BYD Shark 6 vs Kia EV9

What's the difference?

The BYD Shark 6 is not just a huge step for BYD, it’s possibly one of the most important products launched in Australia in recent years.

Make no mistake, it’s not the toughest ute out there with the best hauling specs, and of course it’s also yet to prove its longevity. But it’s also not doing things in the way we’ve come to expect from utes like the HiLux and Ranger.

Instead, BYD has built a ute its own way, offering enviable levels of technology and an innovative powertrain. I’ve never driven a ute as mould-breaking as this. BYD is offering revolution rather than evolution.

The Kia EV9 GT-Line earns some serious family points with its practical and luxuriously appointed cabin. Each row enjoys ample amenities and space and you can’t discount the ability to fit five child seats!

That’s where similarities with its Carnival sibling end because the driving performance is too mixed for my liking. Some of its safety features don’t react well in real-world situations but if you’re looking for an electric car that will fit a big family, this ticks that box.

My son thinks the EV9 is really cool with the ambient lighting and two sun roofs. He also loves having his own climate control and sun-blinds, so he gives it a 10/10.

You have to behold the Shark 6 in the metal to appreciate it, in no small part because of its sheer size. It’s wider and taller than you expect, lending its boxy visage an imposing stance and a commanding presence on the road.

The exterior design is a little bold. There’s more than a hint of Ford F-150 in the Shark’s face, and the overt BYD badgework is a statement. The Chinese brand is clearly happy to stake its growing reputation on what the Shark offers.

Inside is next-level for the light commercial vehicle segment with the screen-centric design theme and lashings of soft-touch finishes and leather trims. Even the seats are plush and comfortable in both rows with convincing synthetic upholstery.

There is one argument which says a cabin as well appointed as this is a hindrance for work purposes. Chucking tools and equipment around will scuff things up, or at worst, potentially damage all the delicate equipment strewn throughout the cabin.

There’s definitely stock in this argument. I can hardly see the Shark 6 being used as a replacement for a work-spec ute destined to live a hard life.

On the other hand, it’s worth remembering the dual-cab is now the default family car choice for many buyers whose primary concern is how well equipped it is for life with kids and a dog, with its secondary purpose being as a work vehicle (with the ‘work’ largely confined to the tray) or as a weekend recreational off-roader.

I think the Shark 6 primarily appeals to this sort of buyer. It all feels just a bit too fragile to see an impact drill thrown into the passenger seat or a toolbox covered in concrete dust tied down to the rear bench.

BYD has made some perhaps tokenistic effort to 'tough' the cabin up, with its chunky steering wheel and some cool switchgear in the centre console rounded out by a blocky design theme.

There are built-in fitted weatherproof mats for the floor which is a nice touch, but it’s maybe the opposite design ethos from something like the Ineos Grenadier which reverts to a hose-out interior. Maybe don’t get too much moisture near the screen.

Just quietly, I'm a bit disappointed there aren't more Shark references in the cabin as there are Dolphin or Seal references in BYD’s namesake models.

Still, the plush cabin design is impossible to beat in this segment, so if you’re a family buyer first and a work or play buyer second, it’s impossible to do better in the light commercial vehicle space.

To be frank, the EV9 resembles a Lego car on steroids, but it turns heads. I’ve had more looky-loos peeking into the windows this week than any other car I’ve driven.

Once you get over the (very) square shape, there are some awesome design aspects to be had.

Like the flagship exclusive Matrix LED headlights and 'Ocean Blue Matte' paintwork that feels velvet-like under your hands. The black 21-inch alloy wheels and their aerodynamic covers look futuristic and cool.

The pronounced nose looks wide-set because of the positioning of the tall headlights separated by a strangely blank panel in the middle.

In fact, the whole exterior incorporates a slew of blank panels which reinforce the square look.

The flush auto door handles, big windows and dark roof give some cool-kid cred. The digital side mirrors are not for everyone but as a driver, you get used to them. The tech looks as though it's come straight out of sci-fi movie!

The interior is downright plush with the premium-looking upholstery and customisable 64-colour ambient lighting.

The dashboard has floating panels which create a cool 3D effect and even the badge on the steering wheel is illuminated.

There is a plethora of soft touchpoints throughout and the black headliner helps make the cavernous cabin feel almost cosy.

The cabin is massive, with the Shark making the most of its boxy dimensions, and it also offers impressive adjustability for the driver and front passenger seats.

The high seating position provides a commanding view of the road with great overall visibility thanks to large mirrors and expansive window real-estate.

Entry and egress is bolstered by large side-steps and a multitude of grab-handles in the A-pillar and centre console and for long trips the seats are some of the most comfortable in the class.

Storage is also plentiful, with large bottle holders and pockets in the doors, a further two with adjustable ridges in the centre console, alongside a wireless phone charger and an immense armrest storage box.

The console is also home to an array of buttons for various drive-modes alongside the shift lever, but in terms of multimedia functions there’s only a physical on-off switch, a de-fog shortcut switch for the climate and a volume dial.

In what could be a bit of a deal-breaker for some, the rest of this car’s many functions are controlled exclusively by the touchscreen, which can, at times, have a confusing array of menus.

For example, the controls for fan speed, temperature, recirculate, and various other functions like the regenerative braking and steering modes are touchscreen only.

The climate screen is at least straightforward, but other features require some figuring out as the array of menus are inconsistently labelled (as with many other Chinese vehicles).

It’s not as bad as Tesla, at least offering a digital instrument cluster, and some physical control features, but it might be a bridge too far for some ute buyers.

Additionally, the software is okay but not great. It’s fast and looks reasonably good which beats out most Chinese rivals, but it’s a pretty blatant Android reskin which feels a little unfinished around the edges.

Particularly the digital dash looks pretty ordinary and only has one theme, with the information overload it offers on either side of the speedo being of questionable value.

Hopping in the second row it feels as though the Shark 6 offers unrivalled space compared to the usual crop of dual-cabs. I have leagues of kneeroom behind my own (182cm) driving position, and the cabin feels as wide as a big SUV also featuring a flat floor, making the middle position usable by an adult. Headroom is also good and the plush trims continue, too.

While the rear row also scores big grab handles and makes use of those side-steps, it also has an odd issue with the thickness of the B-pillar eating into entry space. I got my feet caught on it despite the amount of room you have once inside. Weird.

Storage for rear passengers is also good, with a large bottle holder in each door, and two more large ones in the drop-down armrest. There are also soft pockets on the backs of the front seats, adjustable air vents, a USB-C and USB-A port as well as a full-size household power outlet.

Additionally, the rear bench has some flexibility built in. You can raise the base to make for a larger storage area if you don’t need the seats, or you can fold the back forward revealing some limited space behind (good for charging cables, towbars and your V2L adapter, for example).

The tray measures 1200 litres according to BYD, with a large square space provided between the wheel arches. Keep an eye out for a future payload test for more on this, but the Shark 6 has a payload of 790kg.

Not bad considering it also has to lug around 30kWh of battery packs under the floor, but it’s also a far cry from the coveted one tonne payload rating achieved by some rivals.

However, the Shark 6 offers some other neat additions, like built-in LED lighting for the tray area and no less than three full-size power outlets which could be good for powering worksite equipment or household appliances even when you’re far from the power grid.

Towing specs are also off-the pace, as you might expect. The Shark 6 can tow 2500kg braked, which is a full tonne down on the accepted 3500kg segment standard, so it’s worth considering this if there’s the possibility you’ll need to tow significant loads.

It’s large and you have ample space throughout the car. Even third rowers don’t miss out.

It feels quite van-like with the high seat positioning and extending centre console but you get a great view out of the massive windows.

The electrically-adjustable front seats are very comfortable but the mesh ergonomic headrests are a little too comfy!

The boxy steering wheel is nice to use but cut into my vision of the climate control screen from my driving position. I felt like I was looking around it a lot.

Individual storage is fantastic in all three rows. Up front you get a little pocket in the armrest and a huge shelf underneath the centre console.

The glove box is large, but curiously, has a small aperture. There are retractable cupholders in the centre console utility tray and drink bottle holders in each door.

The middle row has two drink bottle holders, four cupholders, two map pockets and a deep but narrow storage cubby at the back of the centre console.

Third rowers are not forgotten, either, with four cupholders and directional air vents to enjoy.

Amenities are great throughout the car and my son loves having the retractable sun-blinds and his own climate control in the middle row. It’s also an easy car to get in and out of, which we both enjoy!

The middle row's 60/40 split is a practical touch and they can be shifted manually or electrically with a one-touch button for access to the third row.

Speaking of which, there is an okay amount of room for my 168cm (5'6") height in the third row (if you push the middle row forward a smidge). And it doesn’t feel claustrophobic thanks to the wide windows.

If you have a pile of kids to shove in this car, you’ll be happy that this row also features two ISOFIX child seat mounts and two top tethers.

I wouldn’t want to be climbing into the third row to buckle in a kid, so reserve these seats for older kids.

The technology looks good but is simple to use which is always a good combination. There are plenty of charging options to choose from with each row getting two USB-C ports, while the front also enjoys a 12-volt socket and a wireless charging pad.

The touchscreen multimedia system is responsive and easy enough to use but the controls on this panel can be difficult to see and use. They’re not always responsive.

I like the satellite navigation and the way the head-up display pulls through the directions. There’s wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, too.

The digital instrument cluster is mildly customisable and easy to read. There is a little control panel on the driver’s door which houses the buttons for most of the added seat functions. But it’s hard to read as all the buttons are almost identical.

The boot is a good size when all seats are in use at 333L, which is plenty for my day-to-day errands, but pop the third row down and that jumps up to 828L.

Not as big as you might expect in a car of this size but that’s the compromise of going electric. The batteries have to go somewhere.

You do get a 52L frunk at the front, for cable storage. The loading space is level and you only get a tyre repair kit rather than a physical spare but it’s handy having the powered tailgate.

There are three variants for the EV9 and our test vehicle is the flagship GT-Line model that will cost you $121,000, before on road costs. That makes it the most expensive Kia to date, with the top-spec Carnival Platinum diesel only costing $67,580 (MSRP).

However, it’s nearest rival, the Mercedes EQS450 SUV, sits at $194,900 making the EV9 look downright cheap with the $73,900 price difference.

Yes, you could argue the badges would always offer a little price difference but Kia has made a true flagship model in the GT-Line because it is stupidly well-specified. It’s almost a case of what doesn’t it come with!

In terms of luxury appointments, occupants enjoy two sunroofs and two-toned synthetic leather upholstery. The electric front seats feature heat and ventilation functions, adjustable lumbar support and the driver gets a massage function.

The front seats have a relaxation mode, which I liken to the reclining seats in business class (someone send me on a trip to confirm!).

If you recline, add the sounds of nature feature and pop on the massage function, it’s like you’re in a day spa. Delightful.

The middle row outboard seats are also heated and ventilated which adds a lot of comfort and there’s a heated steering wheel, too.

Other standard equipment includes 21-inch alloy wheels, flush door handles, digital side mirrors, privacy tinted rear glass, pixel matrix LED headlights, 14-speaker Meridian premium sound and remote parking assist.

Practical features include a powered tailgate, extendable sun visors, retractable sun-blinds and three-zone climate control.

The technology is upmarket with dual 12.3-inch digital screens covering instrumentation and multimedia. There's also a 5.0-inch ‘quick-look’ climate control panel. A full tech run-down will come later.

Here’s where things get really loopy. Australian ute buyers are used to the idea of a rugged diesel engine up front, connected to the wheels via a chunky traditional transmission and usually a low-range capable transfer case.

BYD does things differently. It has a comparatively small 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, which primarily acts as a range-extending generator, although it can provide drive to the front wheels in certain conditions from 70km/h.

The wheels are otherwise driven by two separate electric motors on each axle, and draw their power from a combination of the engine and a large 30kWh battery pack mounted centrally under the floor.

BYD says this is the world’s first longitudinally-mounted range-extender hybrid set-up, although usually the benefit of longitudinal mounting for the engine is a more direct connection to the rear axle, so outside of potential packaging benefits, I’m not sure what the upside of this is.

Regardless, the peak combined power of the electric motors is said to be 321kW/650Nm which is in some cases double the outputs of the Shark’s diesel rivals. As a result, BYD claims the Shark 6 can sprint from 0-100km/h in just 5.7 seconds (only slightly slower than a hot hatch), an impressive feat considering its 2710kg kerb weight.

The EV9 GT-Line is a pure-electric AWD with dual motors, one located at each end of the car, producing a maximum power output of 283kW and 700Nm of torque. It has a lithium-ion battery with a big capacity of 99.8kWh.

Overall, the EV9 GT-Line is powerful and capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in just 5.3 seconds. That’s impressive for such a heavy car with a 2500kg (braked) towing capacity.

Like all plug-in hybrids, the Shark 6 has a headline-grabbing official/combined fuel efficiency number of just 2.0L/100km.

Is this number achievable in the real world? The answer is maybe, because a huge battery pack grants the Shark 6 an NEDC electric-only driving range of 100km.

Now, usually NEDC is straight-up impossible to get in real driving conditions. The more accurate WLTP tends to be more possible (and has a correspondingly lower range number on most vehicles), but in my real-world test, the results were surprising.

As part of this test, I charged the Shark up to 100 per cent then drove it in electric mode only until it reached the reserve level and the engine was forced to turn back on, and was surprised to find it managed to travel a smidge over 90km in pure-electric mode. Considering its official number is NEDC I was expecting something like 70km, at most.

If you can charge it to 100 per cent each time, then it seems reasonable to get at least close to the official fuel consumption number.

On the topic of charging, the Shark 6 is a mixed bag. On the one hand, unlike many PHEVs, the BYD can charge on a fast DC connector at a rate of up to 55kW, which is necessary considering its large battery size.

This should get you from 25-80 per cent in around half an hour. My single charging session took the battery from 25-100 per cent (yep, you can charge BYD’s LFP battery to 100 per cent on DC), in just over 40 minutes.

On the other hand, the slow AC charging leaves a little to be desired. At a max rate of 7.0kW it’s faster than most PHEVs but the sheer size of its battery means you’ll need to plug in for four and a half hours to get it close to full.

In this case, an 11kW AC inverter could nearly halve this time, making it a simple task to top the Shark up at a public AC location.

Charging at home via a wall socket, meanwhile, will be a laborious task, taking in excess of 10 hours.

An additional part of my testing was a 400km loop from Sydney to regional areas and back. Set to 'Hybrid' mode, the battery ran out about a third of the way into the drive, and I had to rely on engine power for much of the journey.

Even with the battery depleted, though, a 140km freeway journey saw average fuel consumption of 9.5L/100km, just as good as most diesel utes in such conditions.

All in all, with a combined freeway portion and EV city driving portion, the car was reporting around 6.5L/100km of fuel consumption. Not bad at all, and with the near-genuine 100km electric driving range, for some use-cases, this could be close to zero.

It's a hulk of a thing to have to move around and the motors perform brilliantly, but my energy cycle figure surprisingly came out at only 21.4kWh, after mostly open-road driving.

The official combined energy cycle is 22.8kWh, so that's a solid result.

The driving range is up to 505km, which takes the sting out of any range anxiety.

The EV9 features a Type 2 CCS port as well as an 11kW AC charger and you can get from 10 to 100 per cent in just over nine hours.

On a 50kW DC charger, you’d see that time drop to just 83 minutes to get from 10 to 80 per cent and it will shrink to 24-minutes on a 350kW charger.

A cool feature is the vehicle-to-load capability, so you can charge and/or power larger appliances on the go. Hello camping!

It takes about thirty seconds behind the wheel to realise the Shark 6 is bringing something entirely new to the ute segment. I can guarantee it is like nothing you have ever driven before.

Yes, it has the same elevated driving position, and a hint of the ladder frame ruggedness underneath, but that's where the similarities to most utes ends.

The cabin is near dead quiet, especially at city speeds. The combination of primarily electric drive and acoustic glass in the front makes the Shark 6 about the opposite of the usual ute cabin ambiance which is defined by diesel engine clatter and constant mechanical feedback from the gearbox or tyre rumble.

Instead, the Shark 6 offers a better cabin ambiance than some luxury SUVs. It’s so quiet and composed it’s almost uncanny. The road feels distant, power is delivered without the hesitancy of turbo lag or a reluctant transmission, and even the suspension, which consists of coil rather than leaf springs, is nice and quiet.

The ride is surprisingly smooth. Sure, the tune has a firmness to it, as does the frame, to help control the additional weight of the batteries. But unlike most dual-cabs, the Shark 6 is nice and balanced over both axles largely due to the all-coil set-up and a chassis design which places the weight of the batteries in the centre.

The steering is alarmingly light in its standard ‘Comfort’ setting, feeling much more like an EV than the usual mechanical feeling of ute steering.

It makes the big Shark 6 easy to manoeuvre and betrays its enormous kerb weight, but it has the side-effect of feeling artificial and detached from the road.

It could be a deal-breaker for some ute buyers, particularly off-roaders looking for a more organic feel. I found the heavier ‘Sport’ mode added a little feel and necessary heft back.

The light steering combines with the coil springs to make for a ute which drives far closer to an SUV than anything else in the class (even the Ford Ranger!).

It also handles corners relatively well, and soaks up most road imperfections with an almost magic-carpet like feel.

This is also helped along by a smart tyre choice offering lots of sidewall, and unlike BYD’s initial Atto 3, comes with a good Continental tyre from the factory.

As a result it handles urban duties with impressive ease, and I was also taken aback by how little gravel trails impacted it. In my adventures, corrugations and rough road textures were dispatched without fuss, with only the largest potholes being communicated with a stiff hit into the cabin, proving the limitations of the suspension.

When it comes to hybrid driving, the Shark 6 remains impressive. Due largely to it keeping a whopping 25 per cent battery in reserve, even when it reaches this level the engine makes minimal impact on refinement, for the most part just buzzing away at idle.

However, when more is asked of it at the reserve battery level, for example a sustained hill with a tall gradient, the engine will suddenly roar up to high RPM as it tries to keep the battery level stable. The result is an unpleasant buzzing engine tone entering the cabin.

It’s still more distant than when you ask a lot of a Toyota hybrid, but noticeable regardless. A bit hard to complain when you’ll hear it a fraction of the time, or perhaps never, in regular driving situations.

On the whole the Shark 6 is immensely impressive, especially considering the price. Not only is it a good plug-in hybrid, it does a remarkable job of showing what ute owners have been missing out on. Australia’s favourite dual cabs should be worried.

Strangely for a large SUV, this car feels most at home in an urban environment. It’s in the city where it feels nimble and easy to manoeuvre. Zippy even, and you don’t notice it’s size.

But it’s a different story on the open road. 

At higher speeds there is a lot of movement in the body and thanks to its floaty suspension the amount of roll in corners starts to make it feel cumbersome.

It has the power to handle mountain driving or overtaking, but remains a bit unsure of itself in these situations.

The steering is responsive and concise, which makes for a nice driving experience in the city and navigating a car park.

The cabin gets very little noise thanks in part to sound-absorbing acoustic glass and foam in the tyres. It makes for a fairly pleasant journey overall.

As a passenger, though, I began to suffer motion sickness thanks to the digital side mirrors! Not an issue when I’m driving, but even my husband, who has an iron stomach, commented on how distracting they are.

It’s nice having a column shifter, as it helps open up the storage in the centre console but it can make pressing the push-start button a bit awkward.

The EV9 has a decent 12.4m turning circle and is relatively easy to park. The 360-degree view camera system is clear and I love having the front and rear parking sensors on this big boy.

But to access the front camera, you have to be in Drive. You can’t select it on the touchscreen, which is a pain when you’re manoeuvring into a tight space.

If you’re not confident, the EV9 also features an updated park itself feature which means you can park it remotely from your key fob. 

The EV9 has an extensive safety list and the blind-spot view monitor, which pops a video feed of your blind spot onto your dash, is a stand-out feature.

Standard safety items include blind-spot monitoring, lane departure alert, daytime running lights, forward collision warning, side collision warning, rear-cross collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, intelligent seatbelt reminders, a 360-degree view camera system, as well as front and rear parking sensors.

There are other items but I need to call out their sensitivity issues.  

The driver attention monitor doesn’t always activate when you have sunglasses on and alerts you via multiple warning sounds and alerts on the instrument cluster.

The lane keeping aid is rather aggressive, which makes for a jerky on-road experience, and the adaptive cruise control with stop/go functionality isn’t nice to use.

Even on the shorter distance setting, it slows down way too fast when approaching a car in front.

Also, annoyingly, this model features all the warning chimes and alerts that are linked to the traffic sign recognition tech.

Go over the speed limit by one kay, chime. Enter a school zone, several chimes. If the speed sign changes, chime. If the traffic sign changes, you guessed it, CHIME.

Suffice it to say I don’t like this feature.

There's an option in the car set-up menu that turns off the warning sounds but keeps the important sign information. However, it's not permanent and has to be selected every time you turn on the car.

In better news, the Kia EV9 has just been awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating and features nine airbags which includes curtain airbags covering all three rows and side chest airbags for the second row.

Usually, you only see side chest airbags on the front row, so this is great! It also sports a front centre airbag to protect the front row from head clash injuries.

The EV9 has autonomous emergency braking with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection as well as junction turning assist.

It's operational from 10 to 80km/h but surprisingly, the car-to-car avoidance is only operational from 10 to 60km/h.

That upper speed figure usually sits closer to 160km/h. Unless there is a typo on ANCAPs website…

Families will rejoice that there is a total of four ISOFIX child seat mounts (two in the middle row and two in the third row) plus a total of five top-tether anchor points.

The car is large enough to accommodate five child seats and there’s plenty of room for front passengers when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed on the middle row.  It’s pretty much a people mover at this point!

BYD offers the Shark 6 with a six-year and 150,000km vehicle warranty, which is a little different from the usual five-year and unlimited kilometres most rivals are covered by. Additionally, the high-voltage battery is covered for a more industry-standard eight-years and 160,000km.

The service schedule is posted on BYD’s website and extends all the way out to 11 years or 220,000km. Most scheduled visits during this time cost $360, however there are some pretty significant stings along the way. The 40,000km service comes in at $788, while the 80,000km service costs a whopping $1727 in a single visit.

All said and done, over the life of the six-year warranty, the Shark 6 will cost an average of $778 per year, which is surprisingly expensive for a vehicle with a primarily electric powertrain.

The EV9 comes with a seven-year/unlimited km warranty, while its battery is covered for seven years, 160,000km. It’s normal to see an eight-year battery warranty term for EVs, though.

You can pre-purchase a three-, five-, or seven-year servicing plan, priced at $706, $1351 and $1997, respectively.

The seven-year schedule costs an average of $285 per service, which is good, but servicing intervals are more in line with a fuel-based car at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.