Motoring

Sealion 5: A practical and efficient SUV

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BYD Sealion 5 Design PHEV

By Bill McCarthy

I first drove the BYD Sealion 5 DM-i at its UK launch back in January. A blast around Shropshire and into Wales delivered a favourable first impression of this sub-£30,000 challenger in the mid-size SUV market.

A longer, more immersive drive a couple of months later – this time tackling the twisting Cotswolds roads and the soul-destroying stop-start drudgery of a partially closed M40 – confirmed that view.

It was the perfect environment to reassess BYD’s. ninth model in the UK abd specifically the range-topping Design trim.

The compact family SUV features a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system as standard, pairing a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined 212bhp (215PS).

Design and styling

Its generous exterior proportions deliver competitive cabin space, but let’s be honest: the ubiquitous SUV shape is hard to differentiate.

It won’t win design awards, but the signature ‘Dragon Face’ design – with full-LED headlights, slim daytime-running lights, and a full-width LED light bar at the rear – does at least give it presence.

The Design trim rides on striking 18-inch bi-colour alloy wheels, and an integrated spoiler for a more sporty look.

Priced at £32,995, the Sealion 5 Design undercuts many rivals while offering a wealth of standard equipment: smartphone integration, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assistance, automatic LED headlights, power-folding heated mirrors, parking sensors front and rear, a 360-degree camera and puddle lights.

It hits the sweet spot for those who love their bells and whistles – better equipped and with lower running costs than many rivals.

Interior and technology

The interior has a genuinely upmarket feel with vegan leather upholstery, plus powered and heated front seats. Head and legroom is good, accommodating a family of five in comfort. This model also adds ambient lighting and wireless smartphone charging.

The stylish centre console houses the gearshift and controls, with generous storage underneath. A 12.8-inch multi-touch touchscreen and a clear 8.8-inch full-LCD instrument cluster lead the tech. The touchscreen handles infotainment, navigation and connectivity via built-in 4G and BYD cloud services. Intelligent voice control (‘Hi, BYD’) adds safety while driving.

The bonus with EVs and many hybrids like this one is the Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) function – turning the car into a 3.3kW power bank for camping or or power tools

Practicality

A 463-litre boot easily swallows luggage, and the 40:60-split folding rear seats expand space to a generous 1,410 litres with a flat load floor. This model also features a powered tailgate as standard.

Powertrain and performance

The Design features an 18.3 kWh battery, extending electric-only range to 53.4 miles.That contributes to a WLTP fuel economy of 134.5 mpg and CO₂ emissions of just 48g/km.

Official figures claim 134.5 mpg, fine if you keep the battery topped up, but expect around 50-60 mpg in real-world driving once the battery is depleted.

Acceleration from 0-62 mph takes 8.1 seconds, with a top speed of 106 mph. BYD claims a total range of up to 631 miles on a full charge and tank.

The driving experience is generally smooth, with plenty of pace. Around town and at a cruise, it’s quiet and refined. But some Cotswolds’ steep gradients and the need for quick overtakes on the M40 revealed the powertrain’s character.

Floor the accelerator, and the engine emits a discernible, raucous drone under heavy acceleration. It’s not a deal-breaker, but push hard, and the 1.5-litre makes itself heard.

On twisting B-roads, the Sealion handles well. Stability and agility tackle sweeping and tight curves with aplomb – it always feels well-planted.

Safety

The interior is built around a comprehensive safety suite of active and passive measures.

That said, the lane-keep assist can be quite intrusive on narrow country lanes, and there are constant warnings to keep your eyes on the road.

For peace of mind, the warranty matches its BYD stablemates: 6 years or 93,750 miles.

Verdict

The Sealion 5 Design delivers a comfortable, efficient and usable package – ideal for families wanting one do-it-all vehicle without full EV commitment or hanging on to combustion engines. It’s competitively prices and look at that warranty.

Factfile

  • Model: BYD Sealion 5 Design PHEV
  • Price: £32,995
  • Mechanical: 215 PS, 1.5-litre petrol and electric motor, driving front wheels via single-speed auto transmission
  • Max speed: 106 mph
  • 0-62 mph: 8.1 sec
  • Combined mpg (WLTP): 134.5 mpg
  • Insurance group: 26D
  • CO₂ emissions: 48g/km
  • BiK rating: 9%
  • Warranty: 6 yrs/93,750 miles
Motoring

BYD ATTO delivers upgraded features and performance

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BYD ATTO 3 EVO

By Bill McCarthy

They say that many a good tune is played on an old fiddle. This seems to be partly true with BYD’s upgraded ATTO model, the ATTO 3 Evo, which has retained one of its musical party pieces with the door pocket strings – and a couple of quirky touches.

