Suzuki Vitara vs BYD Seal 6

What's the difference?

In car years, 11 is ancient.

Back when it was first released, this-generation Vitara’s competitive pricing, progressive yet pretty design, pleasant interior packaging, sporty dynamics and general driving ease helped establish the emerging small SUV segment into the powerhouse it is today.

In some ways, today’s Turbo Hybrid still impresses, especially with its punchy performance, promising economy and no-nonsense packaging. Objectively, it is still a decent proposition, with few actual vices.

But the 2026 Vitara’s high pricing, embarrassingly outdated interior, underwhelming specification and noisy ride leave it feeling too expensive, too old and too exposed against newer and more-sophisticated rivals.

Even the brightest stars eventually need to retire.

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

The 2026 BYD Seal 6 proves a compelling offering at a time when cost and efficiency should be nearer the top of your new car consideration list. Not just for its long range, but its clever use of electrons and fuel to keep costs down even after the initial humble outlay.

It helps that the Touring Premium remains sub-$40,000, before on-roads, and offers plenty of features, a spacious interior and the right kind of drivetrain for everyday use in Australia.

While rivals like the Toyota Camry or Skoda Octavia are more polished and can almost compete on price, the BYD’s features and efficient PHEV powertrain will outweigh the brand names and more refined on-road behaviour of established rivals for, we would guess, a significant number of buyers.

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

While the albeit-cheeky Mazda CX-3 clearly looks like a product of last decade, the Vitara’s boxy, broad-stance proportions were prescient, pointing to the upright shapes that prevail today. In other words, the good-looking design has aged remarkably well.

Changes to the headlights, a reshaped bumper, a revised grille, restyled wheels and paint colours are the only ways you can differentiate new from old, ignoring the Hybrid badge out back.

We wonder whether Suzuki should have tried harder visually updating the Vitara?

Measuring in at nearly 4.2 metres long, 1.8m wide and 1.6m high, the square-rigged styling hides the smallness of the Vitara, yet also seems to liberate more space inside than you might expect, aided by deep side windows.

Conversely, Suzuki’s decision to retain the old Vitara dashboard – including much of the same instrumentation – roots it into the middle of last decade. This is very disappointing.

The Seal 6 Touring might be BYD’s best-looking car. It boasts a handsome wagon shape and its features don’t overdo the brand’s aquatic design language.

It’s not fussy with too many elements, but it’s not anonymous like some designs from China can seem on Australian roads. It’s definitely a BYD, but it’s not shouty about it. This means it should, visually at least, appeal to buyers who just want a sensible-looking sedan or wagon. Watch out again, Toyota.

The tail-lights and lower trim at the rear don’t leave too much blank space and the whole shape of the rear is sleek enough without cutting too far into the boot space.

Inside, the Seal 6 looks ‘classic BYD’, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not enormously interesting. It’s got enough points of difference from the layout Tesla has popularised and many Chinese brands now default to, but some daring style elements wouldn’t go astray.

The practical shape, ease of access and spacious, airy cabin were reasons to buy the Vitara way back when, and remain relevant today.

But, stepping inside and taking a look around transports you to another time, like hearing Let it Happen by Tame Impala.

In the press release, Suzuki states: “Physical control switches remain a key focus, ensuring ease of use while driving, a touchpoint of Suzuki’s practical design philosophy.” Changing nothing in nearly a dozen years in production to save money seems more like the company’s key focus here. Even the steering wheel is precisely the same.

As we said earlier, nothing changed inside other than some minor trim, save for the new multimedia system that looks cheap and aftermarket compared to Suzuki’s earlier, distinctive and colourful quadrant layout. We welcome the inclusion of a digital speedometer, however.

Broad if flat front seats do the job, ahead of a workable driving position that helps provide good all-round vision as well as an easy reach to the multitude of buttons and switches placed around. The plastics have already proven to be long-lasting, while there is sufficient storage to be found. The climate control is effective, too.

The rear seat environment is spacious and pleasant enough, but lacks amenities like USB-C ports, cupholders and central air vents.

Further back, the load area is relatively large and simple to use. Cargo capacity varies from an unremarkable 362 litres to 642L (VDA – to the window height) or 1119L (to the ceiling), with the 60/40 rear backrests dropped providing extra versatility.

Thankfully, a space-saver spare wheel is included.

Overall, then, the Vitara’s cabin is roomy and user-friendly for a small SUV, but it also appears hopelessly out of date. That Suzuki also had the unrelated e-Vitara electric vehicle at the launch event just served to underline that fact.

When it comes to practicality, a long trip will reveal plenty of things you might not notice day-to-day. Things like whether the seats really are comfortable, or how useful the cupholders are for different vessels.

Fortunately, the BYD Seal 6 holds up rather well in a few key areas.

Its seating adjustability and the seat itself are comfortable and easy to find the right driving position for an average-heighted man (me), though the bolstering on the seat won’t hold you in place tightly during spirited cornering.

The wheel is nice to hold and it’s easy to feel your changing position while steering, and the controls on it are clear, though more physical controls in the rest of the cabin would be an improvement.

