Styling
We're big fans of any double-cab pick-up truck, so the BYD Shark floats our (we're going to need a bigger) boat. It's defined by the absolutely ginormous 'BYD' emblems it has both in its nose and embossed into its tailgate, while bracket-shaped lamp clusters are linked by full-width illuminated strips at either end of the vehicle to bring further definition to the DMO. Add in the excellent option of Sunrise Orange paint (£1,100) and the fact that, even by pick-up standards, the Shark is a goliath at nearly 5.5 metres from tip to tail, and we think the BYD truck has plenty of admirable kerb appeal.
Interior
One of BYD's better efforts, this, as the Shark has the usual array of screens for the interface - including a head-up display, making it the only truck in this sector of the market to have such a piece of kit - but it doesn't do away with all physical buttons in the process. So although some of what you must do on the 15.6-inch main infotainment panel is convoluted, like finding some of the more irksome ADAS to deactivate or even switching on your heated seats, mostly it works slickly and looks easy on the eye too.
Other plus points are the native use of Google Maps for navigation, the fitment of a 12-speaker Dynaudio premium sound system as standard, and a broadly excellent level of material quality throughout, with none of the cheap, hose-down plastics you can normally find in the CV-derived truck competition.
Practicality
The mammoth shipping length of this great white of a Shark results in a wheelbase of more than 3.25 metres, which in turn leads to above-average passenger space in the second row. Leg- and headroom back here are better than in most of the rivals we can think of, while the backrest angled at 27 degrees means you don't have to sit bolt upright in the second row of the BYD.
The Shark betrays its lifestyle orientation in some of the spec details, though. In some respects, the BYD is as handy as other trucks of this type: it'll tow 2,500kg of braked trailer, for instance, while it can wade through 700mm of water and has an approach angle of an impressive 31 degrees.
However, its maximum payload is just 790kg, so you can't register it as a commercial vehicle at all, and its ground clearance stands at just 230mm unladen. Which is not much more than something like the
Subaru E-Outback can summon up. And that's 'only' an estate.
Performance
No qualms here: the BYD Shark DMO is easily the most-powerful pick-up truck on sale in this part of the world. Yep, including the bonkers
Ford Ranger Raptor.
'DMO' stands for 'dual mode offroad' and is a derivation of BYD's
DM-i PHEV gear. So up front there's a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, rated at 150hp/240Nm, which is not doing much more for most of the time than serving as a range-extender.
There are then two e-motors, a 231hp/310Nm front item accompanied by a 204hp/340Nm rear unit, with the system outputs the sum of the electrical parts: 436hp (yes, we know there's a 1hp discrepancy, that's due to rounding up of odd decimal places after the individual outputs) and 650Nm. Thus, despite the fact the Shark, with its 32.2kWh Blade LFP battery, comes in at a socking great 2,710kg, it can run 0-62mph in just 5.7 seconds.
We've no doubts about the speed of the Shark, as it's a proper predator (sorry) for roll-on acceleration, having a much stronger top-end than any European-sold truck we can think of. And it doesn't even sound too bad on the odd occasions you wake the 1.5 up front, so it's rapid, cultured and responsive.
We
do have doubts about the real-world fuel consumption, though. After our first 15 miles of spirited driving in the BYD, its 'Last 50 Miles' (grr) trip computer was showing just 13mpg. Eep. It did later improve to 22mpg, but that's still not brilliant at all and leagues away from the claimed 80mpg figure from WLTP testing. A diesel truck like a
Ranger EcoBlue V6 would achieve much better than 22mpg in the same circumstances.
Ride & Handling
BYD has taken the extraordinary decision to fit double-wishbone suspension all round on the Shark DMO. On both axles? That's unheard of in any SUV, never mind a workhorse pick-up. And, when it comes to high-speed rolling refinement and ride comfort, the move has paid dividends for the Shark. It's the smoothest, most urbane and pleasant truck going, apart from the Raptor on its competition-developed Fox suspension.
It also handles well, despite its size and bulk, and has good steering, albeit the system is still quite slow and heavy in true truck style. So it's just a slight shame that there's still a trace of over-firm behaviour from the Shark at lower speeds. It never skitters, hops and bounces like an unladen, leaf-sprung/live-axle competitor - choose from the
Toyota Hilux,
KGM Musso Rhino or
Isuzu D-Max for further details - but there are odd occasions when the 18-inch wheels thump through minor compressions in town roads, or introduce a sharp hit when tackling transverse ridges.
Still, we'd say it's one of the best on-road trucks of the lot, and off-road the Shark seemed pretty adept on a slippery, muddy course involving a couple of deeper river crossings, although its lack of heavy-duty locking diffs and such makes us think you'd still want to be in a Hilux if you work for the Forestry Commission in the remote parts of Scotland, for example.
Value
Because you can't claim the VAT back, the BYD Shark is the wrong side of £47,000 in the one (admittedly generous) specification it is sold in, here in the UK. That makes it look pricey, although the PHEV status of the DMO does play in its favour, as only Ford makes a comparable part-electric truck at this stage. Oddly, for a Chinese car that normally comes with every bit of equipment known to humankind fitted as standard, the Shark doesn't have a heated steering wheel. Not a dealbreaker, but an unusual omission at this level.
Verdict
There are just a couple of question marks hanging over the BYD Shark DMO that detract from the overall picture, such as its price, its infrequently brittle low-speed ride and the alarming real-world consumption we saw from it while on test. The bigger issue, certainly for those looking for a commercial use, is the inability to take a tonne in its loadbed, bringing all sorts of non-VAT-reclaimable complications into play.
But as an intriguing, good-to-drive, ultra-rapid, smart-looking and largely refined truck (once you're up to speed), the Shark certainly deserves careful consideration. It's a really impressive effort from BYD and something a little different to the diesel-powered, agriculturally sprung norm in this sector.
