Right up to its Malaysian launch in February, communication for the BYD Seal had it that our market would feature the same three variant line-up for the all-electric sedan as found in other regional ASEAN/Oceania markets such as Singapore, Thailand and Australia, consisting of a base standard range Dynamic, an extended range Premium and a range-topping Performance.
That didn’t turn out to be the case, because launch day saw only two variants of the Seal being announced for Malaysia, these being the Premium and the Performance, and so the reckoning was that the entry-level variant wouldn’t be coming our way. Well, guess what, the Dynamic is finally here to complete the triple play, nearly seven months into the game.
Earlier this morning, Sime Darby Beyond Auto officially introduced the Seal Dynamic Standard Range, which lowers the entry price of what is presently the best-selling EV in the country by quite a bit. Priced at RM163,800 (nett, not on-the-road), the Dynamic is RM16,000 cheaper than the next step up, the RM179,800 Premium, and RM36,000 less than the range-topping Performance, which goes for RM199,800.
Powertrain-wise, the Dynamic is equipped with a single electric motor driving the rear wheels. It’s the same unit as seen on the Atto 3 SUV and Dolphin Premium Extended Range, and the output configuration is identical, with 201 hp (204 PS or 150 kW) and 310 Nm on tap.
This is more than a quite a bit down from the 308 hp (313 PS or 230 kW) and 360 Nm available on the Premium ER and significantly less than the combined 523 hp (530 PS or 390 kW) and 670 Nm seen in the dual-motor, all-wheel drive Performance. All this translates easily into sprint times, with the Dynamic accomplishing the 0-100 km/h run in 7.5 seconds, compared to the Premium’s 5.9 seconds and Performance’s 3.8 seconds.
Unlike the Premium ER and Performance, which are equipped with a 82.5 kWh Blade lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery offering 570 km and 520 km of WLTP-rated range respectively, the Dynamic gets a 61.4 kWh Blade unit, which is good enough to provide the car with up to 460 km (WLTP) of travel.
Like the two higher-spec models, the Dynamic supports up to 7 kW of AC Type 2 charging, but its smaller capacity battery means it can be juiced up fully in 8.6 hours via this route, far quicker than the 15.2 hours needed for the higher capacity pack on the Premium and Performance. However, its maximum rate for DC charging is 110 kW (30-80% SoC in 32 minutes) instead of 150 kW on the other two variants.
A quick recap of other relevant numbers. The Seal, which is underpinned by the automaker’s e-platform 3.0, measures in at 4,800 mm long, 1,875 mm wide and 1,460 mm tall, and has a 2,920 mm-long wheelbase. In terms of kerb weight, the Dynamic tips the scales at 1,922 kg, making it much lighter than the 2,055 kg Premium and 2,185 kg Performance. Boot space is uniform across the range, with 400 litres at the back and 50 litres available at the front.
Specification-wise, the Dynamic features almost everything seen higher up the chain. Kit includes LED headlights, LED daytime running lights and LED tail lights as well as retractable door handles and a panoramic roof. It however runs on 18-inch alloy wheels (and 225/50 profile Giti Comfort 225 tyres), unlike the other two, which ride on 19-inch wheels (and 235/45 profile Continental EcoContact 6 Q rubbers).
Inside, aside from its upholstery material, which is presented in faux leather as opposed to the leather on the Premium and Performance (you can’t really tell the difference from sight), everything else on the two other variants can be found here.
These include a 15.6-inch central touchscreen unit – with the usual switchable landscape/portrait orientation – and a 10.25 digital instrument panel that make up the display screens, as well as a 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system.
Other standard fit items include ventilated/heated driver/passenger powered seats, dual-zone air-conditioning, keyless entry/start, an NFC key card, head-up display, two wireless mobile device chargers and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity.
Two exterior colour options are available for the Seal Dynamic, these being Cosmos Black and Aurora White, omitting the Atlantis Grey and Arctic Blue that are available for the higher variants. The car comes with a six-year/150,000 km vehicle warranty, eight-year/160,000 km high-voltage battery warranty and an eight-year/150,000 km drive unit warranty.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
This can tapau A Class, 2 Series as early entry continental cars and even better than Mazda 3 and Toyota Camry in terms of space, durable, cheap to maintain and performance and tech
Nice!
Affordable powerful budget car