BYD Seal U review: Packed with potential but lacking precision

I have massive respect and admiration for the MDL organisation in this country, founded by the visionary Stephen O’Flaherty in the mid-1940’s and which has gone from being a company assembling Volkswagen Beetles in Dublin to being one of the most successful motor distribution outfits this country has ever seen.

Motor Distributors Ltd has historic links to some of the world’s most revered brands and has long been involved in every aspect of the motor business – from assembly, to distribution to sales. Its success has been managed by the O’Flaherty family for many decades and it is a company which rarely, if ever, takes a false step.

At one time it was charged with the sales and distribution of Volkswagen, Audi, Mazda and Skoda products, although each of those brands were eventually taken back under the wing of the parent companies. Since 1954 it has been the Irish arm of the Stuttgart giant, Mercedes-Benz.

This association is one which has developed and grown down the years and has reaped much in terms of benefit to both German and Irish operations. These people know their business intimately – and it shows.

That they have recently expanded their operations to include the Irish distribution and sales responsibilities for both BYD and XPENG, new Chinese manufacturers to these shores. BYD we know to have recently become the biggest maker of plug-in electric vehicles and will undoubtedly become a serious global player when it gets a foothold in markets new to it.

XPENG vehicles will be launched here soon and MDL is currently in the process of establishing a dealer network and all the ancillaries which go with creating a footprint for a new brand. It too is expected to become a serious force in car manufacturing worldwide, especially after it joined an alliance with VW recently.

But we’re focussing on BYD this week and readers will remember that we’ve already tested a number of the company’s products, including the Atto 3, the Dolphin and the sporty Seal. The general impression we got from those tests was that the company has come a long way in a very short time and had a very bright future indeed.

Ample specifications and customer-luring pricing has been the essence of the BYD story here and while the products themselves are good, the sense one gets is that while the company has kicked the door open here in Ireland in terms of band recognition, the standards of the cars themselves will improve greatly with time.

This week’s tester is the somewhat confusingly named Seal U DM-i hybrid. The original Seal is a saloon/coupe and pure electric; this one is an SUV and the company’s first PHEV. The two could not be more different, from both design and engineering viewpoints.

That aside, the car looks smart, even in the entry level Boost model (the second grade available in the Design), although one gets the impression that the look of the car is one which could date quickly. It does have a presence, but it looks already like it might be last year’s thing.

It is jammed to the gills with tech and spec, although the interior is way more conventional than either the other Seal or the Dolphin, both of which appear to be assuredly alternative and maybe even a tad wacky.

The interior build quality here is fine and the materials used are easy on the eye and nice to touch; this thing certainly does put its best foot forward in terms of décor. It is roomy in there too and although there is plenty of room in the back for taller people, the boot is not much cop with just 425 litres on offer.

What will surprise people is that despite this being an entry-level model, the amount of kit as standard is tremendous. There is a massive central touchscreen which is actually rotatable and really a bit gimmicky, as you’re hardly going to be spinning it around just for the sake of it while on the move, but there are heated and cooled seats, a Harmon Kardon sound system, two wireless charging pads and a decent, readable, heads-up display.

The crystal knob on the drive shifter adds a touch of class, while the centre console-mounted switch gear means you’re not dependent on the infotainment system to control everything. That system itself is pretty easy to navigate, although the digital instrumentation screen for the driver is very busy with a variety of information, although it is customisable.

So far, so good then, But once you’re motoring it becomes clear that the Seal U is far from being at the top of the pile when it comes to driving dynamics.

The Boost model is front wheel drive only (the Design version is a 4x4) and under the hood is a 1.5 litre Atkinson-cycle four cylinder normally aspirated petrol engine. It is allied with an 18.3 kWh electric motor for a system output of 215 bhp and a 0-100 km/h time of 8.9 seconds. Top speed is 170 km/h.

Combined range is an impressive 1,080 km which may persuade those unconvinced about EV-only choices. The electric-only range is just 80 km, which is only really just on the right side of useful and the 30-80% charging time is 35 minutes.

All very well, until you get to driving it. While the hybrid system is smooth and relatively noiseless by comparison with some, the actual driving dynamics are poor when compared with others. The ride and handling are sloppy and unconvincing and the steering vague.

These factors are very important to some and not to others, but if you like your cornering to be sharp and well-defined you’d be better looking elsewhere. The price and the specs will be enough for many motorists to look to this SUV, but if you’re looking for anything of a wow factor, you’ll be disappointed.

I liked a lot of things about this car, but the things I really admire in any given car were strangely absent. I have no doubt that as BYD matures and improves, these things will be addressed and rectified and I’m betting that’s exactly what the MDL people where thinking too when they took the Chinese manufacturer on.

In itself, the Seal U is an interesting prospect, but it is badly let down dynamically and there are obvious issues to be addressed. I have no doubt they will, in time.