This Car Proves Just How Far Chinese Cars Have Come

[@Aceydady]

BYD’s buses are also taking over London, and reasonably so. They’re by far the best London Buses we have ever had to drive, as a driver it finally feels like I’m driving something rather luxurious, fun and incredibly solid. BYD has put Alexander Dennis, Volvo and all the common bus manufacturers to shame!

[@wormxzing]

Volvo is owned by Geely motors-China

[@noblekitty]

​@@wormxzingVolvo Bussar is an independent subsidiary of Volvo group. Volvo cars is also a sub of Volvo grp, which owned around 80% by Geely. Buses =/= cars

[@allgoo1990]

"BYD’s buses are also taking over London, and reasonably so." == Taking over streets of London, al right. By stalling.

[@Aceydady]

@allgoo1990 I've been driving them for a long time and I've never stalled. If you're stalling an automatic, electric bus, you need to hand your licence back to the DVLA.

[@来自塘湾的爱觉西]

Thank you, thank you from China。

[@RobertBorley]

"BYD" is actually an abbreviation of the company's Chinese name Biyadi, which itself was created from company's original trademark Yadi Electronics (亚迪电子, named after the Yadi Road in Dapeng New District, where the company was once based) and the character Bi was just conveniently added to give the company an alphabetical advantage in trade shows. "Build Your Dreams" is a slogan back-formed to fit the name for the Western market. Like LG stands for "Lucky Goldstar" but they made up the phrase "Life's Good" for Westerners. If you think this might be interesting for others, give it a like for increased visibility! ;)

[@darcsentor]

Cheers, that was very informative

[@张蛋疼]

@@gregb1599 not at all. the original logo is just a ugly BYD in a olive circle

[@张蛋疼]

They did copied toyota, but not BMW@@gregb1599

[@royc8587]

Always thought it was liquid goldstar

[@seabream]

@@royc8587 Before they rebranded, Lucky Goldstar VHS tapes were pretty common. I don't know if you're old enough to have used VHS tapes, but they were everywhere for decades.

[@AdrianoCasemiro]

I did test drive this car and it's amazing. Being a happy BYD Dolphin owner, I can say the build quality is up or better than the the traditional car brands in Brazil. The price is right, efficiency is great. It's a solid model from a rather unknown, yet remarkable brand. This is my first Chinese car and my first BEV.

[@caiotorres9575]

Meu sonho andar nesse! Me leva pra dar uma volta hahah

[@likeabed]

yep, once you get accustomed to the electric car, it is difficult to go back traditional one. Comfortability and quietness

[@passby8070]

if by mainstream means Toyota, Mazda and GM then BYD definitely have a better build and interior...

[@carlsmith5545]

@@likeabed For a 3 to 4 minute down time and a range of 570 miles which supersedes any EV, 41 thousand dollars paid off and just as comfortable, I'll keep my jaguar XJl....

[@ChinesecarsChinaAuto]

You can't refuse when you drive this car.

[@ideatorx]

12 years ago top gear went to China and drove the first decent Chinese cars and asked the question would we all be driving Chinese cars in 10 years and they said unequivocally yes. They were right.

[@SK-lt1so]

But we aren't.

[@Kive-Chan]

we will,it’s a fact

[@Giavel84]

if you check the comments here you will see that yes, we are@@SK-lt1so

[@derbigpr500]

The really good Chinese cars won't make it to Europe because it won't be allowed, they'd ruin our industry, or the EU will slam such taxes on them it will be financially impossible to buy them. Look up cars like the Nio ET5, Xpeng P7 (co-developed with Porsche), Geely Galaxy L6, IM LS6 (800hp for 40k dollars), IM L7 sedan, which had the chassis co-developed by the Williams F1 team. Or the Roewe F7, Aion Hyper GT, QiYuan A07, MG7, BYD HAN, Avatr 12, etc. I mean, these are just new sedans released in the last couple of months. ONLY SEDANS. Didn't mention any other type, and they're all some of the best looking sedans you'll ever see, and better looking than anything any western established manufacturer is doing right now. China is making so many new cars it's mindblowing. Their car industry is booming in a way that no car industry in the world has ever done. We won't buy Chinese cars because they're cheap, we'll WANT to buy them because they'll be desirable because of their design, quality, performance, etc. That's just the reality the west has not woken up to yet. We've been overtaken, and we're already so far behind we couldn't even catch up if we tried, let alone if we're not aware that we're behind and live in a delusion that China is still making cheap knock-off cars. They're not. They're leading the way in tech and in design.

[@Giavel84]

@@derbigpr500 Don't worry, the really good cars are coming too. Some of the ones you mentioned, like the XPeng P7, the BYD Han and the Nio ET5 are already on sale in Europe. I've set my eyes on the Luxeed S7, which should be available in Europe in the next couple of years.

[@MarceloReis1]

Love my BYD Atto 3! 🇦🇺 I drive it in ECO mode most of the time and, in the city, I get over 480KM, which is more than the advertised.

[@kunh3308]

unbelievable

[@stefanosong9314]

BYD range is always solid, from many test videos, even the hybrid vehicles can easily achieve its anounced BEV range

[@HermanWillems]

@@stefanosong9314 But the distance per kWh is not even close to that of Tesla. The 60kWh Tesla almost has the same range as the 82.5kWh BYD. Showing that BYD still has a long way to go. Because it has a high consumption it means also higher cost per mile / kilometer.

[@绿色韭菜吃糠咽菜]

@@HermanWillemsare you serious ？？？？ 2024 Model 3 12.5kw/100km vs BYD seal 12.7kw/100km！！！

[@stefanosong9314]

@@HermanWillems see comment above man, dont prejudge

[@ricosun]

Australia is one of the western countries to get this car for a very reasonable price. The base model is about 10k usd cheaper than the base Model 3. Of course alot of ppl in Australia have gone for the 3.8s performance version. The first batch is being delivered in the next few days, and these people literraly have watched their cars loaded onto a ship and tracked it on gps all the way to Australia via a facebook group. For the last 24 hours , I have been watching the ship Don Juan carrying my SEAL . I am refreshing the browser every 3.8 seconds to see when its docking. Currently its idling at sea just outside the port of melbourne. I feel like a kid waiting for its xmas present.

[@Jeroenneman]

Seems like a bad move supporting the Chinese regime, especially if you live in Australia with recent tensions surrounding China in the region and their hostility towards other countries nearby. But hey, at least the car was cheap.

