BYD Sealion 5 vs Toyota GR86

What's the difference?

While the BYD Sealion 5 lacks the polish of some more established plug-in hybrids, it has a seriously compelling price advantage over some competitors. It makes a base-model Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV feel positively outdated and it’s $13,800 cheaper.

BYD's lack of ANCAP rating for the Sealion 5 and the uncertainty around it still being a new brand are downsides, even if BYD is quickly moving past the latter. But being the most affordable PHEV available while having this much showroom appeal is bound to work in the Sealion 5’s favour, just don’t expect a dynamic masterpiece once you’re out on the road.

You’ve reached the end of this review and might be looking at the final score thinking it seems low. If you’re a keen driver and considering a GR86, all you need to know is this: the GT will provide plenty of fun for the money.

But if you’re more serious about your two-door rear-driver, and thinking about track days, the GTS with Dynamic Performance Pack might be worth it. It’s not an obscene amount more, and in a few years the extra cash might not even register.

Plus, there might not be much longer to be able to pick up cars like this new, anyway.

The BYD Sealion 5, from the outside, is inoffensive but also uninspiring. That’s likely not such a bad thing for a mid-size SUV – it’s rare you’re hearing someone talk about how beautiful the Mazda CX-5 or Toyota RAV4 is. 

Its quartet of colour palette options comes in on the safe side, too. Aurora White is standard, Atlantis Grey, Harbour Grey and Cosmos Black are cost-options.

Our test car is Atlantis Grey, which is interestingly quite blue. 

The relatively upright shape is a slight departure from the more ‘aquatic’ silhouettes of BYD’s line-up, but the front grille and light layout are decidedly in step with the brand’s oceanic design language. There’s a bit going on, you could say.

The slimline tail-lights are the rear, especially from a three-quarter angle to the side, look attractive and help break up the rear without looking messy.

The Sealion 5’s design is overall net-good, but it’s inside where the mid-sizer feels like you’re getting plenty for your dollar.

The seats, despite the leather fakery, feel like decent material, and the layout uses buttons and physical controls cleverly without feeling outdated.

The 86 was already an attractive sports car, with a traditional shape and just enough aggressive detailing to be appealing without looking too fussy.

Luckily, the GR86 remains restrained enough and changes are light enough that the lineage is clear. The car now looks a little more aquatic thanks to some rounding at the front, and its tail-lights are even more clearly from the Subaru side of the partnership.

While being less aggressive overall, the GR86 retains the essence of its first-gen forebear.

The interior is also clearly tweaked rather than entirely refurbished. Aside from the red carpeting and highlights in the example we’re driving it’s not massively exciting visually. But function beats form in this case.

Speaking of form and function, the red Brembo brake calipers are for more than show, with twice as many pistons helping stopping power. But given the number of comments from non-enthusiast friends, they’re also doing the job looks-wise.

Oh, and as mentioned, the White Liquid premium paint comes in at $575. 'Spark Red' is the only no-cost colour.

To actually interact with the interior is, at times, another story. BYD’s tech interface is generally easy to manage, but could be simpler when it comes to navigating menus for the sake of driver distraction.

While larger text and buttons would be welcome, the multimedia system is easy to use when parked, and the functionality is impressive for the price point.

Winning more points for the Sealion 5, though, are the physical controls – buttons and the traditional gear selector – which make the cockpit much more intuitive while on the move.

Ergonomically, though, the adjustment between the steering wheel and driver’s seat could do with some work, as I found it difficult to find a truly comfortable driving position. This is coming from someone 178cm tall, a very normal height in Australia.

Better adjustability on the steering column would be helpful, as it’s something I’m not sure I’d ever get totally used to.

Visibility and physical space inside the Sealion 5 is impressive, though. The car is 4738mm long, 1869mm wide and 1710mm tall, and the roof and window lines don’t swoop too aggressively towards the rear.

There are low window shoulders even into the rear, so light isn’t at a premium, though under-leg support could be better on the pew.

It’s otherwise un-cramped. The 2712mm wheelbase means decent legroom for second-row folk, plus behind the 60/40 split-fold seats there’s 463 litres of space for luggage. That becomes 1410L with the seats folded.

There’s unfortunately no spare tyre, just a tyre repair kit.

For what it is, the GR86 provides enough to make par when it comes to interior convenience, but there are drawbacks to buying a compact four-seater, two-door sports car.

If you’re tall, getting in and out can be a struggle. Even at 180cm you might feel like getting out after a long drive is a bit of work.

The fact there are seats behind the front seats means you’re relatively snug even as far back as they’ll go, but the driver-focused feeling of the cabin is worth it.

The physical switches and buttons are welcome, and the fact the 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen is only for audio, settings, or nav (if you have phone mirroring plugged in) is a win for minimising distractions.

The materials feel relatively rudimentary aside from the seating upholstery, and the cabin doesn’t escape the cost-cutting presence of plastic, but the layout is functional.

