In what is a major milestone, monthly sales figures released by the Federal Chamber
of Automotive Industries have shown that, in February, China became Australia’s
largest source of new vehicles overtaking Japan for the first time since 1998.
The data also showed four Chinese brands now sit in the top ten positions led by
BYD, now the sixth biggest seller, ahead of GWM (7th), Chery (9th) and MG (10th).
Almost half of BYD sales are of its four-model Sealion SUV range, with either fully
electric or plug-in hybrid drivetrains.
The most recent arrival, and our review here, is the BYD Sealion 5. At 4.7 metres it’s
around the same size as Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson but unlike
them it’s a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
Marginally larger than the Sealion 5 is the Sealion 6, also a 5-seat PHEV, but with
the option of a second motor, therefore AWD. The Sealion 7 is slightly larger again,
still with five seats but EV only with single or dual motors. Top of the range is the
Sealion 8, a seven-seat premium PHEV people mover.
The Sealion 5 PHEV comes in two variants. The headline act is the entry-level
Essential which, with a price of $33,990 plus on-roads, is currently the cheapest
plug-in hybrid vehicle on the Australian market.
The other variant, Premium, which comes with a larger battery and extra features is
priced at $37,990 +ORC.
STYLING
Design of the Sealion 5 is relatively conservative in comparison to other recent BYD
offerings. It’s a relatively old-style boxy wagon with a mildly sloping roofline.
The front features what BYD calls a ‘Dragon Face’ design dominated by a wide bold
grille flanked by recessed three-beam LED headlights and daytime running lights.
Above the grille is a full-width satin metallic bar with an integrated BYD logo.
Both variants get 18-inch dual-tone alloy wheels.
The rear features a full-width LED taillight strip and an integrated roof spoiler.
Sealion 5 Premium adds a panoramic sunroof, roof rails, one-touch powered tailgate,
heated and powered folding side mirrors and auto-dimming interior mirror.
There are four colour options: Aurora White, Cosmos Black, Atlantis Grey and
Harbour Grey.
INTERIOR
Synthetic leather seats with orange stitching are standard. The chunky steering
wheel also gets the same finish. The driver and front passenger both get powered
seats with the driver’s also adding heating and ventilation.
Both models get a 8.8-inch digital instrument panel. Essential has a 10.1-inch
infotainment screen compared to the 12.8-inch screen in the Premium. The
resolution is sharp and clear on both screens but are let down seriously by a very
small typeface.
The centre console has a cylindrical gear selector. It’s in piano black with the gear
selection difficult to read in bright sunlight. The start/stop button start sits below it
with a number of physical buttons on either side.
There’s a large storage box as well as some extra space below the console.
Premium adds a wireless phone charger.
The 2.7-metre wheelbase together with the underfloor battery location provides
excellent rear seat space.
There are large, easily adjustable air vents both at the front and rear.
Boot space is 463 litres with the rear seatbacks in place, 1410 litres with them
folded. There’s some partitioned storage space beneath the boot floor but no spare
wheel, just the rarely reliable puncture repair kit.
POWERTRAINS
Both Sealion 5 variants combine a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol
engine with a choice of two BYD Blade Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries.
The Essential’s battery has a 12.9 kWh capacity and a claimed 71-kilometre EV
driving range. The Premium’s 18.3 kWh battery extends that range to 100 km.
However, these numbers come from the outdated NEDC testing method. Using the
more real world WLTP system range drops to about 62 km and 86 km.
Power and torque from the engine are a modest 72 kW and 122 Nm.
During low-to-medium speed driving and when a surge of acceleration is needed,
both the engine and battery supply power to the drive motor in parallel.
Transmission is through BYD’s DM-I Super Hybrid system where the engine charges
the battery and, most of the time, the motor powers the vehicle.
Sealion 5 has a towing capacity of 750 kg, both braked and unbraked.
SAFETY
Sealion 5 has yet to undergo ANCAP testing but has a similar range of safety
features as the Sealion 6 and 7 models which have gained five-star ratings so should
achieve the same.
Active safety features include front and rear collision warning, electronic brake force
distribution, lane-keep assist and lane-change warning, blind-spot detection, rear
cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, and an intelligent high beam system.
INFOTAINMENT
Premier gets a nine-speaker HD sound system compared to the six-speaker system
in the Premium.
Other features are shared including satellite navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto, voice controls, front and rear USB-A and USB-C ports, DAB radio and
4G cloud services.
The BYD app provides a range of connected services including pre-setting climate
control, unlocking and locking the doors, opening the sunroof, monitoring of charge
levels and system functions, checking tyre pressures and Over The Air (OTA)
updates.
