Jayco Eagle vs BYD Sealion 8

What's the difference?

People with camper-trailers are increasingly looking to push their travel boundaries and so they head off the bitumen, onto dirt roads and go bush.

But on-road camper-trailers are not suited to cope with the extra stresses that dirt-road or gravel-track driving bring, which is why campers better equipped for light-duty bush driving, such as Jayco’s Outback versions of its models, are finding favor with buyers.

We took an Eagle Outback into the bush to check it out.

As the flagship variant, the BYD Sealion 8 Premium all-wheel drive makes a big first impression as it arrives with seven seats, a plug-in hybrid powertrain and a features list that reads like a wish list.

It’s also stepping into a competitive space, lining up against the Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid, Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV and Mazda CX-80 P50e Azami - all promising similar blends of efficiency, space and value for Australian families.

The Sealion 8 Premium looks like a strong contender on paper … but does that translate to the real world?