BYD Cars Philippines is entering the sub-compact SUV space with the Sealion 5 DM-i—a choice that touts to have it all: design, technology, spaciousness, and yes, electrified performance. Watch our first impressions.
Competing in the sub-compact SUV space, which is projected to be one of the Top 5 vehicle segments in the next five years (2024 sales in the Philippines alone accounted for 68,000 units), the Sealion 5 DM-i fuses style and practically.
Single-handedly, the reason why the Sealion 5 DM-i is a cut above other sub-compact SUVs is the presence of BYD’s Super DM-i technology. First introduced in the Sealion 6 DM-i (read our review) and also available in the Seal 5 DM-i (read our review), it allows this sub-compact SUV to offer the instant power and torque of electric drive without the range anxiety.
The Sealion 5 DM-i comes with a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and an electric motor that offers a combined output of 197 horsepower and 300 Nm of torque. These figures are close to that of larger, more expensive SUVs pleasing you speed lovers out there. But combine that with a sizeable 12.9-kWh BYD Blade Battery and it offers up to 71 kilometers of all electric range whenever it’s topped up; and more than 1,000 kilometers once the gas engine’s switched on.
Unlike your traditional hybrid or even plug-in hybrid, the Sealion 5 DM-i defaults first to using EV power and true enough, for as long as there’s enough juice in the battery, you can do your daily errands without your gas engine firing up, ever.
In case the charge runs low, you can either let the engine recharge the battery or you plug it in via the complimentary wall box charger or portable charger. If you prefer, you can also charge the Sealion 5 DM-i at most public charging stations.
Outside, the Sealion 5 DM-i gets LED headlights, LED taillights, roof rails, and 18-inch wheels. It comes in four exterior colors: Deep Sea Blue, Aurora White, Cosmos Black, and Harbor Gray.
Inside, the beige-and-brown interior mixes traditional and contemporary luxury. It comes with leather seats, an 8.8-inch all-digital gauge cluster, a 10.1-inch rotating center touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and dual zone climate control with rear vents.
With a built-in 4G connection, it gets BYD Voice Assistant allowing you to control certain vehicle functions by just talking to it and complimentary access to the BYD App that provides real-time connectivity between owner and vehicle enabling you to see valuable data from a distance.
Often glossed over, the Sealion 5 DM-i is also able to harness Vehicle to Load or V2L technology. Using the provided V2L adapter, it turns the vehicle into a large power bank providing up to 3.6-kW of electricity. That’s enough to power small appliances like an electric fan or even a personal ref during brown outs.
Ample head, shoulder, and legroom aside, there are numerous cubby holes and storage spaces around, and at the back, there’s a flat rear floor and rear seats that recline between 98 to 118 degrees. Behind that, you get a large 520-liter cargo hold that grows to 1,339 liters with the rear seats folded down.
For those of you who’re considering it as a family car, it comes with an impressive range of safety features as well including a full complement of airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, traction control, tire pressure monitors, hill hold control, hill descent control, and rear sensors with a parking camera.
The BYD Sealion 5 DM-i is impeccability priced at P 1,198,000 (introductory cash offer). List price is indicated at P 1,248,000. Selected bank partners are offering a P 88,000 low down payment option as well.
Beyond the SRP, however, it also has a very low cost of ownership experience—between 20 to 40 percent less than the competition. How so? Well, for one, you don’t have to regularly pay for fuel costs. Just keep the Sealion 5 DM-i charged up and expect to pay less than P 200 for a full charge. Plus, its 5-year PMS cost is projected to be less than P 60,000 and you only have to do that once a year saving you not just money, but time as well.
And for added peace of mind, it comes with an extensive 6-year vehicle warranty, and an 8-year drive unit and high-voltage battery warranty.
Check out the full specs below or know more through this link.
