Even in the face of a typhoon, the BYD Seal Performance proved its mettle around the rain-soaked Zhuhai International Circuit during our track experience.

Photos: BYD Auto and Jay Tee

ZHUHAI INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, CHINA

Full disclosure, I don’t have much experience driving on a race circuit. Save for a couple of laps around Sepang and Jakarta’s Sentul circuit, my track experience is (still) limited to say the least. But track experiences aren’t frequent.

When such an invite is extended to us, we’d be fools to say no. As luck would have it, I drew the short straw and found myself in China as part of BYD’s “Innovation Meets Acceleration” media track day.

I’d be tackling the Zhuhai International Circuit (ZIC) at the helm of the BYD Seal. Fortunately, I’ve already had a brief taste of the BYD Seal’s dynamic prowess at the car’s launch event at the Changi Exhibition Centre earlier this month. 

So after watching a few YouTube videos and taking a couple of laps of the circuit on a racing sim, we found ourselves in the paddock of the Zhuhai International Circuit (ZIC), getting ready to head onto the track – just as the skies opened up.

Typhoon Kionu was almost upon us. As the category 4 typhoon approached, flights to and from Hong Kong and Guangzhou were being cancelled as the cities readied themselves for the incoming onslaught of strong winds and downpours.

In spite of the incoming storm and intermittent showers, we clambered into the 530-horsepower BYD Seal Performance for our first run on the track, putting the Seal through its paces around a series of high-speed corners and long straights.

All of us were accompanied by instructors who were intimately familiar with the ZIC. In my case, my copilot was a Chinese rally driver. Most of us had inhibitions about being chaperoned around the track. So with my handicapped grasp of Mandarin, I asked my co-driver how fast I was allowed to go.

“As fast as you can manage,” he replied. Duly noted, I thought as left the pit lane and pelted down the track.

BYD Seal Performance – Zero to Hero

As the speedometer crept past 160km/h, I jabbed on the brakes prior to turn 7 of the Zhuhai circuit before flinging the car’s sculpted front end around the hairpin bend. The cars had been set in sport mode with full braking regeneration, allowing us to carry more speed on the straights before shaving off speed before corner entry. 

There’s an almost imperceptible tremor as the car juggled between the EV regen system and brake discs, coping to manage the Seal’s 2.1-ton mass on the rain-slicked asphalt as the typhoon encroached upon the southern provinces of China. 

In spite of that, the BYD Seal ploughed through the various curves and bends unperturbed, its dual-motor AWD drivetrain keeping me in check on the wet surfaces. On paper, the BYD Seal Performance does 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds. Useful information in a drag race, but hardly relevant in a track setting. 

What does remain relevant is the 530 horsepower and 670Nm of torque that the drivetrain provides, available from the moment your foot takes a stab at the throttle. But the inherent dynamic prowess of the Seal lies in its remarkable chassis, which has double wishbones up front and a multi-link setup in the rear. 

In practice, it meant that all the Seals felt incredibly adept around the track. Even in the wet, the Seal Performance’s intelligent torque adaptation control (iTAC) system kept the cars on the money as we barrelled through the circuit amidst tyre squeals and sideways action – all in the trappings of a typhoon.

In particular, the BYD Seal Premium stood out as the liveliest machine on track. While down on power compared to the Seal Performance, the 313hp/360Nm from the Seal Premium’s rear-mounted motor was more than enough to kick the car’s rear wide around a bend, especially so with the stability systems dialled back (not by my doing).

It was only after I’d performed a number of exuberant power slides that my chaperone felt something amiss and switched the ESC back on. But even then, the Seal Premium was still more than happy to wag its tail in the wet.

In essence, the BYD Seal makes you feel like a hero behind the wheel and helps you look like one too. Its stiff chassis and complex suspension setup inspires more confidence the longer you push it, empowering you to go faster with each passing corner.

BYD Seal Performance – No Fuss, No Musk

As if the immense power figures, impressive acceleration figures and complex chassis setup aren’t good enough accolades for the BYD Seal, the car’s looks certainly doesn’t do it any injustice.

The sleek silhouette of the Seal appears almost like a four-door coupe with its cab back design, long bonnet and short rear overhangs. It’s a sporty looking thing with its slim headlamps, unique DRL signature and gilled side sills. Even the tail end sees the addition of an aggressive rear diffuser. The Seal Performance also sports a badge that denotes its 3.8 second 0-100km/h time.

But Seal’s sharp styling isn’t just a stylistic choice, but an aerodynamic one as well. The combination of aerodynamic elements on the exterior nets the car a drag coefficient figure of just CD 0.219, which rivals that of the equally slippery but less suave Mercedes-EQ EQE.

On the inside, the cabin is impeccably well put together. Premium materials, soft-touch leatherette surfaces and satin-finished plastics give the Seal a much more appealing cabin than that of a Tesla Model 3 – which objectively, hardly has an “interior” to speak of.

Mounted atop the steering column is a 10.25-inch gauge cluster and taking centre stage is a 15.6-inch screen that, in true BYD fashion, rotates between landscape and portrait modes at the touch of a button. The centre stack even sees the addition of a crystal gear lever and two wireless charging pads.

Most of the car’s controls such as the drive mode and volume dials, infotainment screen and HVAC controls are within easy reach. Perhaps the only downside is that many of the car’s settings have to be accessed through the screen. Mercifully, the steering column and wing mirror adjustment controls are exempt from such treatment, unlike that of a Tesla.

BYD Seal Performance – A Tesla Killer?

On paper, the BYD Seal’s specifications and starting price put it within striking range of the Tesla Model 3. But on track, the BYD Seal Performance outshines the Model 3 Performance with its handling prowess, impressive drivetrain and stellar build quality. 

It’s not a big stretch to say that the BYD Seal could even give the BMW i4 a run for its money, especially when you pit the Seal Performance against the i4 M50. However, the Bimmer is a more luxurious vehicle that resides in another vehicle class and price bracket.

Undoubtedly, Teslas have set the benchmark for electrified motoring in the industry. That being said, they only serve as the basis for comparison where EVs are concerned. However, the BYD Seal is a car that beats those benchmarks on the track. 

But if its impressive list of standard features and refinement are anything to go by, the Seal could very well beat the Tesla in day-to-day usability too. And it isn’t just the Americans that should be worried about BYD’s offerings. The Germans ought to start looking over their shoulders too.

BYD Seal Performance

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