BYD’s Shark bares its teeth

BYD's Shark utility has hit the road, priced from $57,900 plus on-road costs. It looks and sounds pretty good, but the timing isn'...

BYD's Shark utility has hit the road, priced from $57,900 plus on-road costs.

It looks and sounds pretty good, but the timing isn't exactly great, not so close to the launch of Kia's first ute.

And before we go on let's clarify something, Shark is not an electric ute -- it's a plug-in hybrid.

Australia's first fully-electric ute, the Chinese LDV eT60, was launched here back in November, 2022.

Nevertheless, the Shark 6 (to give it its full name), is an interesting addition to a sector of the market that is long overdue for a shakeup.

The tussle between Hilux and Ranger has been a tumultuous one over the past decade, but the 'times they are a changin', as Bob Dylan sang

Shark was designed by former Alfa designer Wolfgang Egger, with support of engineers from around the world, including reportedly the former head engineer of the Australian-built Commodore.

BYD reckons Shark has been built specifically for Australian conditions, but let's not forget that it also comes in left-hand drive.

Shark measures 5457mm in length, 1971mm wide and 1921mm high, with a 3260mm wheelbase and sits on 18-inch wheels.

It's powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged four cylinder petrol engine together with two electric motors, one for each axle that serve to provide its all-wheel drive ability.

The petrol engine produces 135kW of power and 260Nm of torque, while the front electric motor is rated at 170kW and 310Nm, and the rear, 150kW/340Nm.

Combined maximum power is 321kW and 650Nm, with torque available on demand to all four wheels, except in Eco mode when the rear motor actually shuts down.

Although it sits on a fourbie separate ladder frame chassis and looks and acts like a 4x4 ute, Shark has just 200mm of ground clearance, and doesn't have low range gearing, or diff locks for the front or rear, with suspension that is independent at both ends -- no live axles.

Transmission is via a single-speed reduction gear setup like the majority of EVs we see.

Like Nissan's new e-Power hybrids, the petrol engine’s primary role is to recharge the Shark’s battery pack.

It can operate in pure electric mode, in series hybrid or in parallel hybrid mode.

The first mode is self explanatory, the second is when the petrol engine powers a generator to produce electricity, while in parallel mode the petrol engine combines with the electric motors to provide maximum performance like a Prius.

It's all a bit confusing, but luckily it all works pretty much automatically.

With a relatively small 29.58kWh battery, Shark can also be recharged by plugging it into a charger -- either at home or at one of the growing number of commercial chargers (either AC or DC).

Charging doesn't take long to charge because it is quite a small battery.

Claimed energy consumption is 21.2 kWh/100km.

With a fully charged battery, Shark offers claimed fuel consumption of 2.0L/100km.

But after the charge runs out, that figure jumps to 7.9L/100km unless you stop and recharge the battery.

That's still a pretty good figure compared to a diesel.

Pure electric range is cited at 100km while combined range with a 60-litre tank is 800km.

Both figures are under the outdated NEDC standard, not the more stringent WLTP testing regime, so in reality expect about 30 per cent less.

In terms of performance, the dash from 0-100km/h takes a brisk 7.6 seconds.

That's quicker than the twin turbo V6 Ranger Raptor (and it uses less fuel).

Shark can carry a maximum payload of 790kg and it can tow a 2500kg braked load.

The 1200-litre tub measures 1520mm x 1500m x 517mm, and has a protective, spray liner with features such as lighting, tie-down hooks, soft-close  tailgate and three power outlets (it's V2L friendly).

The upmarket cabin with reclining rear seats is dominated by a large 15.6-inch rotatable touchscreen.

Highlights include artificial leather trim, two-zone climate air with rear vents, power adjust front seats that are heated and cooled,  head-up display and 12-speaker Dynaudio sound.

There's also satnav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, AM/FM and digital radio, with Spotify and Amazon Music, over-the-air (OTA) updates and a phone app that offers features like lock/unlock, air-conditioning on-off and more.

The competition is sure to heat up when Shark is joined by the Ranger PHEV and the GWM Cannon Alpha Hi4-T PHEV in the new year.

 

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