There are many reasons why car companies expend so much time and energy creating brand-appropriate nomenclature, including providing prospective buyers with a clear understanding of each model line-up. So, you could be forgiven for thinking this methodology might be considered useful by a company looking to gain a foothold in Europe, a company like BYD, but it seems not.
Having just about gotten our heads around the fledgling Dolphin and Seal badging we are now confronted by the catchily named Seal U DM-i. Now given the regular Seal is a Tesla 3-rivalling EV saloon and the Seal U DM-i turns out to be a Honda CR-V plug-in SUV rival you may be feeling a tad confused at this point, but what is not so mystifying is the sheer amount of motoring BYD is offering for your money.
With a sub £34k starting price, you automatically gain entry into acres of real estate, so much so that the combination of 4.8m of glass and metal plus a totally flat floor provides oodles of space for five. As a result, any gripes, even from surly rear-seat teenagers, should be a thing of the past, although they may still whinge about the boot capacity, which at 425-litres isn’t exactly enormous. To be fair, it should still provide sufficient capacity to satisfy most nuclear-sized families’ needs.
On top of this interior roominess every model come with an enormous 15.6in rapid-reacting rotatable infotainment screen, a head-up display, dual wireless phone-charging pads, vegan-friendly faux leather-clad seats, a panoramic roof and an Infinity stereo system.
Under the bonnet
Power for entry models is provided by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an 18.3kWh battery, which can travel up to 50 miles on EV power and 700 miles when combined with a full tank of fuel. A Comfort variant will arrive later this year with a larger 26.6kWh battery, boosting EV capability to a highly impressive 78 miles and providing owners with a highly competitive 5% BIK implication. The range-topping Design trim sticks with the smaller battery but adds a bespoke turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine and an additional electric motor to provide all-wheel drive, although the extra weight and additional power drain does mean its EV range is limited to 43 miles.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of these powertrains is their ability to mask the transitions from electric to petrol power, largely thanks to a trick transmission, which, instead of a box full of cogs and shafts, employs a couple of reduction gears and some very smart software to marry the two power sources. Although some engine combustion signature is audible if you get a bit brutal with the accelerator, under less stressful conditions things are generally so well isolated rear seat passengers should remain oblivious as to what is going on under the bonnet.
This said you do get the sense that the Seal U DM-i’s driving dynamics may have been signed off in a bit of a hurry.
The rear axle always feels a little too excitable for its own good at lower speeds, less so in the four-wheel drive versions where the mass of the additional rear motor has a bump-quelling effect, but this agitated quality is not the worst aspect of the overall ride quality.
Although the wafty manner in which the long-travel suspension goes about its business could be interpreted as limo-like by some, this freedom can all too often feel a wee bit unruly and when accompanied by steering that lacks a defined on-centre connection, it is possible to find yourself almost subconsciously adding corrective inputs to bring some kind of order to proceedings and maintain a steady course at motorway speeds. These free-riding antics also place a somewhat suboptimal burden on body control when braking and cornering, so steady as she goes is probably the most prudent approach to undulating B-roads.
Overall, though, driving in a considered manner will be seen by many as a price worth paying for the many other cost-effective and praiseworthy aspects offered by the Seal U DM-i.
Positive: Plenty of standard equipment, excellent interior space, smooth powertrain
Negative: Suboptimal ride quality, poor body control, smallish boot
Standard equipment: 19in alloys, hill hold control, keyless entry and start-up, heated steering wheel, 15.6in rotatable infotainment screen, Apple Carplay and Android Auto, 360 camera, front and rear parking sensors, head-up display, dual wireless phone-charging pads, faux leather seats, panoramic roof, Infinity stereo system, electric tailgate
Engines: PHEV: 320hp 1.5
Equipment grades: Design, Boost, Comfort
Transmissions: Single speed auto
Model: BYD Seal U 1.5 DM-i AWD Design
P11D: £38,995 est
Residual value: N/A
Depreciation: £17,800
Fuel: N/A
Service, maintenance and repair: N/A
Cost per mile: N/A
Fuel consumption: 256.8mpg
CO2 (BIK %): 26g/km (8%)
BIK 20/40% a month: N/A
Luggage capacity: 425 litres
Engine size/power: 1,497cc/320hp
Score: 7/10
| Model | BYD Seal U 1.5 DM-i AWD Design |
| P11D | £38,995 est |
| Residual value | N/A |
| Depreciation | £17,800 |
| Fuel | N/A |
| Service, maintenance and repair | N/A |
| Cost per mile | N/A |
| Fuel consumption | 256.8mpg |
| CO2 (BIK%) | 26g/km (8%) |
| BIK 20/40% a month | N/A |
| Luggage capacity | 425 litres |
| Engine size/power | 1,497cc/320hp |
| Score | 7/10 |
