BYD Seagull

I mainly bought this car for commuting. I wanted to choose a small pure-electric car. I chose pure-electric to save travel costs, and a small car for easy parking, because the county where I live is a populous county in Sichuan Province with a high population density and it's hard to find parking spaces. The advantages and disadvantages of this car are very obvious.

The advantages are prominent: The car body is small, the steering is flexible, and it's convenient to park. It's also very easy to overtake other vehicles in the county. The key is that the cost of maintaining this car is much lower than that of a fuel-powered car. A fuel-powered car costs at least 0.3 yuan per kilometer, while this car only costs a little over 0.03 yuan per kilometer, which is about one-tenth of a fuel-powered car! Coupled with its sales volume of millions, I think choosing the Seagull won't be a wrong decision, as the masses have discerning eyes.

After driving for half a year and traveling nearly 4,000 kilometers, its disadvantages have also emerged. Now I can't help but complain about them.
First, what really made me angry is that BYD's prices are so unstable. I bought the car in February. After a long negotiation, I only got a discount of 2,000 yuan. Then, less than two months later, the intelligent driving version was released, and the non-intelligent driving version was even discounted by as much as 20,000 yuan! This car became an old model in less than two months, and I bought it at a high price. They really treated us like leeks! Such a pricing strategy really hurts the feelings of us old car owners! Would we old car owners dare to buy BYD cars again?!
Second, the font size on the car's dashboard is set too small, and there are no adjustable options. It's really annoying for someone like me who is nearsighted. Moreover, the information displayed is relatively limited. Information like the temperature can only be found on the central control screen, and the font there is also very small.
Third, the buttons on the driver's side door panel are placed too far forward. When using them, I often press the button for the rear window when I want to open the front window. This needs to be improved!
Fourth, the rear suspension is too stiff and terrible. When passing through a section of the road with small potholes at a relatively fast speed (40 km/h), the rear passengers will be jolted up. Because of this, I've been scolded by my wife several times.
Fifth is the design of the door handle. Can't it be designed like a normal handle? Why does it have to be designed in a way that requires you to reach back and pull it?
Although these deficiencies don't affect driving safety, they do affect the driving and riding experience. If BYD wants the Seagull's sales to take off again, it must make up for these shortcomings!

Car purchase experience:
My family and I wanted to buy a small electric car for daily commuting. We compared models like the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, Chery Ant, and Geely Geometry E. When I saw the Seagull, I thought its angular shape was extremely unique. However, my wife thought it wasn't as cute as the Wuling but had an advantage in terms of space. In the end, she also agreed. The salesperson introduced the Seagull's configuration advantages, especially the reliable three - electric system, which really tempted me. After comparing the configurations of competing models and considering the price and configuration comprehensively, we chose the Seagull.

Driving experience:
The driving experience after taking delivery of the car was good. The power is sufficient for daily city commuting, and the acceleration is smooth and rapid. It has good handling, precise steering, and a solid chassis. However, due to its small size, the car may feel unstable at high speeds, so safety precautions should be taken.
It can meet the needs of daily city commuting. The full - charge range is about 270 kilometers depending on driving habits and road conditions. The range will decrease in winter or at high speeds, so advance planning is required.

Riding experience:
The space is enough for my wife and me. I'm 175 cm tall, and neither the front nor the back seats feel cramped. There's enough space for my head and legs. The trunk is small and can only hold small items. For large items, the rear seats need to be folded down.

Vehicle drawbacks:
The single windshield wiper on the front windshield is not very aesthetically pleasing. During rainy days, its coverage area may be insufficient, and it needs to be wiped several times to see the road clearly. The workmanship is rough, with a strong plastic feel. Compared with cars in the same class, there are gaps in details. The sound when closing the door is thin, and the parts are not assembled precisely. The gear selector is a knob located at the bottom - left of the touch - screen. It takes time to get used to operating it, and operating it while driving can easily distract the driver and pose a safety hazard.

[Car Purchase Experience]
I picked up my Qin L in early August. Before I changed my car, I kept encouraging my mother-in-law to get a small electric car. Firstly, I thought it could improve comfort, and secondly, it could also reduce usage costs. However, we never really looked into what kind of car to get. When I went to pick up my car, my family went with me. We dropped by the Ocean Network dealership. My mother-in-law took a fancy to the Little Seagull. Coincidentally, she had a National III emission standard car under her name. At that time, the subsidy had been increased to 20,000 yuan, so she didn't hesitate and placed an order right away. She got a discount on the car price and also received a bunch of freebies. She paid the money and completed the procedures on the same day and picked up the car the next day.

[Driving Experience]
When I'm off work and traveling around the city, I'll definitely ditch my Qin L and fight to drive the Seagull. Firstly, the car is small, so it can easily zip through traffic. It accelerates quickly and can effortlessly reach speeds over 80 mph. It's much easier and more flexible to drive than my Qin L. Secondly, it's very convenient to park. There was a new shopping mall opening at the end of October. We went there that day, but there were no parking spaces in the basement or on the roadside. After driving around for a while, we finally saw a little over two-meter-long parking space on the roadside, and there was plenty of room on both sides. So, we parked the Seagull sideways. That meal we had after was especially delicious. As for the chassis, the shock absorption is just average.

[Energy Consumption and Range]
Although it's just a daily commuter car, it has already clocked up nearly 3,800 kilometers in two months. This is thanks to my mother-in-law, who thinks the new car is a breeze to drive and also saves money. She used to often take the subway and then ride a shared bike, but now she takes the Seagull everywhere. The other day, I asked her if she still missed her old car. She said she'd completely forgotten about it!
The average electricity consumption in the first two months was 9.5 kWh. With the recent drop in temperature, the electricity consumption has gone up. When driving short distances with the heater on, it can reach about 11 kWh. Charging with my home charger, it costs about five cents per kilometer! The car has a claimed range of 305 kilometers. From August to September, it could run about 240 kilometers from a full charge to 10% battery. Of course, there were few opportunities to let the battery drop below 10% because my mother-in-law said she has range anxiety. As soon as the battery drops below 80%, she'll try every means to charge it. With the recent drop in temperature, the range will decrease further. It's estimated to be around 200 kilometers, which is about 60% of the claimed range.

[Disadvantages]
The trunk is small. Of course, this isn't really a drawback of the car itself, but it is for my mother-in-law. She used to like to stuff everything into the trunk, but the small trunk has cured her of this habit.