Beating Ranger and Hilux to the plug-in hybrid punch (BYD Shark 6 2024 Review)

China’s carmaking giant BYD is finally launching its long-awaited first-ever ute in Australia. And it looks to have beaten the likes of Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux in offering local pickup fans a plug-in petrol-electric alternative.

On the plus side, the BYD Shark 6 blends a turbo-petrol 1.5L four-pot with two electric motors to yield 321kW and 650Nm of total system outputs. The upshots? Mid-five-second performance with the promise of combined fuel consumption of just 2.0L per hundred!

The downside? Both payload capacity (790kg) and braked towing (2500kg) are relatively modest against the class leading diesel, but the Shark 6 hopes to compensate with refinement, manners, tech and value.

So how does the latest ute upstart fare? Chasing Cars road tester Zak Adkins takes one for a dirty spin Down Under to find out.


Time codes:
0:00 - Intro
0:09 - First BYD ute
0:50 - Petrol-electric
1:26 - Efficiency
1:36 - Price?
1:50 - Interior
2:16 - Tech
2:40 - Row two
3:05 - Tray
3:50 - Payload and towing
4:14 - Driving
4:44 - Quality
5:12 - Performance
5:48 - Off-roading
7:12 - Verdict


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