BYD Shark 6 DETAILED review (inc. 0-100, off-road & hoist): This is a BARGAIN

[@CarExpertAus]

Hey everyone - sorry I just noticed there was a small section unintentionally cut out when we were trying to reduce the length of the video from the part where I discussed the request to attend in return for money. Just want to make it clear that the event BYD ran included both journalists and the influencer types. Some people attended purely as journalists in the same way we’d attend any other car launch, while others were paid to be there. Influencers (or anybody promoting a product in return for payment) are required to disclose a brand partnership if there is one in place: www.accc.gov.au/system/files/social-media-influencer-testimonials.pdf

[@Skibbidirizztoilet]

Seems like you’re backpedaling here Paul after other commenters reminded you that you did in fact have CarExpert ‘Journalists’ at this event. How convenient you ‘cut out that part’. Last time I checked your website, looks like CarExpert is also compromised by manufacturers advertising on your site and all of Anthony Crawfords paid escapades. You’re all the same, so stop pretending CarExpert somehow has the moral ground.

[@tanmupps5997]

You haven't reviewed the isuzu blade yet paul😢

[@nathaneggleton1427]

5:14 5:14

[@nathaneggleton1427]

😅 5:14 😅😊

[@nathaneggleton1427]

5:14 5:14

[@Johnno1979]

I ordered one a month ago. I want something comfortable, quiet and roomy for 3 kids, 95% of my driving is on bitumen but some gravel and job sites and i don't tow. The Hybrid is a massive bonus as that covers the majority of my driving. For the price and my use, there isn't anything that even comes close.

[@lifeliver9000]

Yeah I just ordered one too. Enjoyed driving. And ticks most of my boxes

[@vitorharalambus6537]

I have pretty much the same use case, nothing gets anywhere near this

[@bradb2012]

My concern is with the battery and resale value... Don't know how these phev's are going to hold up.

[@haygee2845]

Aslong as you upgrade every 5 years these cheap nasty chinese vehicles are good, keep any longer and enjoy the nightmare

[@moondawg3698]

@@bradb2012 battery has an 8year or 160,000km warranty and knowing BYD make some of the best batteries in the world, I'm not worried. But resale value will definitely be an issue. Only factor is for most people if they only mostly use the 100km range per day or 500km per 5 day week. Thats basically a tank of fuel saved every week. $100 a week or $5200 a year. After 10 years it would be close to being paying itself off especially if you have solar. I'm interested in how it tows

[@Darkmatter321]

What I love about Chinese auto manufacturers is that if they see this video, they will probably start fixing the issue with the hill climb and update the next gen so it can do well on hills as well. That's the difference between them and say a car like Toyota. I love Toyotas and have had many of them. But design problems can persist for many years despite all customers complaining about them.

[@jrkr7357]

The is a higher chance they will fix it compared to legacy autos...

[@bevant8275]

It would be an over the air update to the software, so all would get it.

[@neilstewart5060]

Would have been much better if it was released with a functional hill climb and decent from the start. The more reviews I see the more I believe its a metro vehicle not suited for off road, long distance,towing or work mode travelling. But new owners should enjoy their Shark but this one is not for me.

[@garystaples3549]

@@neilstewart5060 Possibly right however all the reviews I have seen including this one are all pre production vehicles. i will be interested to see actual owner reviews.

[@Darkmatter321]

@@neilstewart5060 All that could be a Firmware update away.

[@longdongjohn6588]

Hold on Babe, Paul just released a 40min BYD Shark video!

[@TheWannabeGeek]

Bahaha, I just said the same thing.

[@demomanca]

Legit our dinner got put on pause

[@CarExpertAus]

😂 she’ll understand.

[@CarExpertAus]

Or he. Shouldn’t presume.

[@CarExpertAus]

Actually - or they 😂

[@alexandro6064]

Good job Paul. For this price it's a great car. I know a lot of people who have a heavy diesel Ute but they use 95% in the city/highway. With the Shark you can drive 100km in electric mode alone and save a lot of money.

[@ubernoob103]

More 👏 underbody 👏 reviews 👏 That stuff is great. Love the detail on the underside of cars - gives you a good indication of the engineering that goes into a car, especially 4x4’s. Savagegeese has perfected this format. Also, this has to be tested again - that hillclimb was horrendous. Hopefully a production spec model will have that sorted.

[@1PaNik1]

It’s giving ‘savageese’ 🪿

[@-PORK-CHOP-]

Paul, good on you for calling out the "influencers" taking money at the launch, I detest Influencers, this just reinforces why

[@andrewthornley5172]

We should call out 'influencers' for what they are, just 'sprukers'.

[@MKL_D]

When someone starts their video with a free trip to China, you know what you are going to get.

[@doobtom271]

But a free trip is tempting 😂 I would take it

[@pmillermga]

Hey Paul, love the Aussie banter. I lived in America for 11 years and didn’t realise how much slang we use. - Run out of puff. - Won’t cut the mustard. - Run out of steam

[@jimmykang344]

I ordered my 1 week ago in Australia, 61k driveway price, l also added the front bar, cargo cover and tint, almost 70k all together, such a good price for what l’m getting considering nowadays everything is so expensive. Can’t wait to drive it.

