Today, as the market for full-electric SUVs grows ever bigger, broader and more bountiful, here’s BYD with its latest, the Sealion 7

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Car Reviewed: BYD SEALION 7 DESIGN AWD

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True, you might perhaps wonder about the oddball name. But in many ways, the Sealion 7 is perfectly set up for the modern motoring world that is 2025.

Here’s an imposing mid-size coupe SUV with a high-set seating position, good looks and a fuss-free, rapid-charge full EV drivetrain.

That’s a good start. Add in a roomy, practical five-door cabin and plenty of kit and you have a contender that’s all set up for primetime. And with sleeves rolled up to take on the likes of the Telsa Model Y, head on.

Yes, BYD. For those just tuning in, BYD (“Build Your Dreams”) is a fast-moving Chinese maker with an aggressive plan for world dominance.

BYD set up a huge coming-out party for the Sealion 7 in the Milton Keynes Stadium MK Arena, and there on stage, it confirmed its intentions to become global number one.

No messing about. There is nothing discreet about it. And who knows, BYD sales are growing so rapidly globally, it may yet get there. Sooner than we all think.

The Sealion 7 enters the UK fray as BYD’s fifth model here and at launch, there are essentially three versions for your consideration.

The range kicks off with the rear-wheel-drive 230kW Comfort with 82.5kW battery and £46,990 price tag.

Next, there’s the twin motor 390kW Design AWD with the same battery and £51,990 pricing.

Then comes the 390kW Excellence AWD flagship with a bigger 91kW battery and real Nappa leather seats. That’s all yours for £58,990.

BYD is keen to emphasise all the advanced tech poured into this car, especially the car’s e-Platform 3.0 architecture incorporated with BYD’s own slim-line Blade battery technology. But that’s just for starters.

The rear 230kW motor can spin up to 23,000rpm, the fastest electric motor in mass production, BYD says.  In the all-wheel-drive versions, a further 160kW motor is positioned on the front axle, giving a combined output of 390kW and phenomenal 690Nm whack of torque.

The all-important question: how about range? BYD quotes a WLTP combined range of 299 miles for the single motor models. For the 4WD editions, that comes down to 283 miles. Considering all the hype, these are hardly world-beating numbers and indeed less in real-world conditions, day-to-day.

For the range-topping Excellence, with the larger battery pack, that EV driving range nudges up to a more worthwhile 312 miles.

Charging is more like it. The Comfort and Design versions can be charged up to 150kW, where 10-80 per cent takes a reported 32 minutes. With the larger battery Excellence, that can go up to 230kW and the same 10-80 per cent takes just 24 minutes.

In the same week, however, BYD announced a revolutionary new charging system that can recharge in just 5 mins, say, the same time to fill up a petrol tank. That’s an actual game-changing development, but only in China, for now at least.

In the metal, the Sealion 7 looks sharp, up to the minute and the side profile works especially well. Oh, and if you like the design, you need to know that the head of BYD Design is one Wolfgang Egger, formerly with Alfa Romeo Centro Stile (he did the 8C Competizione, among others). You can see the class.

Inside, the Sealion 7 is roomy, well ordered, with good space in both front and back. There’s also an accommodating boot area with 520 litres capacity.

Again, you might wonder about the name. “Sealion 7” doesn’t mean that it’s a seven-seater. It’s a conventional two-row SUV, so no folding third row.

While the cabin is awash with tech, including a revolving dashboard centre screen, new infotainment software, and four-zone voice control system. (The Sealion can work out who in the car is giving commands…), the overall ambience, to me, seemed pretty conservative—high quality, accommodating and comfortable, but akin to sitting in a Toyota or Lexus. I’m not sure if BYD would actively appreciate that viewpoint, but that’s how this mid-range Sealion 7 Design came over to me.

Riding on 20-in alloys, the Sealion 7 is composed and competent over typical roads, easy to drive. Yes, well-honed, but at the same time, not so rewarding or memorable. For the majority of likely buyers, though, that will surely be just fine.

You get four dynamic modes – Eco, Snow, Sport, Normal – so take your pick. Refinement levels are high and with a potent 390kW (522 bhp) and 690Nm (509 lbft) on tap, BYD is quoting a rapid time of just 4.5 secs for the 0-100 km/h dash, coupled with a maximum speed of 134 mph. Impressive numbers.

The Sealion 7 is a substantial, softly sprung SUV with little steering feel. It’s also pretty weighty at 2340 kgs. And WLTP combined economy of 2.9 miles/kWh doesn’t look so cutting edge versus the 3.6-4.5 miles/kWh of a (now old) Tesla Model Y.  It also faces plenty of competition from rival models.

But as an overall package, it makes a definite statement and although we’d like to try the base, rear-drive drive Comfort for comparison (it’s the best value), there’s no denying the Sealion 7 has plenty going for it.