BMW 7 Series vs BYD Sealion 8

What's the difference?

While the new 7 Series won’t visually appeal to everyone, nor is it at the forefront of spirited driving dynamics, it’s hard to argue that it isn’t fit for purpose.

Its rear theatre screen and lounge layout might seem gimmicky at first, but it’s difficult to think of a more comfortable way to be transported on wheels short of putting a chassis under your loungeroom. Even then, you’d have to ask someone for a massage.

This is one of those cases where a car becoming larger isn’t such a bad thing, and BMW should feel like it’s achieved, seemingly, what it set out to do in building an electric limousine that doesn’t fall short in range or dynamics.

If BMW can bring this level of refinement down to its more affordable models, its electric future is looking promising.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

There’s quite a bit to like here. There’s plenty of equipment, and lots of choice in price, trim level and mechanical complexity.

The driving dynamics are fine if you’re not looking for anything sporty although the performance offered by the dual-motor variants must be considered excessive, even if it’s pretty exciting the first time.

Perhaps what’s missing from the Sealion 8 experience is anything that stamps the car as something special within its hotly-contested market segment. Which is another way of saying it offers up the same limitations, most notably in the third row accommodation and access.

You only need to drive a one-box people mover and utilise the rearmost seat, to understand that the two-box SUV, while a pretty marketable thing, is compromised once the passenger count exceeds five. Nothing new there, but nothing new in the BYD, either, to change that narrative.

At which point, the front-wheel drive variant emerges as the most pragmatic choice and probably the one that meets all the important family tasks headed its way for the smallest outlay.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

BMW freely calls the new 7 Series “monolithic” in its press material, and it’s hard to argue. The seventh-generation of its luxo limo is bigger in every dimension, and with a higher bonnet and bootlid, the car is convincingly imposing even when parked. Even more so in black.

From the front, the 7 Series clearly has a new face compared to its predecessor, with split headlights now an indicator of BMW’s luxury oriented models - the incoming XM SUV features the same.

Its LED daytime running lights feature Swarovski crystals, while the grille surround illuminates while the vehicle is parked and on. It’s currently unable to be illuminated while driving to comply with Australia’s laws.

It’s perhaps less elegant and more aggressive than previous generations, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be those who approve. It’s certainly emotive, especially when compared to the side and rear of the car.

The side profile of the 7 requires quite a few steps back from the car to really take in - it’s almost 5.4 metres long - though it's hard to hide the size of a car that allows its rear passengers to almost lay down.

From the rear, the 7 Series is probably at its most uninspiring, which is a reverse from the interior where the front feels more minimalistic than some of its rivals like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

BMW has used crystalline geometric shapes throughout the cabin, and the front ‘interaction bar’ is perhaps the best example.

In keeping with the minimalism, its screen sits in an almost freestanding style out from the dash, with no physical buttons seen around it.

BYD has done its best to give the Sealion 8 its own character and vibe. In fact, it’s a pretty smart looking thing - although still very much a two-box wagon concept - and that’s no given when you consider how much some big SUVs can start to look like large blobs of nothing when you look closely.

There’s the usual Darth Vader stuff at the front, but in profile, the diagonal vent across the front door makes a bit of a statement. The 'plaited' motif of the tail-lights might be stretching things a bit, though.

Inside, the modern board-room feel is invoked by the angular lines and high-tech look and feel of the large info-screens. The panoramic sunroof of the Premium grade also helps brighten up an otherwise pretty dark space.

If the word ‘practicality’ brings to mind simplicity, the 7 Series might require you to have a bit of a mental reset. If it means plenty of space and a long list of elements to keep you comfortable, you’d be closer to the money.

While it’s visually restrained in some ways, the space accessible to the driver is thought out reasonably well, as you’d expect from a car costing more than a quarter-million.

The front seats certainly aren’t the main event, but the Merino leather and cashmere wool combination seats are far from uncomfortable, with the heating, cooling, and massage functions accessible from the central multimedia screen.