[@janjayed]

This is a frightening good first effort. The competition need to be concerned. Clearly they could learn a lot by doing more testing in Australia in off road conditions, but to be honest this will deliver the kids and get you down a firetrail. I think they will learn there is more to making a capable 4wd than just sending drive to all 4 wheels. This is where the money is spent - refining systems in real world conditions.

[@wolfvic]

Keen to watch the towing part when it becomes available then I will place an order with BYD. Thanks for the in-depth review!

[@davidxu166]

The Shark's electric drive system is the same as BYD's Leopard 5, which has no trouble climbing such gradients. So expect the Shark to perform when it is officially released.

[@ianweal3081]

Thought the leopard had a low range setup, the shark doesn't receive that feature, therefore leopard will be superior off-road.

[@stevenbush3819]

I thought the leopard had 4 electric motors not 2

[@Trad-Archer]

@@davidxu166 the leopard has more powerful motors, locking diffs, and a low range gear on the rear axle. So it is much more capable than the shark.

[@yslee1401]

Temu Ranger here

[@siraff4461]

Its nothing like it though I'm sure they would love people to think it is. Sure you're not a bot?

[@Digwind]

For a preproduction vehicle on the road tires that's alright offroad. I hope they will tune the power delivery on the steep up hill in the final version though. They should be pretty quick with updates like that.

[@yorelescovar2716]

We have the final product here in panama and it does 4x4 things that a ice vehicle cannot do... yours does not seems to be well calibrated, the test track here was pretty tough and we are in heavy raining season

[@llpqazz]

Sorry I don’t believe it. What can this do off-road that an ICE couldn’t?

[@danielmakins2639]

Never had to calibrate a old hilux sound like the byd a lot of mucking around for what a ute from 1984 dose on the daily

[@tallll70]

@@llpqazz lol, exactly, there is no EV currently on market which can replicate consistent power delivery of locked ICE 4x4, as long as electric motors getting power cut to protect it self or reacting on sensor readings with no possibility to bypass, it will never keep rolling as ICE can ...until it changes EVs will never be better then AWD

[@anotherdeejay]

The off road performance trash....such a big disappointment

[@apemaster6976]

These replies are so braindead

[@cwilliams4227]

What is the gradient of your hill climb? The Shark is rated at 30Deg whereas most traditional utes are 45Deg. Robert Pepper did a pretty good job of explaining why this limitation exists. Also Ecotricity NZ did a hill climb test and failed untill they used "Sand Land". One would hope that these are software issues that will be resolved in the production vehicles. To add to the software, "CarSales" took a few of these with different calibrations into the Flinders for a long trip and they said the latest revision vehicle (it was White) was far better than the others. Looking forward to the towing test.

[@JohnnyFlyBouy]

The @Carsales review was interesting. Positively, the car seemed to hold up well apart from the Conti tyres not performing. The fuel economy is a worry however.

[@cwilliams4227]

@@JohnnyFlyBouy Fuel consumption. Yeah true. It would have been good to see a diesel ute tag along and do a direct comparision. I read the wriiten article and it says they were doing 120km/h on the open roads. Not great for a huge brick shaped vehicle.

[@Johnno1979]

@@JohnnyFlyBouy The carsales video was 1800km with no access to mains power plus running V2L for the fridge and camper. User comments and reviews out of South America are showing 9-10L on the highway in real world driving. Obviously around town it is a fraction of that.

[@Expedition_Tranquilo]

Yes the other reviews seemed better prepared for the off road tests. Perhaps Paul can rerun these off-road tests with a production version in sand land mode. And perhaps better tyres for off-road

[@glynotglen1098]

Interesting car. I’m sure it will appeal to a lot of people. If they get that software sorted for off road work then it will be a formidable competitor for the other established Ute platforms.

[@Khyle98]

Finally! The review we have all been waiting for!!

[@PromiseKumalo]

proper, unbiased review!

[@alacritymedia0000]

Haha agreed! 😂❤

[@alf699]

No it's not. The review itself isn't the problem. The issue is that this is still not a production version and as such we still do not know what its real capability will be. I am a buyer and will purchase mine. That doesn't mean that I am blind to the issues pointed out (which will hopefully be sorted via over the air software updates). Still, for a company as big as BYD it does not make them look very good to have such basic problems. The hill he got stuck on is about the same gradient as mine at the back of my property. Both my work Ranger and my old 2007 Ssangyong Rexton drove up with zero issues. It is a real concern that the Shark wouldn't be able to accomplish that. Exactly what were BYD engineering team doing here when they were testing it???

[@alacritymedia0000]

@@alf699 maybe sand mode would help. Don't think Paul used that one and from other videos I've seen sand mode works better

[@craigbalmanno8562]

Hi Paul, quick tip from a horse owner, white shirts attract flies.....

[@CarExpertAus]

Thank you! You learn something new every day. Which colour is best?

[@AllTerrainActionEV]

Sealion 6 does respect those battery inputs so I would say that is pre production issue. Can’t wait to get ours, this vehicle inspection does feel very Sealion 6 feel with a higher and better featured off road vehicle.

[@timbond9259]

I agree. I own the SL6 and have the Shark on order!

