SUN CITY welcomes a Shark at its resort…
Having left my village Ganalaagte in the Tswaing Municipality, on a very wet and chilly Tuesday morning, the first BYD bakkie 1.5-litre turbocharged engine and dual electric motor bakkie carried me safely, to the resort for the annual Nedbank Golf Challenge media Golf Day, in preparation for the major sporting week from December 4 to 7.
The ‘Shark had entered the city’ did averse my colleague and respected lensman Jacob Mawela, as he smiled upon laying his eyes on it, despite the dirt and mud, associated with the open routes in Swartruggens, Koster and Lichtenburg- must say potholes are being attended to, for a change!
As I made my way negotiating trucks and tractors, I could feel the Shark was not evasive but can grip, thanks to wet roads that put it to rigorous test, as it produced 321kW and 650Nm torque.
Not ideal for city’s- but you can challenge me on that, it does hit 0-100 km/h in just 5.7 seconds and e-AWD. This was proven when a certain brownish Golf GTI tried to compete on an open road along the Royal Bafokeng Hotel…literally and figuratively, it ‘ate dust’ to such an extend the driver had to flash his lights in appreciation. That bugger!
As hybrid, it gives up to 100 km of electric range and a total driving range of 840 km.
The exterior draws the styling from the likes Ford F-150, as it boast a striking use of LED lighting, as locals snapped it away, ignoring the raining weather.
Its 5 457 mm, 57 mm wider and 39 mm taller, so you could imagine the adjusting of my drivers’ seat, whenever I had to disembark and back again, owing to my height…
Incorporating BYD’s patented compact, and relatively lightweight, 29.58 kWh Blade Battery setup, this double cab’s dual-motor hybrid system sees a pair of electric motors, one per axle, front and rear, supplemented by a 1.5-litre turbopetrol engine. Operated via a single-speed EHS (electric hybrid system) transmission and always favouring all-wheel drive, this innovative (321 kW/650 N.m) setup can run in three configurations.
With the battery fully charged (an operation that can be quickly achieved via a 55 kW DC station), the BYD has an EV operating range of up to 85 km. Once this indicated range has been depleted, the system will then run “in series” using the internal combustion engine to power the front wheels, but also as a generator to recharge the battery, aha.
The Interior is packed with a 15.6-inch infotainment display- screen rotate, the first in a bakkie,that rotates between landscape and portrait, leather seating, Running Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, and smartphone can be topped up on a ventilated 50 W wireless charging pad in the centre console.
It should be commended, it has the performance and features to compete.
Albeit I did not charge the Shark, either at my village or at Sun City, as long as you visit a petrol garage, you could travel more kilos because it keeps recharging itself although not to the maximum…as per advise from BYD (Build Your Dreams) representative.
Since entering the SA market, Chinese BYD has established fast-growing dealership network, to introduce several of its modern vehicle offerings such as all-electric Atto 3 compact SUV being the outlier, and current portfolio that forms part of so-called Ocean series, which draws inspiration from the ocean’s sustainable energy cycles.
Also included is an all-electric Dolphin and Seal, the forthcoming entry-level Dolphin Surf (or Atto 1 as it will be called here), as well as the Sealion 6 and Sealion 7 plug-in hybrids and the “apex”, body-on-frame Shark 6 double cab.
It retails for R959 900
Verdict
Performance 1-10 (8)
Battery/ Fuel 1-10 (6)
Image SLM (The hybrid BYD double cab bakkie- has performance and features to compete, so does a rotating infotainment screen).