The controls for those, as well as functions like the climate control, are easily accessible, though could probably be even easier with a physical climate control panel. 

Controls for the individual vents, and even the glovebox are found along the BMW interaction bar, which can (frustratingly) reflect light thanks to its crystalline design, meaning it’s hard to see while driving on a sunny day.

Similarly, while the centre console where the main control dial for BMW’s 'iDrive' isn’t far removed from previous versions, it’s less tactile and requires a look sometimes to see what’s being pressed. Here, too, sunlight can reflect (this time off the dial) and make it more distracting.

Fortunately, the steering wheel controls remain physical buttons, and they’re laid out in a way that previous BMW owners or drivers will find familiar. 

The 7 Series also now leans more heavily on voice activation, so if the lack of physical climate controls or the multimedia screen is a little distracting, much can be achieved by actually asking the car with a “hey, BMW… ”.

There’s a large storage unit in the centre console, as well as two cupholders and a phone charging platform in front of the multimedia controls.

The rear seats, especially the one behind the front passenger, are where the 7 Series begins to feel its worth. If you’re buying one with the intention of being the driver 100 per cent of the time, you’re missing a trick.

The ability for the front passenger seat to shift forward and maximise legroom while the rear seat reclines into a lounge position is nothing new, limousine sedans have been able to do this for years, but the 7 Series takes it to another level.

Not only is there plenty of space for even the tallest of humans to stretch out, but the positioning and angle of the huge 31.3-inch theatre screen is great, even if it impedes the driver’s rear view, and the ability to use it as a touchscreen for some functions means less need for the handy but sometimes fiddly door-mounted control screen.

If you plan on playing games, the controls (and the fact you’re likely in a moving car) can make it a little difficult, but the small control panel is overall easy to use and well-placed.

The cushioned armrest that folds down in place of a middle passenger is comfortable, features a phone charging pad and pop-out cupholders, as well as a storage space under the armrest.

Finally, the boot space in the BMW 7 Series is far from small, with the electric i7 offering 500 litres (VDA) of space, while the 740i boasts 540 litres thanks to its lack of battery.

BYD has made sure all three rows of the Sealion 8 are fit for purpose while attempting to make the rearmost row (traditionally the trickiest to get right) less of a downmarket place to be. With that in mind, both rear rows get air vents and climate-control adjustment for that part of the car. There's also a pair of USB-C charge ports in the second row and a single USB-C and USB-A port in the third row. The third row also has cupholders bult into the wheel arch on each side.

With the third row in place, there’s a decent amount of luggage space (270 litres) largely thanks to the Sealion’s five-metre overall length. There’s no spare tyre, but a puncture repair kit lives under the floor (as does the removable cargo blind) and the rearmost luggage space also incorporates a 12-volt socket and luggage hooks.

A pair of pull-tabs drop the headrests and then the entire split third row in a single movement, at which point you suddenly have a five-seater with a huge, 960 litres of luggage space. And if you need to cart gear over people, the second row also folds flat to open up 1960 litres of space.

Up front, the feeling of spaciousness is amplified due to the low scuttle height and what the aviation industry calls the glass cockpit (no analogue dials or gauges at all). The 15.6-inch central info-screen runs the usual apps and control displays but, thankfully, the climate control touch-controls are tethered to the bottom of the screen, so they’re always visible regardless of what else is going on.

The 10.2-inch driver’s display adds a head-up function in Premium trim and displays the usual array of information required to operate the vehicle. But even better is the steering wheel which features a thick, well-padded rim that looks and feels pretty luxe. It also houses the usual buttons for stereo, phone and cruise-control functions.

A really nice touch is the addition of an extra set of tilt controls on the inside of the passenger’s front seat, allowing the driver to control that seat to allow people in or out without leaving their own seat. Nice one.