[@zes3813]

wrr

[@GilbertoAbreuJr]

Most of the weight while hill climbing is on the back wheels, so now instead of 300kn you are closer to the 150kn of the back motor. It might not be just a matter of software adjustment.

[@christover1]

My 55 years driving old tech 4wds will require me to learn to drive differently now. Learning traction control will be new to me.

[@Subixee]

Those flies were strsssing me out 😅

[@onetwothreefour-s1n]

😂😆

[@zes3813]

wrg, no stresx etc

[@FoShizzleMyPizzle]

25:55 "It sorta comes apart a little bit" Camera almost vibrates itself from reality.

[@onetwothreefour-s1n]

😂😆

[@SuwilanjiZimba]

Love the reviews Keep it up

[@mersinalou7397]

Paul specifically states that the vehicle is a pre- production model .. not the publicly sold vehicle which may have some of the issues ironed out before release

[@AlastairCunningham]

I'm pretty sure if you had a couple of BYD engineers with a laptop, they could have gotten that hill climb to work. Feels like it must be a software issue, more than enough torque available to all 4 wheels. And worst case if it couldn't be fixed in software, the BYD engineers could wedge the laptop under that bottom left tyre to gain some traction!

[@alacritymedia0000]

😂😂😂

[@Ben-hi5lr]

Yeh that's going to help you in the outback or Cape york ya muppet , bet you have a man bun

[@Faos05]

I was hoping that Paul would had tried the sports mode uphill in case the issue was lack of power to climb

[@badimpulses17]

Those are street tires. You don't wear walking shoes if you're running do you?

[@rogerking2219]

Other reviewers have climbed similar stuff with ease not sure what's going on there

[@artywah]

Ordered mine. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

[@lifeliver9000]

Me too. Wicked truck

[@pauldavies5541]

I’m guessing you didn’t watch the off-road section?

[@alacritymedia0000]

Same ❤❤

[@ketchup995]

​@@pauldavies5541 did you notice the road tyres?

[@justicerules1373]

I wish I can order too but is not available in my area.

[@DIEGOCUBILLOS-b6w]

Thanks a lot Paul, I would like to see your future review, with proper tyres, 15-18 psi tyre pressure and full sand driving with sand mode on any other mode ON. Cheers🎉

[@Bigrig90]

Or the esc off and send it 😂

[@troyclayton6823]

Hi Paul, thanks for another excellent video. We used your BYD Seal to allow a streamlined buying process with you going through everything important to us new car buyers. To answer your question about the screen rotation, I mainly use it in portrait mode for driving in the city as the navigation screen is longer and you can see the next few turns instead of just the next one. Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing the next videos on the Shark.

[@oppanheimer]

These car companies should be paying you as you are doing their R&D and providing valueable feedback.

[@orangejuicepony6881]

What you think they aren't?

[@ev0wat]

I’ve worked for a Chinese company here in Australia and the Chinese don’t believe in R&D, they believe in getting it out the door quickly and just fix issues when they arise. The customer is the lab rat 🐀

[@ev0wat]

Maybe do their own testing?? Like everyone else. But that’s how they keep costs down

[@Bobtubeau]

@@oppanheimer they take their staff on junkets like anyone else. Even BYD events, just a few weeks ago.

[@adamcal7752]

Glad you did a balanced review and didn't take the "incentive" like the influencers do. Getting hard to find trusted testers now. Just waiting for the Ranger PHEV before i make my decision.

[@UCMpDwp7VEfKXRH3NyAW7kuj]

just so you know ranger PHEV has a electric motor and battery that also made in China and BYD is one of those suppliers

[@kajak012]

@@UCMpDwp7VEfKXRH3NyAW7kuj Bot on you tube?

[@ROFLp0wNz]

Just so you know, ford will import their phev from south Africa and currently there are higher associated costs with that, so you can wack a $10k price hike on whatever model you want in phev, eg wildtrak which will likely start at 85k +on roads

[@sed9406]

In a competitive market, if everyone else is doing it, your brand is at a disadvantage not doing it.

[@Expedition_Tranquilo]

We’re waiting for either the GWM Cannon Alpha or Tank 500 PHEV versions. Same benefit of 100km EV range and huge torque plus locking diffs for off-road.

[@maddawg9116]

This ute will sell like hot cakes. $60k driveaway is a steal, 0-100 in 5.7 sec , fastest in it's class? faster than the over priced Raptor.. Bargain .

[@shmatto1]

Saved me some typing, thanks.

[@Spratdragon]

Don't think it will have a good resale. First adapters always suffer. BYD is in billions of debt. Depends if the dodgy Chinese government will hold them up.

[@roberttudor455]

I doubt it ....

[@harrylo2316]

​@@SpratdragonI guarantee you that GM and Ford will go down well before BYD does.

[@PolyGerman43]

​@Spratdragon and all the BYD sitting in yards in china because not selling. It's disappointing if not pathetic that cant get over easy hill. 4wd system is crap to be honest. At least a cheaper normal ute and raptor can get over easily.

[@geoffhunt6439]

Everybody is raving about a Ute that hasnt even been released yet and properly tested and proper comparison testing between this Ute and the ones everyone says will replace.

