BYD S1

The BYD S1 has a super stylish appeal on the outside, however, when you step on the inside, it doesn’t feel the same sense of astonishment. Here too, the wide and sloping design of the upper part of the dashboard reminds you of the interior cabin of the Ford Ecosport.

The pod-like instrument console with an extruded upper housing looks super cool with configurable colour options, however, the design of the steering wheel with respect to it looks a bit simple. The centre console looks quite attractive with its zig-zag shaped outer silver boundaries on either side, with the presence of a touchscreen infotainment system and round themed buttons for audio and automatic climate control making it look beefy.

The BYD S1 is armed with decent features like push-button start with keyless entry and leather upholstery on board along with the aforementioned ones, and while it classifies as a five-seater, the seating space is good enough for four passengers at best, with limited room at the rear.

To start with, the BYD S1 has an uncanny resemblance to the Ford Ecosport when it comes to looks. However, there are subtle differences that do give a distinctive appeal of its own.

The frontal look of the BYD S1 has a busy design, which is made up of the combination of an extended Y-shaped chrome element differentiating the front grille in two parts. The curvy headlamps do look cool with the projector bulbs as well as daytime running LEDs in a dotted pattern. The flag-shaped inserts for the turn indicators and fog lamps housings also look quite different.

The side profile of the BYD S1 looks attractive, with the heightened stance and side body cladding giving it a rugged appeal reminiscent of proper SUVs. The large 17-inch machined alloy wheels as well as a couple of character lines, along with the extended shoulder line towards the rear windscreen giving it a floating roof effect, do make it look stylish.

At the rear, the BYD S1 sports a door-mounted spare wheel with wheel cover with bulky looking boomerang-shaped LED tail lamps is a combination that is unique to the segment.

The BYD S1 is armed with Macpherson independent suspension at the front and torsion beam suspension at the rear, both of which have been tuned keeping the urban driving conditions in mind. The front-wheel-drive layout and limited ruggedness in its suspension do not give it an out and out off-roader, but with softer steering setup, it is an easy car to drive in city conditions.

The sole engine option for the BYD S1 is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which delivers a maximum power output of 110 PS and a peak torque output of 145 Nm. The engine gets both the options of a 5-speed manual gearbox as well as a smooth 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The engine is refined across the rev range, however, the power delivery a bit inconsistent at times.

For a budget-oriented vehicle, the BYD S1 is equipped with only the usual basic safety features like dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program, brake override system, hill descent control, engine immobilizer, and reverse sensors.

The BYD S1 is a good attempt in the subcompact SUV with a very attractive and extrovert design language, which makes it a good option for all those urban owners who are looking for an SUV like vehicle but with smaller footprints. The S1 is not too excellent on all fronts, but performa decent in other parameters making it a good option for first-time car owners.