It is, of course, the centre row of seats that will make or break a car like this for many families. Even though many clans will not use the rearmost seat much of the time, the central row will get a huge workout. So it’s nice to see that leg, foot and headroom are all sufficient for even growing teenagers. Again, the car’s overall length appears to be the key, but it’s also worth noting the centre row seat is comfy and supportive. The outboard positions in the second row also feature heating and ventilation functions.

The third row, however, follows SUV tradition by being strictly for smaller kids. Access past those huge wheel arches is tight, and once you’re in, there’s a combination of dark trim and tiny windows to limit joy.

While it won’t matter to many buyers, the front-drive Sealion 8 is rated to tow 1800kg with a braked trailer, and up to two tonnes in the all-wheel drive version. But there’s no spare tyre fitted, and roadside flats need to be addressed by the included tyre repair kit.

BYD will offer the Sealion 8 in three trim levels, starting with the front-drive Dynamic at $56,990, before on-road costs, then moving to a pair of all-wheel-drive variants, the first with the same Dynamic trim level at $63,990 and the range-topping Premium AWD at $70,990.

The Dynamic trim level on both the front-wheel drive and the all-wheel drive variant gets you three-zone climate-control, air vents in both rear rows, full connectivity including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s also wireless phone charging. The Dynamic specification also takes on 20-inch alloy wheels and there’s full LED lighting as standard.

Pony up for the Premium trim and you make the switch to 21-inch alloys, a 21-speaker sound system and even a massage function for the first two rows of seats. The Premium also includes a head-up display for the driver.

Not as easy to quantify is the level of plush inside the cabin. There are lots of soft-touch surfaces and the whole interior design looks pretty fresh and modern and well put together. But more than that, there’s a bit of design flair that makes the BYD feel perhaps a bit more expensive than it really is. That’s not an easy thing to pull off. But it seems to work here, even in the entry-level Dynamic trim.

Against the competition, the Sealion 8 can't match the similarly specified Chery Tiggo 8 on price, even though on performance and EV range, the Tiggo 8 and the entry-level Sealion 8 are quite similar. The more expensive Sealion 8 Premium, meanwhile, lines up pretty neatly on price with the Kia Sorento S PHEV. But that vehicle can't get close to the epic straight-line performance of the BYD.

The BMW 740i is powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder petrol engine, as is the way with many of BMW’s larger cars. It’s also a mild hybrid, incorporating a 48-volt electric starter/motor combination.

The 740i makes 280kW between 5200-6250rpm, and 520Nm between 1850-5000rpm, which is transferred to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The electric i7 xDrive60 is the flagship model, with its dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain good for 400kW and 745Nm, allowing for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds - 0.7s faster than the 740i.

BYD has managed to keep a lid on the price of the entry-level version of the Sealion 8, by specifying it with front-wheel drive rather than the all-wheel drive of the other two variants. It still gets the same driveline beyond the lack of a driven rear axle, although battery capacity is the other difference.

As such, you’re looking at a 1.5-litre petrol engine (kind of the default powerplant for Chinese SUVs right now) with a turbocharger. With the 19kWh battery chiming in to power the electric motor, the driveline can achieve outputs of 205kW and 315Nm.

In the case of the AWD variants, the larger 35.6kWh battery and extra electric motor ups the potential outputs to 359kW and 675Nm which is a huge jump any way you look at it and gives the Sealion 8 a huge bandwidth when it comes to matching buyer performance aspirations.

All the variants have the potential for a claimed electric-only range of greater than 100km if owners use the plug-in facility to charge either at home or at work. For the AWD variants, the larger battery stretches the EV range to a claimed 152km. On longer journeys or whenever the battery has reached about 25 per cent capacity, the Sealion 8 acts just as any other hybrid with regenerative braking and electric assistance to aid performance.

In suspension terms, the BYD is pretty conventional but if you do pay the extra for the Premium variant, you’ll gain adaptive dampers.

BMW Australia hasn’t yet specified local figures for fuel consumption or energy efficiency for either variant of the 7 Series at the time of our review, but the international specifications for both i7 xDrive60 and 740i give a relatively accurate guide.