[@dickensmccain3129]

price over politics bro.

[@mndeg]

aren't you guys buying nuclear subs to protect yourself from your largest trading partner???

[@RiskyRight]

Wow, U really describe the hype.

[@ricosun]

​@@mndeg Yes we are spending 250 Billion dollars to buy a couple of US nuclear Subs, to patrol the waters near China. So it can usher our Chinese built EVs, iphones and clothes through the Chinese warships operating in the area unimpeded. The worlds second largest economy, the largest export led economy, cannot be trusted to have their own navy guarding their most important sea trading route. They should stay in the Yangtze river. I mean thats the idea the US sold to the Australian government. There were promptly voted out in the last election in an landslide.

[@Mel_Gerrard]

BYD is a fantastic company. I've already clocked 100,000 km on mine without a single glitch.

[@photographacataday]

牛逼！

[@Golfin-s1u]

Many taxi drivers in China choose BYD. In the course of business, there is almost no cost except electricity. Taxis often have a long mileage.

[@julianmorgan79]

I want to buy a BYD but my chinese gf hates them, she thinks they are crap quality. I told her think of all the taxis we took 80% of them are BYD, she said "so?" I told her "do you think taxis will use unreliable cars? How will the make money if it keeps breaking, simple they just don't."

[@Mel_Gerrard]

@@julianmorgan79 Your girlfriend sounds like she has spent way too much time being influenced by western media and their vicious lies about anything Chinese. I'm going to guess you live in Australia or somewhere like that.

[@TruthTeller8888]

The only glitch you had was buying BYD crap 😂

[@photographacataday]

BYD built its first car in my hometown over 20 years ago. At that time, even the Chinese thought it was a joke. But today, it has indeed developed very well. Some people don't like China, Chinese people, or Chinese products, but this does not affect their development. I hope China can bring more good products and bring convenience to the world.

[@方一拳]

难搞，其实他们是很不愿意看到中国车牛逼的😂

[@jonwick7635]

Everything will be China in the end. Thumbs up

[@Darkmatter321]

Dude, please stop being negative about your country, your people, and your products. This century firmly belongs to China. So step up and act like it. Sure, there is a lot of negative coverage of all things Chinese, and many stupid people fall for it. But they are stupid and don't matter. Smart people, like me, know that China will be leading this planet to a better future. So be damn proud of your country and what it has achieved in such a short time. Be proud, be amazing, be you. Love and much respect from Iran

[@goodBBkaraoke]

我记得十多年前，我在大陆第一次看到和听见这个品牌的汽车。当时连我的大陆友人都瞧不起这个品牌，都是买双B品牌的汽车。当时的比亚迪也没有现在的品质和技术。但是十年人事几番新，人总是要有梦想的，不然跟咸鱼有何分别😂 今天的中国车已经可以比美日韩甚至欧美系的车了。加油吧比亚迪！

[@photographacataday]

@@goodBBkaraoke 說的太好了！

[@stephenbaxter5804]

As an Atto 3 owner I feel privileged that BYD must see real potential down here in NZ, not only do we get the cars at a sharper price than Europe, we also already have 15 showrooms already on our wee island.

[@Enoch-Root]

New Zealand has a better relationship with China than Europe or America which may be why. I don't think our government slapped tariffs on Chinese products like the Americans and the government was also pretty explicit about the relationship with China being an issue between NZ and China that America should stop trying to influence. And hi from a kiwi living in China in one of the BYD villages. BYD have good cars, though the selection of EVs here is massive so it can be hard to choose.

[@xfliu1801]

比亚迪外观太久没变化了，现在有点落后其他中国车企了

[@kkiwi54]

Islands 😉

[@weird-guy]

You guys don’t have any auto industry to protect same thing with Australia, meanwhile Europe and usa have one also the usa hates China so they influence the eu although there’s already plenty of byd buses,Chinese owned brands like mg,volvo,polestar,maxus,ldv and a few byd,nio ect

[@xfliu1801]

@@weird-guy shame on Biden and trump government

[@henvan8737]

The long range version is nearly A$20k cheaper than the long range Model 3 in Australia. Great value.

[@rohankilby4499]

Australian Atto owner with 20k on the clock and yes it’s a brilliant car, I do love the look of the seal if only it was a hatch I’d trade up for sure back when I smoked I always owned Toyota’s for build quality and reliability. The build quality with BYD is just as good and as a bonus the wheels stay on 😁👍

[@Peter-vn8ue]

I'm sure we will have the sea lion 07 fastback in late 2024/ early 2025 here in Australia that looks like a seal SUV.

[@gregb1599]

Seal U is coming, although will you still like it knowing it shares a Phev platform?

[@hanmeng4833]

I too own an ATTO 3. It is a good and reliable car for my everyday use. The safety features are good. The power is there when i need it, for example, when i am changing lane.

[@Peter-vn8ue]

​@gregb1599 the BYD sea lion 07 is built on a dedicated EV platform, I think you are getting confused with the Song L, Greg.

[@dewensun4332]

The biggest thing that sold me on this, is that it still has PHYSICAL BUTTONS!!! Let’s just be honest, when you are driving a touch screen is the most annoying thing in the world!! This has been what I hate the most of all the Teslas and Chinese EVs!! This car just solved everything, it is still a car! As fun as it might be at the beginning, driving an iPad is really just a nuisance after a while.

[@esonchan4825]

中国人也讨厌把物理按键全都取消的车，所以常用功能会适当的保留物理按键的

[@peterenables714]

@@esonchan4825 按钮还是最有效的性能，触碰屏幕只是给手机使用。

[@richardliu8998]

Most of Chinese EVs support voice control, including AirCon, windows, media player, Navigation. Sadly, most of them are not supporting English.

[@yeetboi268]

@@richardliu8998 yet...

[@softwarephil1709]

Agreed. And a gear shift lever rather than sliding a spot on the screen the way Tesla does. It also has a turn indicator lever unlike Tesla.

[@bluecardholder]

You forgot to mention that BYD are quite big with electric buses both here in the UK, but in Europe and obviously in China.

[@SomewhereInTheSolarSystem]

Also the only automaker that dominates the entire battery development and production, and one of the largest battery manufacturers, selling batteries even for Tesla.

[@AndrasMihalyi]

Yes, my town in Hungary has them. Much quicker and more quiet than any diesel.