The Seal 6 suffers from a reliance on the touchscreen that a number of car brands’ head designers and engineers are moving away from. The software’s menu system is not quite up to the task of being the only point of contact for functionality, as it requires scrolling through and can be distracting on the road. That will set off the driver monitoring, by the way.

Wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay and a wireless phone charger (which is out of the way) provide a good workaround and ensure your phone doesn’t die on a long journey.

There’s storage under the centre console where the cupholders are, a nice spot to keep things out of the way, plus there are USB-A and USB-C ports down there.

Behind the front seats, the second row isn’t lavishly spacious but allows a 178cm adult to sit behind their own seating position with kneeroom, headroom and shoulder room to spare. The sunroof makes it quite nice and light back there, too.

The second row seats fold down 60/40 to turn what was a 670-litre boot into a 1535L boot, though that seems to be measured to the roof rather than the tops of the seat-backs.

There is, disappointingly, no spare tyre under the boot floor, just a repair kit. I’d want a space-saver at least if I was travelling interstate (without a launch event support car).

The price tag attached to the Seal 6 adds to the growing pile of reasons why BYD has become the best-selling Chinese car brand in Australia.

Starting from $34,990, before on-road costs, the Seal 6 Sedan in Essential grade undercuts the Toyota Camry by $6000.

It features a decent list of standard equipment like wireless phone mirroring, synthetic leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats and a 12.8-inch multimedia touchscreen.

But on launch, the Seal 6 Touring Premium was the focus and the only car available to drive.

Not only is it more powerful with a larger battery, but it starts at the same price as an entry-grade Toyota Camry - $39,990, before on-roads.

It comes with a big panoramic sunroof, heated and vented front seats and more improvements in the drivetrain department.

Given even traditional hybrid sedans like the Camry or Euro petrol sedans like the Skoda Octavia are effectively thousands more expensive, the plug-in hybrid Seal 6 already has an advantageous position in the market.

If you’re expecting a Toyota-style series-parallel hybrid system here, forget it.

Instead, Suzuki offers a far-simpler, lighter and cheaper alternative that, by and large, does reduce fuel consumption. In other words, this is a mild-hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) that, unlike others like Mazda’s, you can feel working away.

On paper, things look a bit shaky, since power drops noticeably compared to the previous 1.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol BoosterJet engine this unit is based on.

This version makes just under 81kW of power at 4500rpm, instead of 103kW at 5500rpm, in the interests of economy. Torque jumps though, from 220Nm to 235Nm, between a low 2000rpm to 2500rpm.

More importantly, it is coupled to a 48-volt integrated starter motor generator acting as an electric motor, and 48V 8Ah lithium-ion battery, adding an additional 12kW/50Nm to simultaneously boost acceleration and reduce consumption and emissions.

Power is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission, while the AWD version also sends drive to the rear axle when slippage is detected.

The whole MHEV system adds just 15kg, and is nestled between the MacPherson strut front axle and torsion beam rear end, for even weight distribution.

The BYD Seal 6 has a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that helps a front-mounted electric motor drive those two wheels.

While the engine’s outputs are 70kW and 120Nm, the electric motor does the bulk of the work, with its 160kW and 260Nm outputs.

As such, the Touring we’re driving on this trip has total outputs of 163kW and 260Nm, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 8.1 seconds feeling about right despite a peppy enough take-off from standstill.

The Seal 6 Sedan by comparison has the same engine but a less powerful electric motor, resulting in total outputs of 130kW and 210Nm.

The Vitara Turbo Hybrid 2WD returns a combined average 5.8 litres per 100km, while the AWD version is rated at 5.9L/100km. This translates to between 130 grams and 139g/km of carbon-dioxide emissions, respectively.

The previous 1.4-litre turbo equivalents were 5.9L and 6.2L/100km, so that mild-hybrid tech seems to make some difference. Our box-fresh test car’s trip computer driving around Sydney’s outer suburbs displayed 6.2L/100km.

Filling the 47L fuel tank with the required 95 RON premium-unleaded petrol, expect to average around 810km of range.

While the efficiency of a new car is sometimes difficult to test on a launch driving program due to car-swapping and unusual driving conditions like filming or dynamic testing, the car we drove for the full two-days was the same one, and only used for the journey.

That means its full trip of 996.3km (frustratingly not officially the 1000km promised) is a faithful example of what an interstate trip might mean for one or a couple of travellers.

Officially BYD claims a 0.8L/100km figure under NEDC testing for the Touring, but tests like those are misleading for plug-in hybrids as the battery does a lot of lifting.

So BYD tested before this event the claim it could drive a Seal 6 from Sydney to Melbourne, then double-checked it.

But Sydney to Melbourne on a single tank and a single charge turned out to be accurate, even after running down a significant chunk of the Touring’s claimed 100km of electric range as tested under WLTP conditions.

Unfortunately we couldn’t verify the total fuel used over the 996.3km traveled in car number four without first checking the tank was properly full and then refilling it again at the end.

