BYD’s $8,000 car, the Seagull, was once China’s best selling car for a reason. And, I wanted to know that reason; the mere mention of “Seagull” would send flocks of curious readers desperate to know: Is this car any good?
So, earlier this year, I ventured out to find out if the BYD Seagull was any good. I took a train outside of Shanghai to a random BYD dealer in Suzhou to find out just why this car had captivated so many Chinese folks, and struck fear in the hearts of so many Western automotive industry executives.
While driving quasi-legally on the streets of Suzhou, I learned that yes, BYD’s ultra budget hatchback is all it’s cracked up to be.
Now, you’ve likely already seen videos elsewhere and even read articles at other places about the BYD Dolphin Surf, which is a version of the Seagull meant for European consumption. The Dolphin Surf seems to be good, it adds more power, range and length (for crash standards) to the city-car-sized Seagull, making it palatable to European buyers.
But the unit I drove in China didn’t have all of that. It had the shorter bumpers, less power and less range. On the other hand, the BYD dealer did let me drive the recently facelifted model with BYD’s “God’s Eye” assisted driving software, and updated infotainment.
Ultimately, I had to eat crow. I expected the Seagull to be terrible, but I quickly learned it was a perfectly dignified piece of transportation. I understood why so many folks in China chose the Seagull; it may have been only $8,000 (or about $11,000 in top-of-the-line trim, as was my tester), but it didn’t feel cheap or bad at all.
The China-spec unit I had did only have about 75 horsepower, and only about 39 kWh of battery, but the car still felt remarkably refined. Even if BYD managed to sell the Seagull overseas (which it has) for roughly double the price, I think it still would have been a compelling car. It’s smooth riding, sophisticated and well finished, not something I can say about any car this cheap, no matter gas or electric.
I was in the Seagull for about an hour and a half. Within those 90 minutes, I understood why a million people inside and outside of China chose the Seagull: because it’s great.
Give our video of the BYD Seagull a gander.
Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@insideevs.com