[@MarsOzzie]

Byd also makes iPad screens for apple

[@kin9225]

@@AndrasMihalyi I think another massive Chinese battery manufacturer CATL is building a battery plant in your country!! 👍

[@cg986]

Ebusco too

[@ShrkRknDn]

Greetings and congratulations for China and Chinese people. You have made unprecedented miracles in the last few years. You deserve all respect, success and prosperity. ❤️❤️❤️

[@Andrew-di5nb]

谢谢

[@Kitofthearts]

And clean air to breath, for every Chinese citizen.

[@Alopen-xb1rb]

Its a Tesla knock off. Still waiting for China to innovate something new and revolutionary.

[@Enforcer_WJDE]

@@Kitofthearts They power their EVs with coal fom Australia...

[@martingill6996]

BYD showing what the Chinese do best by improving products by adding in what people want , ie. head up display and retaining some important buttons, nice car . Thanks Robert .

[@stefanosong9314]

when outsiders see new fancy Chinese products, they have already been through bloody fights domestically, such as phones, trains, mechanical machines and cars, next will be airplanes

[@ArturMarinhoFeV]

I’ve had the opportunity to test drive the Seal, and it is truly fantastic. Fit and finish is impeccable, performance is top notch and the range is amazing. An easy 9,5/10 car, truly almost perfect.

[@tren133]

And if you are in Thailand or Australia, an incredible price on top of that quality. Not so much in Europe where it is priced higher.

[@Dreamer10888]

@@tren133that’s great, because always in Australia we pay double to everyone else

[@tren133]

@@Dreamer10888 Despite political tensions between China and Australia, there is not longer a domestic auto industry and its associated jobs inside Australia to protect, which means compared to other western markets, the Chinese carmakers such as BYD, MG. and Great Wall, are more willing to send cars over at good prices in order to grab marketshare, which they are certainly doing right now. I've watched some Australian reviews of the new GWM Tank 300, and they all mention what an absolute steal the car is in terms of value for money.

[@jbbeiser983]

​@tren133 how come?

[@tren133]

@jbbeiser983 How come the same BYD vehicles sell at a much higher price in Europe compared to say Australia? I personally believe it is due to the fact that auto manufacturing remains a major industry in Europe employing millions of people. BYD or other Chinese carmakers have only just begun exporting to Europe, and the European carmakers are already crying to their politicians about not being able to compete with Chinese EVs on pricing. They'd flip a lid if BYD started selling cars as cheaply as they are in some other markets. As a result I belive BYD is purposefully selling cars at a higher price in Europe to try not to get then riled up too much. Just sell a few cars to get a foothold in Europe until their Hungary factory goes online in a few years, and then it be not more aggressive with pricing. But in places with no domestic car making industry to protect, such as Australia, BYD will be aggressive with pricing on day one to grab market share right away.

[@jaalittle2814]

We bought a BYD ATTO3 last year and have not regretted it. Brilliant car, well put together, comfortable and lovely to drive. As a two car family we are now eagerly awaiting the next model to arrive in Australia. Bring it on.

[@norwegianzound]

It was very kind of the Chinese government to subsidise your car's development. Now, go to your local representative and ask that the same subsidies be provided by your government.

[@nagi-springfield93]

@@norwegianzound Chinese government subsidise? Well look who living under a well

[@fatdoi003]

​@@norwegianzoundback then our government gave endless subsidies to Ford, Holden, Toyota, Mitsubishi ...

[@TheStuartstardust]

Does it really matter - better products for the consumers 😊 If regimes invest in technology like this, they might end out in top exporters, so why not?

[@forgotten_world]

It is curious people complaining about Chinese cars, than buying Tesla, MG and Volvo made in China. The Seal offers a better experience than Model 3, it is way better inside, the suspension is much better, it is much better overall and cost less. It is not a Tesla killer, but it is a Tesla killer.

[@flosenmosen]

Not too long ago, we had a good laugh about Chinese electric cars-Elon Musk even headlining the stand-up routine in interviews. But let me tell you, the punchline's changing. In a few years, those cars will be rolling down our streets, and the only thing louder than their engines will be the silence of our laughter.

[@SDPlissken]

People saying that stuff always make me think of those people in the 70s who said “who will ever buy that Japanese garbage?”

[@H4kkk0]

Be careful of the trade-off. You may be driving a cheaper electric car in the future, but you'd end up giving too much power to an authoritarian regime led country like China, which may destabilize the world and affect the future generations.

[@alichaudhry12]

Elon is now a BYD customer

[@rudyalfonsus686]

15 years ago people insult 'made in china' phones as potato. look where they are now

[@kiwikemist]

​@@SDPlisskenI love Japanese electronics like Sony's TVs, I've got one that's been running for 15 years no problems

[@mddah01]

You briefly mentioned hybrid vehicle fires. As a firefighter I have been to four that burnt out almost completely. What surprised me is that in no case did the fire start in the battery and in no case did the battery catch fire. The Li ion batteries were the least flammable part of these vehicles.

[@rickyz5606]

Really? That's really good to know, thanks!

[@MyrKnof]

@@rickyz5606 its been common knowledge for some time now. EVs got 10x less chance to catch fire, statistically.

[@christosvaid4454]

But media says electric vehicles dangerous hazzard fire alert hahahahahah non sense..salute you for stating true facts. They cant digest (they=big oil companies) cars can run on electricity fuel

[@brendanc5519]

Liar liar pants on fire.

[@mddah01]

@@brendanc5519 actually no - we get about one hybrid vehicle / year in our fire district and I think our experience is similar to others. We have used conventional firefighting techniques for these vehicle fires and thats been enough. So, no battery fire or reignition after they went on the tow truck. We have not experenced a full BEV fire yet and we have had instruction in how to deal with them. But they can be very difficult. Our trucks only hold around 3000 L water and thats not nearly enough.

[@PMC-wargenar]

Compared with Tesla, BYD's biggest advantage is the chassis. If Tesla's chassis is like a tortured wooden chair, then BYD's chassis is comfortable like a bed, which makes you immersed in a comfortable driving feeling.

[@tonywei423]

Got Atto3 for 8 months absolutely love it, the seal is a very nice sedan, test drove it in China, amazingly comfortable and nicely built. Seal DM-i is more luxury then seal. The rotate screen is very useful if you drive on a long stretch road, as you can see far more distance in front of you on the map. The safety is amazing as the battery pack protect you much better then any ICE cars.

