When it comes to the pure electric vehicle market, the BYD Seagull stands out in the highly competitive market with its excellent performance, rich configuration and practical space. At the same time, opening the sales list of the pure electric vehicle market in March 2024, BYD Seagull ranked second in the sales list of pure electric vehicles with a starting price of 69,800 yuan, as a small scooter, pushing the competitive pattern to a new height. So, at this price point, does the Seagull have an opponent?
First, let's take a look at the exterior design of the Seagull. The Seagull's shape is simple and sleek, with a streamlined design that not only gives it a sporty look, but also has been optimised in terms of aerodynamics. The smooth design along the body lines reduces air resistance and improves the stability of the vehicle when driving at high speeds. However, the most impressive thing is not the streamlined design, but the "bionic design" of this car, from the side, the silhouette of this car and the "real seagull" spread its wings and soar very similarly, the front LED headlights add a double LED daytime running light strip, the effect after lighting is lifelike, enhancing the sense of fun of the vehicle.
However, in terms of body size, the BYD Seagull does not have a particularly big advantage in its class. Specifically, the length, width and height of the car are 3780/1715/1540 mm, wheelbase 2500 mm, as a small car, the body length is less than 3.8 meters, and the wheelbase is only 2.5 meters. To be honest, in the face of compact fuel vehicles at the same price on the market, the size and space competitiveness of the Seagull are not enough. But if you start from the convenience of daily travel and the appearance of exquisite and small appearance, the BYD Seagull is really different among models in the same price range, and there are almost no direct competitors.
And it should be noted that the disadvantage in size did not bring strong space anxiety to the BYD Seagull. On the contrary, the Seagull based on the BYD e platform 3.0 is better than the same level of models in terms of space utilization, with my height of 1.75 meters, after adjusting the front seats to a normal sitting position, sitting in the second row can also get about two fists of leg room, and at the same time, the headroom is sufficient, and I don't feel that the back row is crowded.
In addition, the seat padding is softer and the cushion length is sufficient, which can give the body good support and wrapping feeling. But I have to say that the material of the door panel in the car is really cheap, the large area of hard plastic panel is stiff to the touch, and the car is a 5-door 4-seat layout, so don't look at the back row can sit 3 people, if you actually go out to carry three people, you will be stopped by the traffic police and fined points. In addition, the rear seats of this car only support overall reclining, and the flexibility is not as flexible as the 4/6 ratio reclining, and the convenience of daily loading is average.
And in terms of interior, the Seagull didn't disappoint either. Although most of the trim parts are made of plastic, the color scheme is lively and youthful, which can give people a pleasant riding experience. In addition, thanks to the structural advantages of the pure electric platform, the Seagull has also added a lot of storage space in the cockpit, providing convenience for the front passengers for daily use.
Let's take a look at the configuration of the seagull. The Seagull is equipped with a range of practical features, such as rear parking radar, reversing camera, cruise control, 7-inch LCD instrument cluster, keyless entry for the main driver, imitation leather seats, 10.1-inch center display, heated exterior mirrors, etc. The use of these configurations not only improves the convenience of the vehicle, but also improves the intelligent experience of the vehicle.
In terms of power, Seagull adopts BYD's self-developed electric drive system, with a high degree of integration of eight-in-one motors, with a maximum power of 75 horsepower, although the horsepower is not large, it accelerates quickly at a speed of 0-50km/h, and can maintain a stable power output during driving, with a top speed of up to 130km/h. In addition, the Seagull also has a long range, with a pure electric range of 305 km and 405 km.
However, like all models, the Seagull has some drawbacks. The first is the problem of imperfect charging infrastructure, which makes some consumers less receptive to pure electric vehicles. In addition, compared with traditional fuel vehicles, pure electric vehicles still have the problem of limited mileage, which is not suitable for going far. While these issues are not fatal drawbacks for seagulls, they are still worth noting.
To sum up, the BYD Seagull is the second place in the pure electric sales list, although its appearance, interior, configuration and power are ordinary at this price point, but there are no obvious shortcomings in all aspects, which is enough to make it stand out at this price. Therefore, if you are also interested in pure electric transportation models and do not have much budget in hand, perhaps you can test drive the Seagull to be more sure of what you need.