Cupholders can be hidden under a cover just behind where the driver’s elbow might rest, which can be annoying to reach even if its purpose is to be out of the way.

Behind the main seats, there’s room for kids for a decent trip or, if you’re not hugely fond of them, adults for a while. Again, I’m a fairly average height and I don’t feel like I could spend longer than a 15-minute trip there before getting antsy.

It’s good they’re there, because having bad seats is better than no seats in a pinch, but don’t seriously think of this as a car for getting more than two people around.

The 237 litres in the boot is decent for a sports car, enough to get luggage or groceries in, but a limited opening space means stowing bulky stuff is trickier.

While inexpensive on the scale of sports cars, the Toyota GR86 GTS with the 'Dynamic Performance Pack' option ticked is relatively pricey for the badge.

The GTS’s starting price of $46,090, before on-road costs (regardless of automatic or manual transmission), is joined by a $2200 bump from the Performance Pack, then in this example’s case there’s a $575 charge for the 'White Liquid' premium paint.

Toyota’s website suggests $53,924, drive-away, for a GR86 specified to match our test car. It’s not a huge ask in today’s world, but a Toyota 86 used to start for less than $30,000, before on-roads (we’re talking more than a decade ago), and the car wasn’t dramatically different.

Compare the top-spec Mazda MX-5 GT RS, the GR86 GTS’s (with the Performance Pack) natural rival, at $51,790, before on-roads, or even the GR86’s Subaru BRZ twin in tS spec at $49,190, before on-roads, and the GR86 looks like decent value.

Other options for little sporty things like the Mini Cooper or Hyundai i30 N start in the low $50,000 range, while $41,990 before on-roads snags you a slightly smaller VW Polo GTI.

For the money, the GR86 GTS packs in enough features to feel decently premium for such a small space. Having said that, the 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen and 7.0-inch digital driver display are nothing to write home about, nor are the six-speaker sound system or wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The GTS’s combination synthetic suede and leather (heated) front seats and its sportier trim (sports pedals, door scuff plates and door lamp) are notable however, as is the addition of extra safety kit over the base model. Really, though, rear cross-traffic alert and rear blind-spot monitors should be standard.

The Sealion 5’s front wheels are driven by a combined maximum of 156kW thanks to a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (145kW/300Nm) and a permanent magnet synchronous motor (72kW/122Nm).

BYD claims a 0-100km/h sprint of 7.7 seconds for the Sealion 5 Essential, four tenths faster than the Premium despite only a 61kg difference in kerb weight.

The GR86’s 2.4-litre flat-four petrol engine remains naturally aspirated (rare for a modern sports car) and drives the rear wheels via either a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox - the latter also increasingly rare.

Outputs are 174kW at a lofty 7000rpm and 250Nm at 3700rpm regardless of transmission.

With a charged 12.9kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and a full 52-litre (95 RON minimum) fuel tank, BYD reckons the Sealion 5 Essential can cover 1001km under NEDC testing, which is optimistic. It claims 71km can be done on EV power alone.

Not only due to the lenient nature of NEDC testing (WLTP is more common and usually results in lower ranges), but the reality is that once the battery is flat, the engine is doing a lot more work.

Charging is slow, limited to 3.3kW (AC only), which should take between 4 and 5 hours to charge from the lower end of the gauge for the battery size. Given most PHEV owners will do this overnight at home, that’s certainly not the end of the world.

Claimed consumption figures are 1.2L/100km with more than 25 per cent battery charge, or 4.5L/100km when it dips below that.

Realistically you could do sub-50km trips and use no fuel, or never plug your Sealion 5 in and see fuel consumption soar. In any case, anything close to 1001km in a single run is extremely unlikely.

A 50-litre fuel tank provides minimum 98RON petrol to the engine at a rate of 9.5L/100km according to Toyota, that’s here in the manual. The claim for an auto is 8.8L.

On test, we saw 11.0L/100km, which included a spirited mountain drive, a long highway stint and some rather stop-start inner-city commuting.

It’s not a bad figure for a sports car, but you’d be disappointed to see it from just about any other small Toyota.

With that in mind, realistically you’re looking at around 500L to a tank if you’re not pushing things too hard.

You might expect a car at this price, regardless of its drivetrain, to be underwhelming from behind the wheel.

That, then, makes it even more pleasantly surprising that the BYD Sealion 5 is actually rather competent. Not massively exciting or dynamic, but certainly not a disappointment.

The Sealion 5 is, save for a couple of arguably minor annoyances, quite easy to get used to and drive.

Firstly, when making proper use of its electric power, the drivetrain provides enough shove for its intended use. It’s not overly powerful, but you won’t have trouble overtaking. It’s the same with most of the inputs, the steering is light but not completely numb – again about right for how the Sealion 5 will be driven.

