As BYD matures, it seems to be moving away from the zany, wacky interiors and towards something with more conventional shapes and subdued colours. The result is a bit forgettable, with generally good perceived quality but lots of gloss black plastic.
Cars on the launch event were in Excellence spec, so had the big battery, dual motors and the highest level of equipment. That includes nappa leather, which is pretty nice and gets rid of the unpleasant chemical smell found in other BYDs.
As with other BYDs, the interior is dominated by an enormous rotating touchscreen. It runs a new generation of software, which is prettier, and – praise be – now has a permanent bar at the bottom with a bunch of shortcuts and basic climate controls. Much better, but it’s still pretty dreadful. It’s riddled with wonky translations, unfathomable menus and wasted space, and on my test car, I couldn’t get Apple CarPlay to work, either wirelessly or with a cable.
Practicality is decent. Rear passengers have acres of leg room but not the most comfortable seating position, because the floor is high. The boot has exactly the same volume as the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s and is similarly shallow, and there’s a useful 58-litre frunk that’s slightly fiddly to access.