BMW claims the electric i7 has a power consumption of between 19.6 and 18.4kWh/100km, which means its 101.7kWh battery allows a range of between 591 and 625km according to the brand.

It’s claimed to charge from 10 per cent to full in less than 5.5 hours with a 22kW AC wallbox, or in 34 minutes to reach 80 per cent using DC fast charging at 195kW.

The petrol powered 740i will use between 7.0 and 8.0 litres per 100km, according to BMW, which equates to between 183 and 159g/km of CO2.

BYD claims a range of more than 1000km for both variants of the Sealion 8, provided you start with a fully charged battery and a full 60-litre fuel tank.

The BYD can also make use of commercial fast-chargers and, when using the maximum 40kW on the FWD version and the 74kW possible for the AWD variant, the charging times from 30 to 80 per cent are both under 20 minutes. The Sealion 8 can also charge at 11kW on an AC socket and the vehicle also offers V2L (Vehicle to Load) capability, meaning it can power on-site work tools, camping gear or even your house at night.

Provided the EV battery is kept at 25 per cent capacity or above, BYD claims a 1.0-litre per 100km fuel consumption figure for the car based on the laboratory test. In the real world, the results will vary enormously depending on where you drive and how the car is used. Deplete the battery and continue to drive at highway speeds, and your actual fuel consumption might easily increase to many times that 1.0-litre claimed figure.

BMW hopes for two things for the new 7 Series: one, that it’s the best car to be driven in, and two, that it’s the best car to drive.

While one of those things could be argued to be true, we suspect there are some engineers in BMW’s M department who would be frustrated at the thought of a more-than 2.6-tonne limo being called better to drive than a car half that size with a manual gearbox.

But, perhaps unsurprisingly, the BMW 7 Series is rather refined from the driver’s seat, especially on roads where the speed limit is high and the corners are long.

The two variants Australia has available, the i7 xDrive60 and the 740i, differ in their drivetrains as mentioned above, and the dynamics of each are slightly different. 

The all-wheel drive electric i7, despite its extra heft (the 740i is almost 600kg lighter) the EV feels more nimble thanks to its immediate torque delivery and higher outputs give it more flexibility in dynamic driving.

The lower centre of gravity, even with the extra weight, helps the electric i7 hold its own against the turbo six-powered 740i.

Both variants come standard with BMW’s rear-wheel steer system, or ‘Integral Active Steering’, which is vital to providing the agility needed for keeping the 7 Series in shape on tight roads, where it tightens the turning circle below 60km/h, though its 3215mm wheelbase does a lot to keep it feeling stable.

Above 60km/h, the rear-wheel steering improves stability further by turning slightly with the front wheels as opposed to against them, allowing for smoother flowing cornering and highway lane changes.

In either case, the 7 Series is easy to drive, with the steering able to be set to Comfort regardless of the drivetrain’s intensity (Sport and Comfort are the only options), which leaves the wheel feeling lighter.

The ride, whether from the front or the back, is impressive, even when being chauffeured through rough backroads. 

The 7 Series, despite not being engineered specifically for Australia’s sometimes shockingly pockmarked roads, manages to soak up impacts before they transfer from the tyre into the seats, and that goes for the sound and road noise, too.

Unfortunately, our launch test drive was hampered by some roadworks out of BMW’s control, so stay tuned for a more in-depth drive soon.

The first thing you’re going to do in a Sealion 8 is wonder where the gearshift is. It’s a column-shift, but it's not only located where a traditional indicator stalk would be, it looks very much like one, too.

This promises two things. One, you’ll spend a few seconds finding it and two, you’ll try to turn the indicators on with it at least once every drive. (The real indicators are on the other side of the steering column.)

Another note to those test driving a Sealion 8. Sample the front-drive version first. (I’ll get to why in a minute.) When you do, you’ll soon figure out this is a driveline that prioritises electric running. That is, the petrol motor barely ever actually drives the wheels (only at full throttle and higher speeds). Any other time, if the petrol engine is running, it’s to charge the battery that keeps the electric motor purring away. This is how efficiency is defined by BYD.