Perhaps its biggest departure from expectations based on other cars from China is its suspension is on the stiffer side of things, but again it’s not unruly or too rugged. In fact, it does provide a better sense of control than many of its compatriots.

Again, the biggest issue with the Sealion 5 day-to-day is its driving position, the steering column adjustment isn’t up to scratch and there’s not really a perfectly comfortable seating position (I’m a very standard 178cm).

On long trips, you might also find the engine gets quite noisy once the battery power is gone as it works hard to pull the mid-size SUV along under acceleration.

Its driver-assist systems are, you might be pleased to hear, on the calmer side of things – BYD is getting better at calibrating its safety features and I didn’t find myself rushing to switch it all off as quickly as usual.

It can still be a bit too persistent in its lane-keeping, but it’s a big improvement on the way things were.

This is where the biggest question lies regarding the GTS’s value proposition. Is it worth paying several thousand dollars more for a GTS with the Dynamic Performance Pack when a GT might be all you need? 

The GR86 sticks to the basic formula that made the previous 86 a gem, and just slightly improves areas where there was ‘feedback’ from buyers.

The biggest one is the torque dip that used to plague the middle of the 86’s rev range. If you looked at a dyno chart (which the 86 had built in, funnily enough) you could see the little drop where the torque fell away, so driving in either a lower of higher gear was sometimes necessary to dodge it.

No more with the bigger 2.4-litre engine. It’s more powerful, if thirstier, but still feels like a tool rather than something to really enjoy. It’s not the most characterful of things, and its fake engine sound through the cabin can feel a infantile. 

The gearbox is also not at the forefront. The shift feel is decent but there could be a little more clutch feel, getting into it after driving an old manual might see you stall and embarrass yourself once or twice.

The steering and handling, though, is sublime. The steering feel is sharp and tactile, you know what’s happening at the front tyres and you’re given the right information to make adjustments accurately. It’s well-weighted, and doesn’t have a big numb spot on-centre.

If you were so inclined, at a track, this is a relatively easy car to slide and let the tail hang just a smidge. 

If you find yourself making a mistake, the traction control is very good at catching errors before they become problems, but without stopping the fun while also letting you feel where it went wrong.

When it comes to the tweaked brakes and suspension included in the DPP, the GR86 is never going to be truly comfortable and unless you're tracking the car it’s not heavy enough to overwhelm the brakes on a public road.

The suspension on bumpy inner-city roads, even with the Sachs sports dampers which Toyota says “improve both on-road ride comfort and handling in dynamic situations”, don’t soak up the rough stuff particularly well. But they do stop it from feeling properly crashy.

Spoiler alert. Aside from the upgraded interior features, the GT’s $43,940, before on-road costs, price tag is some of the best-value motoring around, even if it’s much more expensive than the 86 was a decade ago.

The GTS’s asking price with the DPP at $48,290 isn’t atrocious, but it’s probably worth asking yourself whether the extra few thousand dollars is necessary, especially when the Sachs sports dampers don’t exactly make the car magically comfortable.

You’re going to have fun with this car in any form, so spending the extra on the GTS is optional, and the DPP is something you’ll probably get the most out of on a track.

The car we tested, despite costing the most it possibly could, still lacked some safety kit.

There are two ways to miss out on some safety features in the GR86 - buy the GT, or buy a manual.

If you opt for the GT, you don’t get rear cross-traffic alert or blind-spot monitoring. If you have a manual, you forgo a parking support brake and rear parking sensors.

There’s also no ANCAP rating for the GR86 though we aren’t marking it down for this. Toyota and ANCAP seem to think buyers of small sports cars are aware there might be safety drawbacks and understand what they’re getting into.

The GR86 has seven airbags, a seat-belt warning, auto high-beam, AEB in all variants, lane departure warning, and hill-assist. Nothing intrusive and a lack of annoying beeps and chimes which is welcome in a car focused on letting the driver be in charge.

If you're determined to fit a child seat (or two!) in the back there are top tether points and ISOFIX anchors for both positions.

BYD has a six-year/150,000km warranty, which is probably more than you’d need in terms of distance but is behind many competitor brands’ timelines – seven to 10 years is becoming the norm, even if it’s conditional.

An eight-year/160,000km warranty covers the battery, which is about par for the industry.

Servicing for the first five proper services ranges from between $285 and $930, plus there's a free check-up six months into ownership and a total cost over the span of $2355 – an average of $471 per service.

BYD has just over 100 dealerships in Australia, so finding one for servicing shouldn’t be too challenging.

Toyota offers a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which increases to seven years if you keep your servicing within Toyota’s network.

It’s a step-up from what has been the standard mainstream warranty for some time, but other brands are pulling ahead with eight- or even 10-year warranties.

There’s also a capped-price servicing plan for five years and the first five services are limited to $335 at the time of writing.

Finding somewhere for that should be a breeze, Toyota has so many dealerships it simply lists ‘over 275 locations’ as its latest count.