BYD Sealion 6 DM-i: Long-range master

Hybrid vehicles are fast becoming a common sight nowadays, and most of them are promoted with fuel efficiency in mind. The aforementioned is particularly prevalent in the Philippine market, where fuel prices are unstable and often high. 

Granted, hybrids on most accounts can be more efficient compared to their internal combustion-only counterparts, but BYD Philippines, under the distributorship of ACMobility, has set out to prove a point with its newly released Sealion 6 DualMode-intelligent (DM-i) compact crossover. 

The company did so by organizing a three-day adventure where automotive journalists and content creators drove the Sealion 6 on an epic 1,000-kilometer (km) three-day journey from Metro Manila to Northern Luzon and back - in just one full tank of gas. 

Specifically, the three-day adventure took a bunch of Sealion 6 DM-i units from Seda Manila to Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, on the first day, to the historic San Agustin Church of Paoay on the second day, and back to Metro Manila on the third. 

Here’s how the three-day sojourn went. 

Punching upmarket

On the first few hours of the trip, Zigwheels Philippines got to experience the comfort and amenities of the Sealion 6. Sure, its coupe-de-grace is its DM-i powertrain, but the vehicle’s upmarket interior was a highlight as well. 

Simply put, it is a well-built and well-kitted car with all the bells and whistles one would expect from a higher (more expensive) segment offering. 

In my experience, the rear seats are quite cozy thanks to its soft leather material and ample cushioning. It also has an immense amount of legroom, a sizable rear armrest, rear air-conditioning vents, and USB ports for the rear cabin. 

For reference, I am almost six feet  tall and wide at the gut. Regardless, I found the rear had more than enough space for my frame. Also, even as we passed through the busy Skyway before transitioning to the equally packed North Luzon Expressway’s (NLEX) Balintawak Toll Plaza, I felt that the Sealion’s cabin was serenely quiet as it effectively drowned out the noise coming from the outside and from its 1.5-liter engine. Tire noise, however, can still be heard, especially at regular cruising speeds on the highway. 

Another notable interior amenity of the Sealion 6 is the sizable 15.6-inch central touchscreen dominating its dashboard. The screen responds quickly to inputs and has sharp graphics as well. It also has the same rotating feature found on the BYD Atto 3 electric vehicle, which makes it suitable for a wide variety of apps with varying user interfaces. 

With mostly highways to contend with at the start of the journey, we mostly depended on the infotainment screen’s music player and its wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto features for enjoyment. The aforementioned worked without a hitch, while the 10-piece Infinity speakers provided great sound quality. 

Also surprising is the fact that the car gets two wireless smartphone chargers. The said chargers aren’t mind-blowingly fast by any means, but they’re a great touch since an epic trip such as this requires a lot of picture-taking using our phones. 

Competent highway runner

After a short break and a driver change halfway through NLEX, I finally got to pilot the Sealion 6. The first thing I noticed about the cockpit is the front seat’s wideness and handy electronic adjustability. 

The vehicle’s 12.3-inch digital driver’s display looked sharp, too, but I would’ve wanted some physical controls (dedicated knobs) for its dual-zone automatic climate control system. Regardless, the vehicle’s driving controls were easy to understand, even for a first-time user. It has a PRND shifter, toggles for the drive modes, an electronic parking brake button, and a multi-function tilt and telescopic steering wheel. 

On NLEX and the long stretches of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), the Sealion 6 had adequate oomph to cruise comfortably at the said road’s 100 kilometer-per-hour speed limit. 

Mind you, long stretches of highway can beat a driver to exhaustion. Still, thankfully, the Sealion 6 somewhat lessens that with its sufficiently responsive lane-keep assist system and adaptive cruise control. 

The vehicle's straight-line acceleration was also noted to be peppy since it has no issues when overtaking. To note, Ramirez and Cutter Events were guiding and organizing the convoy of Sealion 6 units during the drive, so we made a good pace before coming to a break for lunch at The Coffee Library and Roastery adjacent to the TPLEX rotunda. 

It also helped that the DM-i system can put out a reasonable peppy output of 214 horsepower and 325 Newton-meters of torque. It’s not a sports car by any means, but the said figures place it as one of the more powerful options in its price range. 

So, in no time at all, we made it to the provincial roads of La Union and, eventually, Ilocos Sur. For those unfamiliar, the said provinces feature some picturesque views of beaches and wooded tracts of land. However, as driving enthusiasts, we were also excited to see what the Sealion 6 could do on some curvy back roads.