DRIVING
Fellow Boomers often find getting into and out of vehicles challenging so we were
delighted to be able to slide into the front seat of the Sealion 5 with minimal effort.
External visibility is excellent all round with a large windscreen and side windows.
Likewise, the rear windscreen is large with low-slung headrests. Kids will appreciate
the low sills on the rear windows.
Sealion 5 is a relatively heavy family SUV so, while it has the usual sharp
acceleration that we expect from a battery powered vehicle it’s more sedate than
pure EVs.
Once underway the Super Hybrid drivetrain provides a smooth and comfortable
driving experience. The transition from electric to hybrid and back is barely
noticeable and can be operated manually through a small switch on the centre
console.
We were able to take the Sealion 5 over a couple of our favourite rural drives
including plenty of hills, hollows and bends. As with most mid-sized SUV’s it doesn’t
have any sporting pretensions but handling is safe with little body roll.
Suspension is relatively firm but not at the expense of comfort.
While there are the latest safety and convenience features that are now
commonplace in the latest vehicles, many use physical controls rather than through
the screens. Those that do are easy to locate and rather than the usual beeps and
bongs most of the alerts are by voice and we found that the only feature we bothered
turning off was the lane correction.
BYD claims a combined driving range of 1001 km with the Essential and 1030 km
from the Premium. Like the claimed electric only ranges quoted earlier these are
based on the older NEDC test method. On the more realistic WLTP method these
drop to around 800 km.
Both variants only come with an AC charging port, with the Essential grade able to
achieve maximum battery charge in around four hours, the Premium with its larger
capacity battery near six hours.
A Vehicle to Load (V2L) function is standard enabling the onboard battery able to be
used as a power source for external appliances, lighting or camping.
Plug-in hybrids make a lot of sense, combining the economy of an EV but without the
stress of being stranded away from a charging point.
Regular readers can skip the next bit because each time we review a PHEV we need
to explain how the manufacturers come up with extremely low fuel consumption
numbers. In the case of the Sealion 5 Premium that we tested its around 1.3 litres
per 100 kilometres.
Such a number can only be achieved by starting with a fully-charged battery and
driving until, when battery power drops below 25 percent, the vehicle switches to
hybrid mode for the remainder of the 100 km trip
To continue to achieve that 1.3 L/100km it will now be necessary to stop and fully re-
charge the battery. Without DC charging this isn’t an option so re-charging on long-
distance trips will typically be at overnight stays.
To its credit BYD does quote the fuel consumption after the battery drops out as 4.5
L/100km. Perfectly respectable usage for a typical hybrid SUV of similar size.
SUMMARY
Plug-in hybrid vehicles are still relatively rare in Australia. Indeed, during our week-
long test of the Sealion 5, we often found ourselves having to explain the technology
to fellow road users.
While its combination of EV economy without the risk of being stranded makes
perfect sense, the price surcharge of previous PHEVs above conventional petrol and
hybrids kept budget-conscious buyers away.
That barrier disappears with the price of Sealion 5 sitting around and even below
those of well-established mid-sized non-PHEV SUVs.
The lack of DC, or even fast AC, charging is disappointing but owners will no doubt
build their routines around these limitations.
BYD looks to be on a real winner here.
RATINGS:
Looks: 7/10
Performance: 8/10
Safety: 7/10
Thirst: 9/10
Practicality: 7/10
Comfort: 7/10
Tech: 7/10
Value: 9/10
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Sealion 5 Essential FWD: $33,990
Sealion 5 Premium FWD: $37,990
Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact
your local BYD dealer for drive-away prices.
SPECIFICATIONS (BYD Sealion 5 Essential 1.5-litre petrol/plug-in hybrid electric
five-door wagon)
POWERTRAIN
Engine: 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four cylinders
Engine Maximum Output: 72 kW & 122 Nm
Engine Motor Output: 145 kW & 300 Nm
Combined Output: 156 kW
Battery type: Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP)
Battery Capacity: 12.9 kWh
Charging Speed (AC only): 3.3 kW
DRIVELINE:
E-CVT single-speed automatic transmission, front-wheel drive
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4738 mm
Wheelbase: 2712 mm
Width: 1860 mm
Height: 1710 mm
Turning Circle: 12.0 metres
Kerb Mass: 1724 kg
BRAKES:
Front: Ventilated disc
Rear: Solid disc
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Vehicle: Six years / 150,000 kilometres
Battery: Eight years / 180,000 kilometres
