BYD Sealion 6 DM-i

The overall layout of the cabin of the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i has a dual-tone theme of black and beige, with contrasting satin silver accents on the steering wheel, a middle layer of the dashboard and door trims, and blue highlights across the dashboard and door panels making the cabin look even more premium.

With leather upholstery offered as standard, the BYD Sealion DM-i has a 12.3-inch full-TFT instrument console behind the steering wheel and a free-standing 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen infotainment system in the centre console. The lower centre console of the dashboard here has a slanting design with rectangular AC vents in the upper housing and dual wireless charging pads and an electronic parking brake switch in the opened lower housing. 

Being a premium range-extender hybrid crossover, the BYD Sealion DM-i has a few feel-good features up its sleeve, such as powered, heated, and ventilated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control with rear AC vents, air purifier, 10-speaker Infinity sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ambient lighting and panoramic sunroof. 

Similar to other global models in the Sealion family from BYD, the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i also has a crossover-ish stance with a curvaceous design and elements shared with other BYD offerings. Things like the C-shaped LED headlamps with LED DRLs in their lower parts and smooth contours over the bonnet and fenders give it a family resemblance with other BYD vehicles.

The front bumper of the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i has a fin-like horizontal arrangement of body-coloured slats over the air dam and air vents on the bumper corners. With 19-inch alloy wheels and wheel arch mouldings in the side profile, the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i has wide combination tail lamps with swerving LED inserts within them.

Having a suspension setup of Macpherson struts at the front and multi-link at the rear, the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i has decent driving dynamics with its plush setup resulting in a comfortable ride quality. There are three driving modes – Economy, Normal, and Sport – and three terrain modes – Snowfield, Grit, and Grass – all of which fine-tune the driving experience over varying terrains and at varying speeds. 

The primary source of power in the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i is a front-mounted electric motor, which generates a maximum power output of 197 PS and a maximum torque output of 325 Nm. This motor is accompanied by an 18.3kWh battery and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which serves as a range extender and produces 106 PS of maximum power and 135 Nm of maximum torque.

The combined power output of this range extender powertrain is rated at 217 PS, with the battery delivering a pure-electric range of 105 km. The extended range of this powertrain is 1,100 km. While the top speed of BYD Sealion 6 DM-i is 170 kmph, it can do the 0-100 kmph sprint in 8.3 seconds. 

The BYD Sealion 6 DM-i comes equipped with the Chinese carmaker’s DiPilot suite of ADAS features, which includes intelligent speed limit control, intelligent speed limit recognition, traffic sign recognition, traffic congestion assistance, front collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure assist, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and a 360-degree parking camera.

Other essential safety features offered as standard in this range-extender hybrid crossover from BYD are six airbags, traction control, electronic stability control, ABS with EBD, hill descent control, tyre pressure monitoring system, and front and rear parking sensors. 

In the fast-moving era of pure electric vehicles, the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i is a smart transitional move, as it offers the joys of both pure EV driving and the feels of gasoline-powered vehicles, without compromising on tech and efficiency.