GENTING Highlands offers the full Malaysian weekend package: shopping, gambling, cool air — and a proper hill climb that’s become the unofficial test route for anyone seeking to see what their car can do.
Our day trip with BYD saw around 20 Seal 6 Premium electric vehicles (EV) head for the hills, a convoy that paused at Rimba Valley in Janda Baik for a durian spread by a stream, then wound up to the Chinese temple stop in Genting before lunch at Awana and an easy descent to Kuala Lumpur.
The Genting resort complex sits at around 1,800m above sea level but the point was made long before the summit: the Seal 6 sedan is a sensibly tuned, value-minded EV that prefers neat, unruffled progress to heroics.
If you’ve been eyeing BYD’s larger Seal, priced from RM171,800, don’t mix them up.
The Seal 6 is a different, smaller proposition, positioned as a C-segment sedan and priced aggressively at RM100,000 for the Dynamic and RM115,800 for the Premium.
Feature-led
Malaysia is the model’s first export market, underlining the brand’s focus here, and local cars get Malaysia-specific suspension calibration.
BYD Sime Motors has confirmed local assembly in Tanjung Malim, Perak with production slated next year, although model selection has yet to be announced.
Under the skin, the Seal 6 is essentially the export version of China’s BYD Qin L EV, which explains the generous cabin for its class.
At 4,720mm long on a 2,820mm wheelbase, it’s among the largest in its segment and feels a size up inside.
The Premium’s panoramic roof with an opening front section evokes a sense of space; the boot is 460 litres and there’s a 65-litre frunk that doubles nicely as a durian isolation chamber.
Both variants are rear-wheel drive (RWD) with a 56.64kWh Blade Battery.
The Premium tested here makes 160kW and 330Nm, with zero to 100kph in about 7.5 seconds, while the Dynamic delivers 95kW and 220Nm and does the sprint in 10.9 seconds.
Claimed range is up to 485km on the looser NEDC cycle, while real-world WLTP estimate is just over 400km. DC charging tops out at 100kW; BYD cites 30% to 80% in around 23 minutes. AC charging is 7kW.
Inside, the Seal 6 shows itself to be grown-up rather than flashy.
You get a 12.8-inch infotainment screen, an 8.8-inch instrument cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charger and, in the Premium, ventilated front seats and ambient lighting.
The cabin layout is straightforward, storage is plentiful and materials are in line with the price.
However, there is no powered bootlid, no driver seat memory and the centre screen doesn’t rotate.
Also notable is the underfloor battery pack limits how far rear passengers can slide their feet under the front seats — a common EV packaging compromise.
Driving notes: KL–Genting–KL
Two to a car, we left the Kuala Lumpur lowlands with light traffic.
The Seal 6’s steering is on the lighter side but accurate; the front end bites cleanly and the car tracks faithfully from one bend to the next.
Body control is tuned for compliance first, agility second, which makes sense for everyday Malaysian driving.
Push and you’ll find some roll, though the rear-drive balance keeps things steady and the stability control trims any exuberance early.
The Premium rides on 18-inch wheels with Westlake 225/50 tyres; grip was dependable in the dry and squeal appeared only when we leaned on it uphill.
The Dynamic runs 17-inch tyres for a cushier edge.
The Premium’s performance is brisk enough for the class, and refinement is quietly impressive.
The cabin stays hushed at a cruise; tyre roar is present on coarser surfaces, as you’d expect on budget rubber.
On the way down, strong regenerative braking took the strain off the friction brakes and gave easy speed control without cooking anything, which is always a boon on Genting’s long descents.
Tech and usability
Beyond the headline figures, the Seal 6 focuses on being easy to live with.
The infotainment is quick to learn, voice control supports multiple local languages, and wireless phone mirroring worked like a charm throughout the day.
Practical touches include usable rear head- and elbow-room, a split-fold rear backrest and a decent frunk for cables or the aforementioned fragrant fruit.
In Malaysia’s heat, the Premium’s ventilated seats alone justify the price difference.
The real draw
The Seal 6 Premium feels exactly how BYD describes it: a calm, comfortable daily driver with a planted rear-drive stance and the right kit for Malaysian life.
It won’t thrill like a sport sedan, nor does it need to.
At RM115,800, you’re buying space, ease of use, solid real-world range, fast DC top-ups and a warranty that helps the long-term maths: six years/150,000km for the vehicle and eight years/160,000km for both the drive unit and Blade battery.
If BYD keeps up the local momentum, the Seal 6 may be the sedan that gets more fence-sitters to finally plug in.
