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BYD Sealion 6 DM-i - is it worth buying it to replace an ICE car?


4myr

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I am considering buying the BYD Sealion 6 PHEV to replace my 8 yr old Mazda 3. This car is also known as Song Plus [China] or Seal U DM-i [Europe].

Would like to hear your own experience or additional knowledge you gained from other sources to improve my decision making.

 

Reasons to consider the BYD is the 80km [considering to keep 25% SoC for HEV fuel efficiency] pure EV range for daily/weekly city trip.

I have excess solar power and can charge at home with a portable charger, as my daily commute is less than 50 km.

 

For longer weekend/vacation trips I will not have range or charging station anxiety, having a 60L fuel tank and around 25km/L fuel efficiency as long as I drive below 110 km/hr and keep the battery charged above 25%.

My yearly mileage is around 7-10,000 km.

 

The price vs value is the biggest attraction. The 2-wheel drive model Dynamic is sold for 939,900 Thai baht.
Other Chinese manufacturers e.g. MG have lowered their PHEV prices accordingly, however the value proposition of BYD is better.  

 

I am intending to keep the BYD as long as I can, for at least 5-6 years.

 

What are the unknowns right now for me:

  • maintenance costs.
    I read on a Australian site cost of around 200 USD / year over the first 5 years. The ATTO 3 BEV maintainance package of Rever of 8 years is worth 120 USD per year. I assume maintenance for a PHEV is more expensive than a BEV. Next month I'll hear from BYD.
  • insurance costs.
    I read that EV insurance in Thailand is twice as expensive compared to ICE cars
  • how many years software and security updates are warrantied?
    BYD has many models/variations worldwide to keep up to date. Will BYD behave like Samsung for smartphones or more like Apple in terms of software updates? Will the car management firmware still work after 8 years, except that [security] bugs will not be solved. 
  • after 8 years or 160,000 km battery warranty of 70% battery health, the car will have lower pure EV range. I assume it should keep it's fuel efficiency as a hybrid, as long as the SoC is above 25%? So the PHEV becomes more or less a HEV, after gradual deterioration of the battery.
  • the resale value/depreciation after 5-6 years.
    I'd guess nobody can answer this, except within China. As the Song Plus is already in the market for several years. The DM-i hybrid technology is on it's 4th iteration, and the 5th iteration has recently been launched in China regaining it's ICE power efficiency crown of 46% from Geely  [Seal 7 DM-i]

 

Things in the news or online reviews that have bothered me:

  • on durability: e.g. mold found in the interiors of stored cars in Europe, exterior paint peeling off. Are these issues included in the car warranty?
  • on suspension level: too soft I read.
    I will need to adapt from the sporty and direct steering nature of the Mazda. I also read reviews that after changing tires and suspension the BYD's suspension behaves better. I also read of motion sickness of some passengers in the back due to the soft suspension. Fortunately in Thailand the max legal speed is 90 km/h and 120 km/h on toll roads. I will need to test drive this on the highway to find out myself.
Edited by 4myr
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i'm sorry, but i can't answer your questions because i don't own a phev nor a byd. hopefully, other forum members can offer more help.
 
that said, i'd like to share why a fully electric vehicle (bev) is the choice for me personally:
  • with a phev, you get both the pros and cons of electric and combustion engines. this includes maintenance costs, fuel and electricity expenses, driving comfort, noise, vibrations, and emissions.
  • the 18 kWh battery in the byd sealion 6 is put under considerable stress, especially at high and low battery levels. frequent charging cycles can also lead to faster degradation.
  • the higher engine power in the byd sealion 6 comes from the electric motor, offering 145 kW of power, while the 1.5-liter combustion engine provides just 72 kW. when full power is required, the (cold) ice engine has to "spring in", may creating noticeable noise and vibrations.
  • to be efficient and perform well on long trips, a phev needs to be charged regularly, the same as a bev.
 
i drive about 400 km on day trips each month, and i take two longer road trips a year (lasting 2 to 6 weeks) covering 2,000 to 4,000 km. typically, i (we need to ) take a 30-minute break every two hours, which gives me plenty of time to charge the battery, and i'm also never in rush on long journeys ...
 
for some, a phev might be a better fit than a bev. however, i'm not sure all phev buyers fully consider also the potential drawbacks ...
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BYD have a good reputation, I doubt they got anything wrong on the car.

 

I like that they have the most power on the electric motor.  I had a PHEV Mercedes in 2018 where most of the power was on the ICE and the electric only range was about 20km.  I could just about get away with a trip to a restaurant, picking up a couple of friends and the return journey, but I was frequently using the ICE.

 

The BYD will have excellent performance on the electric motor, once the battery is exhausted, say on a long journey, your performance will drop.  There is probably an option to use the petrol engine to charge the battery (there was on the Mercedes), I never did because I considered it inefficient.= to use petrol to charge the battery.

 

So if your usage pattern is mostly journeys of under the electric only range with the occasional long distance trip, then I think it is perfect for you.

 

And if you are anything like me, a PHEV will give you the confidence to go fully BEV next time.

Edited by JBChiangRai
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