The original arrived only a couple of years ago as BYD’s first model, but this new version has been so comprehensively upgraded that it feels like a revolution rather than a simple refresh. It now offers a choice of rear-wheel and four-wheel drive, delivering more range, faster charging, and hot-hatch-beating performance – a hot SUV if you like.

The Chinese manufacturer says it has listened to and addressed concerns from customers. Now priced from nearly £39,000 to just under £43k, expectations are high with an upgraded model that ditches the old front-wheel drive layout for either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.

Primarily a five-seater, it now comes in two specs – Design and range-topping Excellence. Both were driven here.

What’s new on the outside?

At first glance, the Evo’s visual changes are subtle but effective. The dimensions are unchanged, but BYD has sharpened the SUV’s muscular profile with revised front and rear bumpers, slimmer side skirts, and new 18-inch alloy wheels, and there’s a sportier rear roof spoiler. Additional features include a powered tailgate, privacy glass, and a panoramic sunroof on Excellence models.

Upmarket interior

The interior is a comfortable place to be, feeling solid and well engineered.

Rear head and legroom are decent, though the sloping shape restricts headroom for taller passengers. Much of the original’s gym-inspired styling remains, but has been refined. I’m not a fan of the oddly shaped door handles, but the interior remains bright and spacious. The gear selector has moved from the centre console to the steering column, thus freeing up space.

The focal points are twin displays including a new 8.8-inch digital instrument panel and a large 15.6-inch central touchscreen that still rotates between portrait and landscape.

The infotainment system includes DiLink (4G) with integrated Google features including Google Maps, Google Assistant and Google Play Store, plus an eight-speaker sound system.

There are plenty of bells, whistles and premium features including heated electric front seats, heated rear seats (Excellence only) and a head-up display (Excellence only), a 360-degree camera, front and rear parking radars, USB-C ports, and a wireless charging pad with integrated cooling.

Electric performance

The ATTO 3 Evo delivers instant pace via a larger 74.8kWh Blade Battery. The Design’s rear motor offers 309bhp and 380Nm – a huge step up from the original’s 201bhp – and can hit 60mph in around 5.5 seconds.

The dual motors on the Excellence produce 443bhp and rocket the car to 60mph in under four seconds. That used to be considered supercar territory.

The driver can choose Sport, Normal, Economy, or Snow modes. The original could snatch at the steering wheel under hard acceleration; here, the rear-drive balance feels more composed, though respect is still required.

On the road, both were tested over a range of challenging roads in the Cotswolds, some of which were unplanned due to a glitch in the navigation. However, that probably enhanced the test, as some genuinely challenging roads were undertaken by myself and a driving colleague.

The stiffer chassis and upgraded rear suspension smooth out all but the worst potholes and bumps, delivering a ride that is comfortable with good steering feedback, especially in Sport mode.

On some winding country lanes it felt stable, even when pushed to the limit.

Claimed range on the Design is 316 miles, with the Excellence, with the extra motor, returning 292 miles. It was difficult to judge with just a limited drive, so these figures should be treated as provisional.

A new 800V architecture allows for 220kW charging, meaning a 10-80% top-up takes just 25 minutes. It also retains Vehicle-to-Load for charging external devices.

Practicality

Boot space has now increased by 50 litres to 490 litres. The ATTO 3 Evo also has a 60:40 split-folding rear bench. In addition, it now features a new 95-litre front ‘frunk’ under the bonnet (a space where a traditional engine would be), which is perfect for storing charging cables.

Safety and Warranty

Safety kit includes a full suite of airbags, autonomous emergency braking, hill-start and descent control, and lane-keep assist. BYD backs it with a six-year, 93,750-mile warranty, plus eight years or 155,350 miles for the battery.

And the party piece?

And yes, the door pockets still play guitar licks. I even picked out Smoke On The Water again. The ATTO 3 Evo has matured – but it still knows how to rock.

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