Enjoyable, agile

On the curvy sections of some mountain roads heading up to Vigan City, the Sealion 6 showed minimal body roll. Road imperfections were also staved off effectively by its McPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension systems, even with its 19-inch low-profile tires inflated high and hard for transport purposes. 

After a long day of driving, the group ended the first day at the luxurious and rustic Hotel Luna in Vigan City. 

On the second day, we made our way up to Ilocos Norte to see the San Agustin Church of Paoay, which is a UNESCO heritage sight. 

At this point in time, we were driving the BYD hybrid unit in a spirited manner. Maneuvering the crossover to pass slow-moving tricycles and motorcycles was done easily, thanks to its lively throttle response. 

Its braking, however, had a “progressive” feel where those not used to driving the car would feel the need to mash the pedal. However, it is not a dealbreaker in any way since it just needs some getting used to, and it provides sufficient stopping power, as well.

Slick styling

Upon reaching the San Agustin Church, one Sealion 6 DM-i unit was parked in the fronting road. With the Spanish-era structure as the backdrop, the modern vehicle was juxtaposed, thus highlighting its slick design. 

Once viewed from any angle, the BYD hybrid looks elegant. It is not flashy by any means, but it gets the right combination of sharpness and sleek lines to certify it as an attractive ride. 

Up front, it features a sharp nose, which is flanked by a pair of squinty LED headlamp clusters. It also features sporty details via its slatted front grille, but its side sections assume a more fluidic look, thanks to flowing character lines and a gently sloping roof line. Over towards its rear, it gets an LED taillight and a shapely lower rear bumper. 

During the drive, it rained a couple of times, but the vehicle’s rain-sensing wipers didn’t miss a beat. We also had several travel bags to lug around with us, but loading the trunk was made easy thanks to a power tailgate. 

Immense range

With a full tank and a full charge, the Sealion 6 DM-i boasts around 1,100 km of overall range. About 100 km of the aforementioned is all-electric range. 

On the first day of driving from Seda Manila to our stop at NLEX, the vehicle read a fuel economy of around 35 kilometers per liter. At the time, we set the vehicle to hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode, wherein the unit’s electric motor, 18.3 kilowatt-hour Blade battery, and 1.5-liter gasoline engine work in tandem to provide optimized efficiency and driving performance. 

On the second day of driving, we set the vehicle on “save” mode, where its battery gained a charge of more than 50 percent while ending up with more than 400 km to spare from its overall charge. The increase in battery charge is thanks to the vehicle’s strong regenerative braking, which returned a lot of EV range in several instances of provincial stop-and-go traffic. 

Remember that we have not refueled during all three days of driving. But regardless, we didn’t experience range anxiety since we could simply top it off when we wanted to. The 400 km of remaining range on the second day, however, was more than enough to get us back to the Seda Hotel in Manila. 

At the last legs of the drive, upon our return to the hotel, the vehicle still had a battery charge of around 18 percent and an overall range of more than 80 kilometers. 

Translated to daily driving within Metro Manila, the model’s fuel efficiency could mean weeks on end without the need for refueling. For perspective, the distance between my residence in Brgy. Holy Spirit, Quezon City to Bonifacio Global City is only 19.1 kilometers.

So that would mean around 29 round trips on HEV mode before I need to fill the vehicle up with gas. That’s a month’s worth of driving to and from my house and place of work, and it doesn’t even factor in its 100-km EV-only mode, which regains rains through regenerative charging. 

Sure, the aforementioned is only a rough estimate, and other factors would determine the real-world range. However, the BYD hybrid, after all, did perform a real-life 1,000 km journey, with heavy traffic included, in just one tank of gas. 

Pricing

In the Philippine market, the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i is priced at P1.548 million. 

Final thoughts

With its price and the capabilities it is offering, the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i might be one of the most enticing hybrid crossovers in the market right now. 

As proven by the 1,000-km media drive, it is a competent long-distance cruiser that does not compromise on comfort. It can likewise function as a highly efficient daily driver since it is sized just right and handles well on tight city roads. 

For those who are serious about getting the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i, though, we urge you to take the vehicle for a test drive. 

Also read: 

BYD Sealion 6 DM-i: pros and cons

Hybrid crossover shoot-out: BYD Sealion 6 DM-i vs. Honda CR-V RS e:HEV

Cabin check: What’s inside the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i?