Choose BYD or Tesla? These two models cannot be avoided with a budget of more than 200,000 yuan!
The former Tesla Model 3 is unique in the field it is good at, and it is rare to meet its opponents. Although there are many outstanding electric vehicles in China that are determined to compete with them in some aspects, few rivals dare to face the Tesla Model 3 head-on.
It was not until July 2022 that Tesla ushered in a truly powerful enemy in the Chinese market, and it was BYD Seal.
BYD Seal can be said to be the peak of its debut. Its sales volume reached 15,378 in December last year, and its cumulative sales in 2022 will reach 51,200. You know, the seals have only just started delivery for 5 months as of December last year.
This also means that even ignoring the difficult ramp-up of production capacity in the early stage, it has an average sales volume of over 10,000 per month. Apparently, Seal proved that it does have the power to compete with Tesla Model 3 with its strength.
However, just in January, a dramatic scene appeared. When BYD Seal officially canceled the new energy vehicle subsidies on January 1, it officially announced that the price of the whole series will increase by 3,000 yuan, and its price range will be adjusted from 209,800 to 286,800 yuan to 212,800 to 289,800 yuan.
Tesla, relying on its cost advantage, did not rise but fell after 5 days. On January 6, it ushered in a wave of price cuts for all models. Among them, the starting price of Tesla Model 3 has dropped by 36,000 yuan, and its price range has been adjusted from 265,900 to 349,900 yuan to 229,900 to 329,900 yuan.
This wave of operations by Tesla will undoubtedly make many consumers who originally held money to buy BYD Seals even more hesitant. So, in terms of product strength, after the price increase, can BYD Seal beat the Tesla Model 3, which dropped suddenly after a disagreement?
Usually, especially when comparing models, professors don’t really like to talk about design. After all, in terms of aesthetics, carrots and cabbages have their own preferences, and the professor cannot judge which is better based on personal aesthetics.
However, when comparing BYD Seal and Tesla Model 3, the professor is willing to give some insights on aesthetics.
As a brand-new model that will be launched in the second half of 2022, Seal adopts the new family-style design language of BYD’s marine life series. I have to say that this design language can give people an amazing feeling.
In contrast, the Tesla Model 3 has never undergone major changes in design style since it was introduced into China in 2016. Although the design of this model is still not outdated today, it is really difficult for this unchanging design to catch people’s eyes.
In terms of body size, the length, width and height of Seal are 4800mm, 1875mm and 1460mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2920mm; the length, width and height of Model 3 are 4694mm, 1850mm and 1443mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2875mm.
Obviously, although Seal and Model 3 are both positioned as medium-sized sedans, the former is larger than the latter in terms of length, width, height, and wheelbase, and the advantage of Seal in terms of body size will also directly affect its interior. ride space.
Stacking materials has always been the strength of Chinese car companies. In terms of materials, Tesla Model 3 can be said to be no match for BYD Seal. Compared with the simple interior of Model 3, the interior design and materials of Seal can be called “luxury”.
If you only look at the static performance, then BYD Seal can be said to be a complete victory compared with Tesla Model 3. Of course, buying a car is not just for viewing, but more for driving. So at the driving level, how big is the gap between Seal and Model 3?
In the walking part, the professor can draw a conclusion here. Compared with other competitors, the seal based on BYD e platform 3.0 may still be the best in its class.
However, SEAL has been targeting Tesla Model 3 since the beginning of the project. Compared with Model 3, it still has shortcomings in terms of performance.
In terms of performance and battery life, Seal provides a total of 3 different performance versions and battery life versions. Among them, the two standard-endurance rear-drive models positioned as relatively entry-level models have a maximum power of 150kW, a maximum torque of 310N m, an acceleration time of 0-100km of 7.5 seconds, and a cruising range of 550km under CLTC conditions.
The price and positioning of the two entry-level models of Seal are comparable to the rear-wheel drive version of Model 3. Its price is only 4,100 yuan more than the premium version of Seal’s standard battery life, but its absolute performance is much higher.
The Model 3 rear-wheel drive version has a maximum power of 194kW, a maximum torque of 340N m, and an acceleration time of 0-100km in only 6.1 seconds.
It is worth mentioning that the powerful performance of Model 3 does not sacrifice too much battery life, which can be said to have both fish and bear’s paw. Although it is equipped with a power battery with a smaller capacity, it has a pure electric endurance of 556km.
In the performance version of the model, the performance parameters of both sides have been reversed. The Seal 4WD performance version has a maximum power of 390kW and a maximum torque of 670N m, while the Model 3 Performance high-performance version has a maximum power and torque of only 357kW and 659N m.
It is a pity that the performance of BYD Seal did not “work hard to make a miracle”. Although Seal has an absolute advantage in motor performance, its 0-100 acceleration time of 3.8 seconds is still behind the Tesla Model 3 Performance high-performance version of 3.3 seconds.
In addition, the excessively high motor performance also depletes the battery life of the SEAL four-wheel drive performance version to a certain extent.
Although it is equipped with a set of blade batteries with a capacity of 82.5kWh, its cruising range of 650km is not as good as the cruising range of 675km brought by the 78.4kWh power battery of the Tesla Model 3 Performance high-performance version.
It has to be said that Tesla, which is forced to adopt single-pedal mode, has indeed optimized energy consumption to the extreme. Of course, although the energy consumption control of BYD Seal is not as good as that of Tesla, it also has something that the professor appreciates.
In addition to the two standard-endurance rear-drive models launched to lower the purchase threshold, and the four-wheel-drive performance version to establish the performance image of Seal, Seal also has a long-endurance rear-drive version. In the professor’s opinion, this is a model that has captured the essence of China’s “golden mean”.
The follow-up version of Seal Long Endurance has a maximum power of 230kW, a maximum torque of 360N m, and a cruising range of 700km under CLTC conditions. This also means that it not only has stronger performance than the standard endurance rear-drive version, but also has a longer endurance than the four-wheel drive performance version.
Are BYD Seals and Tesla Model 3 really so tit-for-tat? The professor believes that this is not necessarily the case. In essence, these two cars have their own distinct advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, friends who want to buy Seals or Model 3 don’t have to worry about it.
First of all, if you were planning to buy a Seal and were only tempted by Tesla’s huge price cuts to consider buying a Model 3, the professor does not recommend that you change your mind.
The professor can tell that how excited you are now because of the Model 3 price cut, how much pain you will be in because of its price cut again soon.
In addition, BYD Seal and Model 3 appear to be rivals on the surface, but they are quite different on the inside. If you change your initial needs and buy a model that you don’t like in your heart, you will most likely regret this decision in the end.
If you are interested in Tesla’s unparalleled performance and energy consumption performance, as well as its self-driving ability that is infinitely close to the L3 level, then there is no need to hesitate any longer. Model 3 is basically unrivaled in these two aspects, and can completely beat all BYD’s models.
Of course, before buying a Tesla model, you need to be mentally prepared that it will continue to drop in price.
