Is the exceptional BYD Sealion 7 the best value electric SUV in South Africa?

Mail & Guardian

2 days ago

The BYD Sealion 7 provides incredible comfort and a smooth drive.
BYD has become an unstoppable force in the world of new-energy vehicles globally after surpassing Tesla with sales figures in late 2024.
Its momentum in South Africa has been slow, however, but it didn't enter the local market very loudly.
In April, BYD finally decided to announce loud and clear that it was here with three new models: the Shark 6, which is a plug-in hybrid bakkie; the Sealion 6, a plug-in hybrid SUV and the Sealion 7, a fully electric SUV that is the flagship model in South Africa.
The
Mail & Guardian
had the Sealion 7 on test for a week.
It's always exciting to get hold of EVs to get to understand them better because they are still fairly rare in South Africa.
I remember my time with the Volvo EX30 and how I struggled to charge the vehicle because I live about 60km out of Johannesburg. Luckily, a home charger is included with the BYD Sealion 7, so that took my early anxiety away.
The Sealion 7 comes with BYD's blade battery, offering 82.56 kilowatt-hour capacity. This means that you get a maximum range of 482km on a full battery, which is a good amount.
I drove the vehicle from Sandton to Springs and back and made multiple trips from Springs to Boksburg. I also used it around town for the time I had it on test and only needed to charge it once.
While the portable wall charger is only 2.2kWh, and takes about 24 hours to charge from 30% to 80%, BYD does include a 7kWh wallbox charger, when you purchase the vehicle. This means that you could charge it to 100% in 12 hours at home.
However, if you are out and about, and can find a fast charging station in the city, the Sealion 7 can charge from 20% to 80% in 30 minutes.
The exterior
In the last quarter of 2024, BYD released the sporty Seal 7 sedan and the Sealion 7 is meant to be an extension of that vehicle.
The Sealion 7 maintains that sporty look with very distinctive headlights in the front and subtle daytime running lights that run sharply below the headlights. The shape in the front is capped off by two bonnet lines that come down towards the headlights.
What I love about the Sealion 7 is that it is a very attractive vehicle but the manufacturer has not overdone anything to give it a sporty feel.
The back is a treat. The SUV does not become boxy but rather follows the curve shape all the way to the boot with a superb lightbar across the back that gives off Porsche Cayenne vibes.
The best word to use for the entire exterior of the BYD Sealion 7 is 'sexy'. There's no doubt that it's a head turner and BYD's intention of producing a sport-coupe SUV is embodied by the exterior.
The interior
BYD does its best work inside the Sealion 7. The interior is plush, comfortable, spacious and packed with technology.
From the time you enter the vehicle, you are treated to beautiful ambient lighting that extends all the way around the vehicle. The leather seats are extremely comfortable and there is ample space even at the back.
The BYD Sealion 7 offers 500 litres of boot capacity, with the rear seats in place, and there's also 58 litres of front boot space that is ideal for an overnight bag.
The centre console is neatly done but the highlight of the interior is the 15.6 inch infotainment screen that can be rotated to either portrait or landscape.
15.6 inches is huge for a screen in a vehicle. This screen allows you to change interior settings in the vehicle, like colours and themes, and even allows you to schedule charging.
There is an exceptional amount of quality and tidiness on the door panels that I appreciated greatly.
For me, the interior of the Sealion 7 is appealing, yet calming. There's a type of zen energy that it gives off while still keeping the sporty-coupe aura.
The drive
Driving EVs is always interesting. The silence when starting the vehicle and moving at slow speeds feels great, but as you pick up speed, that is where you can really understand the ride quality of the vehicle.
One issue that I generally face with EVs is that when you press down on the accelerator, because you get instant torque, the kick feels too powerful and there is no gradual pick up in speed.
BYD has managed this quite well in the Sealion 7. Yes, there is an instant kick but not so much that you are pushed back in your seat.
I also liked that, once you passed 100km/h, the speed picked up gradually but the vehicle still felt very powerful.
Of course, with 230kW of power and 380Nm of torque, power is never going to be a problem.
The variant I was in went from 0 to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds.
You also get the performance all-wheel-drive variant that delivers 390kW of power and 690Nm of torque and goes from 0 to 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds, which is ridiculous.
While there was not much wind noise, and the cabin remained silent, I could feel the smoothness of the drive evaporate slightly when I approached the national speed limit.
Safety
The BYD Sealion 7 has earned a five-star Euro NCAP rating and comes with all the safety features you need.
They include adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and driver-attention warning. The BYD Sealion 7 also comes with predictive collision technology, traffic sign recognition and intelligent speed-limit control.
One thing that was impressive was that the steering wheel was not terribly sensitive to the lane-keep assist as it is in most vehicles. Of course, it would warn you if you tried to move out of the lane without indicating but it was not a constant fight with the steering wheel to assert control over the vehicle.
Verdict
The BYD Sealion 7 is stunning both inside and out, has exceptional features and is more spacious than it looks from the outside. All this, coupled with the fact that it is a fully electric SUV, makes it an exceptional all-round vehicle.
Priced at R1 099 900 for the premium variant and R1 299 900 for the performance variant, it is still great value for money, given how EVs are priced in the country.