BYD Sealion 5 Premium review: cars and 'just a coffee'

The Sealion 5 is BYD's new medium-SUV, with super hybrid technology. Yes, you're right: the company already has one of those: the Sealion 6 (DRIVEN Car Guide's 2024 Car of the Year). What gives?

BYD seems to be on a mission to offer as many variations on the SUV theme as possible, to suit as many buyers as possible, and as a result it's constructing a bit of a jigsaw puzzle of family cars. The Sealion 5 is not too different in size from the 6 (4738mm length versus 4775mm), but it sits at a lower price point - quite a bit lower, at $42,990-$48,990 compared to $59,990-$67,990.

In order to make room for the 5, BYD New Zealand has dropped the Sealion 6 Essential FWD (it was $53k), leaving the 5 as the FWD option and 6 as AWD-only. See how it all fits?

Our test vehicle here is the Sealion 5 Premium. That's the posh one, with a bigger battery and more standard equipment.

On the outside: what are the BYD Sealion 5 Premium's main design features?

The Sealion errs more towards normcore than any other BYD on sale. It's actually quite handsome in the right colour (the bluey Atlantis Grey of our test car being a case in point) and there are some interesting design details, but this SUV is aimed right at the SUV heartland and the styling is as unlikely to excite as it is to offend.

You know how some people go to a cafe and are adamant they don't want a doppio, lungo or oat milk latte, but 'just a coffee'? The Sealion 5 might be the SUV for them.

Think of the Sealion 5 as something approaching an Atto 3 wagon and the look starts to make a lot more sense. Yes, we know they're not part of the same model series; humour us.

OVERVIEW

On the inside: what's the BYD Sealion 5 Premium cabin like?

Shades of Atto 3 in the cabin, too. No gym references or strings on the door bins, but the dashboard architecture is quite curvaceous and the ribbed finish does seem like a tiny tip of the hat to the Atto 3's, um, muscular trim.

The 'synthetic leather' is soft and doesn't feel at all icky (as is often with the case with this stuff) and the upholstery is nicely set off with subtle orange stitching. It's a BYD thing.

Otherwise it's standard BYD layout: an 8.8-inch widescreen-format instrument panel for the driver, and a 12.8in infotainment screen (the cheaper Essential only gets a 10.1in display) that's crisp to to look and rapid to respond to the touch.

The 360-degree camera display is extremely good, as is usually the case with BYD product. The colour and clarity puts many premium-segment cars to shame.

There's a conventional start/stop button and conventional gearlever (well, it's a slightly weird shape TBH). Switchgear for often-used functions on the console too, including audio volume (there's another scroll control for that on the steering wheel), climate control, a rocker switch that allows you to choose between EV and HEV powertrain operation and drive modes. There's a separate (smaller) button for snow mode.

It's hard to fault the fit-and-finish. The "synthetic leather" is soft and doesn't feel at all icky (as is often with the case with this stuff) and the upholstery is nicely set off with subtle orange stitching. It's a BYD thing.

The driver gets seat heating and ventilation... but only the driver. The front passenger does without, which seems a bit stingy. Power adjustment for both, though.

Sealion 5 is a genuinely spacious family car, with generous leg and headroom in the back and a 60/40 split rear seat that allows you to mix and match passenger and cargo carrying.

The 463-litre boot is good by segment standards and the back seats fold nearly flat - but there are also little tabs that flip over the gap between the boot floor and folded seatbacks, to make it easier to slide long loads through.

Under the boot floor is a shallow polystyrene tray with a number of partitions. One of them houses the tyre repair kit; no spare in this car.

Tucked in a boot knook is also a bag containing the home charging cable and the vehicle-to-load (V2L) adpator, which comes standard and allows you to use the car's battery to power external electrical devices.

INTERIOR

On the road: what's the BYD Sealion 5 Premium like to drive?

The least satisfactory aspect of the Sealion 5's dynamic package hits you straight away. As we noted in our launch story back in March, the low-speed ride is incredibly lumpy - it almost feels like the tyres ore over-inflated. And no, they weren't on our test car.

Flick the EV/HEV switch and get an instantly discernable spike in acceleration as the petrol engine adds extra drive-power to the wheels. It's like a teeny tiny turbo-boost.

