The all-electric BYD Sealion 7 has now arrived in the UK, with two battery choices across three trim levels available to order.
The Sealion 7 bolsters BYD’s UK range as its largest offering, and has joined a whole host of brand-new electric coupé-SUVs – including the Cupra Tavascan, Ford Capri, Audi Q6 e-tron Sportback and the new Peugeot E-3008 – vying to challenge the sales of established best-sellers like the Tesla Model Y.
The family car is available with the choice of three trims with different powertrain configurations. The first is the ‘Comfort’, which pairs a 308hp electric motor with an 83kWh battery pack, providing a reported battery range of 300 miles and a 0-62mph sprint time of 6.7 seconds.
The mid-range choice is the ‘Design AWD’ – which makes use of the same 83kWh battery but with an additional electric motor that increases power output to 522hp and drops the car’s 0-62mph sprint time to 4.5 seconds. The faster pace is at the expense of battery range, which is a slightly reduced 283 miles.
The range-topper is the ‘Excellence AWD’ variant, which makes use of a larger 91kWh battery. It’s just as quick as the ‘Design AWD’ but can reportedly travel up to 312 miles on a single charge.
A new ‘Intelligent Torque Adaption Control’ system has also been developed for the SUV. BYD says this is available with the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive models and will distribute torque between the front and back wheels to minimise skidding and improve safety. The Chinese manufacturer adds that the suspension is “tailored for excellent handling” and “secure vehicle control”.
Key trim level features
Lead-in ‘Comfort’ (from £44,990)
- Heated seats
- Dual-zone climate control
- Ten-inch digital instrument cluster
- 16-inch rotatable infotainment screen
- Wireless smartphone charging pad
- Vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability for powering household devices
- Adaptive cruise control
- Blind spot monitoring
Mid-range ‘Design’ (from £49,290)
- All ‘Comfort’ features that are not replaced
- 20-inch alloy wheels
Top-spec ‘Excellence’ (from £57,290)
- All lower trim features that are not replaced
- Nappa leather seats
- Head-up display
Inside, the Sealion 7 has a similar interior layout to that of BYD’s Seal U SUV, with a larger 15-inch infotainment screen floating above the nautically-themed dashboard, alongside a ten-inch digital instrument cluster behind the newly-designed steering wheel.
Pricing for the Sealion 7 now starts at just under £45k, rising to £57k for the top-spec ‘Excellence’ model. The first customer orders are scheduled to arrive in Spring next year.