2025 BYD Sealion 5 DM-i Philippine Specs
Dimensions & Weights
- Overall Length: 4,738 mm
- Overall Width: 1,860 mm
- Overall Height: 1,710 mm
- Wheelbase: 2,712 mm
- Ground Clearance: 156 mm
- Front Track: 1,565 mm
- Rear Track: 1,565 mm
- Turning Radius: 5.8 m
- Curb Weight: 1,675 kg
- Cargo Capacity: 520 L (Minimum) / 1,339 L (Maximum)
- Seating: 5
- Front-Wheel Drive
- Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
- Maximum Output: 197 PS
- Maximum Torque: 300 Nm
- Motor Generator: 1.5-liter 4-cylinder
- Cruise Control
- Fuel Capacity: 52 L
- EV Driving Range: 71 km
- Extended Range: 1,001 km
- Top Speed: 170 km/h
- 0-100 km/h: 8.3 seconds
- Drive Modes: Economy, Normal, Sport
- 12.96 kWh BYD Blade Battery (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
- Type 2 Charging Port
- Maximum Charging Rate: 3.3 kW (AC)
- Charging Time: 4.5 hours (15 to 100 percent)
- Regenerative Braking
- Portable Charging Cable
- 3.5-kW Wall-Mounted Charger
- Vehicle-to-Load Capability with V2L Adapter
- Front Suspension: Independent MacPherson Strut
- Rear Suspension: Independent Multi-Link
- Electric Parking Brake w/ Auto Hold
- Tire Repair Kit
- Electric Power Steering w/ Tilt/Telescopic Adjust
- LED Headlights w/ Auto On/Off, Manual Height Adjust
- Daytime Running Lights
- Side Mirror Integrated Turn Signal Indicators
- LED Taillights
- Rear Fog Lights
- Sequential Rear Turn Signal Lamps
- Power Adjustable Door Mirrors w/ Heating, Puddle Lamps
- Roof Rails
- Variable Intermittent Front Wipers
- Rear Wiper
- Leather Steering Wheel w/ Controls
- Leather Seats
- Manual, 6-way Driver’s Seat
- Manual, 4-way Front Passenger Seat
- 60/40 Split-Fold Rear Seat w/ Recline
- 8.8-inch LCD Instrument Cluster
- Dual Zone Climate Control w/ Rear Vents
- PM 2.5 Filter
- 10.1-inch Rotating Infotainment Screen w/ Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- 6 Speakers
- Voice Assistant / 4G Connectivity / BYD Cloud Service / DiLink Ecosystem Ready
- Manual Rearview Mirror
- Foot Well Lighting
- Front and Rear Map Lights
- Luggage Compartment Light
- Driver & Front Passenger Vanity Mirror w/ Mirror & Lighting
- Smart Keyless Entry with Keyless Start
- NFC Card
- USB Type A x 2, Type C x 2
- 12V Power Socket
- 6 SRS Airbags
- 3-pt ELR Seatbelt x 5
- Traction Control System
- Electronic Stability Control
- ABS with EBD
- Hill Hold Control
- Hill Descent Control
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System
- Anti-Rollover Control System
- Vehicle Dynamic Control System
- Rear Sensors x 4 w/ Rear Camera
you get those price with old stocks, good luck buying a ticking bomb to explode
ReplyDeleteThis isn't an old stock unit as it doesn't have Chinese badges in it and the UI of the rotating touch screen display of the vehicle is in English language and not in Chinese
DeleteStop spreading fake news here
Zero mileage??? Maybe, who knows
Deletelook who's speading the fake new neochina
DeleteIs the car coding exempt
DeleteI did some digging sa wikipedia. This is the Song Pro DM-i in China and this model looks like the 2023 facelift variant, however I learned that we are most likely getting the 'Honor' edition which is a March 2024 update (which received a price drop in China at the same time of the update) since we are getting a black color option - apparently this color option only comes after the March 2024 update. So, if I'm putting things right we're unlikely to get stocks older than a year. Parang not that bad for me.