[@Pinchy80]

I feel like the reason for the hill outcome is the gearing coming from the electric motors, all that power is designed so it can efficiently accelerate and travel on the freeway. As soon as your putting it up a steep hill it either has to out brake the motor or spin the wheels. This is essentially the same result as what you would see with an awd setup conventional car that lacks low enough gearing to tackle a hill. I still feel like the optimal setup for an electric 4x4 is to run it through a transfer case to differentials front and rear. That said, they will still sell heaps of these as the furthest most utes go off road is to the Bunnings carpark for a sausage.

[@Steegampoota]

There is another video somewhere in youtube where the shark experienced the same problem tackling a hill. Apparently there was a software issue that had to be fixed. They tried it again on the same hill, with the updated software, and the vehicle climbed up no dramas. I think it was shot in New Zealand.

[@smell_instink]

The Ecotricity KZbin channel (nz) Gavin found (in the pre production version of ute)the off road modes were still to Alpha. When He switched back to normal road mode it went much better off road

[@dbmgreen]

@@smell_instink Tyres?????

[@vitorharalambus6537]

And then taking off from the Bunnos car parks like a cut cat…….

[@TerryHickey-xt4mf]

@@Steegampoota 'ecotricity', good ole Gavin, always puts a smile on your dial. I think sand mode got him over the hill.

[@JamesZ888]

Hopefully byd see this review and fix those issues

[@takhochan4247]

Oh there you are ! I thought you have forgotten about this one 😂! Great comprehensive video!

[@mrnicktoyou]

I just can't help but think "Bring Your own Drinks" when I see this brand.

[@yslee1401]

It will Bleed You Dry before Burning Your Dreams

[@Paul-H-Wolfram6608]

That will be BYOD and not BYD. 😁😆

[@mrnicktoyou]

@@Paul-H-Wolfram6608 It's close enough.

[@bernardpeel7133]

The vast majority of people and buyers of this vehicle won’t give a crap about off-road capability.

[@hermesliteratus882]

Spot on.

[@JohnnyFlyBouy]

Good review Paul. Hopefully the hill climb is fixed for production versions and the different drive modes are better described by BYD. Also, the Shark is now available for test drives so it must be ADR certified now. Looking forward to your on road test soon.

[@rogersliu1200]

Full EV drive AWD is on paper far far superior to mechanical but in reality, the motor needs to overcome the flux deadspot to start spinning which is why despite the full torque from 0 rpm thing, it is not good for ultra slow off-road crawling which required gradually developing the torque and not break traction. what you experience is that at that angle is physically beyond the capability of the traction to drive the ute without spinning the wheels; it lacks the modulation of the power release for that application scenario. If you dash it up would be more than powerful enough but that's not how crawing, rather a BAJA

[@MrMagnat007]

A Ute with a Decent Sound system.. that is practically unheard of.. As soon as you mentioned 12 Speaker System I was like COOL. In this age of not being able to upgrade the stereo... BYD at least gave you something decent! More Ute Manufacturers need to think of more that just 4 or 6 speaker systems.

[@Dom201094]

We should all chip in and buy Paul an Aeroguard.

[@brakgosi6271]

Loved the review which I find very informative. Thanks for being upfront and Frank about difference between genuine car reviewers and paid praise singers. It was great when car reviews were done by actual motoring journalists. Now all you need is a pretty face and followers. Anyway I'm big fan of your channel mainly because you test the cars the same way and although I think you've generally soft on European cars (except Mercedes for some reason) and Ford, except maybe the Mustang Mach E.

[@dannywilson3386]

I would have liked you to have tried sand mode up that hill. Other reviewers found it to work best offroad overall. If so, shows it is just a software fix.

[@michaelhermans4753]

Correct Sand land solves all those issues

[@firstprib7742]

Same here. I remember seeing another youtube video mentioning sandland basically solves most of his offroad issues.

[@johnbentley6925]

@@dannywilson3386 spot on I was hoping Paul was going to flick that switch one more time!

[@TerryHickey-xt4mf]

@@johnbentley6925 yes, me too!

[@llpqazz]

It won’t make a difference. The shark just runs out of torque because it has no low range.

[@PerfectMalcolm]

Finally an expert review on this ute.

[@wwfgumby]

Another video I have seen suggested that Sand Mode was the best for a cross axle situation, maybe it would have helped solve the hill ascent.

[@lungaswazi9194]

I knew you'd come through for us. Thanks a tonne Paul and the team.

[@johnemerson5383]

The pre production Shark's were known to have software problems, especially in relation to offroading.

[@yawteg]

40mins+ this is awesome!!

[@rebekahm4919]

Paul its great too see how honest you are about how byd tried to get you to there event offering money . Good too see your opinion about it thanks for sharing that . Love your videos

[@dominic-ryan]

I love it, but sadly not for me. We just spent 3 months caravaning around Aus with a lot of day trips into remote places and we'll be definitely looking to do more of that. Nothing off road extreme, but lots of sand, rocks, water crossing, corrugations and some decently steep inclines on well travelled remote roads.This is not an off-roading ute which looks to be more than software updates from the underbelly inspection. If you aren't going off well maintained roads though, not sure why you'd buy anything else. Such a strong entry to market for BYD, and value for money is off the charts.