Given the car estimated 68km left in the tank at the end of the trip, you could assume a fuel consumption reasonably below 6.5L/100km given the 65-litre tank still had some juice after near-1000km.

The trip computer’s claim of 4.5L/100km as an apparent cumulative total (including the several hundred kilometres of running-in before the launch) seems fair with a few extra battery charges under its belt prior to the drive.

Charging maxes out at 27kW on DC, or 6.6kW on AC by the way. DC charging should take less than an hour for the Touring’s 19kWh battery.

Suzuki allowed only a frustratingly limited amount of time for us to drive the Vitara Turbo Hybrid 2WD, over some outer-suburban Sydney back roads, in convoy with a lead car and in heavy traffic, so first impressions are limited.

But, unsurprisingly, it’s all very familiar, after years of testing earlier iterations.

Essentially, acceleration now feels leisurely in 'Eco' and 'Auto' when previously the 1.4L BoosterJet always felt punchy, but it becomes much stronger in 'Sport', suggesting the MHEV’s economy focus is the priority. The latter mode makes the Vitara feel lively and moves things along fairly quickly, but leaving it in Sport mode would defeat the purpose of trying to save fuel.

Meanwhile, the Vitara’s chassis calibration remains on the sporty side, with keen steering response and a decent level of handling agility there for the taking. And even the ride comfort wasn’t too bad, considering that too little suspension travel and too much road noise betray the age of this vehicle’s platform – though that may have also had something to do with us driving this back-to-back with the smoother e-Vitara EV.

Finally, the ADAS tech didn’t seem to interfere at all, though a longer drive may reveal otherwise.

The Vitara still drives okay, then, but its refinement and noise suppression may be issues for some people used to newer SUVs. The bigger problem for us is just how old the driving experience feels sitting inside such a dated cabin. Stale sums it up.

We also had a brief stint around a moderately-demanding off-road 4WD course to test the Turbo Hybrid AWD’s AllGrip set-up. The limited off-road aids – 4WD Lock, hill-descent control, a paltry 175mm ground clearance – helped see it navigate several carefully-chosen sections fairly confidently, but we can’t imagine this being the deal maker or breaker.

Overall, based on our brief time with it, the Vitara Turbo Hybrid remains an easy, competent and even enjoyable small SUV from behind the wheel, but one that feels dated in too many areas, especially at its asking price.

If I had to buy a BYD today, the Seal 6 Touring makes a very strong case for itself in many ways. But unlike some of its stablemates, the way it drives is one of those ways.

The first day (of two) on the local launch saw a drive from Sydney to Albury on the Hume Highway, not known for being particularly dynamic. But the Seal 6’s relatively compliant suspension and lack of roaring road noise was welcome, at least for sections you couldn’t otherwise blame on the road’s surface.

The second day through some of Victoria’s high country and past Lake Eildon allowed the Seal 6 to prove it’s not a slouch, though calling it a sports car would be a stretch. Instead, the Touring's powertrain tune and apparently well-adjusted suspension and chassis meant spirited driving around twisting mountain roads and through winding backroads was easy, if not always exciting.

Big bumps would sometimes unsettle the Seal 6, but its predictability in most cases makes it feel safe and planted. The steering feel isn’t sportscar-like, but doesn’t leave you guessing and the same goes for pedal inputs.

I do wish the Seal 6 was a little more eager, but it’s not disappointing off the line and certainly has enough pep for daily duties.

There are drive modes, Eco, Normal and Sport plus a Snow mode, though the difference between the three doesn’t seem to be enormous. Eco definitely does what it says on the tin, though. The two regenerative braking levels also don’t seem to be incredibly different.

Also a let-down is the eagerness of the driver monitoring to direct your attention back to the road. When the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) settings were all active I started to tune the monitoring chime out because it would sound with every look at the multimedia screen.

The BYD Seal 6 boasts a maximum five-star ANCAP rating, with a fairly comprehensive safety suite including adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning and automatic braking intervention if a potential collision is detected. There’s also child detection to alert the owner or driver if a child is left in the car.

Seven airbags form the last line of defence in the Seal 6, including an important front-centre airbag.

Critically, these features are all standard across both variants.

Suzuki offers an industry-average five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, along with five years of roadside assistance if the vehicle is serviced at an authorised dealer.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 10,000km, while the basic capped-price servicing costs are $329, $429, $339, $539 and $349 annually for the first five years or 100,000km, respectively. That's an average of $397.

At the time of publishing Suzuki listed 90 dealers throughout Australia.

BYD’s six-year/150,000km warranty is probably more than you’d need in terms of distance but is behind competitors who offer seven or eight years with unlimited kilometres, even 10 years conditional. An eight-year/160,000km warranty covers the battery, which is about par.

Finally, BYD has set servicing for every 20,000km or 12 months, with  the first five services totalling $2775, an average of $555 a visit. The fourth service is a hefty $1225, for reference.

BYD has more than 100 dealerships in Australia, with the brand still growing quickly.