[@张蛋疼]

seal has a obvious accelerator pedal delay even in sports mode. this is annoying to me, otherwise are pretty good.

[@jasonw98]

​@@张蛋疼sad to see this. Was the problem even in dolphin and atto 3

[@张蛋疼]

honestly, most EVs have more or little delay for safety and riding comfort, but not necessary for a sport car especially for its sport mode@@jasonw98

[@tonywei423]

@@张蛋疼 That is for front wheel drive version, as to avoid the skid of the wheel if push too hard and quick, actually works well, remember atto, dolphin and front drive seal are not sporty and should not be. The two motor version seal has no issue like this so could get 3.8 seconds to 100kms.

[@张蛋疼]

there is no front drive seal, only rear drive and AWD@@tonywei423

[@steverichmond7142]

BYD were involved in a joint venture with Merseybus some years ago. Their engineers on that project were remarkable and nothing was too much trouble.

[@rinnin]

Do you mean Merseyrail? Never heard of Merseybus. 🤔

[@steverichmond7142]

Merseybus was a trading name of MTL. @@rinnin

[@pangtianran110]

Denz

[@steverichmond7142]

what does Denz mean?@@pangtianran110

[@TruthTeller8888]

And what is ghat😂

[@wynos0]

BYD is an easy choice over the Model 3: - instrument panel - HUD - Apple CarPlay - Android Auto - proper indicator stalks - parking sensors - more thigh support in every seat - cheaper - more space in the back - more stylish - longer warranty (at least here in Finland - can charge it to 100% without any problems - V2L

[@TearsEcho]

hahaha seems totally right

[@kwokholuk8723]

​@@jeremytine You have 1 like (You gave yourself 1 like) only. You have an anti-CCP mindset.

[@AndrewManook]

Well Tesla has a surveillance system which is back doored to the CAI (big yikes) @@jeremytine

[@EduMiguel16]

yes but it's chinese, so it's pointless

[@jaroq10]

@@EduMiguel16 95% of stuff in your house is from China. Don't be a hypocrite

[@gustavocastro1180]

BYD is taking over, it's already a huge sucess here in Brazil.

[@longroad68]

Lol 😆

[@Slaphappy1975]

Being from Thailand, I'm used to ICE cars being imported with 300% tax (bog standard BMW320D being GBP60k+). I was one of the first Tesla adopters in Thailand and bought my model 3 Long Range for GBP39k. A few months later the BYD Seal Performance version went on sale for GBP35k...At these prices I'm guessing most people in Thailand will find it hard to justify the purchase of a European or Japanese ICE car.

[@kereamohau]

I'm currently in China right now. The amount of cool electric vehicles on the road here have been interesting to see

[@dawg_gee_man]

How is this show so professionally produced, blows my mind

[@村上りんね]

indeed

[@Darx97]

you know is a good car when Robert comes out to review it

[@Stuve-q5l]

He's probably running out of money

[@taykforeal]

😂

[@doobtom271]

​@@Stuve-q5lor maybe, just maybe, Robert has a more open mind than you.

[@technohamster4783]

​@@Stuve-q5l lister was right when he said kryten needs to get his head out of his recharge socket

[@axe3425]

As far as I know, BYD Battery is the only company that has passed the battery penetration test required by the Chinese government, which is no longer required to conduct mandatory tests because the testing conditions are so stringent

[@tooltalk]

I don't understand the point of the test.. BYD EVs routinely explode in crash -- the most highly publicized recent one was in April 05 in Cenxi, China where a local judge was trapped and burned alive in a BYD Han.

[@havencat9337]

ive been in the back of one of this (Taxi in China) and its super nice! However in China they really have a lot of amazing brands! honestly....if you are passionate about EV you have to visit one of the big cities in China, its super crazy how much diversity and options they got

[@stefanosong9314]

the competition forced Tesla to do discount, Tesla model 3 starts at around 33k USD in Shanghai where it is built

[@bobcannell7603]

Was on their buses on a Dutch island last month, v nice. Standing up, strap hanging, the smooth acceleration and stopping is especially good.

[@sjismvil]

There’s something so relaxing about watching Bobby L review a new car

[@walterlol]

Bobby is the best

[@metaforically]

This is my first video of his. He keeps having these outbursts where he does a "funny" accent pretending to be someone else - is that something he does all the time?

[@judebrown4103]

​​​@@metaforicallyyeah, he can't help himself, must be something about his age. I'm his vintage and I do the same, maybe it's years of watching the likes of Mike Yarwood and Les Dawson and the chap who did the "ooh you are awful" sketches. See... age related sinility, can't remember the bloke's name and it's going to bug me now because he was brilliantly funny....🤔😂 I'm going to press send and it'll come to me, wait for the edit.🎉 Edit: had to look it up, it was Dick Emery. "I thangyou."... ...that was another little chap, known as "the cheeky chappie" and more of my parents era who's name escapes me now argghhh!🤯

[@t1n4444]

@@judebrown4103 Charlie Drake?

[@judebrown4103]

​​@@t1n4444no, his line was " aaallo my darlin's" . This chap was music hall....it'll come to me eventually...🤔 Edit: had to look up, turns out the cheeky chappie was Max Miller, not who I was thinking of though. It was Arthur Askey, I-thang-yaw....🥁ba-dum!😅😂

[@Fireblade-df2wj]

I drove the seal at IAA in Munich. It was amazing! Best car ive ever driven and I drove many cars

[@seya_eury]

How did you find the handling of this Seal compared to European sedans (3 series, C class, etc)?

[@Fireblade-df2wj]

@@seya_eury I didn't feel any difference

[@Fireblade-df2wj]

@@SERGIO-cr6uy yes I would if they are the same or better for a little less money

[@Fireblade-df2wj]

@@SERGIO-cr6uy I'm from Germany

[@CThienV]

​@@SERGIO-cr6uylol. One guys purchasing decisions can decide the fate of a nations entire auto industry hey?

[@vj3337]

BYD is the #01 electric car manufacturer in the world, in volume Also the #01 electric bus manufacturer in the world.

[@mattysea7163]

Some gorgeous saloon cars coming out of china recently. I’m deeply in love with the Xpeng P7

[@graffitijungle2072]

The P7 is a very cool car that sells very well in China. But because the P7 was Xpeng's first best selling car, developed in the early stages, some details were not as good as the new model G9, especially in terms of intelligence and battery technology. I recommend you choose a new model as much as possible.