[@113master113]

Mate, you were getting me anxious with the fly at the beginning of the video, nice video by the way

[@dinosshed]

I wonder if the drive motors have a limitation for torque output at low speed. If it cannot climb that hill, that's a big problem. Imagine just how bad it would be once you've loaded it up with all your gear. Great bit of journalism Paul, much respect for calling out the paid influencers.

[@CarExpertAus]

I did think that. But with traction control off the wheels spin freely, so they should have enough torque.

[@dinosshed]

@CarExpertAus The wheels that were spinning freely were the unloaded variety. It will most likely be a software development or protection built-in type issue. I'm sure they'll sort it out. I am very interested to see how the towing test goes. All that weight to haul with a small capacity engine will be a great watch. Thanks for bringing a no bullshit review.

[@TheMarkdogface]

Lot of “pre-production” excuses going around in defence of BYD, yet this is a vehicle that is already in production and sold in other markets.. ( Mexico, Brazil, Cambodia).. so there’s that.

[@Bigrig90]

@@dinosshedI look forward to the towing test too. I have one on order and do go 4wding and tow a camper. Not too concerned about the off-road part because software should be able to resolve that, but towing may be its Achilles heel

[@dj-two-timing-timmy]

Rather embarrassing effort going up that hill, I hope they work on a software update to sort that out

[@Spratdragon]

They will have to. Would have to be stupid to buy the first model. Will have issues and bad resale

[@markhowells13]

@@Spratdragonthat’s the nice part about EVs .. software updates fix things. There shouldn’t be much of a difference in models

[@geoffsemon7411]

They have these issues well sorted with the Bao5 so I would expect the production models to be fine

[@fatdoi003]

this Shark will be the weapon of choice for the green P tradies

[@Spratdragon]

Starting at 60k. What apprentices would pay that for a Chinese truck? Lol

[@nicholasleonard5061]

Not in NSW it won’t.

[@timbond9259]

Those with a high enough IQ to not judge a vehicle as a "Chinese truck" and rather by its build quality and features.

[@Spratdragon]

@timbond9259 Nah I rather not support Chinese.

[@dn059]

You realise basically everything you own and are surrounded by is already made in china right 😂​@@Spratdragon

[@netsiteing]

Software update needed to sort that traction control otherwise it’s a no go as a 4x4 option

[@AllTerrainActionEV]

Our 2005 Holden Adventra AWD as stock with no low range standard commodore transmission with the traction control system would definitely outdo that Sharks attempt in that hill climb test both slow and on the run. If production version is same as this pre production version off road wise it’s going to struggle in the off road market. Our other channel features this same Adventra AWD with traction control system doing many of what current model modern 4WD vehicles are doing with just traction control no centre diff lock and doing all these obstacles. Raises many questions! Still my order remains as I really want to test this like I’ve done with the Adventra.

[@user-pp6kw6yl6z]

I'm hoping byd can resolve some of the offroad deficiencies with software updates but that can only take it so far. Regardless I still believe the shark will take me to where I normally go (fraser island) with no trouble.

[@CulinaryCruiseClub]

Love those, did a drive with motorama at Mt cotton when they came out, got to drive the hsv Apache ute, was awesome and amazing in hill climb and articulation and on the road. Ended up buying a territory (ex wife wanted it intead) worst mistake of my life!!! Would probably still have it if I got one of those instead.

[@AllTerrainActionEV]

@ if it’s a torque limit on the rear axle then i can’t see a software update changing this, when he turned off ESP/C that rear wheel spin with no traction aid to push power to opposing side of the diff, is an issue. A diff lock will resolve this however there could be an issue here that I’m not understanding with electric motors and torque output from zero. Something I’ll test heavily on the Shark 6 once we have one in the VIC High Country.

[@AllTerrainActionEV]

@@CulinaryCruiseClub have a look at “All Terrain Action” without the EV tag, done all the iconic 4WD tracks in a very stock v6 Adventra!

[@AllTerrainActionEV]

@ I can’t see sand giving it any greif with this discovery. 👍

[@nickfelstead7559]

i think this is more of a pathfinder model, seeing what works and what doesent. i can imagine in 2 yrs time we will get one with3500kg towing capacity and better offroading ability

[@Expedition_Tranquilo]

Seems a simple decision - want 100km free EV range from solar and a good tarmac ride, get the Shark Want 100km free EV range and great off road ability with locking diffs, wait for the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV or Tank 500 PHEV (the HEV’s version climbing beer o’clock is impressive)

[@turbostyler]

Paul, you are the biggest rooster tease ever! Just release the towing video already!!

[@Johnno1979]

The hill climb was disappointing. I do suspect that this is a software issue and they will fix it on the production models.

[@nigelalderman9178]

I was thinking about the Shark as it comes to the UK next year. Off road it seems pretty useless compared to my Hilux or my even better old short wheel base G Wagon. Over 5 years it might even work out dearer than the Hilux with it's massive depreciation a bit like the Ssanyong Musso. Looks like it may be another Hilux when this one clock over 200k miles.

[@tim9241]

Very impressive for a 1st gen from BYD. Amazing value, though it does seem there are improvements needed e.g. open diffs meaning less off-road chops particularly on an incline because there’s no centre diff. Could be solved with a more powerful rear motor perhaps?

