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The Citizen
an hour ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
BYD Shark dethrones Ford Ranger Raptor as fastest bakkie in SA
Plug-in hybrid double cab reaches 100km/h from a standstill in a mere 5.66 seconds. I was really looking forward to driving the BYD Shark. It's South Africa's first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) bakkie. It makes stupid power, and I wanted to see if all the hype was justified. There are videos online showing how it takes out the Ford Ranger Raptor. On the road that is, something I honestly thought I would never see. The BYD Shark has all the tech, luxury and safety any owner could want in a bakkie. But this we have already covered and today is about the highly-anticipated road test. Now, before you say who cares how fast a bakkie is, just remember that every Ford Ranger Raptor that lands here is sold. ALSO READ: BYD Shark banks on credentials to take down Ford Ranger Raptor BYD Shark raises the bar Nobody needs a 300kW bakkie, but seemingly everybody wants a 300kW bakkie. Talking of which, the BYD Shark PHEV produces a combined 321kW and 650Nm from a 135kW/260 Nm 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine up front, plus a 170kW/310Nm electric motor on the front axle and a 150kW/340Nm motor at the rear. The Ford Ranger Raptor makes 292kW and 650Nm for those that want to know. There is a new boss in town. Picture: Mark Jones Racelogic VBOX test equipment loaded. A claim of 5.70 seconds to 100km/h from BYD for the Shark. Which would make it by far the fastest bakkie The Citizen Motoring has tested. And that includes the Ford Ranger Raptor that ran a time of 6.90 seconds. Select Sport Mode. Hit the accelerator, and with just a hint of hesitation as the computers let the hardware know it's go-time, the BYD Shark bolts off the line. Cold-blooded Raptor killer There is no emotion, no sound, no sense of real speed like with the Ford Ranger Raptor. Yet the BYD Shark hit 100km/h in a mere 5.66 seconds. And just like that, the king was gone, and a new king had his crown. BYD claim an electronically limited top speed of 160km/h for the Shark. I got to this speed in just 14 seconds after covering only 400m of road. Then the surprise came, it did not stop pulling. 170km/h came along, then 180km/h, which is where the Ford Ranger Raptor stops. And finally, just before the 800m mark, the speed limiter kicked in at 185km/h, as seen in the chart below. The obvious question now is what happens when the battery goes flat? The BYD Shark is quite clever in that driving in pure EV mode or intelligent HEV Mode, the bakkie won't let the battery go below 25%. You will always have that combined power when you need it. ALSO READ: Sub-R1m BYD Shark becomes South Africa's most powerful bakkie The BYD Shark features an aircraft-like starter button. Picture: Mark Jones Clever battery tech We ran the bakkie for as long as we could flat out in Sport Mode in attempt to try kill the battery. It eventually got it down to 13%, but nothing lower. I would have run out of fuel first and that number would still not have changed. Sure, once you have tried to kill the battery like this, the BYD Shark is then a sitting duck for the Ford Ranger Raptor, but it's still faster than almost all the other bakkies on the market today. And the moment you stop trying to be stupid, it starts charging the battery up again for full performance and increased EV range. Which brings me to the topic of fuel consumption. BYD claim a figure of 9.6 litres per 100km and I averaged 9.8L/100km. Which I thought was more than acceptable. But it could have been way better. I don't have a BYD installed wall charger at home, but if I did, the Shark would almost always be fully charged, and that meant I would have been able to do around 85km on electricity alone. And that for me most days would mean I would not be stopping at a filling station. Value for money The BYD Shark is priced at R959 900. If you look at what's on offer at this price point, this is not a bad deal. If you are still obsessing over this being an out and out war with the Ford Ranger Raptor, it comes in some R300 000 more expensive at R1 270 000. That a big chunk of change. Especially when you consider that the BYD Shark comes with a five-year/100 000km vehicle warranty, eight-year/200 000km battery warranty and five-year maintenance plan. This is something no other manufacturer offers on their bakkies as standard. Clever tech ensures the battery never goes flat. Picture: Mark Jones ALSO READ: VIDEO: BYD Shark leaps into SA, guns for Raptor's crown The BYD Shark is well-appointed with a premium feel interior. The ride quality is okay, if not a bit firm for what is a luxury bakkie. It is faster on road than the Ford Ranger Raptor, and anything else on the market right now. But you can't dismiss the sound and emotion that the Ford Ranger Raptor brings to the table. And if hardcore off-roading, or high-speed dirt is your thing, then it is still the bakkie to beat. You know it, I know it, and BYD knows it too. The Shark is more city slicker than cowboy. It's up to you which one you are. And which bakkie you want. BYD Shark road test data
