seats, centre console, door cards).

Fitted are electric-powered (front - driver - 8-way/4-way-lumbar/memory, passenger - 6-way, heating/ventilation) and manually-operated (rear - 60:40 split-fold) ergonomic seats.

Included are armrests (front - centre console, rear - centre seat fold-out), and a panoramic glass sunroof (electric - slide/tilt, sun shade).

The five-seater e-coupe-SUV offers generous cabin space, providing comfortable seatings with ample interior mobility. Generous head-, shoulder-, and leg-room. 

Comfort and space are courtesy of the e-platform 3.0, which features a long wheelbase and a rear cabin flat floor (architecture - Cell-To-Body - CTB).

Practical spaces available. E.g., centre console caverned/partitioned spaces, a glove box, seat back/side door pockets, and trunk (front, rear).

Mounted is a four-spoke-flat-bottom steering wheel, wrapped in genuine leather (Black) with contrast trimmings (Silver).

Features are multi-function buttons (media, voice assistant, Bluetooth, ACC - Adaptive Cruise Control), and column adjustments (tilt, telescopic). 

Aiding the drive is an Electric Power Steering (DP-EPS) system.

Provided are four cup holders (two - front, rear) and four bottle holders (one - side doors).

Installed are one 12 V power socket (front), four USB ports (two - front, rear), and one wireless charger (front - centre console).

Also included is a 3.3 KW Vehicle-To-Load (V2L) function for powering of external appliances. 

Accessing its electric-tailgate (contactless - kick-sensor, one-touch open/close, remote/key fob, button) opens up to 500-Litres (rear seats up) and 1,769-Litres (rear seats down) of load capacities. 

Included is a front trunk (frunk) with a 58-Litre capacity.

Weighing in at 2,225 KG (Premium) and 2,340 KG (Performance), the new Sealion 7 stands at 4,830 MM in length, 1,925 MM in width, 1,620 MM in height, and with a wheelbase spanning 2,930 MM.

Aerodynamically-sleek, its sporty exterior parades the company’s ‘Ocean Aesthetics’ design concept, exuding clean- and sharply-sculpted flowing lines.

Low-slung, the ‘Ocean X’ front-end sees a moulded-bonnet, rounded quarter panels, and an X-shaped bumper (grille-less, corner cut-outs, lower central-vented).

Accentuations are body cladding (Black - bumper, fenders, side mirror arms), body trimmings (Black - air-vents, side sills, window surrounds), and BYD script (Chrome).

Aerodynamically-smooth, the silhouette continues the design language, emphasised by seamlessly-jointed and horizontally-aligned contours.

A short-overhang, the fastback-esque rear-end sees a dipped roofline, a roof-edge spoiler, a wavy tailgate, roundly-muscular quarter panels, and a cladded bumper.

Accentuations are body cladding (Black - diffuser, fenders, side sills), body trimmings (Black - D-pillars, slit-like tailgate trim, window surrounds), and BYD script (Chrome).

Fiercely-angular, the headlamps are framed inward-tilted and in BYD’s double-U floating design. Installed are full LED units with dotted light graphics.

Features are sequential turn signals, LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), automatic On/Off, High Beam Assist (HBA), unlock/lock ‘breathing’ animation, and Follow-Me-Home function.

Sleekly-slim and elongated, the tail lamps are in a lightbar design. Centre-slim with roundly-broad wrapped-around edges. Installed are full LED units with ‘water-droplet’ light graphics.

Features are sequential turn signals, automatic On/Off, unlock/lock ‘breathing’ animation, and Follow-Me-Home function. Included is a set of fog lamps and a high-mounted brake light (spoiler integrated - LED).

The side mirrors (two-toned - Black, body-coloured) are electric-powered (auto-fold/tilt, adjust), with sequential turn-signals, blind spot-indicators (Blind Spot Detection - BSD), heating, and memory.

Mounted is a set of ventilated-cross-drilled (front) and ventilated (rear) disc brakes, featuring coloured (Red) callipers (Performance).

Incorporated systems are Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold, regenerative braking, and Intelligent Power Brake.

Variant Premium rides on a set of 19-Inch dual-tone (Black-Silver) multi-spoke alloy rims, rubbered-up in 235/50 R19 (front) and 255/45 R19 (rear) Continental EcoContact 6 Q tyres.

Variant Performance surges on a set of 20-Inch dual-tone (Black-Silver) multi-spoke alloy rims, rubbered-up in 245/45 R20 (front, rear) Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres.

The new Sealion 7 features the ‘BYD Intelligent Driving System’ set of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). 

Grouped (Premium, Performance) are Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Departure Prevention (LDP), Emergency Lane Keeping Assist (ELKA), Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), Predictive Collision Warning (PCW), Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR), Intelligent Speed Limit Information (ISLI), Intelligent Speed Limit Control (ISLC), Front Cross Traffic Alert (FCTA), Front Cross Traffic Brake (FCTB), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Rear Cross Traffic Brake (RCTB), Blind Spot Detection (BSD), High Beam Assist (HBA), Driver Attention Warning (DAW), and Intelligent Torque Adaption Control (iTAC).