[@AllTerrainActionEV]

In theory rear should be more powerful than front for going up hills, a bit of science behind that many don’t understand unless you really understand the physics behind how weight shifts with a hill climb scenario.

[@Jacobtheunwise]

​@@AllTerrainActionEV yep that's the the VW bug is so good offroad, all the weight on the rear

[@AllTerrainActionEV]

@ also the same reason in our many 10 years of testing, AWD vehicles that do not have a centre locking diff if have a front and rear diff split of 60/40 eg Holden Adventra or Ford Territories have preformed unexpectedly well off road with just traction control system and full mechanical full time AWD system. Technically Shark 6 can only utilise around half of that 600Nm of torque when on a steep climb and that is going to be a big negative in this setting. I preformed a similar test in my BYD Sealion 6, it just can’t push that torque on the rear and make the climb up.

[@tim9241]

@@AllTerrainActionEVit is unfortunately a double whammy by having no locked rear differential either. Not only does the lack of centre differential mean only the rear motor is providing a usable torque, the torque from that rear motor is then suffering from wheel slip reducing grip and torque applied. BYD either need to perfect the traction control or add closed rear differential plus a more powerful rear motor it seems…

[@user-uq7io2os3r]

To fair point given oldie but goodie 😉 Pajero 3.2 diesel have 380Nm of torque which was more then enough for him keep going uphill like a train with similar weight (2.5T) to 2.7T in BYD so clearly issue is not in lack of torque but mist likely in putting that torque down to the road. .​@AllTerrainActionEV

[@peterkaniaru5490]

To get rid of the flies for a while, have a strong fan aimed at you set on either cold or hot depending on the climate at the time of shooting.

[@TerryHickey-xt4mf]

or he could move to NZ, never had to wave since I have been living here.

[@kromey111]

Paul the reason you couldn’t get up that hill is because there is a 31 degree gradient limit set by BYD. This was explained in a video in China Be great if you could do some research on this as it will affect buyers for off-road

[@Johnno1979]

That doesn't explain why none of the 4 wheels were spinning at full throttle. Clearly the software can be improved.

[@FunTravel-jm9ss]

I’ve owned two 4wd Toyotas that would walk up that gradient with ease, hope byd can improve

[@kromey111]

@ yeah same as any 4wd

[@siraff4461]

@@Johnno1979 A lack of power explains it. Well torque. If you have a ~100lb motor on an axle and the only control is to lock the abs then you are asking that motor to pull the whole 2.5t truck up the hill against effectively double the gearing. Thats ~100lb against 2.5t on gearing for over 180mph. Thats why even keeping it moving slightly makes all the difference - the other wheel turning keeps the gearing - but if you can't or the abs doesn't allow it then you effectively double the ratio since teh diff is no longer doing anything to reduce it. This is why Ford kept the drivetrain they had - you can send 100% of the torque to any wheel and the largest split can only be 50% so worst case you're looking at half the engines torque through one wheel. Given the Fords V6D is rated at 442lbs that means the worst it can have is 2.2x the torque (around 221lb) to its only tractive wheel. Thats before we start talking about gear reduction since the ev is stuck with its single ratio but the Ford multiplies its torque through its gearbox. You're talking many hundreds of lbs of torque difference overall in that specific situation. Consider the Ranger is also around 700kg lighter depending on spec and it makes this thing look very undercooked.

[@texas4qld]

​@siraff4461 that's not exactly right, but close. Because the BYD doesn't have a drive shaft connecting all 4 wheels, it can not transfer the power from the front wheels to the back, so it has far less torque in this situation. Plus the tyres didn't help. There is a good KZbin video by Robert pepper that explains it in detail on part 2 of 4 about the BYD shark.

[@jasonholtham4005]

I cant wait I have ordered one and get it on Jan 2025! great review thanks

[@RodneyW]

An excellent review Paul! I especially appreciate the underbody review - that would be helpful for all cars - even pure road cars! It's a fascinating vehicle, and wit will certainly make Ford, Toyota, Isuzu and Mitsubishi pay attention. The off-road performance is not surprising, it's possible that BYD will be able to improve the drivetrain software to make it better (for example by allowing you to apply brakes and power at the same time over rocks). However a major concern is the unexpected power delivery shortfall on the back straight of the Lang Lang circuit. This bodes poorly for performance with a load on board.

[@CarExpertAus]

You’ll see more of this in the towing video.

[@RodneyW]

@@CarExpertAus I'm looking forward to it!

[@mohammadsattar5488]

Just a little tip but if you dilute some listerene with some water and spray it on yourself that will stop all the bugs attacking you and pestering you. The mint in the mix acts as a deterrent

[@MikeJones-mz5ig]

Genuinely interested in why no other testers have had hill climb failure. Tyres? Setup? Early software?. I note one car site had the best success in sand mode. ? Whatever the reason, I hope there is followup.

[@CarExpertAus]

Yep will definitely try it all again with a production car and in sand mode when they have proper vehicles in Australia.

[@altera76]

Honest review as always!

[@ru552]

That hill climb is exactly what I was worried about. It needs a rabbit/tortoise mode where all 4 wheels are locked together in tortoise mode for hills or rocks.