You’ll also find that the Sealion’s acceleration is purposeful in that electric-motor way, but hardly startling. And when you do smash the throttle and force the petrol engine to drive the axle, you’ll notice that this takes a fair time to play out, and that when everything is grunting as hard as possible, the petrol engine is quite noisy and even a little harsh sounding. Use the driveline sensibly, though, and it’s all smooth and quiet, even if that then means you can hear a little suspension noise creeping into the cabin.

That done, you’re now free to drive the AWD variant. Why wait? Because this thing is seriously off the leash. Bear in mind that 359kW of power is getting on for the thick end of 500 horsepower in the old money, so even though the Sealion 8 is a hefty critter at about 2.5 tonnes, all that power and torque will get it from rest in under five seconds, or thereabouts. The relevance of this to family-car technology is hugely debatable, but it’s one heck of a party trick the first time you try it.

The huge torque also magnifies the Sealion 8’s natural tendency to lift its inside front wheel when accelerating out of a turn. A small tyre squeak can sometimes be heard before the traction control gathers it all together, but even the single-motor variant displays the same trait.

In steering and suspension terms, it’s probably fair to say the Sealion 8 doesn’t unlock any new depths of talent. The ride is pretty comfy but at the expense of body control and the steering points the wheels but doesn’t convey much else to the driver.

That said, the fact everything seems to be tuned to the same frequency means it all works okay. You don’t have too-fast steering fighting the tyres or too firm suspension upsetting the interior calm. Use it as a family would, and it’s 100 per cent fit for purpose.

Any family car needs to be safe, so BYD has thrown the kitchen sink at the Sealion 8 in terms of its active and passive safety gear. That starts with nine air-bags including full-length curtain side bags and a centre-front airbag to help prevent head clashes.

There’s also a 360-degree camera on all grades, front and rear parking sensors, and the full line-up of current driver-assistance functions including autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assistant, rear-cross-traffic alert and assistance, blind-spot monitoring, driver attention monitoring and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.

To that lot, you can add adaptive cruise-control, traffic-sign recognition, adaptive headlights, front and rear collision warning, anti roll-over systems and hill-hold functions. It’s also worth mentioning that the overhead camera system is very, very good with a clear, crisp display and no processing delay.

The driver-attention monitoring seems to behave itself better than some of the over-active systems other makers specify, but the lane-keeping assistance function is still far form perfect. To be fair, it is less aggressive than some such systems and the intervention is more subtle, but the recued aggression seems to be packaged with lower sensitivity. As in, the cameras seem to sometimes miss a critical white line, particularly if its faded or less than freshly painted.

There are also ISOFIX child restraint tether points in both the second and third rows, as well as seat-belt warnings for every position and an electronic child-safety switch for the doors.

The Sealion 8 is yet to be crash tested locally, so no ANCAP star rating is available.

BMW offers a five year, unlimited kilometre warranty and that extends to both variants of the 7 Series.

BMW also offers servicing packs for its new cars, though the pricing for each group of models excluded the 7 and 8 Series and its M cars. 

Given the most expensive servicing pack listed is the BMW X7’s $2800 five-year, 80,000km pack, expect anything similar for the 7 Series to cost more.

In terms of when servicing is required, BMWs are condition-based, meaning the car’s own systems detect whether something like an oil change or part replacement is required, and provides that data to your BMW service centre to help calculate an estimate for work needed, ahead of time.

Servicing any hybrid can be a bit more expensive thanks to the presence of two propulsion forms.

In any case, the Sealion 8 requires routine servicing every 12 months or 20,000km.

Warranty is BYD’s normal six-year/150,000km cover, although there’s also eight years and 160,000km of cover for the EV battery.

BYD also claims its 'Blade' battery technology is among the safest in the business, and says the design resists damage (and, therefore, the risk of fire) better than the competition.