BYD Seal

I'd also factor in the 7k+ price difference and much higher APR if financing

Yes, it does.

On the other hand you have the longer warranties with BYD. There's an awful lot to consider.

Yeah, I guess there's loads of minor differences.

A few others I can think of is that the Seal has a bigger range but is less efficient. It also has no dashcam but a nicer interior (imo). Also you are not tied into BYD apps only with Android Auto and Apple Carplay supported.

I can pretty much echo your sentiments after a similar time spent in the Seal. Opted for the Design spec in ice blue with black interior. Had test drove 2 x M3s and fell in love with the responsiveness (both were DMs) - unreal power, but the seal for me at least was more striking in appearance and the responsiveness was really good, and once in sport mode, it's plenty quick if that's your thing. I much preferred the interior of the Seal also but totally understand the subjective nature in this field. Boot is a tad disappointing (wont take a full bag of clubs without removing the driver - 1st world problem I know); a full hatch setup would have been a better option I feel. Interior space is excellent, front and back.

Charging has been a dream, between 2-6am several times per week at home. Still in the honeymoon period so very conscious of parking, particularly in/around the Blanch Center area and trying my best to keep it pristine in appearance, despite the shite weather we are dealing with and those tools that look for something nice in a carpark and then park as close to it as is physically possible.

Agreed on the app improvements but I would really like to see them reset the reversing 'bong' to an audible level. Funny how you get lazy and come almost to depend on it in certain situations. I did downgrade the SW to allow sideloading and despite adding plenty of .apk files, I've really have not used anything other that Spotify. This will eat through the 1GB data allowance in no time so it's important to hotspot to your phone if you are listening to music online. Radio reception can be very hit and miss; I can only imagine how bad it must be in rural areas.

Apart from the relatively minor shortcomings, it does turn heads, particularly on a nice day, and I still find myself admiring the lines after 4mths of ownership. All in all, very happy with it. To think what it replaced had 270,000kms on the clock when it was sold nots so long ago, and I'm sitting at just over 7,000km now. Long may it last.

the technology stack on it is though.

Holding or supporting your phone by any part of your body while driving is explicitly illegal.

Watching a YouTube video on your big screen is not explicitly illegal, though is clearly significantly distracting.

We don't need to imagine the carnage. It's on the news most days, very substantial Increases in road deaths.

I agree totally. I see it every day on the M50 both ways, particularly when busy, the amount of people with their head buried in their phone is startling. I'd say that the vast majority of incidents that happen on this route (and no doubt, others) would be rear end shunts, typically caused by the above. A lot of people on the road simply have no comprehension of the impact that a fraction of time with their focus off the road impacts their ability to react and stop safely in an emergency.

It's not enforced. I've brought video evidence of drivers with YouTube playing on dash mounted phones to Gardai and they have refused to prosecute, as it's not explicitly illegal.

it doesnt work that way, i suspect you may know this.

Perhaps your original tweet should have explained how it does work so.

Making a report to a Garda is not 'enforcing the law'. It's making a report to a Garda.

If you report a driver with a phone in their hand, Gardai will follow up and enforce.

If you report a driver with YouTube playing on a dash mounted phone, Gardai will not enforce, and will tell you that it's not explicitly illegal.

You should perhaps start a thread on that topic rather than derailing this one.

I don't disagree with your goals here, but they're not relevant to the thread since the amount of people capable of sideloading the YT app on this car is miniscule.

Fitted the aliexpress mudguards - relatively unobtrusive, very easy fit. Quality is as you would expect for the price point. Hopefully they will help a little.

Hardly notice them to be honest, which is a good thing. Any need to take the wheels off?

Nope, the only issue that you will encounter is the small PH2 screws (one on each corner) that need to be removed. Not an issue on the front as you can lock the wheels but trickier on the rear as you only have a few inches of space between the screw head and the tyre thread.

A very small stubby or ideally a 1/4" ratchet drive with PH2 socket and you're sorted. Literally takes a few mins each corner, the task is made significantly easier due to the fact that all screws, bolts and clips are relatively pristine so easily removed.

So, you will have a combination of screws on the front and back to remove (one per corner), 1 x 10mm bolt on the underside rear (one each side) and some of those easily removable (and very flimsy) fittings below. Again, very straight forward task and the finished fitment is quite good.

Me neither but I'm still out of the country.

Out of interest, has anyone who sideloaded the Android version a while back received the digital key, could be an issue. Although I think everyone received the OTA subsequently so hopefully not the cause of the delay. Staged rollout maybe?

I'll check when back in Ireland.

Nice one. Good to know. I didn't expect it to be an issue but you never know.

Fair point. I don't want to drag the thread off topic. I just made a single comment and others jumped in.

Anyone driving with YouTube videos playing on a dashboard screen is a dangerous fool. You're only kidding yourself if you say that it doesn't distract the driver.

is Andrew j Renko a driver or a cyclist? Too much criticism of the drivers and how they are bad for his cycling.

Available in China and there is a guy on FB who was trying to port the app, so hopefully only a matter of time.

just present the wallet key on your phone or watch to the driver side mirror. Car opens. Throw the phone on the seat or leave it in your pocket. It doesn’t matter. And drive away. No physical key required