[@liuyangyang]

😀Just need some OTA. BYD DMO is well tuned now with Bao5 and Bao8

[@Trad-Archer]

​@@liuyangyangthose vehicles have front and rear diff locks and a low range gear on the rear axle. No OTA is going to give it that hardware...

[@llpqazz]

@@liuyangyang yes byd will provide OTA diff locks for the shark… keep dreaming!!

[@TheOrion2795]

Great review, ordered my one in first 48hr. Can't wait for it to arrive. Hoping the traction control issue can be fixed by a software update via download.

[@jrkr7357]

What to worry about when there is over 400 horsepower?

[@Seafury18]

5:26 this is why we love CarExpert!

[@andrewthornley5172]

Really good and unbiased video. However, if I was really to go off road in a ute like that (any ute, not just BYD) I would likely be loaded up and have decent tyres. Would be keen to see an uphill/downhill controlled test with all utes under those conditions. Maybe an idea for a good 'side' video.

[@Mike-xh2gm]

It needs more development for Australian consumers to be a runaway success, price is good, BTW Paul are they running LFP batteries and the fuel tank size would be interesting to know. As always a good honest review. . . . the $4k offered to other reviewers 🤣 very interesting to know .

[@-PORK-CHOP-]

Yes LFP, Tank is 60 Litres

[@kbling2946]

Great review Paul! I’m sure BYD will be on to the hill climb issue pretty quick. Unlike mainstream makers.

[@Deadfools]

This is pre production vehicle, search byd shark aguenta testes off-road? On KZbin it showed shark climbed the hill with ease, CarExpert is pre production vehicle

[@MJ-revered]

I think that traction control issues can be largely fixed with software updates.

[@TerryHickey-xt4mf]

try sand mode, it seems to work according to Gavin.

[@jimmywaters8929]

Ahhh please release the towing video, I won’t order one until I see it, thank you for your hard work great content 😊

[@arasharyan950]

Pretty impressive, only disappointment was the hill... this is the thing that BYD seriously needs to work on it, all the purpose of buying this type of vehicles are off-roading.

[@Johnno1979]

90% of people don't ever go on hills like that, maybe gravel or mild 4wding. But yes, it needs work and hopefully software tweaks along with some AT tyres will help a lot.

[@Ttnorth11]

@@Johnno1979 That was nothing to do with tyres.

[@michaelhermans4753]

Apparently sand land mode solves all those issues, you don’t need any of the others

[@Ttnorth11]

@@michaelhermans4753 Sure Mr. BYD salesman

[@ablet85]

⁠@@Johnno19791) every driveway in my street has bloody steep driveways. 2) if your selling it to tradies and campers I work on plenty of civil construction sites where by the looks of it, that thing won’t make it. 3) Tyres won’t fix this issue. I’m not against this vehicle. I’d contemplate it if in a couple years there isn’t any major issues but I wouldn’t be buying it with its inability to effectively up a pretty basic hill. If it can’t do that, it won’t do sand dunes. Hope it is a setting or something that can be easily patched.

[@garyradley5694]

This ride over the large sine was impressive. I have never seen in any of your tests any vehicle do better.

[@thenorthwatch777]

Great for the road, not yet great for off-road. Thanks Paul for a great review, you are one of the best…please never hand over your channel reviews to minions like your colleagues have done in the other channel, it erodes trust.

[@geneharrison6625]

Apparently byd have already made many tweaks to the traction control in the production version, so will be interesting to see the same test with all terrain tyres and the updates , it’s got the torque so should be able to do much better

[@brendanfennell3552]

I think that Gavin From Ecotricity NZ who published his review from a month ago with some 560,000 views has amplified the interest for the Shark 6 Ute in OZ

[@TerryHickey-xt4mf]

that must be a record for Gavin, but it did make me book in for a test drive, a lot of interest here in NZ. I currently own a wildtrak x which cost me over $10k more, so I will be very interested in comparing the two, not to mention how much Diesel costs here, and my recent service account -- I am still under medication.

[@gregburville3368]

Great review Paul. What happens when you're off road (perhaps towing a small outback camper) and your battery is fully 2:35 depleted? Does that mean you're now down to a 1.5 litre engine and stuck with front wheel drive?

[@Johnno1979]

A mexican review had a similar thing when they went up into the mountains 4wding. The problem was he left the SOC at 25%. He set it to 70 so there was always reserve and it was fine.

[@remakeit2628]

The number of 4X4 enthusiasts is exceptionally small comapared to the ute market as a whole, and there would be NONE silly enough to even conside the BYD Shark as a suitable option. What you did show is that for the 99% of people properly in this market segment as BUYERS, the Shark ticks the essential boxes and is better than many of its competitors in some irrespective of already being much cheaper.

[@MKL_D]

Not entirely correct, in south Africa. People in rural areas prefer these types of cars because of the terrain. They are not 4x4 enthusiasts but mud ruts and hill climbs are part of daily driving.

[@remakeit2628]

@@MKL_D The challenges in this video where the BYD did not make it are especially contrived for 4X4 enthusiasts. The Shark is actually very capable in typical off-road situations, in the mud, and on reasonable hill grades. I agree that lots of farmers in particular will love spending $30K less for a pretty good car.

