The BYD Sealion 5 sets a new benchmark for PHEV affordability in Australia starting at $33,990 before on-road costs at a time when buyers are increasingly embracing the new technology.
That figure undercuts the Sealion 6 ($42,990), but at 4738mm long, the Sealion 5 is just 37mm shorter and features similarly generous back seats that won’t turn off families.
BYD is offering two grades at launch, the price-leader Essential and the Premium at $37,990 before on-roads. For context, smaller ‘plugless’ hybrids such as the Toyota Corolla Cross ($37,440) and Hyundai Kona ($36,950) start around where BYD’s range ends, and feature comparatively limited electric-only driving ability.
The Sealion 5 also slides under the Geely Starray EM-i complete, which is almost identical in dimensions, offers 83km of WLTP electric range and starts at $37,490, before on-road costs.
All Sealion 5s drive the front wheels, with the Essential equipped with 12.3 kWh battery supplying a 71km driving range (under the lenient NEDC testing standard), while the Premium steps up to a 18.3kWh capacity for a 100km rating.
BYD quotes a total driving range of up to 1040km with a full tank and battery.
In terms of features, the Essential is fitted with a 10.1-inch touchscreen, an 8.8-inch digital driver’s display, a six-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, manually adjustable front seats and synthetic leather upholstery.
For an extra $4000, Premium buyers net heated and cooled seats, power-adjustable front seats, a nine-speaker sound system, a larger 12.8-inch touchscreen, wireless phone charger and a 360-degree camera.
The Sealion 5 carries a six-year, 150,000 km vehicle warranty and an eight-year, 160,000km warranty on the battery. Service intervals are every 12 months or 20,000km, with costs yet to be determined.
How does the Sealion 5 drive?
The Sealion 5’s plug-in hybrid consists of a 72kW/122Nm 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine and 145kW/300Nm electric motor. When working in tandem, combined peak power is rated at 156kW.
In practice, the Sealion 5 has decent poke for a vehicle being driven around town, even if the petrol engine up front is very noisy when the battery is low.
Of course, an easy solution is to just run the Sealion 5 on electric power as much as possible, though rejuicing takes time. With DC charging not available and AC charging limited to just 3.3kW — most rivals at least do 7kW — the Essential will take around five hours and the bigger batteried Premium will take six.
While BYD claims fuel economy of 4.6L/100km when the battery has less than 25 percent capacity remaining (4.5L/100 in the Essential) we saw figures significantly higher than that, clocking 8.1L/100km after a quick drive along some country roads.
We’ll undertake further testing mixing in more urban areas when we finally get the Sealion 5 back to the Chasing Cars garage, but we’ll note this as a concern for now – doubling the claim put out by the manufacturer is never good.
Otherwise, the Sealion 5 is quite comfortable, rolling on 18-inch alloy wheels across both grades. The suspension effectively soaked up bumps from Aussie country roads, though we were not tempted to push it hard dynamically.
With vague steering, soft suspension typical of many Chinese SUVs and a tail weighed down by a heavy battery, the Sealion 5 doesn’t ooze the dynamic prowess like a Mazda CX-5 or similar. It is, by all means, a competent vehicle, if not incredible.
How is the Sealion 5’s interior?
If there’s one area BYD hasn’t compromised on when haggling down the Sealion 5’s attractive price point, it’s the space inside the cabin. Australians love getting more metal for their money, and the Sealion 5 certainly offers that.
The front seat is soft and should be comfortable for most body types, though drivers with longer legs will likely find the lack of native underthigh support fatiguing on longer trips. Both grades feature minimal adjustment, so the ability to work around the seats natural shortcomings is limited.
Soft-touch materials appoint the armrests but are notably hard to find elsewhere in the Sealion 5’s cabin, which is lined with cheap-feeling plastic that echoes noise, and gloss black on the dash-top that smudges easily.
The base Essential makes do with a small 10.1-inch touchscreen, a fact exacerbated by BYD’s overreliance on the centre screen for major functions such as climate control.
There are a few physical buttons for front and rear demist, on/off and auto climate control functions, but changing the temperature and recirculating the air is done through the screen.
For that reason alone, we’d look to the Premium with its larger 12.8-inch unit, which also adds a nicer nine-speaker sound system over the base six-speaker, a wireless phone charger and heating and ventilation — there’s a lot that gets added for just a bit more cash.
The 8.8-inch digital driver’s display is well-sized yet uses generic, cheap-looking fonts and doesn’t have a cowl so can be hard to see in direct sunlight.
Where the Sealion 5 impresses is in the back, with ample room for older teenagers and adults plus good visibility and rear air vents.
This continues in the boot which measures 463 litres, or more than the claim of the larger Sealion 6 (425L). This is impressive given the battery pack is mounted beneath the floor, however there’s no spare tyre in the Sealion 5.
The honest verdict
With only a short launch drive under our belt, a final rating and verdict will have to wait. Our key concerns with the Sealion 5 right now are fuel efficiency with an empty battery and lower quality cabin materials.
It’s in these two areas the slightly larger Sealion 6 is already proven to be ahead. The Sealion 5 stumbles on its way to the finish line, but its drawbacks may be factors buyers are willing to tolerate.
For those who like a lower price, the new Sealion 5 still retains solid fundamentals such as a big back seat and enough electric-only driving range to complete the daily commute to the city.