It's better at speed, but you don't truly lose that thumpy feel until you get beyond 80km/h on the motorway. And it comes back again when you're on undulating backroads.

The handling is set up for consistent response and safety. The steering feels assured and the natural cornering attitude is towards gentle understeer almost the moment you start to feed the car into a corner.

The powertrain is really the highlight of the driving experience. The Sealion 5 is a "super hybrid", meaning the petrol engine is mainly there to generate electricity (although it can drive the wheels if needed). EV-drive is always prioritised.

The plug-in battery in the Premium is 18.3kWh, a useful increase over the entry Essential's 12.9kWh unit. BYD claims 100km EV running from a full charge, but that's according to the rather lenient NEDC standard; still, in real-world driving 80km-plus is a reasonable expectation from this car.

It's worth noting this is one super hybrid that's restricted to AC-only charging, so you can't plug in at public DC stations; but it'll charge from flat to full in less than 3 hours on a home wallbox, or overnight in about 8 hours by plugging into a domestic socket.

It makes sense to run the car in EV mode for as long as possible, them simply let the car slip automatically into its HEV (hybrid) setting until you can charge again. 

The exception is open-road driving where you're dealing with hills and possible overtaking scenarios. It's a nice and smooth as an EV, but there's not a lot more on tap if you need a sudden burst of power. That's when you flick the EV/HEV switch and get an instantly discernable spike in acceleration as the petrol engine adds extra drive-power to the wheels. It's like a teeny tiny turbo-boost.

SPECIFICATIONS

On ownership: what's the BYD Sealion 5 Premium warranty and servicing situation?

BYD NZ's warranty covers the complete vehicle for 6 years/150,000km. The traction battery is covered for 8 years/160,000km.

The Sealion 8 requires an initial service check at 6 months/5000km, then every 12 months or 20,000km.

On the whole: what do we think of the BYD Sealion 5 Premium?

You know how some people go to a cafe and are adamant they don't want a doppio, lungo or oat milk latte, but "just a coffee"? The Sealion 5 might be the SUV for them.

A well-executed just-a-coffee can be very satisfying, of course. The Sealion 5 Premium is a sharp price, offers clever and super-thrify powertrain technology and a high-quality, spacious cabin that's lavishly equipped.

We'd still recommend the Premium over the Essential: that extra $6k gets you 40% more EV range, 360-degree camera, pano roof, power tailgate, power/heated/ventilated driver's seat, an infotainment screen upsize, more powerful audio, wireless phone charger... and quite a bit more.

Given the choice of medium-sized BYD super hybrids in general, we'd still go for the Sealion 6, which has a bit more pizzazz; but even the entry model is more than $10k up the price ladder from our flagship Sealion 5 Premium. From a rational point of view, it's impossible to argue with the Sealion 5's value and practical talents.

BYD Sealion 5 Premium FAQs

What kind of car is the BYD Sealion 5 Premium?

A medium-sized family 5-door SUV.

Does the BYD Sealion 5 Premium have hybrid or EV technology?

It's a plug-in "super hybrid".

What’s the fuel economy of the BYD Sealion 5 Premium?

The Rightcar figure is 1.4l/100km, but with PHEVs the real world fuel economy depends on how often you charge them. In hybrid mode expect around 6.5l/100km.

Is the BYD Sealion 5 Premium safe?

The Sealion 5 hasn't yet been tested by ANCAP, but it rates 5 stars under NZ's VSRR system.

What safety and assistance features does the BYD Sealion 5 Premium have?

What are the BYD Sealion 5 Premium's main rivals?

• Forthing Taikon Exclusive ($44,990): Sportier-looking option, doesn't match the BYD's performance.
• Chery Tiggo 7 CSH Ultimate ($46,990): Good quality and super hybrid tech, average to drive.
• Jaecoo J7 SHS ($46,990): More 4x4-style, but still a super hybrid with front-drive.
• Geely Starray EM-i Inspire ($49,490): Larger and more spacious than the BYD, not as dynamic.
• BYD Sealion 6 Dynamic AWD ($59,990): Former COTY and still our pick for a BYD medium-SUV, but larger and a lot more expensive than the Sealion 5.