[@Z_Y89]

I loved that car too, but now I am an avatar 12 fan.

[@huancheng2099]

@@Z_Y89You have a great eye. I have seen this car at the mall. Very high class.

[@stefanosong9314]

actually the best vehicles in China are SUVs, BEV or PHEV, because they are best sellers

[@EcoHouseThailand]

Had a BYD Seal AWD here in Thailand for a few weeks and I’m loving the car. Smooth, comfortable, refined yet it’s 100% a sports car. I have got close to the claimed range, but it’s so tempting to drive it in a sporting manner because it’s such fun, then your range will suffer a bit. I’m charging mine from my home solar and using the bi-directional charging to take power from the car to power my house, videos on my channel for the doubters.

[@ausnorman8050]

He's got 20kw of solar guys! Enjoy your new car mate, waiting here in Aus to get an Atto 3.

[@user-wz8hp2ix9f]

Using EVs as a wind and solar power storage, that why China is pushing hard on EV.

[@露透社]

@@user-wz8hp2ix9f太阳能发电和风能发电还没扶贫。中国政府在困难地区建设太阳能发电和风能发电，除了本村人用外，剩余的卖给中国电网用作工业生产。得来的资金支持当地的贫穷人生活❤❤❤

[@Skylancer727]

Don't know many doubters that you could, it's more a question of being anything other than worthless. I mean otherwise you'd just be shipping out the solar to the grid reducing others' emissions while more consistently charging your car. It's sort of like battery backed up solar in general. So you spent an extra $5-10K just so your home never uses carbon directly. It's just a waste of effort and money

[@owenbyrnes6062]

​@Skylancer727 But we need people like this to invest and test the tech, for the good of display and innovation 💡 I take my hat off to the early adopters of bi directional, they are the start of an energy storage revolution.

[@KevinT3141]

Sadly not available in Canada, I'd happily make this my next car.

[@gregb1599]

What the reviewer is not telling you is despite its amazing technology, and how he says that the car was hit on both sides and the battery was reused. In the real world many Atto 3 in Thailand are getting written off even after minor accidents where the repair on a normal car is a few thousand at most, ends up being written off by the insurance companies as the battery is so expensive to replace! The car costs 1.2 million baht but a replacement battery is 800,000 baht! Recently a rat chewed though a Atto 3 battery plastic casing and destroyed the battery! Many insurance companies in the UK are starting to realise that repairs are not possible even in small accidents, so of course premiums are in some cases doubling and in extreme cases are refusing to insure some EV at all!

[@KevinT3141]

@@gregb1599 Insurance companies are writing off EVs for minor damage over here in Canada as well, but I think that really speaks to a lack of trained technicians to work on them more than it does the technology involved. There's a huge market there ready to be tapped, just as there was in the early 1900s when gas powered cars came on the scene. We'll get there...

[@gregb1599]

@@KevinT3141 No it's the insurance companies not wanting to risk the battery pack as already many EV fires are happening, any damage to a battery pack increases the risk of fire due to module or cell damage. Also modern EV battery packs are almost completely unrepairable, the BYD Blade battery is one of the worst as seen when someone brought a wrecked car and thought he would use the battery for storage, unfortunately the pack is glued together along with the cooling making removing the actual battery modules impossible. That is why even small damage means new battery pack, and more than likely landfill for the battery! At least the Leaf battery can have the modules replaced or reused for battery storage after its useful life as a EV battery is over.

[@tooltalk]

@@gregb1599 >> That is why even small damage means new battery pack, and more than likely landfill for the battery!

[@saltyaussie7702]

​@@KevinT3141 gas engine killed off electric vehicles back in the late 1800 to the early 1900's. It failed then & they'll fail now!

[@alenev0031]

Wow, I love the looks!!! Plushy and classy! I drive a BYD Dolphine, I have to say it is a real treat to drive one of their cars. The pleasure is priceless. The price is a pleasure. I can't help but notice the Chinese EV makers are really good at software on top of great handling and safety. They have thought about every convenience feature to pamper the driver and the passengers all put into an elegant and generous-sized display. Germans make great cars, but their software lags behind. The Japanese make great cars too but their attention to minute details has room to grow. BYD's entertainment software is so good that makes driving in a road congestion almost a pleasure. It is easy to make you a BYD fan. Personally, I give BYD 9.5 out of 10.

[@teddy1080]

Stunning car. Great quality. Finally affordable EV with style.

[@ElectricCarAustralia]

BYD are taking the EV world by storm in most countries. Down under the Atto 3 has eclipsed MG who launched the ZS EV 3 years ago. The number of Atto's on the road is amazing in such a short timeframe and expecting the Dolphin and Seal to be similar. Keep the episodes coming FC Team and looking forward to catching up at Everything Electric Australia in Feb 2024. 👋

[@lovswr]

Love this channel & especially love your point of view. I’m American but that rain reminds me of riding the bus with my Grandmother as a boy in the early 70s. I know it will be a while before BYD makes it across the pond, but it can’t come soon enough.

[@stevesmith2529]

Loving to see you gushing over this car, been looking forward to it coming to the UK. If they get the price right then this will fly out of showrooms. Defo on my radar when changing my Cupra Born

[@NSE_Foden]

I got to look at this, and the Dolphin, the other week, as they were on display at the local shopping centre here in Southern Thailand. Both are impressive, inside and out. Prices are very competitive too with the top models being around 1,200,000 baht for the seal and 800,000 baht for the Dolphin. To convert to £ divide by 40.

[@fredpinczuk7352]

BYD is light years ahead in battery tech. Yes they don't have the discharge rate. But they are far safer than anything Tesla can put out.

[@gwsheipang]

Yes or no, as BYD also supply their blade battery to Tesla, so they are on par with battery tech.

[@johnsmith-cw3wo]

@@gwsheipang only the ones made in Berlin use BYD batteries, but Brits only get the ones made in Shanghai, is the only factory that bother with wheel on the wrong side of the car.

[@tooltalk]

@@gwsheipang >> Yes or no, as BYD also supply their blade battery to Tesla, so they are on par with battery tech.

[@fredpinczuk7352]

Negative, They were 1st introduced to the Chinese market even knowing Tesla Denied the agreement. And now in the US as well with the base M3@@johnsmith-cw3wo

[@yzhang9265]

BYD EV battery market share is very big as well. BYD Electric Buses are also sold to many places.

[@tooltalk]

>> BYD EV battery market share is very big as well.

