The BYD Sealion 6 DM-i sets a new benchmark in the hybrid game

BYD has a great momentum globally right now. They’re a relative newcomer in the automotive industry and don’t have the same recall as that ‘other’ electric car brand, but they’re on the rise – to put it mildly. They ended 2023 as the no.1 New Energy Vehicle (NEV) brand in the world. That means they sold more hybrid and battery-electric cars than any other brand. They have a presence in the Philippines but here, we are yet to see their hybrid prowess.

So far, all they’ve offered here were their battery-electric vehicles. It wasn’t until July of this year when they finally brought in the Sealion 6, a Plug-In Hybrid crossover. It promises 105km of EV-only range and a 1,100km of Extended Range, meaning if the electric motor was used together with the gasoline engine. 

In case you have no idea how insane that is, let me explain. An average compact crossover with an internal combustion engine has an average range of around 500 km with one full tank (depending on the size of the fuel tank). Even if you add the BYD Sealion 6’s 105km of EV-only range, that’s still a far cry from the 1,100km they’re promising.

They know we are skeptics when it comes to range promises. So for this drive with the BYD Sealion 6, they’ve only tasked us to drive 1,000 km. We’ll head north from Ayala Malls Manila Bay to Hotel Luna in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. The next day, we’ll go further up to Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte. We’ll head back south to our starting point on the third day. In between are a few detours and stops to make the overall trip 1,000km. Oh, and we’ll do that with one full tank of gas. 

I have virtually no experience with BYD cars. I had a previous assignment that made me drive their dynasty EVs – the Han sedan and Tang SUV – but that was around 1 minute of driving time each. This is my first extensive date with Tesla’s closest rival and I am surprised at many things. 

The seats were heavenly. The front section looked like cushioned bucket seats as their headrests were fixed. It looked weird to be honest but once you sit down, they will hug you like a teddy bear from Blue Magic. I’m a wide man yet I found the seats to be very comfortable, as if they included big people in their average size of occupants for this seat. It’s so comfortable that apparently, I didn’t finish a paragraph of sharing a story with my co-passenger. When it was his turn to drive, I only said one phrase and suddenly stopped talking (according to him). I know I’m a sleepyhead but that was my first time sleeping within seconds of being a passenger. 

The tech of the Sealion 6 is a mixed bag. The volume control is in a very unfamiliar place (beside the drive mode, which is on the right of the shifter), there’s only an On and Off or Auto mode for the aircon (no fan control buttons), and there’s no quick way to activate the 360-camera system. As expected, most of the controls are in the huge 15.6-inch touchscreen which can be rotated for a landscape or vertical mode. The icons may be huge and responsive but once you’re moving, it suffers the same fate as other touch systems – hard to use. 

Another tech snag in the BYD Sealion is its smartphone integration. In our experience, the Apple CarPlay tends to disconnect every once in a while and if you’re not lucky, you’ll need a vehicle (and device) restart in order to get things working again. Not really fun if this happens on the road. There are also USB ports at the underside of the center console. They’re under the shifter so it’s hard to reach. 

In both scenarios there is an easy fix – just get this car. If you own it, it will recognize your device quickly and there’s less chance of the connection dropping during a drive. You’ll also surely have a dedicated cable on the ports so you won’t have to bend over just to plug it in. 

You won’t need cables anyway. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can be done wirelessly and there are dual 15-watt wireless chargers. At least for my iPhone 13 Pro Max, it was charging up while having to use wireless CarPlay. I wouldn’t recommend that as a regular thing though since the heat will deteriorate the device’s battery life.

The cabin is also a music lover’s paradise. It’s very quiet and insulated. The only noise that got through were the loud aftermarket pipes of sweet potato riders and the horns of trucks and buses. You will barely hear even the loudest diesel-powered vehicles if they’re next to you, especially if you’re playing music. 

Speaking of, the 10-speaker Infinity Sound System is just lovely. Every genre is just crystal clear no matter where you are seated. There’s also a noticeable change if you modify the sound profile or orientation, giving you a very customizable aural adventure to go with your drive. 

Another thing that made me love the Sealion 6 is its build. BYD is still relatively young as they only started in 2003 but I appreciate the attention to detail they have. The doors are solid, the steering has minimal play, the pedals are comfortable to use, and they were able to maximize the weight of the batteries on the floor for minimal body roll. It certainly didn’t feel like it would overshoot even in unfamiliar turns. 

The only aspect that’s left unanswered for me is the ride comfort. I can’t judge the real ride quality of the Sealion 6 because the tires were over inflated during our drive. On the first day, I noticed roughness in the ride. Turns out our tires were at 40+ PSI, which naturally went higher once the tires were heated up. On the second and third day, they were still at 36+. There’s a bit of improvement but since it didn’t have any EDSA time, I can’t say for sure if it’s par or still subpar. 

Going back to the range, the BYD Sealion 6 can indeed reach 1,000km. Our car finished three days with 1,000km and 40% remaining in the car’s battery. It was complicated reaching that number though as we had to play catch-up since we were at the back of the convoy. The lead car had a lot of range and battery left in their unit because they were using EV mode whenever they did overtakes or any uphill driving. Another car had to refuel when we were on our way back because they didn’t notice their car was in Sports mode the whole time. Basically, the 1,100km marketing promise of the BYD Sealion 6 is possible but it also depends on your driving technique and how well you utilize the technology of the car. 

BYD was also insistent on including the ‘DM-i’ whenever they refer to the Sealion 6 and for good reason. DM-i stands for Dual Mode – Intelligent and refers to the powertrain of the car that can switch from ‘EV mode’, ‘Range Extended Mode’ and ‘Full Power Mode’. EV mode is as the name implies. Range Extended mode means the engine is just charging the battery, and the electric motor drives the wheels from power from the battery. Full Power means the wheels are driven both by the electric motor and the 1.5L engine, so you have access to the full 217PS of power and 325 Nm of torque. 

The Range Extended mode of the Sealion is what gives it the capability to go far. If your battery is full, you can adjust when it will start charging, starting at 70% remaining. If it’s above that, it will only use your battery while the engine is also off. You are really moving without a drop of gasoline. Combine that with the Regenerative Braking and it’s possible to go places without the engine activating. 

Even if your battery falls under that threshold, the engine will charge it efficiently and not abruptly. That means you won’t be wasting gas on a high-revving engine, while the electric motor draws power from the battery. Of course, this system will change depending on your throttle input which is why your driving technique is a factor in the Sealion’s capability to go far. 

As someone who lives outside of Metro Manila and attends events in the southern area, I am daydreaming about having my own BYD Sealion 6. It’s so good that anyone who has driven it has no choice but to be amazed, which is what happened with me – and I’m a hardcore skeptic with hybrids! 1,100km is around 3 full tanks of gas in my personal car. That range will surely increase once you factor in Regenerative Braking gained from the downhill and descents in my usual drives. 

The DM-i technology of the Sealion 6 is such a powerful asset that it undoubtedly set a new benchmark in the hybrid market. The Sealion 6 is not perfect but it’s easy to forgive whatever irks you during your drive. Do so, and you’ll be gifted with long range, more than enough power, and a very comfortable cabin.