DeleteYes. This one is the Song Pro.
DeleteIt is coding exempt.
DeleteIt doesn't have sunroof which for me is a very good thing since i'm not a fan of those. So i have a winner now.
ReplyDeleteNo ADAS, no sunroof, 6 airbags, nice.
ReplyDeleteis has a radar system, idk what that does pero part daw siya ng DiPilot, pero yun lang along with cruise control. Yung iba wala
DeleteThe fact that there is no sunroof is already a huge positive.
DeleteVsry good pricing and specs of this new BYD Sealion 5 PHEV SUV
ReplyDeleteIt'll surely sell very well
50 cents for this Wumao
DeletePricy for old model, no ADAS, no sunroof china car, 1.1M could be the right priced.
DeleteNo 360 cam, no power lift gate, no ADAS, no sunroof, uncomfortable fixed headrests, manual fold side mirror, 4.5 hours charging, no thankx.
DeleteGood luck finding these specs in a similarly priced Jap car. You need double the money to get those.
DeleteVs corolla cross G HEV at 1.3M that has superior engineering quality, proven HEV tech, proven durabilty, better after sales support and higher resale value. Toyota ph 200k discounts on all its hybrid is still on and seems already permanent. Honda HRV will be dead.
ReplyDeleteI decided to watch a few reviews and read the brochures of both models (the cross G and the Sealion 5) after reading your comment (because I get curious like that).
DeleteThe 200k discount (yes is still on) won't be there for most of the year (there's like a law that says items can't be on sale for longer than on their non-sale price - applies to everything being sold). If they make it permanent then that's a price drop not a sale, and it says something about how much they can actually afford to sell their cars (read:overpriced?). So that's 1.2m (intro price) -1.25m for the sealion 5 vs the 1.3m-1.5m for the cross G. Let's say for most of the year the cross G will be around 250k more expensive.
For the notable differences between the two I found that; you get a shorter (by 278mm!), smaller car in the cross G (meaning smaller space inside). The cross G also has 60% of the horse-power and less than half the torque of the other. The cross G (being the base variant) gets cloth seats instead of leather and has no charging points in the back (! - a dealbreak for some families). The cross G does have wireless charging but the sealion 5 does not. The sealion 5 has cruise control where the cross G does not.
After those details then you can talk about the intangibles like Toyota's earned reputation for reliability. To properly compare we will have to wait a few years since much of BYD's international sales have been a few years pa lang but I don't think it will take long for problems to show for BYD -IF- may quality problems talaga sila. Their HEV/battery tech I'd say is already proven not just because of the number of cars sold and on the road but because other companies (including Toyota) are using it. The higher resale value advantage for Toyota is a given and won't change unless BYD goes WAY beyond people's expectations.
Peace of mind ownership vs headaches
Deleteang crv matagal na naka discount . sept last year may discount na yan up to now meron pa rin.
Delete4.5 hours charging time with its dinky battery? Why would BYD even limit charging speed to 3 kW when they can easily up it to 7 kW? Public chargers are going to be even more congested now.
ReplyDeletePlug-in hybrids like these really aren't meant to be used at public chargers. Let's say that they do bring it up to 7 kW and that will bring charging time down to ~3 hours (? maybe) - that's still a long time to charge in public.
DeleteBut, muh premium parking space…
DeleteThis car is the sweet spot to BYDs lineup. I like it a lot.. this will surely eat up a big chunk off the competition- specially the japs brands.
ReplyDelete68000 in 2024? If this is true they are notl far away from Mitsubishi but I see more mitsu and ford on the road. Hard to believe byd with all the gimmicks they have been involved lately. 68000 is absolutely not true
ReplyDeletebuong segment yung 68k na yun
DeleteThose are just 2024 sales, You see more Mitsubishi and Fords because they’ve been selling cars for far longer, while BYD’s sales just started ratcheting up last year.
Delete68,000 is for all brands po, please read it again.
