BYD Seal DM-i, Mercedes-Benz design Denza car machine, can stir up the B-class car world?
In recent years, China's independent automobile brands have ushered in the rapid rise, and the pattern of many market segments has changed greatly. In particular, BYD Auto dominates the list of SUVs, MPVs and other major lists with a variety of popular models. However, only the mid-size sedan market has not yet been conquered, and traditional joint venture brand models such as Camry, Accord, Passat, and Magotan still firmly hold their market share. In the face of the B-class car market dominated by the joint venture hegemon, BYD took out a king-bomb-class model - Seal DM-i this time.
So let's talk about whether the BYD Seal DM-i can do a lot of joint venture competitors from the core cockpit experience of B-class cars.
More sophisticated and attractive marine design
High-end has now become the main tone of its own brand mid-size sedan, and as a scarce coupe model in the fuel era, it has also become a fixed routine used by major manufacturers to lay the high-end positioning of the model, but in fact, this is also going further and further away from the mainstream demand of the market. And I believe that everyone has long been tired of the design of the clear through-through front face, split headlights and other designs, which seem futuristic designs.
On the contrary, the positioning of BYD Seal DM-i is still a relatively traditional sedan B-class, and at first glance there is no sense of alienation like a new energy coupe. The design language of Oceannet is more mature in the Seal DM-i, at least there is not a single detail that makes you feel superfluous. Including the luminous waiting design in the front fog lamp area, the refinement makes the entire front face more agile.
From the side, it also adopts a relatively simple line treatment, with a segmented waist line and a slender folded line under the door, reflecting the sense of swooping of the body.
What is more attractive is the shape of the C-pillar triangular window, and the sharp upturned shape shifts the visual center of gravity back, making the whole car look more slender.
The taillights will be a design highlight of the whole car, and the design of the chrome strip superimposed through the lights does not feel overly cumbersome, but has the taste of the new Mercedes-Benz S-class. Including the line modification of the entire tail of the seal DM-i, there is a fullness similar to the Mercedes-Benz CLS.
As for tires, the Seal DM-i is equipped with 225/50 R18 Giti tires, which are mainly quiet and comfortable, which is also more in line with the economic and comfortable positioning of this car.
As for the size, the Seal DM-i is 4980mm long, which is the same as the Honda Accord, but the former has a wheelbase of 2900mm, surpassing a number of B-class joint venture sedans in the same class, including the rear and trunk space have a good performance.
You can't find a smart cockpit with a sense of cheapness
At the product sharing meeting of Seal DM-i, BYD staff emphasized to us that this car is the first model of the BYD brand equipped with a new generation of DiLink intelligent network system, that is, the system on the Denza N7. And I personally think that this set of interior design and intelligent cockpit of Seal DM-i will not feel contrary to the Denza brand.
First of all, from the design point of view, the interior of the seal DM-i uses many material elements, NAPPA leather, solid wood decorative panels, imitation suede, matte chrome trim, soft and hard combination is just right.
In particular, matte metallic trim panels and window control buttons in the same color are used in the door armrests, which incorporate a technological texture.
The low-saturation burgundy and rice white contrast design can give people a comfortable look and feel, without visual fatigue, and the overall interior atmosphere is home and luxurious.
The center console retains the physical control buttons such as driving mode switching, air conditioning, and volume, and also maintains Chinese logos, and the crystal gear shift lever combined with the aluminum metal color dense-toothed comb-shaped plaque also looks quite designed. In front is 50W high-power mobile phone wireless fast charging, which is also one of the important configurations to connect with the trend.
The blessing of the new generation of DiLink intelligent network system can be said to be the key to Seal DM-i standing out in its class.
The system has been greatly improved in terms of smoothness, functionality and playability, and has a 15.6-inch size and adaptive rotation function for a greatly improved look and feel.
Another example is the 3D car control function that can be seen and controlled. A 3D model of the vehicle will be displayed on the screen, including lights, windows, trunk, mirrors, as well as seat adjustment, ventilation heating, ambient lights, etc. in the car, all of which can be controlled with a click on the 3D model.
In addition, the Seal DM-i comes standard with a full-scene digital key, and finally supports iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock and lock. It is still convenient to set up the NFC digital key to unlock it close to the rearview mirror, which is not limited by Bluetooth.
In addition to the intelligent upgrade of the vehicle, the Seal DM-i has also been upgraded for intelligent driving. The new car is equipped with the DiPilot intelligent driving assistance system, equipped with 3 millimeter-wave radars, 1 HD forward-view camera, and 4 HD surround view cameras. It provides APA automatic parking, RPA remote parking and other functions.
Rear five-link + DM-i, refresh experience
As a mid-size sedan focused on family comfort, the Seal DM-i adopts a front MacPherson style independent suspension combination with rear five-link linkage, which is also the first DM-i model to be equipped with rear five-link independent suspension. Thanks to the five-link independent suspension, it is of great help to inhibit body roll, enhance road feeling and suspension support, so that the vehicle has better handling stability, smoothness and comfort.
Moreover, the combination of rear five-link + DM-i is also very exciting, which will bring a new experience to the quietness and comfort of the vehicle.
Although more and more hybrid models are currently on the market, the hybrid technical strength of the Seal DM-i is still quite competent.
The new car will have two pure electric range versions of 121km and 200km, with a minimum fuel consumption of 3.9L per 100km and a comprehensive cruising range of up to 1301km when fully fueled. Among them, the 200KM version supports a maximum of 69kW DC fast charging, which can be charged from 30% to 80% in 19min; The 121KM version of DC fast charge can also be charged from 30% to 80% in 25min.
In addition, all Seal DM-i series are equipped with VTOL mobile power station as standard, which supports up to 6kW external discharge, and comes with a 220V power socket in the car.
BYD Seal DM-i online pricing range of 18-250,000 yuan, which is also the core price area of the joint venture mid-size car, it is clear that Seal DM-i does not intend to reduce the price to displace the blow. However, since the beginning of this year, the joint venture mid-size sedan market has also rolled up to a new height, and the price of some popular models has dropped below 150,000, which is bound to put a lot of pressure on the seal DM-i.
But as far as plug-in hybrid models are concerned, the advantages of Seal DM-i in cockpit texture and intelligence are indeed obvious, and these are the core pain points of today's B-class sedan market. The big cake of the medium-sized car is afraid that it will be gnawed off by BYD again.