BYD SEALION 5 DM-i

The SEALION 5 DM-i mixes an assured, confident stance with clever packaging that ensures its class-leading levels of interior space. The car measures 4,738mm long, 1,860mm wide and 1,710mm high – and it has a relatively long wheelbase of 2,712mm that helps to deliver excellent rear legroom. The front design features crisp lines below the full-LED headlights, with slim LED daytime-running lights, a sophisticated ‘textured’ front grille and a lower bumper that helps to widen the car’s stance.

The sides of the car feature crisp surfacing in the lower panels, and muscular shoulders that flare over the wheelarches, along with a contrast-colour D-pillar that creates a visual motif and helps to give the roof a ‘floating’ effect. The clean, minimalist rear of the car has a fullwidth light bar and sharply angled full-LED tail-lights, as well as a subtly integrated roof spoiler.

The interior design of the SEALION 5 DM-i is inspired by the shapes of nature, and the front cabin’s flowing lines manage to envelop the occupants while retaining a feeling of space and airiness.

The dashboard incorporates an 8.8-inch digital instrument panel that shows all key driving information, and a 12.8-inch high-resolution touchscreen that houses BYD’s latest infotainment system. It features ‘Hi BYD’ voice commands, integrated Apple and Android smartphone connectivity, and useful shortcuts for key functions on a customisable interface. Even the heating and ventilation can be controlled easily when driving, through three-finger swipes – from side to side for fan speed, up and down for temperature.

The system features popular apps for music and streaming services, and is compatible with over-the-updates, allowing additional features and apps to be added over time.

It’s easy to keep devices charged up in the SEALION 5 DM-i too, with pairs of USB Type C ports (one 60W, one 18W) in the front and rear cabins. The range-topping Design version also gets a 15W wireless smartphone-charging pad in the front console.

The overall cabin space – with excellent levels of headroom and legroom – makes the SEALION 5 DM-i a proper five-seater, with enough room for adults to travel in comfort on even longer journeys.  

There’s plenty of space for luggage, too, thanks to a load bay that’s large and well-shaped, with a 463-litre capacity that’s more than enough for suitcases or large shopping trip. Folding down the 40:60-split rear seat extends this space to 1,410 litres, and the floor remains usefully flat in this configuration, making it easier to slide in heavy and bulky items. For even greater convenience, the tailgate is powered on the range-topping Design version of the car.

All versions of the SEALION 5 DM-i get Vehicle-to-Load technology as standard. It allows external devices – everything from a coffee machine or a laptop, to a portable fridge or fairy lights – to be powered at up to 3.3kW. This feature makes the SEALION 5 DM-i the ultimate choice for families who want their car to support their active lifestyles.

The SEALION 5 DM-i benefits from BYD’s ground-breaking Super Hybrid with DM technology, which mixes an EV driving experience with the reassurance and long-range back-up of a stateof-the-art petrol engine-based hybrid system.

DM stands for Dual Mode and as the name suggests, the system operates in two distinct ways; EV, where the wheels are driven solely by the electric motor, and HEV, where the same principle applies most of the time. In both of these situations the petrol engine, a 1.5-litre Xiaoyun unit designed specifically for Super Hybrid powertrains and with a thermal efficiency of 43.06 per cent, is supplying charge to the battery and electric motor via an inverter. In this mode, the car has the driving response of a pure EV. In moments when additional power is required, HEV mode has the ability to switch from Series to Parallel, combining the potential of the petrol engine and the electric motor.

The powertrain therefore spends the majority of its time operating like an EV, with over 53 miles of pure-electric range from the larger of the SEALION 5 DM-i’s two Blade Batteries. The system’s intelligent control (the ‘i’ in DM-i) lifts the efficiency comfortably beyond what’s possible in conventionally powered family SUVs, with weighted combined fuel consumption of as little as 134.5 mpg and a combined range, on a full charge and a full tank of petrol, of as much as 631 miles.

This makes the SEALION 5 DM-i an excellent alternative to pure-combustion models, with its blend of EV response and refinement, long cruising range and the potential to complete many journeys without using any petrol at all, further reducing running costs.

Each of the SEALION 5 DM-i’s two trim levels gets its own Super Hybrid with DM technology configuration, with differing battery sizes supporting the same total system power output of 212ps.  In the Comfort version the battery capacity is 12.96kWh, delivering up to 38.5 miles of combined pure-electric range, and an overall WLTP combined range figure of 616. This edition can accelerate from 0-62mph in 7.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 106mph.

The Design edition has a larger 18.3kWh battery, raising the pure-electric range to 53 miles and the combined range to 631 miles. Its 0-62mph time is 8.1 seconds, and it has the same top speed.

SEALION 5 DM-i customers will be suitably protected by a full suite of driver assistance technologies. These include Adaptive Cruise Control and Intelligent Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assistance, Blind Spot Detection, Intelligent Speed Limit Control, Lane Departure

Warning, and Forward and Rear Collision Warning. Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Departure Prevention, Automatic Emergency Braking and Hill Hold Control also feature, along with seven airbags (driver’s, front passenger’s, front centre, front side and side curtain), ISOFIX and i-Size connections on the outer rear and front passenger’s seats, a mechanical child-safety lock and an auto-lock system.

Regardless of trim level, the SEALION 5 DM-i comes with a generous standard-equipment list that delivers excellent value for money. The Comfort version features metallic paint as standard, along with 18-inch alloy wheels, aluminium roof rails, LED headlights and tail-lights, an 8.8-inch digital instrument panel, a 12.8-inch infotainment screen, electrically adjustable front seats, four USB ports and rear parking sensors. It also features typical customer-focused BYD technologies, including NFC key access that allows you to access the vehicle using your smartphone, and Vehicle-to-Load.  

As well as the larger battery for greater pure-electric range, the Design edition adds front parking sensors and a 360-degree camera, an electric tailgate, heated front seats and a 15W wireless smartphone-charging pad.