BYD Shark Petrol 1.5T Phev Double CAB Pick UP Auto AWD

Ten Second Review

In entering the pick-up market, you might have expected Chinese maker BYD to offer an all-electric contender. Instead, it here delivers a powerful PHEV in the form of this Shark model.

Background

The BYD Shark is a new kind of PHEV pick-up. Let's take a closer look. The market has changed for pick-ups. Since trucks of this kind were government-classified as cars, an awful lot of users have had to move to Plug-in Hybrid or EV drivetrains to keep their tax bills affordable. EV pick-ups are expensive and payload-limited (or both). As for the idea of a PHEV pick-up, well for some time, the market could only offer one, the Ford Ranger PHEV. But that's now changed with the arrival of this BYD Shark. It's far more powerful and longer-ranging than its Ranger rival. And looks just as assertive. But the value proposition will take some careful thought.

Driving Experience

As the sales figures illustrate, BYD is very good at Plug-in Hybrid drivetrains and that shows here. The Chinese maker calls this particular one it's 'DMO' (or 'Dual Mode Off-Road') set-up. And it combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged four cylinder petrol powerplant with the two electric motors that are mostly used to drive the vehicle. This 'Super Hybrid' set-up's combined power output of 436PS is in a different league to the modest 281PS of a rival Ford Ranger PHEV. And this BYD makes 62mph in a Ranger Raptor-like 5.7s - faster than a Golf GTI. Plus there's a prodigious 650Nm of torque. All this being the case, it's surprising that this Shark's braked towing capacity of 2,500kg is a tonne down on that Ford. This Chinese model regains ground with vastly more EV range than its Blue Oval rival - up to 55 miles, compared to just 27 miles with a Ranger PHEV. And that's to be expected because this Shark's big 32.2kWh battery is almost triple the size of the one in the Ford. As with BYD's PHEV cars, the Shark can operate either as a parallel Hybrid, when the engine motors work together to power the vehicle; or as a series Hybrid, where the engine just charges the battery. If you're planning to go off road, you might worry about this BYD's lack of a low-range transfer case or locking differentials. But the Chinese maker insists that this kind of capability is covered off instead by the provision of multiple off-road drive modes that can optimise power delivery off piste (Mud, Sand, Snow and Mountain settings).

Design and Build

For the sort of pick-up person attracted by the bold assertive looks of the current Ford Ranger, this Shark model's aggressive front end should be just about right. You certainly won't miss it on the road. The imposing nose sees headlights pushed to the far corners of the vehicle to 'replicate shark's eyes', while the lower bumper and grille are supposed to look like the open mouth of a shark as it moves in to eat its prey. As you might expect, this double cab pick-up is an enormous thing, measuring 5,457mm in length and riding on big 18-inch wheels. Inside, the large 15.6-inch central screen (better integrated into the dashboard than with other BYDs) clues you into the fact that you're in a Chinese pick-up. You sit commandingly on the artificial leather seats viewing a 10.25-inch instrument display. There are chunky grab handles, big door mirrors, contrasting-colour vents and you're surrounded by generous levels of standard equipment. The back seat is much better than that of other double cab pick-ups, which usually saddle occupants with uncomfortably upright backrest. BYD has tried to make these rear pews far more like what you'd find in a full-sized family SUV, so passengers can relax at more of an angle.

Market and Model

There's only one version of the Shark, with a PHEV drivetrain and one very highly-specced level of trim. But you pay richly for it, with an asking price pitched from launch at £47,920 (including VAT you won't be able to reclaim because of the restricted payload). The standard kit list is certainly lengthy. There's LED front headlights, front fog lamps, LED tail lights, rear privacy glass, keyless entry, an aluminium alloy roof rack, all-round parking sensors, a 360-degree camera system and big 18-inch aluminium alloy wheels. Drive stuff includes Intelligent adaptive cruise control, Hill descent control and seven different driving modes. Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology enables this pick-up to supply power directly to external equipment. Inside, there's vegan leather upholstery, a head-up display, a wireless 'phone charging mat, an eight-way power-adjustable driver seat, front chairs that are ventilated and heated and a 10.25-inch LCD instrument display. Media connectivity's taken care of by a 15.6-inch touchscreen with navigation, cloud services, a Wi-Fi hotspot, on-board 4G connectivity, intelligent voice control, a 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Safety features include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, a lane departure assistant, emergency lane keeping assist, front cross traffic alert and brake, rear collision warning, rear cross traffic alert, rear cross traffic brake, blind spot detection and emergency lane keeping assist.

Practicalities and Costs

Though this Shark's 32.2kWh battery is three times the size of that in a rival Ranger PHEV, you could potentially top it up quicker thanks to 55kW DC rapid charging capability. This would get you a 30 to 80% charge in 21 minutes. An AC charge from a home 7kW single-phase wallbox with this PHEV takes 4 hours and 30 minutes from empty to full. An AC charge using an 11kW AC wallbox from 15-0100% could be done in 3.2 hours. There's also V2L capability, so external devices like power tools and side equipment can be charged via the car's battery. Thanks to its 55 mile EV drive range, the Shark looks BiK-tax-efficient too thanks to a rated CO2 return of 23g/km. Combined cycle fuel economy is rated at 80.7mpg and there's a 60-litre fuel tank. And the combined drive range using engine at battery is rated at 419 miles - well ahead of any EV pick-up. On the downside, this BYD's meagre 790kg payload capacity means it's well short of the 1,000kg required to qualify as a commercial vehicle. The load bed measures 1,520mm in length, 1,500mm in width (narrowing to 1,224mm between the wheel arches), offers 517mm of depth and has a cargo volume of 1,200-litres. Towing capacity is up to 2,500kg. There's a better warranty than you get from most rivals - up to six years or 93,750 miles, with an extra two years for the drive unit and the battery.

Summary

The Shark will sell because it's different - as it already has for BYD in markets like Australia and Mexico. And also because it offers longer range and more power than the only other Plug-in Hybrid pick-up on sale at the time of its launch, the Ford Ranger PHEV. But it's a pity a brand with the engineering might of BYD couldn't have engineered in a tax-efficient payload capacity more competitive with that Ford. Still, if you can live with the weight this Shark carry and afford its rather significant asking price, we can see why you might think it to be the ultimate all-round pick-up contender. Striking to look at and striking to drive, his BYD strikes a telling blow in the pick-up PHEV segment.