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Behind the Scenes at Lightning Lap 2025
You've heard the expression, "It takes a village." This is the 18th year we've made the trek from our editorial headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a week of fast lap times around the 4.1-mile Grand Course at Virginia International Raceway. This year, we entered 13 performance cars into the gauntlet. Nobody wants to work from home during Lightning Lap, and it takes a lot of GoPros, lap timers, tires, and snacks to get the job done. Here's a look at the people and machines behind the scenes of this year's annual track test. BACK TO LIGHTNING LAP 2025 Each car has a checklist before it leaves the paddock: Are the GoPros running? Is the SD card pushed into the Racelogic VBOX lap timer? Are the tire pressures set? And please honk the horn to sync the video! There are two GoPros mounted to each vehicle to capture every curb-eating attempt at a good time. Although the quickest laps are completed in just a few minutes, after three track days, there are terabytes of footage. The 771-hp Bentley Continental GT Speed suckling from the teat of VIR's electrical grid. Pit lane runs parallel to VIR's front straightaway. Automakers who send engineers and PR folks use the stairwell from the paddock garage above to get to the pits, where they will often adjust tire pressures and run a stopwatch of their own. Our social media team worked feverishly to answer every question posted by our Instagram followers. If you're a grilled-cheese sandwich and managing testing editor David Beard is giving you this look: run. Our video and photo crew work out of the same paddock garages IMSA's race teams do. Sometimes, there is tape left on the concrete from engineers of race weekends past. This year, we found a green dinosaur sticker from AO Racing's "Rexy" Porsche 911 GT3 team. Fitting, because there was no shortage of green cars this year. Photographers are required to wear a harness while strapped into the photo vehicle during car-to-car photography. It's there to prevent them from accidentally falling out. But if staff photographer Marc Urbano wants to wear it casually as a fashion accessory, we won't stop him. Associate testing editor Gannon Burgett (left) and video editor Alex Malburg (right) have mounted enough GoPros to Lightning Lap cars to know that putting the camera on the roof—and out of the travel of the windshield wipers—is the right way to do it. There's more than 6500 horsepower among the cars in this image. And that's without including the 266-hp Subaru Ascent rental car in the background. The 276-hp Hyundai Elantra N rests on a set of QuickJack portable car lifts as it awaits a new set of rubber. Editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga refers to Lightning Lap as "employee retention week." Just before technical editor Austin Irwin was about to pursue his dream of becoming the world's greatest (and potentially largest) tap dancer, the opportunity to set a hot lap steered him back. Yet, he still got to dance. That moment when someone says, "Lunch is ready." If "Guys Being Dudes" were a band, this would be the album cover. Buyer's Guide director Rich Ceppos has spent a lifetime in cars. He competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1987. He wrote the tested review of the $400,000 Ferrari F40 in 1991. And he's had his name on the Car and Driver masthead for more than 20 years. What does a guy like Rich think about when he's waiting to set a fast lap in fast cars? "Did I really lock my hotel key in my room?!" We use toy cars to help set up and practice the giant group shot for the magazine cover. Not even joking, that's how we do it. Road warrior Jacob Kurowicki cheeses for the camera after forcefully declaring, "Cars are more exciting on two wheels, damn it!" Editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga's first Lightning Lap was in 2008. Then, he set a time in a Chevrolet Cobalt SS. Today, he's helping a new driver get up to speed around VIR's daunting road course. Towers of Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires waiting to be scrubbed beneath the 5319-pound Lucid Air Sapphire. There are 24 turns to tackle within VIR's Grand Course layout. They lay within five sectors and have names like NASCAR Bend, Climbing Esses, Oak Tree, Bitch, and Roller Coaster. Getting a car through each of these without a mistake can be nerve-racking. These frenemies shared a rented generator and DC fast-charger to keep topped up on energy. The Lucid Air Sapphire would later set a time that put it into the all-time top 10. The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT would slice 13.4 seconds off the last Taycan we ran here. Vehicle testing director Dave VanderWerp, chatting up the Porsche team about attacking VIR—er, about when to pull the right paddle to unleash the Taycan Turbo GT's 10-second blast of 937 horsepower. