Audi RS3 vs BYD Sealion 7

What's the difference?

If conventionally powered cars really are on the endangered list, it’s vehicles like the Audi RS3 that will remind us what we’ve lost. There’s so much fun to be had in this car, that you really need to take it to a track to tap into it safely and responsibly. And there’s the rub.

While there’s no doubting the RS3’s potential, neither is there any doubt that the driveline absolutely dominates the experience. In fact, we reckon the S3 with its more modest (but still ample) performance and friendlier nature is probably the smarter car for the everyday. It’s also cheaper by about $20,000 and while it lacks the aggressive looks, it’s still a charming car. Perhaps all the more charming for its easier-going nature and balance of abilities.

So why buy the RS3? Because it’s the one that will keep you entertained for longer if you’re a serious enthusiast driver. But if you don’t plan to use the car for track days, there’s a strong argument that the RS3 is way more car than you’ll ever need. Of course, that sentiment never stopped performance-car lovers, did it?

Not the most comprehensive of tests, I'm afraid, but on first impressions the BYD Sealion 7 feels like a very solid offering that delivers on price and spec, too.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel and meals provided.

While the overall shape of the RS3 suggests evolution rather than revolution, the RS3 treatment has led to a much sportier look. We still reckon the sedan is the pick of the two body styles, mainly because it looks a bit more aggressive. Certainly, though, an aggressive look is not something either version backs away from, and those deep, wide blacked-out honeycomb grilles front and rear give the thing lots of presence.

So too do the blistered fenders, allowing for the extra track width that gives the RS3 its unique footprint. The front track itself is 30mm wider, but the wider fenders also gave Audi the chance to do some creative aero-management. Unlike, say, the Toyota Supra, for instance, with its faux vents up each side, the RS3’s lower-front vents and aero-slits behind each front fender are fully functional, directing air into the engine bay and away from the brakes respectively.

Another really neat function is the LED daytime running lights’ one-act play when you unlock the doors. As the car unlocks its doors, the LEDs spell out `R’, `S’ and `3’in sequence. Blink and you’ll miss it, but it’s a lovely touch that some manufacturers will never understand.

Probably not what you might describe as revolutionary design, the Sealion 7 still presents as a clean, functional and relatively premium-feeling SUV – and one that doesn't look in any way confronting or overly futuristic.

The lights are LED and look sleek in the way they are cut into the body work, and the swept-back roofline, including the rear windscreen spoiler, lends the Sealion 7 an athletic look, too.

Inside, the Sealion 7 is a comfortable and well-trimmed space, with soft-touch materials placed wherever you're likely to interact with the car, and a gigantic central screen that handles tech duties - with some climate control shortcuts that are a nice touch, too.

But most happily of all, there is not one but two screens for the driver; a display screen in the driver's binnacle, and a head-up display, both of which deliver the info you need without having to turn your head.

Like the rest of the Audi A-series range, the RS3 is available in two body styles, a five-door hatchback and a four-door sedan. The five-door hatchback layout is the most practical of the two RS3 layouts, but both feature plenty of front-seat space and a rear seat that folds 40:20:40. 

Paddle shifters are mounted on the steering wheel rather than the column, so they move with the wheel. That can make it difficult to select the correct paddle in a hurry with lots of lock applied.

The Drive modes are operated by a switch low down on the centre-stack that is clearly designed for left-hand-drive cars. It’s too far from the driver and needs to be cycled through in one direction, rather than being able to select the next mode or the previous one.

Beyond that, the interior is a lesson to other car-makers on how to get an interior right. There’s a quality look and feel with the possible exception of the plastic trim below the passenger-side air-vents which looks and feels a bit cheap. There are plenty of cup-holders and cubbies around the cabin with two USB plugs in the front and two in the rear (for charging).

The RS3 loses some space compared to the regular A3 because of the performance hardware. Where the hatch can take 282 litres with all seats in place (1104L with second row stowed), the sedan can swallow 321 litres.

The Sealion 7 is just over 4.8m long, 1.9m wide and 1.6m tall, and it rides on a near three-metre wheelbase.

The real party trick of the Sealion 7, though, isn’t one you’ll get to enjoy as the driver, it’s all about the back seat. There is oodles, and I mean oodles, of room for rear riders, helped by the wide, flat floor that adds extra space to spread out.

Sitting behind my own 175cm driving position, I have heaps of knee room, plenty of head room, and thankfully the glass roof has a shade, too.

Elsewhere, there are two cupholders in the rear seat divider, USB-C and USB-A charge points, seat heating for backseat riders, and air vents, but no way to control your own temperature in the backseat.

At the boot, you’ll find a very usable, flat-floored 500 litres of luggage space, and you can adjust the floor height to make carrying bulkier items a little easier. There’s a second smaller space in the frunk as well.

The Sealion 7 will be offered in two trim levels — the Premium, at $54,990, and the Performance, at $63,990, both before on-road costs.

That pricing significantly undercuts its key competitor, the soon-to-launch Tesla Model Y Juniper, which also arrives in two trim levels, and lists at $63,400 for the RWD and $73,400 for the Long Range AWD, both before on-road costs.

It should also be pointed out that, while the Tesla Model Y will be target number one, the Sealion 7 also launches into an increasingly congested, and very competitively priced, mid-size electric SUV segment where it will meet models like the XPeng G6, the Deepal S07 and the cheap and cheerful Leapmotor C10.

Both model grades are similarly, and pretty generously equipped, with the Premium scoring 19-inch alloys, LED lighting, a panoramic glass roof and a powered boot.

Inside, there are leather seats (heated and ventilated up front) a leather steering wheel, and dual-zone climate control. Finally, the tech includes a 15.6-inch rotating central touchscreen with Apple CarPay and Android Auto, a 12-speaker stereo, a 10.25-inch driver display and a head-up display, as well as wireless device charging.

The Performance then adds 20-inch alloys, painted front brake covers, a heated steering wheel and heating for the rear seats.

It also has V2L, or vehicle to load, which is one of those things that I’m not sure people are really taking advantage of. And they should, because if you think of the Sealion 7 as a very big mobile battery, this connection is what allows you to use that power whenever you want, for virtually whatever you want. 

While the five-cylinder engine is more or less a carry-over from the previous RS3 model, the end result is still a pretty stunning one. With 2.5 litres of capacity, the turbocharged unit accounts for 294kW of power (the same as the previous model) and 500Nm of torque (up 20Nm).

The transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch unit that is quite a familiar sight around Audi by now, and the all-wheel-drive system uses a centre differential with an electronic clutch-pack on each rear axle to give the car a Drift mode (although Audi insists you don’t refer to it in those terms) as well as torque vectoring with the ability to shift 100 per cent of rear-axle torque to the either wheel to maximise grip.

There’s now also an RS-specific exhaust system with an active flap to increase or tame exhaust noise according to which drive model is selected. The drive modes themselves stretch form Comfort to Auto to Dynamic, altering shift points, gear-shift aggression, throttle response and suspension firmness as well as that exhaust flap.

Brakes are enormous 375mm front rotors with six-piston calipers, that hardware forcing the fitment of a 19-inch alloy wheel (specific to the RS3) for brake clearance.

The Premium model gets a single rear-mounted electric motor, producing 230kW and 380Nm, which is sent straight to the rear tyres. BYD reckons the sprint to 100km/h takes 6.7 seconds. 

But the the dual-motor, AWD Performance adds a second electric motor up front which ups the grunt to 390kW and 690Nm, and lops almost two seconds off the 100km/h sprint, now just 4.5 seconds.  

Audi’s official combined fuel consumption figure for this car is 8.3 litres per 100km. Obviously, start using all that power and torque and that figure will grow significantly. Based on that, the car emits 190 grams of CO2 per kilometre, and with the 55-litre tank (which looks a bit small on paper) the range should still be around 600km between fill-ups.

The only catch with that is the high-tech nature of the engine means it requires the more expensive, Premium ULP at the bowser.

Both Sealion 7 models share the same 82.56kWh battery, and the Premium will travel a claimed 482kms between charges on the WLTP cycle. The Performance, with its extra grunt, will cover less distance, with the range dropping to a claimed 456km.

Both feature 150kW DC fast charging, and up to 11kW AC charging, though BYD is yet to confirm charging times.

First impressions are that this is a typical Audi in the way it fits together beautifully and is made from quality materials. The ergonomics – particularly the virtual cockpit - are spot on and it even smells like an Audi. Noise is well suppressed, the controls feel quality and the front seats are comfy. But from there, the overarching view is dominated by that powerhouse of an engine.

This isn’t just a quick car, it’s actually brutal in the way it builds boost almost immediately and then hurls the car down the road. To be honest, it’s almost too much, and the way the RS3 reels in the horizon will leave some drivers ignoring other sensory inputs in order to keep up with the car. Brutality breeds brutality, too, and the subsequent steering and braking inputs required when the throttle is pinned will not always be the considered, gentle type; they’ll often be gut reactions.

Thankfully, the rest of the driveline and platform has the smarts to make all this work. There’s awesome grip from the Quattro all-wheel-drive system and the car stays flat and steers in a fast, neutral but pin-sharp way. The dual-clutch transmission feels perfect for the engine, too, with ultra-quick shifts that become more aggressive as you ramp up the drive modes. Ride quality is good but we reckon there’s less bandwidth in the various drive mode settings than exists in the same system fitted to the S3 model we drove a few months ago. While the latter offered a broad range of suspension firmness, the RS3 seems to be a bit of a prisoner of its own performance, with Audi leaning all the drive modes towards a firmer setting in the name of body control.

That’s supported by Audi’s decision to offer us some race-tack laps in the RS3 to safely explore its high-end tendencies. At this point, the car emerges as a proper track-day proposition, all that power and control blending into a car that loves being thrown around a circuit. Perhaps the front seats could do with a little more side bolstering at track-cornering speeds, but overall, it’s clear that the RS3’s brief does, indeed, include a degree of race-track use.

Unfortunately BYD's launch drive program was brief at best - about 40 minutes or so across mostly suburban Adelaide - so please do consider the below a taste test. We will put the Sealion 7 to the proper CarsGuide test when we get it down the track.

In the meantime, the Sealion 7 did impress on first impressions. Our test car was the dual-motor Performance, and the power delivery is smooth, constant and absolutely ample for just about anyone.

In fact, I suspect it's a little too ample. While I haven't driven the single-motor Premium, I suspect that will be the pick of the bunch. It's no slouch either, and it will travel further between charges, plus I suspect the power delivery will be better suited to the nature of this mid-size SUV.

In the Performance, the grunt is plentiful, but the Sealion 7 isn't quite set up to take full advantage of it. I was impressed by the grip and the relative lack of body roll, but it's still heavy, and the tyres still complain when you ask too much of them.

That said, the Sealion 7 felt very well set up for urban and long-distance commuting. The cabin is quiet and refined, and the ride is really impressive, even over rough stuff, with BYD managing to make it feel compliant, but not completely disconnected. Which is a win.

Downsides? The power on offer in the Performance is plentiful, which means merely breathing on the accelerator will see you suddenly collecting speed – something you need to be aware on 40km/h and 50km/h streets.

And when you do lift your foot off the accelerator, the Sealion 7 doesn't decelerate immediately. It feels like it continues pushing forwards for a beat or two.

But in a vehicle as potent as the Performance, that beat or two can take you a fair way down the road.

The Sealion 7 yet to receive an official ANCAP rating, but it has been crash tested, and the brand is confident of a five-star result.

The Sealion 7’s safety kit is all present and accounted for, with its nine airbags joined by a more high-tech offering that includes things like adaptive cruise, lane keep assist, front and rear auto emergency braking (AEB) and blind-spot detection.

Perhaps best of all, though, is that – at least on our brief test drive – none of the active safety systems felt overly intrusive or annoying.

Service intervals for the RS3 are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. Audi offers capped-price servicing for the RS3 at $3580 which covers servicing costs for the first five years.

The car is covered by Audi’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. The vehicle is also protected against body-rust perforation for 12 years.

BYD offers a complicated six-year, 150,000km warranty, so just check what is and isn’t covered, and for how long, before taking anything for granted.

The battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km. Servicing is require every 12 months or 20,000kms, and there’s a capped-price servicing program which covers 10 years of ownership.  

BYD’s website has the details for every service, but the most expensive will be $1109 and the cheapest is $246, with most falling somewhere between those numbers.