DeleteIf the rear passenger space is roomier than Corolla Cross, this will be a winner. Blows the Kicks out of the water without even sneezing. I hope competition heats up even more so us consumers will benefit with lower prices (at least). Would be interesting how Kona and HRV will fare after this is in the market for a few months.
ReplyDeleteI think their safety and built quality is good considering that BYD cars rate 5 stars in crash tests in australia and europe. And there are reports that the Toyota rav 4 and corolla cross will be using the BYD dmi phev systems in 2026. Recently byd cars were disassembled in Japan to learn how they work. Roles are now reversed.
ReplyDeletehad byd not entered the phil market, would toyota phil have discounted its hybrid range by 200K?
ReplyDeletecompetition will always benefit us, the consumers.
it seems the commenters here are all shareholders of toyota:) good for you!
A very good question. Also, if BYD (and other chinese competitors') sales really pick up what will Toyota do next? It can't keep giving discounts forever - you're not legally allowed to do that - so either mag price drop sila or they will have to make real changes/upgrades to their offerings/units (more than just stuff like free PMS or whatever). Maybe then our market will get the same level trims other markets get that Toyota (and other Japanese brands) refuse to bring over. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years.
DeleteKawawa bumili ng byd. By the time benta na nila yan which all car buyers eventually do. Wala value used byd because new cars ng byd sobra mura na bili ka na lang bnew byd. Ang dami kasi shareholder dito ng byd.
ReplyDelete!remindMe - 5 years from now. (<<-feeling reddit lol) :)
DeleteWag na kayo magaway. Iba market ng byd and iba market Toyota. Wag na humirit
ReplyDeleteNah, let them fight. Sane buyers from both brands can enjoy the benefits from competition (as well as the circus from the fan boys)
Deleteexactly!
ReplyDeleteDinaman yan nag aaway nagbibigay lang saloobin, hayaan na natin maganda rin marami opinyon dito.
ReplyDeleteDon't say anything bad about byd. They sued 37 influence RS and journalists for defamation. Normal Chinese stuff
ReplyDeleteYeah, but not here in ph, we have freedom of SPECS🙂🙂🙂
Deleteyou are probably right... the byd buyers probably know that it will be of no resale value later on.... iba talaga sa mga toyota buyers.... different mindset and probably have very deep pockets
ReplyDeleteMasyado threatened mga Toyota Fanboys sa BYD, grave makapanira
ReplyDeleteTheir are now 4 BYD showrooms in Cebu under one dealership in just 1 year of existence. 2 more are under construction and will be opened this year. One showroom can accommodate up to 12 display units dwarfing the biggest Toyota and Ford showrooms. So many BYD in the streets of Cebu with Sealion 6 probably numbering more than 1,000 units already. And the dealer is deep pocketed (i heard owned by a consortium of 10 prominent families in Cebu).
ReplyDeleteAfter sales income could spread too thin if too many dealerships in one area. Dealerships could struggle sustaining expenses.
Deletei am glad byd singlehandedly got toyota to drop its prices and its accompanying spiel of the supposed pila, no stock alibi, in house financing and 'required' optional accessories.
ReplyDeletetoyota has 77 dealerships selling 250,000 vehicles a year. i read byd wants to replicate it and have 77 dealerships by the end of this year. what volume do they expect to move in a year?
Maybe 10k units??? AC BYD ph keeping sales figures on themselves, on that case im waiting for a byd zero mileage on 2nd hand market, it could be value for money.
DeleteSealion 6 will be on a big fight vs the incoming good looking ford territory PHEV
ReplyDeleteIn our area ford has a bigger nicer showroom than Toyota. It doesn't sell as much as Toyota so doesn't mean a higher nicer shinier showroom will give you sales that's a stupid assumption to say. By the way not Toyota fan boy but disgusted by Chinese actions everywhere in the world including Iran and moreso the Philippines
ReplyDelete