[@T3k_kkk]

​@@tooltalk别开玩笑了，中国政府对电动车企业一视同仁，不论中外，前几年电动车补贴还在的时候，对特斯拉等外来品牌也有补贴，反而是北美市场禁止中国电动车进入😂

[@florinadrian5174]

Mentioning whether the car has V2L (vehicle to load) should be a standard fixture of these reviews. BYD Seal has it.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

V2L is a gimmick. A "shiny thing" for those easily distracted by shiny things.... Positive form of confirmation bias.

[@EcoHouseThailand]

@@rogerstarkey5390 I’m using my Seal’s V2L to power my house. Videos on my channel

[@florinadrian5174]

@@rogerstarkey5390 It saves me from buying a home battery. And it could provide a crowdsourced solution for grid storage in a sustainable energy system and combat climate change. But sure, it's a gimmick if you don't care about any of that.

[@jimmyh6601]

​@@rogerstarkey5390guessing you own a Tesla that doesn't offer V2L

[@Peter-vn8ue]

​​​@@rogerstarkey5390well I enjoyed cooking breakfast the other weekend when I went away camping with the missus, used the v2L feature to cook bacon and eggs using our electric frypan and boiling the hot water in our electric jug for a cup of tea, so hardly a shiny gimmick.

[@Glee73]

Great review bobby. Very happy Atto 3 owner here from malaysia. the seal just launched in singapore a while back, and soon in Malaysia. can't wait to see and try the car in the flesh.

[@hometechUK]

Now that's a good looking EV & unlike Tesla model 3 it has speedometer in front of you & some actual buttons, but we need more family hatchback EVs.

[@christopherknipe4336]

In Australia you definitely need a blind or shade to get away from summer sun, while the atto3 has an automatic shade it seems it’s the only one in their lineup. I drive for Uber in Sydney and after 70,000 klm and ten thousand people going through the car people say it still looks new.

[@EcoHouseThailand]

I drive an AWD Seal here in Thailand. The glass roof has a silver metallic coating that reflects a lot of heat. There is also a sun shield in a bag in the boot. There are videos on my channel testing the internal temperature and a demonstration of the sun shield

[@cszuhan]

It's a bit miraculous

[@et1965]

Great stuff. I'm loving my Atto 3 down here in Oz. We have had it since Dec 2022. I really do like the Seal and wish I could afford a second car, but not just yet.

[@et1965]

@@SERGIO-cr6uy Oz = Australia

[@DS87]

What a beautifully made video. Thank you. Really loved the presentation by the host as well.

[@jonblacklock1052]

I love my Model 3 but that is seriously tempting.

[@清德賴-v7q]

in China. Tesla’s cheapest model only costs $27,000. The price reduction is huge. There are many vehicles in China that are far superior to Tesla. . . Intelligent. Multifunction. Big color TV, refrigerator, big sofa. High horsepower. . . You can take a look at these cars. zeekr007. . AITO M9 YANGWANG U8 YANGWANG U9 luxury s7 HIPHI A zeekr 001FR LXIANG L9 Lxiang mega zeekr 001 Too much. . I can't even remember the Chinese market models. Too much too much.

[@pallettowngangster9297]

Can we just talk about the price for a second though? The BYD Seal goes for around £21K in China, and about £25K in Australia (significantly undercutting the Model 3). In the UK, it’s currently £48K. That is big, big problem. It puts it well above a Model 3 and on par with the far more established German manufacturers. The BYD Seal looks terrific, but I can’t see this getting widely adopted in the UK at those prices.

[@TsLeng]

There will be deals to be had on nearly new ones in time.

[@MR.MACH1NE]

Why is it double the cost in the UK, Is it the old 'rip off Britain' reason again?

[@TsLeng]

@@MR.MACH1NE protectionist tariffs amongst other things

[@danielkierannevin9081]

Same here in Ireland. Even with environmental incentives (3500 euro grant), AWD performance coming in at just shy of 52k on the road. However, similar spec Tesla the same, and can easily add another 10 to 15k for an i4. Coming from someone loyal to BMW for years, I've my deposit down for a 2024 Seal AWD. Test drove it and loved it. Also test drove a model 3, and even as someone who's "tech savy", I didn't like the minimalism of the car. If I want to shift from drive to reverse or park, I prefer a physical gear shifter. Same with things like lights, wipers and indicators. Only gripe I have with the car at present is the over zealous safety features, but future updates will definitely fine tune this for Irish/UK roads. Also, as someone coming from a 2018 530e, this car is refined. Feels premium, with interior and design well thought out. Again, not cheap (thanks in part to Irish taxes etc) but for what I'd get for similar money with other brands, this wins hands down.

[@chemicalbuz]

@@MR.MACH1NE because western countries are trying to slow down China's rise, at their own people expense of course. Free market my ass.

[@Parvikinji]

Been working in EV development for almost a decade, I have to say this is a milestone for Chinese car industry. After I test drove the car 3 times already, I think the platform has A LOT of potential. The performance and overall quality are good but these’s some questionable design/engineering choice made and a lot of “influences” from Porsche and Renault which is such a shame.

[@sunnydaysddt2068]

BYD hired some European designers

[@Parvikinji]

@@sunnydaysddt2068 It does. But looking at the car development timeframe, I don’t think they can do much when they arrived. BYD just ruins their names only for marketing purposes. What’s interesting is their cars that’s coming out in the next few years. They should be so much better than this.

[@talshayar4279]

Absolutely love this. It looks as though it was designed to maximise efficiency which is how it should be in my opinion.

[@jr-pl9kj]

i wish these BYD EV cars will come to America, but our stupid politicians wont have them, and yet we need these affordable EV Chinese cars.

[@jeremytine]

BYD is allowed to sell in USA, they choose not to. However they'd have to pay tariffs or pay us worker rates to build in usa and follow USA EPA laws. Stuff is always cheaper to make where it is easier to exploit labor and trash the environment.

[@patrickrichardson7918]

@@jeremytine if that is true , how does Vietnam made VinFast BEV enter the North American market ?

[@unclesuworld]

National security concerns, we cannot have chinese cars running around in the U.S.

[@jr-pl9kj]

@@unclesuworld guess what, most electronic and non-electronic products come from China, its not causing any security issues, China made cars would make no difference. the same as already imported Japan, Korean, German and others made cars. the only ones causing national security issues are the corrupt U.S. politicians making stupid tariffs that harm the US economy. China is far ahead in the EV and manufacturing game, U.S. politicians are digging their own graves with their bs policies.

