BYD Sealion 6 DM-i Plug-In Hybrid: Going The Distance

What we like:

Fit for urban dwellers with space requirements

Petrol range extender for long distance drives

Raft of safety features

What we dislike:

Slightly dated interior

Lack of minute comfort adjustments

Restricted rear window aperture

The government’s push for cleaner, sustainable private transportation saw the introduction of the EEAI (EV Early Adoption Incentive) plus an enhanced VES banding back in 2021. Reaping the first fruits of success was Tesla; the EV-only brand that doubled down as a retail concept model saw through 924 registrations in said year.

On the other hand, BYD - a privately-owned Chinese brand that had an island presence since 2014 - saw a humble 89 vehicles registered in the same year. Fast forward a mere four years later, little would anyone have guessed that this ‘David’ would go on to surpass several other ‘Goliaths’ in the market, such as Toyota, Honda, Mazda and even Mercedes-Benz, by quite a fair margin.

Well known today for its smattering of clean, efficient yet affordable cars in today’s context of exorbitant COEs, the Chinese manufacturer has once again turned up the dial on its competitors with a first in its line-up: A petrol plug-in hybrid model into its 2025 product line-up.

Introducing the Sealion 6 DM-i, a plug-in hybrid SUV that slots neatly between the Atto 3 and the larger Sealion 7. It’s just what today’s family car buyer is looking for.

When viewed from a considerable distance, one might mistake this for a Sealion 7, sans the softened front and rear visuals. The other major visual differentiators would include slit-like apertures on the front where cooling components for the engine are directly located behind.

There is something about horizontal lines; BYD makes good usage of vertical surfaces, giving the vehicle a visually wider rear stance than it should be, with a long third brake tail light mounted on the roof spoiler with the unbroken brake light bar acting as a reference.

With 425 litres of boot space, there’s plenty of room to swallow strollers, golf bags and other bulky essentials. The wide trunk opening makes packing a breeze, while its clever design ensures every inch can be put to good use.

While the exterior exemplifies the length BYD has gone to make this a relatively polished SUV, the interior doesn’t quite follow the Sealion 7’s swanky and futuristic interior. What’s neat though, is the supple two-toned black-brown vegan leather interior which matches the exterior Stone Grey pantone very well.

At the heart of the Sealion 6’s cabin is a rotating 15.6-inch touchscreen, which houses around 80% of the car’s comfort controls and supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Complementing this are two 15W wireless phone chargers, while audio comes courtesy of a 10-speaker Infinity sound system.

The 2,820 mm wheelbase offers generous space, a welcome relief for those tasked with driving the family around. It feels adequately sufficient for a typical family of four, and possibly fitting a trio snugly in the rear if the need arises.

For a vehicle of this price point, a full-length panoramic glass roof is certainly a wow factor, allowing sunlight to permeate and uplift. The glass roof up front can also be electronically opened to a certain degree to allow fresh air into the cabin should opening the windows not be a suitable proposition.

The 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated Xiaoyun engine, developed in-house by BYD, is the heart of BYD's hybrid DM-i technology in the Sealion 6 DM-i. Possessing a touted thermal efficiency of more than 40%, it helps generate 97 bhp while generating 122 Nm of torque. Paired together with its main form of propulsion from a single front-wheel driven electric motor, the 0-100km/h is dispatched in just 8.5 seconds, making it pretty decent at overtaking.

As a plug-in hybrid, the usual offering of Mode 2 charging ports will accept dedicated AC charging at 7 kW and DC charging at 18 kW respectively. With the 18.3 kWh battery fully topped up from 15% to 100% in between 1.3 to 2.8 hours (depending on the nature of the charging), it provides a full-EV WLTP recorded driving range of about 80 km.

If charging stations aren’t available, the 60-litre fuel tank steps in as a generator, automatically recharging the battery once the state of charge drops to 25%, ensuring there’s always enough power to keep you moving.

Since the main form of propulsion prioritises full-electric driving, the engine in combination with the electric motor will seamlessly take the vehicle to a WLTP recorded mileage of 1,100 km. We have no doubt about that, given our testing was slightly over half a week of driving throughout the days on a mixed set of highway and urban settings with specific kWh and fuel consumption recordings logged.

Driving isn’t all about frugality, as experienced during our time with the vehicle. While clearly prioritising daily ride comfort over performance, it is still able to handle corners pretty decently and predictably within sane limits, with progressive understeer from its 19” Giti tyre-shod wheels gently reminding you to dial it a notch back should one overcook it slightly.

With BYD’s well-versed know-how in battery technology and massive R&D investments into engine technology, the Sealion 6 DM-i is BYD’s strong proposition at resolving range anxiety fears, as well as stepping up to several key players touting hybrid models in the market presently. BYD is quickly gaining traction in a hotly contested market segment and with current COE prices still heading up north, it certainly makes for a serious and viable consideration in today's context.

Photos by Aaron Hia

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