BYD Sealion 6 vs Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid: Why We Switched After 3 Test Drives (Sydney Family Review)
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We had a deposit down on a RAV4 Cruiser AWD Hybrid for 7 months before test-driving the BYD Sealion 6 Dynamic & Premium back-to-back in Parramatta. Cancelled the RAV4 deposit the same afternoon — here's why after 14,000 km in the Sealion 6:
- Cabin NVH & Double Glazing: At 110 km/h on coarse-chip M4 tarmac, the RAV4 had noticeable tyre and wind roar; the Sealion 6 with acoustic double-glazed front glass feels like a Lexus NX inside.
- 80–90 km Pure EV School Run: Because we plug into a normal 10A/15A garage power point overnight on solar/off-peak, we only visit a petrol station once every 7 weeks!
On-Road Impressions, Efficiency & Setup Details
Overall efficiency, cabin insulation, and LFP Blade Battery thermal stability have been rock-solid across both daily city commuting and 110 km/h highway runs.
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Exact same story for us in Adelaide! The interior material quality, 360-degree camera resolution, and ventilated front seats as standard on the Sealion 6 made the RAV4 interior look a generation old.
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Floor footprint is almost identical, and because the Sealion 6 has a flat rear floor with zero transmission tunnel hump in the second row, fitting three kids or two ISOFIX child seats in the back is actually roomier.
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Here in the UK on the BYD Seal U DM-i, the Infinity 10-speaker sound system and standard panoramic roof at £33k undercut the equivalent RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid by nearly £11,000!
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18,000 km on ours now in Brisbane and lifetime fuel average on the trip computer is still sitting on 1.6 L/100km because 85% of our driving is within the 18.3 kWh battery's electric range.
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Plus the V2L adapter included in the boot let us power our camping fridge and coffee machine down at Jervis Bay over Easter!
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Just ticked over 22,000 km on our Sealion 6 Premium AWD in Sydney — zero squeaks or rattles, and the HUD on the windscreen is something I could never live without now.
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Agreed on the HUD! Having blind-spot warnings and turn-by-turn directions projected right onto the glass keeps your eyes on the road in heavy M25 rain.
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Interesting point about the charging curve. I found that plugging in around 15–18% SOC gives the fastest sustained peak kW before the BMS gently tapers above 80%.
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A admin moved this topic from BYD Mid-to-Large SUVs
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@DaveMitchell Just wanted to thank everyone in this thread! Followed the steps in the second post earlier this week and it sorted the issue out in less than 10 minutes. Saved me a trip to the service centre.
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@DaveMitchell Agreed 100%. I tested this on a 320 km highway trip over the weekend and the difference in cabin noise and consumption was night and day.
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@DaveMitchell Did a 420 km motorway run yesterday with HEV Auto SOC set to 55% at 110 km/h—averaged 4.8 L/100km and arrived with plenty of battery left for city traffic.
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