[@frozenyogurtist]

And just to add -> Robert, what a legend 😎

[@TheSamed1983]

This made me chuckle a lot. Robert, this review was one of the most down to earth, normal reviews I've had the pleasure to watch. Felt like a "normal" person had experienced the car and gave me their honest comments. Bravo good sir.

[@wellingtons.cassiano3002]

Following their battery (and buses) plants already in operation, BYD bought a former Ford plant in Northeast Brazil where they plan to start making cars pretty soon. And their pricing policy already made a splash in the local market.

[@ajtame]

Doesn't shock me given how lovely the MG4 is

[@张蛋疼]

@@pas4585 drived both, and I love mg4 a bit more. yes the mg4 is plastic as fuck but it INDEED has more handling and no obvious accelerator pedal delay

[@EntropiaGuitars]

@@pas4585 100% - it's a car for Taxi drivers. Or people who like cucumber sandwiches. A bland-mobile.

[@simonyapp]

@@EntropiaGuitarsI like cucumber 😂

[@se62hy]

I love the bloopers at the end. DO MORE!!!

[@brummiesalteno-81]

I do like the look of this BYD. I wasnt so sure about the interiors of the atto and dolphin but this looks quality inside and out.

[@tahmic]

I agree love the outside of the Atto 3 but inside is not my style, this looks leaps ahead

[@louisyong5726]

Seal has great performance under a wide range of temprature is because China is so huge that it's coldest region can drop to -40 C in winter while hotest ones can reach 40 C in summer.

[@davidforeman8347]

Good to have you on the show again Robert!

[@RobinThomson277]

A full length glass roof AND a window at the back?!!? Someone phone polestar and show them this stunning technological breakthrough

[@Lewis_Standing]

Yeah the sunroof in the ioniq 6 sucks too. I tried to spec a polestar 2 to match the tech in this and it was £54k+ and then that was the smaller battery size too. £59k for the long range equivalent 😬

[@briancollier5145]

I have very fond memories of cycling through the Lake District in 2003. Thanks for the reviews!

[@jeansilva5261]

I would prefer this BYD over Teslas by miles!!

[@felisasininus1784]

Tesla literally crashes and burns every other month. They specialize in rockets. Which doesn't mean they can actually send any up into space without crashing and burning them too.

[@BlackRose-vi2yg]

Looks quality. Nice to see some new faces in the car market. I know here in Europe they are worried about this competition. But, tough I say 🤘

[@danielkierannevin9081]

Exactly. Competition can only ever be good for the consumer surely...

[@accesser]

Well done team. Great review even with the weather. Droan shots were amazing, see you at fully charged Sydney 2024

[@johnminshall242]

Looks very promising; I believe they’re going to release a Shooting Brake / estate version (which is probably of more interest to me)!

[@donaldpyper4627]

Estate version would be great and a far better option for family cars than the SUVs other manufacturers push

[@tren133]

No wagon unfortunately. Closest you'll get is the new BYD Song L, which is a crossover but not as tall as most other crossovers on the market.

[@bellofbelmont]

Very enjoyable. Don't know why this channel is only 1 M viewers. It's so good. Thanks.. Jim Bell (Australia)

[@You-are-right-but]

BYD Build Your Dreams. I love that. Good car too and a great review. Especially the heat pump and range info.

[@JakobusVdL]

Happy New Year Bobby Llew. Great review, of a really interesting car. I didn't know that BYD's background as a battery manufacturer, it does seem that that gives them an edge. The technology and 'creature comforts' that is included with many of the current EV's is astounding. I'm not sure I need all that, but it must help when people are comparing an unfamiliar brand (like BYD, Tesla, MG, Hyundai, Kia) with the the better known european and japanese car brands. And it seems that when it comes to driving, the chinese made EV's are equal or better than the Euro's and Japanese.

[@shankarbalan3813]

It looks superb. I think these cars are way more efficient and way more affordable and way more reliable than most of what is being dished out to us by others. Must appreciate their engineering.

[@nick255]

It has indicator stalks so in my mind its one up on the model 3 😅

[@EcoHouseThailand]

..and a driver’s display, HUD, Drive selector, V2L…

[@shou635]

Can’t buy stalks from s3xy buttons company if needed.

[@shou635]

@@EcoHouseThailandall stuff that just gets in the way. Even motortrend admits the model 3 driving experience is better.

[@Laser-Star____]

​@@shou635 no, most expert reviews say its stupid and dangerous to drop stalks

[@nick255]

@@shou635 I think it’s fair to say if self driving was mature and working in Europe then you can get rid of those things. As it stands right now the existence of the stalks was so a driver doesn’t have to look away from where they are driving to indicate etc. On a roundabout having to look to find the indicator button whose orientation and position on the wheel has changed while driving is more dangerous.

[@jeffos8724]

Your production people do a great job.

[@paulwincott2987]

A proper 'old man' review. Much appreciated! 😁

[@PRETTYGROSSSTREETFOOD]

As a Chinese Hong Kong born Canadian living in Toronto. I wish BYD, Xpeng and other Chinese EV would be sold in North America. But geopolitics and egos always get in the way of progress and trade.

[@kimarefall]

Love my BYD Atto 3, best car I've ever had and full of tech and electric. But the Seal...wow. I would really like to own one 👍

[@leehopkinson6824]

Awesome. 👍. Thanks again for great info and awesome presentation. Always makes me smile

[@ChickensAndGardening]

Remarkable achievement by BYD. It looks like Tesla has a strong competitor, and as for the legacy auto makers... they had better wake up fast!

[@ChiefsFanInSC]

A lot of the legacy automakers are finished.

[@isaak4416]

Seeing Robert after all these years... Scrapheap Challenge vibes, immediately! But this car is not scrap, is it? I already done my research on it but that additional info about battery safety was quite interesting and reassuring. Particularly the side crash test part. Can't wait for my BYD Seal Premium to arrive here in Oz. Cheers

[@findinggspots6441]

My wife and I both have an Atto 3. Would love the Seal, but this weary body needs an SUV for ease of getting in and out! The legacy car makers should be worried....really worried. Build quality just keeps improving. BYD are knocking it out of the park at the moment. I would never go back to an ICE vehicle

[@danielkierannevin9081]

Not sure if this helps, but after test driving the BYD Seal, the seat automatically moves back for easier egress from the car. Just a thought..