Other standard systems (Premium, Performance) are Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Hill-Hold Control (HHC), and Surround View Monitor (SVM - 360-degree camera).

Passive safety consists of nine airbags (driver-passenger, driver-centre, front-rear-side, front-rear curtain), seat belts (pretensioners, anchors, reminders), ISOFIX (outer rear seats), electronic child lock, automatic anti-dazzle interior rear-view mirror, parking cameras (reverse, 360-degree), parking sensors (two-front, four-rear), Intelligent power brake system, Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold system, Door Opening Warning (DOW), and Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

Equipped is a 15.6-Inch intelligent rotating touchscreen display (landscape/portrait - infotainment). 

Features are Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (wireless), voice assistant, satellite navigation, and Over-The-Air (OTA) updates.

Entertainment is channelled via a setup of the HIFI Dynaudio Premium Sound system (12 speakers).

The new Sealion 7 features variant-specific e-powertrain setups.

Variant Premium nestles a rear-mounted electric motor (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor - PMSM), producing 230 KW/308 HP and 380 NM.

Variant Performance fuses two electric motors (front - Squirrel Cage Induction Asynchronous Motor - 160 KW/215 HP, 310 NM, rear - PMSM - 230 KW/308 HP, 380 NM), generating a combined output of 390 KW/523 HP and 690 NM.

Churning the setup is a single-speed automatic transmission.

Variant Premium sees a Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) setup, while variant Performance sees an All-Wheel Drive (AWD) setup.

0 to 100 KM/H acceleration is done in 6.7 seconds (Premium) and 4.5 seconds (Performance). 

Powering the e-motors is BYD’s Blade Battery Technology, featuring a Blade Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery (82.5 KWH, 400 V), providing a total driving range (NEDC) of 567 KM (Premium) and 542 KM (Performance).

DC charging (CCS2 - 150 KW), takes 32 minutes for a 10% to 80% State of Charge (SoC). AC charging (Type 2 - 11 KW).

Also included is a regenerative braking system, and a 3.3 KW Vehicle-To-Load (V2L) function for powering of external appliances.

The new Sealion 7 features these conveniences.

E.g., keyless entry/start system (entry, engine Start/Stop button, electric flush door handles), portable card key (NFC - side mirror sensor), voice assistant (four zone), dual-zone automatic air-conditioning (rear-vents, PM2.5 air filtration system, PM2.5 high efficiency filter -CN95, negative ion air-purifier), steering wheel (multi-function, column adjustments, voice assistant, media, Bluetooth, ACC - Adaptive Cruise Control, EPS), electric-powered side mirrors (blind spot-indicators, auto-fold/tilt/adjust, heating, memory), automatic anti-dazzle interior rear-view mirror, electric-powered (front - driver - 8-way/4-way-lumbar/memory, passenger - 6-way, heating/ventilation) ergonomic seats, armrests (front - centre console, rear - centre seat fold-out), height-adjustable cup holders (front), panoramic glass sunroof (electric - slide/tilt, sun shade), electric-tailgate (contactless - kick-sensor, one-touch open/close, remote/key fob, button), frunk (58-Litres), parking cameras (reverse, 360-degree), parking sensors (two-front, four-rear), interior lighting (LED - ambient, reading, boot), Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold, Vehicle-To-Load (V2L) function, wireless charger (front), soundproof double-glazed glass (windshield, front doors), rear windscreen (electric heating/defrosting), automatic headlamps (On/Off), High Beam Assist (HBA), automatic wipers (rain sensing, intermittent), and automatic windows (one-touch up/down, anti-pinch).

Installed is a dual-zone automatic air-conditioning system (rear-vents, PM2.5 air filtration system, PM2.5 high efficiency filter -CN95, negative ion air-purifier).

Underpinned is the Intelligent e-Platform 3.0 (BYD Cell-To-Body (CTB) architecture), providing the vehicle body with a ‘Sandwich Structure’ build (stability, handling, performance).

Propping-up the chassis is a suspension setup of double wishbones (front) and multi-link (rear), incorporating a setup (front, rear) of Frequency Selective Damping (FSD) shock absorbers.

Also installed is the Intelligence Torque Adaptation Control (iTAC), which allocates drive torque to minimise skidding and enhance safety.

Ride comfortability feels flexible and firm at the same time. The e-coupe-SUV delivers a comfortable and light steering feel, smooth overall electric performance at all speeds.

Good sound insulation with most of the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) aspects accounted for. The ride is quiet, refined and the road noise is mostly muted.

An extra sound dampening feature comes in the form of a soundproof double-glazed glass (windshield, front doors).

The new BYD Sealion 7 exudes a sleek and energy filled outlook. An ocean-inspired design language that features smooth and seamless body contours.

Interior-wise, its innovative layout paired with many elements of advanced sophistication, give a sense of airiness and easy connectivity to the occupants. 

Performance-wise, it offers a great all-electric drive with two powertrain options and the Intelligent e-Platform 3.0 (BYD Cell-To-Body (CTB)) underpinnings.

Overall, inside and out the build quality is satisfactory, and with its distinctive outlook and competitive pricings, the new Sealion 7 is truly a contender in its segment.