@HighlandWatt Saw the Denza Z9 GT in person at the Goodwood display—the interior build quality with the dual refrigerators, Devialet lift speakers, and Nappa leather puts the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo on notice at half the price.

One installer tip for Australian homes with 3-phase power: remember that the BYD Atto 3 (early MY22/23), Sealion 6, and Shark 6 have a 7kW single-phase onboard AC charger, whereas the BYD Seal, Sealion 7, and 2024+ Dolphin/Atto 3 in Europe/UK support 11kW 3-phase. Make sure your sparky balances the phases on your switchboard!

We needed a genuine 7-seater EV that didn't cost Kia EV9 GT-Line or Volvo EX90 money, so we picked up a facelifted BYD Tang Flagship AWD (108.8kWh Blade Battery).

Quick Specs & First 4,500 Miles:

• Battery: 108.8 kWh LFP Blade Battery (usable)
• Drivetrain: Dual-motor AWD (380 kW / 517 PS, 0–62 mph in 4.9s)
• Suspension: DiSus-C electronically controlled adaptive dampers
• Real-World Motorway Range (70 mph, 5 passengers + luggage): 285 miles (458 km) from 100% to 8%.
• DC Fast Charging: Peaked at 172 kW on an Ionity 350kW unit, holding above 135 kW past 65% SOC.

Third-row legroom is ideal for kids/teens up to about 5'7", and the Nappa leather ventilated massage seats in the front row feel properly luxurious.

Spot on write-up mate! I tow a 2.3T boat trailer down the M1 from the Gold Coast to Iluka and learned the exact same lesson on my first trip. First time out I forgot to switch from EV to HEV until the battery hit 26%, and then tried to overtake a B-double up Sexton Hill — engine revved its ring out. Now I set HEV + 60% SOC Hold the moment the trailer plug goes into the 12-pin socket and it pulls like a freight train.

Mate, thank you!! I spent two weeks thinking that faint click over bumps was coming from the rear parcel shelf, and it turned out to be the unbuckled front passenger seatbelt tongue tapping the B-pillar trim! Slipped it over the seat bolster and the cabin is tomb-silent again.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

One of the best standard features across the entire BYD lineup is V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) — giving you 2.2 kW to 3.3 kW (230V/240V AC pure sine wave) on the Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal, and Sealion, and up to 6.0 kW combined (2.2kW in the tray + 2.2kW external V2L adapter + interior socket) on the BYD Shark 6!

Here is my tested off-grid camping & storm-blackout setup in South Australia:

What Can You Run Simultaneously on a Single 2,200W / 2,400W Circuit?

• Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine + Grinder: 1,550W (pulls 6 shots of coffee in the bush using Less than 0.15% SOC!)
• Single-Burner Portable Induction Cooktop (set to 1,400W) + 65L Engel Fridge (45W) + Starlink Mini (30W) + LED Camp Strip: Total 1,485W — runs comfortably without tripping overload protection.
• 48-Hour Full Weekend Camp Energy Usage: Cooked 5 hot meals on induction, made 12 coffees, ran the fridge 24/7, and charged laptops/drones → Used just 14% of the Shark 6's battery!

How to Keep V2L Active Overnight Without the Headlights / Screen Staying On

1. Plug in the V2L adapter (or press the 240V Tray Power button on the Shark 6).
2. On the DiLink screen, set the V2L Discharge Cut-Off Limit (default is 20% or 25% SOC on EVs; on Shark 6 / Sealion 6 PHEVs you can even enable Auto Engine Recharge at 20% SOC so it acts as a silent hybrid generator!).
3. Turn off the DRL/headlights on the stalk and press the physical volume/screen power button on the centre console to black out the cabin screen.

Spot on Andrew! Even if you have the full $55k sitting in your mortgage offset account at 6.15% interest, leaving your cash in the offset (earning 6.15% tax-free!) and running an FBT-exempt novated lease on an Atto 3 or Sealion 7 works out ~$19,000 cheaper over 3 years. It's literally the only legal tax shelter left for PAYG employees in Australia.

@Craig_J_TangEV Having the electric roller sunblind built into the Sealion 7 roof from the factory is such a great upgrade for hot summers!