[@Ray-ld3mt]

I bought this car, AWD version several months ago (resident of Brazil). Fantastic car. Love the experience. Hard to imagine ever going back to old fashioned ICE's. Range wise it surprises me, got it to 503 km on ECO mode, air-conditioning off and mixed urban / motorway use.

[@sammaimas155]

Hi Robert. Another talking point for you in future about the rotating screen. Actually from my collective understanding the most convenience/use of the rotating screen is when you are navigating to a destination, as the maps are always oriented with your driving direction being towards the top of the screen, so you have more of a look ahead or heads up of where you are going on the map. I know I have had to zoom out and pan the map to check where we were headed on a number of occasions in previous vehicles. Thanks.

[@Innesb]

I’ve found the rotating screen to be a gimmick; you can’t rotate it when using Android Auto, which is what I use for navigation and audio. However, the screen is so huge that the default landscape mode is fine for navigation.

[@agusedyanto3324]

Not only for navigation, you can divide the vertical screen into top and bottom, the top screen is for driver navigation and the bottom screen can be for watching entertainment for front/rear passengers such as videos, KZbin, TikTok or other entertainment.

[@TassieEV]

Glad to see you back doing a car review Robert, the casual style is what I love. It is a nice looking car both inside and out plus it has a fairly large frunk/froot for charge cables or other stuff.

[@FrankNolf]

problem is pricing, even the atto 3 which they lowered the price is not selling well. This Seal is 47k in Belgium, people will get the Tesla model 3 or Y over the Seal.

[@JetsetDruid]

Yeah I agree, that said a 12-18 month old one might well be excellent value

[@123silentassassin]

Idk, I’ve spoken to the main sales guy at BYD UK and they’re saying they’re selling better than anticipated. Mind you, that is the Uk….

[@esonchan4825]

Atto3在中国售价12-15万人民币，大概15000-18000欧元，seal在中国售价18.5万人民币，建议你们再等一等，中国市场已经有了800伏特快充和800公里续航的纯电轿车了，估计2024会到欧洲，这样的车在中国售价在20-25万人民币

[@danielkierannevin9081]

​@123silentassassin Simolar experience in Ireland. We've three dealerships here at present, and about 70 to 75% of people who test drove the car put down a deposit the same day.

[@unclesuworld]

Tarriff in Europe is high

[@jimmyli8129]

Fun fact: During the Covid pandemic, BYD manufactured KN95 masks with the slogan "We make whatever people need" ❤️

[@guve25]

Practice makes perfect. I still remember vividly Chinese brands first foray to electric vehicles, especially BYD. Weird MPV with battery module precariously dangling under the floor of the car, hope that car never encounter a large pothole. Today, BYD is truly delivering a worthy global quality product.

[@Peizxcv]

I am vacationing in Thailand where Seal is on sale and it seems quite good with many wealth Thai living in fancy highrise that have charger in the parking lot

[@DonnyDonnMendoza]

I love this car as it works quite well and is very comfortable. I was driven in one the other day it was great, once I was in the car. I'm a (sarcastically) gigantic 5'10 (177 cm) so I'm not that tall but found it quite difficult to get in the back seat because of how low the roofline is on the rear door. Once in the car though it was great and genuinely as smooth and comfortable as described by good ol' Bobby here. Fix the entry into the rear passenger seats and BYD would be selling these in droves to the high-end rideshare and limousine/hire car/town car crowd too!

[@KeliK1]

I love the looks of it. It seems very quiet too. I enjoyed the quality video and the awesome drone works. Well done!

[@virtuous8]

BYD success is persistence and tenacity and hard work

[@balkanleopard9728]

Robert, I think yoou can raise the front seats so that passengers in the rear seats can slip their feet under the front seat - and the driver and front passenger can see a little better. Maybe worth seeing if and how this works out.

[@ceedoubleyou]

one of my first Q's after being informed how structual the battery pack was, how easy was it to remove the battery pack, but at approx 3:30min, it showed the pack being removed from the just wrecked car into another car and driving off, impressive.

[@w0nd3rlu573r]

I want to be on just one day of shooting an episode with Robert. Helping out would be great, but just hovering around the crew is my dream 😀

[@nahlene1973]

Whilst i really enjoy your presentation and humor, i gotta also comment that this video is very well shot and edited, well done to the crews.

[@-_James_-]

I was in an electric Kia just a few days ago. (Taxi in Norway.) I happened to ask the driver what he thought of it, and one of the first things he said was how switching on the heating immediately reduces the range by 100km. He even toggled the switch to show me.

[@Mark1Mach2]

Wow that's interesting. They need better heat management.

[@randysteven88]

EV6 owner here, looking at my stats of last month climate was only around 10% of my maximum consumption, its currently sitting at 387.2 kWh with an average of 17.37 kWh / 100km (~2230km driven). So only 10% of that 387.2 kWh was heating and I always drive around with the climate on 21.5C, seat heater on full and steering wheel blazing hot (its currently 6C outside and ~9C during the day).. I don't think these are bad numbers, my guess it was a very cold day in Norway and he didn't have a heat-pump installed in the car, so he was basically turning on the resistance based heater that would drastically decrease the range on any EV..

[@-_James_-]

@@randysteven88 I wouldn't say it was a particularly cold day for Norway in the winter time. It was only around -6c or so.

[@randysteven88]

@-_James_- Without a heatpump to pump around fluids that have been heated by using the excess heat of the drivemotor(s) / battery pack the car is can only use the power-hungry resistance heating system too heat up the cabin and doesn't have access too the heat that the pump brings too the table.

[@SunnySzetoSz2000]

Kia is the korean one?

[@mikemellor759]

Robert - you still have what it takes to make a great video. Very impressive EV. 👍

[@yggdrasil9039]

Love a HUD in a car. This is my problem with the Tesla M3. That and the lack of indicator stalks.

[@haveaseatplease]

It is unfortunate that Tesla has stripped so much out of the Model 3. Gone is radar, parking sensors, rain sensor, the front camera that was supposed to be included on the Highland 3 never even made it to production, and now they’ve even removed the exterior thermometer. But the most important the updated Model 3 is reduced to an ergonomic disaster due to the lack of stalks for the wipers, headlights and indicators. The indicators on the steering wheel are just not good enough and the absence of a selector for the driving direction (forward/backward) is just so irritating.