Car review
BYD Sealion 8’s appeal shines through, kitchen sink and all
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Big bold design masks the Sealion 8’s generous size.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
SINGAPORE – “Everything and then some” seems to be the recipe behind BYD’s Sealion 8 DM-i.
Fresh design with plenty of creature comfort features? Check. Space for seven adults? Got that, too. Throw in a generous operating range and finish with an aggressive price tag, and you have a complete package that few competitors can match – save for a few niggles.
Rather than replacing the electric Sealion 7 or the five-seater Sealion 6, the new car expands the line-up. It is also BYD’s first seven-seater sport utility vehicle (SUV) for the Singapore market.
Like the Sealion 6, it relies on a 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid powertrain. Recharging the hybrid’s battery is done via the engine or a standard electric vehicle (EV) charger.
The Sealion 8 is BYD’s most aggressive-looking model yet. While its lighting design and the wavy belt line running under the windows are consistent with other BYD models, bolder details set it apart.
These include the diagonal slashes on the front doors, black fins beneath the two-tier headlights and unusually pronounced haunches over the wheel arches.
These muscular cues cleverly disguise the car’s massive footprint. At over 5m long with a wheelbase that is just 50mm shy of 3m, the Sealion 8 is nearly as big as the BMW 7-series from not too long ago. You fully appreciate its size only when swinging open the long rear doors.
Those dimensions translate into a supersized cabin. Two average-sized adults can fit in the third row comfortably. There are also air-con vents to keep everyone cool, with separate climate controls in the middle row. When it comes to luggage space, even with all the seats in use, there is still enough to fit a couple of cabin-size bags.
BYD’s cabin design has also matured since the breakout Atto 3 of 2022.
The interior scores high for ease of use.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Gone are the guitar strings on the door panels and rotating touchscreen. Instead, there is a clean dashboard design.
The cabin can feel a bit dark at night without ambient lighting, the upholstery is not quite as supple as the Sealion 7’s and there are hard plastics lurking in places. But the overall ambience remains plush and well-appointed.
The front seats are ventilated alongside an additional set of electric adjustments near the right shoulder of the passenger seat. This feature – more common among chauffeur-driven cars than family SUVs – allows the driver to slide the passenger seat forward and make space for the boss climbing into the middle row.
Tactile physical controls have been preserved. They are for essential functions, like the volume roller and drive mode selector, while the infotainment touchscreen handles the rest with an intuitive menu set-up.
Legroom for the third row is expandable, making it easy to fit two adults.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Previous BYDs reviewed have done well in terms of connectivity tech, but the smartphone pairing feature on this particular test car was temperamental. It refused to launch Apple CarPlay after restarts, but this was resolved after reinitiating the phone pairing process two more times.
That temporary silence highlighted just how quiet the cabin is. The double-layer glass windows really helped with keeping wind noise at bay. Even the shape of the wiper arms seems to have been tuned for refinement. The wiper spray nozzles are integrated into the arms, which makes the wiper more effective.
The car defaults to electric mode, with its 19kWh battery offering up to 80km of operating range.
The car seems rather good at recovering energy when slowing down. The 1.5-litre engine engages so seamlessly that the car’s occupants rarely notice its presence. Based on the 3½-day test drive, the car’s real-world range is projected to cross 800km, which is good, even if it is nearly 100km less than claimed.
With a combined output of 205kW, or 275hp, the BYD outmuscles something like a Mercedes-Benz GLC300. The instantaneous electric torque enables the Sealion to move rather effortlessly, even when fully loaded.
For now, BYD is not pitched as a direct alternative to a Mercedes-Benz, not when the German car costs $120,000 more. But even by BYD’s own standards, the Sealion 8 represents great value.
On paper, the plug-in hybrid is more expensive than the single-motor, high-grade electric Sealion 7 by more than $14,000. But that has to do with the EV’s price, including a $30,000 tax rebate – something that the plug-in hybrid does not have.
Other than delivering plenty of bang for the buck, the seven-seater is also a great cruiser on the expressway. However, the suspension can get caught out over rapid crests and dips, bobbling noticeably. But temper your inputs slightly and the Sealion 8’s immense appeal shines through, kitchen sink and all.
Well-equipped and usefully big, the Sealion 8 is a hit.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
BYD Sealion 8 DM-i
Price: $306,888 with certificate of entitlement (COE) before applicable discounts
Engine: 1,498cc 16-valve inline-4 turbo paired with 200kW motor and 19kWh battery
Transmission: Electronically controlled continuously variable
Power: 205kW
Torque: 315Nm
0-100kmh: 8.6 seconds
Top speed: 200kmh
Fuel and power consumption: 5.3 litres/100km and 21.4kWh/100km
Charging capacity: 11kW AC; 40kW DC
Agent: E-Auto
Rating: ★★★★☆
Comparable considerations
Skoda Kodiaq Selection ($309,900 with COE before applicable discounts)
The European answer to the call for a mid-sized seven-seater SUV, the Kodiaq is not as spacious as the Sealion 8. Its 1.5-litre mild-hybrid powertrain cannot match the BYD’s smoothness, but some will prefer the comfort of a more familiar technology.
Hyundai Santa Fe (from $330,499 with COE before applicable discounts)
Ruggedly good-looking and nearly as refined as the Sealion 8, the Santa Fe is a stylish alternative. The interior looks more premium than the BYD’s, even if it is not as spacious.
