BYD has finally brought the Seal 6 DM-i Touring to Europe, and it may be the most important Chinese car of the year for buyers who need a practical, efficient family estate. We spent a week with the plug-in hybrid wagon on motorways, city streets and mountain roads.
Design and interior
The Seal 6 Touring keeps the clean “Ocean” design language: a low nose, slim LED headlights and a long roofline that ends in a neat spoiler. Inside there is a rotating 15.6-inch screen, a 12.3-inch digital cluster and surprisingly soft materials for the price class.
With more than 1,000 km of combined range, the Seal 6 Touring makes range anxiety a thing of the past.
DM-i 5.0 hybrid system
The heart of the car is BYD’s fifth-generation DM-i system: a 1.5-litre engine working mostly as a generator, an electric motor and a Blade battery. In real driving the car runs on electricity most of the time, and the engine starts quietly only when needed.
| Spec | Seal 6 DM-i Touring |
|---|---|
| Power | 212 hp |
| Battery | 19 kWh Blade |
| Electric range (WLTP) | up to 100 km |
| Total range | 1,350 km |
| Boot | 500 / 1,535 l |
Pros and cons
- Very low fuel consumption in hybrid mode
- Spacious boot and rear seats
- Rich standard equipment
- Steering feels light and a bit numb
- Infotainment menus need getting used to
Verdict
The BYD Seal 6 DM-i Touring is a rational, well-equipped and very efficient estate. It does not try to be a sports car, but as an everyday family vehicle it is a strong rival to the Skoda Octavia and Toyota Corolla Touring Sports.
