This is the farthest in the field it will go, despite the Japanese design/Walla! system, Audi Etzion
Estimated price:
about NIS 200,000
Competitors:
Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Skoda Aniac
We liked:
solid and respectable, spacious and equipped, useful and comfortable and probably less expensive than the competitors
We didn't like:
performance and charging speed
Score:
8/10
In the crowded streetcar market there are still There is a large gap, in price and dimensions, between the popular Hato 3 (now NIS 176,000 in the equipped model) and the Tesla Model Y and the pile of crossovers born in its wake, such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Skoda Aniac and more, which cost from NIS 215,000 even before the increased purchase tax is updated in the price lists their.
Into this gap will enter around June-July a new-old BYD model, the Seal U. In China it has been sold since 2019, under the name Sung Plus, and now its European version is being launched, under the name Seal U. We have already met it for a brief impression in China, now the version arrives The final price, which even after the increase in the purchase tax on an electric vehicle, is supposed to cost about 200,000 shekels in Israel.
Worth the wait?
Not turning heads, but also not weird or extroverted like some of the Chinese designs/Walla! system, Udi Etzion
Design:
in a word, solid.
It is a relatively large crossover, with a length of 4.78 meters, a width of 1.89 meters, a height of 1.67 meters, and a wheelbase of 2.76 meters. It is 33 cm longer, 1.5 cm wider, and 6.5 cm higher than the Auto 3. And its wheelbase is 4 cm longer.
And more significantly, the trunk, with a volume of 552 liters, is 110 liters larger than that of the Hatto.
Despite using the Seal name, it bears no mechanical relation to the Seal sedan that will be launched here next week, and is based on a new, more advanced platform launched last year.
The BYD people claimed to us that the European version got the new platform, but this is an expensive and unacceptable analysis, which is equivalent to developing a model from the ground up.
We attribute the claim to a translation error, and to the fact that some of the components of the new platform were integrated into the old model, but there is no integration of the battery as part of the vehicle's structure in order to improve rigidity, for example, the high dynamic capabilities that the sedan displays and its rear-wheel drive.
BYD has also already revealed a more expensive and stylish crossover, called in China Song L and really based on the Syl sedan platform, which will come to Europe and us next year under the name Syl Y.
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Passenger cabin:
the driver's environment will be familiar to anyone who has sat in the Atto 3, with the same huge central screen that rotates on its axis (12.8 inches in the base Comfort version, 15.6 inches in the equipped Design, but without the interesting but ornate design games, such as the guitar stripes on the doors. There is also 12.3" screen for the driver.
The seat is high, outward visibility is excellent and as usual most of the systems are operated from the screen. Despite shortcut screens, including for the climate control, the operation is still cumbersome especially for an experienced driver switching to an electric vehicle for the first time, although it is better than that of the Y model.
Excellent space in the back as well, although the passenger in the middle as usual gets a less comfortable seat/Walla system!, Audi Etzion
The space in the front and back is excellent, with the main improvement compared to the Hato 3 being felt in the back seat.
With generous knee room, head and width.
Only the middle passenger will normally suffer from a slightly narrower seat than the restaurant that is pulled out from it.
The trunk is larger than usual among Chinese crossovers.
552 liter volume, 25% more than Eto 3 and significantly larger than most Chinese crossovers/Walla! system, Audi Etzion
Armament:
Generous.
As mentioned, even the basic comfort comes with the two large screens and connection to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a panoramic roof with an electric curtain, split climate control with exit to the rear seat, 19-inch rims, leather-like upholstery for the seats, parking sensors and 360-degree cameras for parking.
The equipped design adds wireless charging for two smartphones, an overhead display for the driver, and an improved stereo.
Safety:
The Seal U received 5 out of 5 stars in the European crash test last year.
The specification includes most of the accepted active safety systems.
Slower performance than usual in trams, maybe this will help moderate the insurance costs/Walla system!, Udi Etzion
Performance:
There is only one engine to choose from, with 218 hp and front-wheel drive, and two batteries 71.8 kWh in the base version and 87 kWh in the equipped one we drove.
What is unusual is the performance. This is a vehicle that weighs 2 tons, with good acceleration but less Stronger than what is common in streetcars today. An official 0-100 km/h figure of 9.3-9.6 seconds means that the Seal U is slower than even the smaller and significantly cheaper BYD Dolphin.
Is this a significant disadvantage?
In practice, there is no problem being first at the traffic lights and overtaking almost anywhere that is allowed.
But there is not the blow on the back and the blurred view that you will get in many other trams.
Since the launch of the Tesla Model 3, there is some feeling that if an electric car does not do 0-100 km/h in 6 seconds, it is too slow. These are really very nice performances, but they are one of the reasons for the high accident rate of electric cars in Israel and around the world, and the rising insurance prices. If these of the Sil U will be cheaper than usual, it was already worth it.
The comfort is good, but in turns it is a bit clumsy/Wala system!, Audi Etzion
Range and charging:
the manufacturer declares a range of 500 km in the expensive version with the large battery, we are driving the launch which was at times faster than usual, we reached a range of about 450 km.
There is no possibility of true single-pedal driving with maximum recharge, which would have added to the driving range.
Fast charging at a rate of 140 kW is already slow compared to Tesla and Hyundai, which requires you to spend about 15 more minutes at a stand when charging from 20% to 80%.
The basic model is even slower in fast charging, up to 115 kW.
At home, both will charge 11 KA.
Comfort and behavior:
the ride in the Seal is usually very quiet. The suspension calibration is only a little, in favor of ride comfort, which turns out to be good, at the expense of the road behavior. In turns, the feeling is a bit clumsy, but still reasonable, certainly when driving at a family pace.
If it will be tens of thousands of shekels cheaper than competitors of the same size, as it seems now, its shortcomings are forgiven/Walla system!, Udi Etzion
The bottom line:
as in the old McDonald's commercial, BYD has increased the motor portion here, but by a margin that will be closer to NIS 19,000 than to NIS 90,000.
The Sil Y is a large family jeep, spacious and useful, equipped and comfortable.
It is not a rocket like the Y model, more complex to operate than the Skoda Aniac.
But if his price predictions come true, it will be tens of thousands of shekels cheaper than the top of the group, a good answer to the increase in the price of electric cars this year, a balance to the less agile performance and general lack of uniqueness, and fair value for money.
The writer was a BYD guest in Portugal
On the technical side: BYD Seal U
Engine:
electric, 218 hp, 33 kg.
Gearbox: auto, direct transmission.
Front-wheel drive
Battery: 87 kW
Maximum fast charging speed:
140 kW
Dimensions:
Length (meters):
4.785
Width (meters): 1.89
Height (meters):
1.67
Wheelbase (meters): 2.76
Trunk: 552 liters
Weight:
2,020 kg
Performance (manufacturer):
0-100 km/h (seconds
): 9.6
Maximum speed: (km/h):
175 km/h
Official combined range:
500 km
Test range:
450 km
Safety:
Test The European crash
: 5 out of 5 stars (in 2023)
Active safety: autonomous emergency braking in forward and reverse travel, adaptive cruise control, maintaining the center of the lane, warning of a vehicle in a dead zone, automatic high beam
Warranty:
6 years or 150 thousand km m for the car, 8 years or 200 thousand km for the battery
More on the same topic:
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