BYD Sealion 7 Performance Review: A Seal That Jumps Higher

What we like:

Great looks

Attractive interior

Fairly dynamic to drive

Luxury without the huge price tag

What we dislike:

User interface feels unfinished

The Atto 3 essentially broke ground for BYD in Singapore. Its introduction drummed up interest in the brand, and the floodgates were opened when a Cat A variant was introduced. The rest, as they say, is history. The Atto 3 is now easily BYD’s best selling model.

But BYD lacked a larger, more premium SUV that satiated the desires of more demanding customers who were looking for their next car after a BMW, Audi or Mercedes. It’s this mass luxury segment where the thick of the action is in our COE-distorted market, with disproportionately high sales numbers despite the positioning. After all, why not pay just a few percentage points more for a luxury brand?

That’s where the Sealion 7 slots right in to offer the same luxuries for a much lower price. It could well pass off as a Denza easily. Built on the familiar e-Platform 3.0 as well as utilising the Blade battery and Cell-to-Body (CTB) installation, these are terms we are very familiar with now when it comes to BYD cars. In a sense, the Sealion 7 is pretty much what we expected, but not in a bad way. With BYD, we have learnt to come with high expectations - and then end up being even more impressed.

Designed by German Wolfgang Egger, the man responsible also for cars like the Alfa Romeo 156, 147 and 8C Competizione, the Sealion 7 cuts a handsome porpoise-like shape. It’s sleek and distinctive, sporting a very European look especially with its chunky multi-spoke rims too.

The interior of the Sealion 7 has obvious links to the Seal, which is no bad thing at all. The materials, design and architecture all feel very premium. It’s not simply a generic one-size-fits-all design too, as many EVs would be victim to. There’s a genuine attempt to work with the aquatic theme, and it mostly works. In terms of space, there’s a huge amount of legroom (thanks to the slim Blade battery) and shoulder room too, and even though there is a coupe-like roofline, it’s not too difficult to get into the car.

My main bugbear, as it is for other BYDs, is that the software and user interface could look more polished. There are still some odd back-end things that end up being shown to the customer (like “Wiper Mode_1” or something to that effect) and also some cheesy animation and sound effects. But these, I would expect, can be easily updated later via OTA.

The Sealion 7 is available in Singapore as the Premium or the Performance variant, both of which sit in Category B. We got the full-fat Performance to test, which packs 523 bhp and 690 Nm of torque from its dual motor setup. Obviously, the car is simply rapid, but it is also very agreeable driving normally day-to-day. The setup has been geared such that the power doesn’t come in one wallop.

Refreshingly, the Sealion 7 is also pretty dynamic, and is closer to the Seal than it is to the Atto 3 to drive. The steering feel is decent, offering connection to the road that’s better than most. The chassis is rigid and ultra-refined, giving the Sealion 7 fantastic response to driver inputs while offering whisper quiet progress. With Frequency Variable Damping, the Sealion 7 also rides impressively.

Honestly, there’s a reason why the Sealion 7 has done exceptionally well in Singapore. It literally sells by itself, that’s just how impressive it is. It looks like the BYD reign will continue for some time yet in Singapore, the next stop being PHEVs and commercial vehicles.

Photos by James Wong

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