The BYD Sealion 6 is in trouble | Meet the Sealion 5!

[Music] Why buy a BYD Cline 5 plug-in hybrid electric SUV when there’s already a Cine 6? That’s the question we’re seeking to answer as the Chinese car maker launches not one but four new models into the Australian market. BYD has not revealed the price of the Cine 5 just yet, but what I can tell you is that it’s being positioned to be more affordable than the CLIN 6, which currently starts from 42,990 before on-road costs. Rivals include the new GWM HL H6 plug-in hybrid and Cherry Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid, which start from $4490 and 3990 drive away, respectively. The Cline 5 is also smaller than the Cine 6 and for comparison is slightly bigger than a Toyota RAV 4. [Music] You can see it has a 12.8 in screen, an 8.8 in digital cluster, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also comes with power adjusted front seats, a faux leather interior, a wireless charger, and four USB ports, a 9- speakeraker sound system, a 360° camera, 18-in wheels, and a whole host of safety features. Here in the back, there’s plenty of leg room. I’ve got heaps in front of me and also a lot of room above my head as well. There’s not much room down by my feet, though. The boot offers a reasonable 463 L of space with the seats up, expanded to 1410 with them down. The Cine 5 uses the same 1.5 L naturally aspirated 4 cylinder petrol engine and single front motor setup as the Cine 6 with buyers able to choose from a 12.9 kWh or 18.3 kWh battery pack. While the six on the other hand comes with either the 18.3 or a 26.6 kWh battery pack and can also be had with a turbo petrol engine and a dual motor allhe drive powertrain depending on the battery. Driving range is quoted at 70 km or 100 km with a fuel consumption of 1.2 or 1.3 L per 100 km according to the NEC testing regime. With petrol and electric combined, BYD claims the Cine 5 can travel around 1,000 km. The ride on the Cine 5 is really nice. It’s slightly soft, but not too soft, and it’s absorbing the bumps on these test tracks really well, including some that are really pop marked and damaged. And the steering is really nice. It’s pretty well balanced, actually. It’s not too light, not too heavy. Road noise is pretty quiet, too, actually. There’s not much rumble coming up off that rubber. Going through some of these bends, it’s just really gentle. Not super agile, but actually, it’s pretty impressive. Is shaving a few thousand off the asking price really worth introducing two very similar plug-in hybrid SUVs into the Australian market? Or would you rather just splash a little bit extra cash on the Cine 6? Let us know what you think and read the full review at drive.com.au. [Music]

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