[@siraff4461]

What it showed was that even unloaded and with only a driver it couldn't get up a fairly normal hill in the dry. You don't need to be a 4x4 enthusiast to see why thats a big fail. The house I used to live in had a hill similar to that but a fair bit longer to get out with the only other option being to head off to the other side of the property and go around - around a five mile (8km) detour. Over the years I had Mitsubishi, Land Rover, Jeep, Isuzu, Toyotas and never had an issue unless it was completely soaking wet and the car was on road rubber - even when hauling a trailer with a couple of hay bales the Land Cruiser just went straight up no issues. Speaking of which that LC was already 25 years old and with 180,000 miles when I got it and as far as I know its still at the same house, still going, doing the same job and well over 300,000 miles now. One of the last square shaped LC's (1989) and apart from a yearly service, some welding now and then and one clutch its never really needed parts. I wonder how many of these will be able to say that.

[@aljoubert8749]

​@@MKL_Drubbish

[@MKL_D]

@aljoubert8749 thank you for the comment.

[@aljoubert8749]

I ordered it and kind of expected this wrt off roading. 320kW is a lot but I do not think a lot if people understand just how much torque multiplication you have with a viscous coupling + low range. Horses for courses but I a sure a lot of haters will foam at the mouth after watching Paul's review 😂

[@AGHybrid]

THIS was the review I was waiting for.

[@MxODraconis]

Been waiting for this review for a while, and glad you went into more depth and most other channels. Being a pre-production model, and 'road' tyres, I'm hoping is the reason for such poor offroad performance. CarSauce seemed to have had access to a ADR approved full spec'd car a month ago. I really like how you spoke on the GVM weight limits and each axle, with the fully kit (from factor' version of the BYD having the option of a bullbar, roof rack and full metal canopy.

[@baghdad8382]

Hi mate great video butI feel like it's hard to judge this vehicle without using a proper tires to go off-road.

[@RobertPilon-b8c]

So essentially a long awaited for AWD Ute for the Australian market that don't want to go over boulders and wombat holes but are happy to run around the forest roads without a lift or supersize tyres. If it can pull 1500kg thats the market for towing the bikes and some camping gear.

[@AndrewBrierley]

Thanks Paul, have mine pre-ordered but will have to see this uphill situation fixed before I proceed, may even cancel my order and wait 12 months to see how it pans out.

[@bluezoidberg7124]

Honestly , that inability to get up a hill on a dirt road suddenly makes this ute a solid no. It's a huge shame because it's such a well out together car, so much more ahead of the regular utes. This just means that the shark is like a car but with more cargo space, and for that, many would just get an actual electric car. I really really wanted this to be good, and for many aspects it's definitely showing up contenders like the first Tanger etc.... but they need to figure out this 4wd stuff. I've seen a couple other videos from different channels and the pre production shark fails at all of them too. Hopefully they can work it out, because I think those more ingrained companies deserved to be shown up

[@Deadfools]

It can lol here the video "byd shark aguenta testes off-road?"

[@erwinmalimban2197]

14:25. Thats really bad. Recall kind of bad. Having that much dust where electrical components are should be a big red flag. Imagine the condition of the battery in just a few years.

[@SDav21]

The flies were hilarious for some reason haha. You had to keep swatting them away. 😂😂 I was in stitches laughing.

[@Mick_Au]

Paul please no more door slam ads! 😆

[@peacemakermotion3949]

Great review! Can't wait for mine. I have already accepted that it may take 12 months to get things dialed in offroad as it's all pretty new to them. I saw another video where no modes would work well offroad except sand mode, wonder if that would have worked on that hill. Anyway look forward to your other vids :)

[@ar7200]

Hey Paul, how come you didn’t test the Sandy Land mode for off-road?

[@CarExpertAus]

We weren’t on sand?

[@ar7200]

But every other review of the pre-prod car said it’s the only off-road mode that currently works. Should have tested it for completeness.

[@Pirate_Pookie]

@@CarExpertAus you weren't on a mountain either.....yet... it would not be to far a stretch as to suggest you omitted using that setting for a reason.

[@M.j.S388]

If you were stuck in a real world stuation you would try all modes.

[@BUNDYSHACK]

Looks are good, price is good. Software definitely needs tuning. Dust intrusion needs attention. I think 2nd gen will be really appealing

[@ScottMurrayBestFamilyCars]

I respect people who use the word cheap, Paul. It's a word, we're journalists - we're allowed to use it. To hell with conventions.

[@onetwothreefour-s1n]

Cheap means garbage. There's plenty of reasons people don't use it when they mean to say affordable. You can be edgy or use words people understand.

[@miraphycs7377]

are we really surprised? Why are people up in arms about this? The theory that BYD Shark will perform offroad just as well as even a regular Ranger, D-MAX or Hilux will crumble when you consider the fact that front axle and rear axle are powered by separate electric motors with no connection in the middle. Even Subaru and many other semi-capable AWD system have mechanical link between the front and rear (Land Rover etc also). Time and time again test have shown that the latter performs far better in off-road comparison when compared against the former (for example Subaru Forester or Outback vs Toyota RAV4 Hybrid e-AWD which have the same setup as the BYD).

[@ajar1000]

Check out the Rivian for example, it has 4 motors and performs really well off road