Nissan GT-R vs BYD Sealion 5

What's the difference?

Even on its Australian swansong outing, the incredible R35 GT-R continues to perform beyond expectations.

Released in late 2021, the final batch of specials spearheaded by the T-spec in regular GT-R and SV in flagship Nismo guises sold out quickly and are already commanding twice and even thrice their recommended retail prices in private hands.

Nobody ought to be surprised. From its glitzy 2007 Tokyo Motor Show debut (on the eve of a global recession at that), the GT-R has been nothing less than an automotive force of nature, moving with calamitous calm to the beat of its own twin-turbo and all-wheel-drive thrum, like nothing else matters. The R35 has seen off countless assassins in its time, including the Lexus LFA and Honda NSX II.

Some 15 years later, this is what a GT-R in T-spec trim feels like in 2022.

This is the most affordable plug-in hybrid available in Australia – as this review is published – but it’s got a lot more going for it than just that.

The 2026 BYD Sealion 5 is a mid-size SUV wearing a BYD badge that has been thrust into the public’s awareness by the popular BYD Shark 6 – as well as by widespread criticism of brand's less popular aftersales shortcomings through much of 2025.

It’s also a plug-in hybrid that is showing up as the nation faces a fuel crisis, despite many remaining sceptical of going ‘full EV’.

The Sealion 5 has a long list of features, of course, plus a claimed four-figure driving range. Is this BYD too good to be true?

We grabbed the entry-level Essential to find out.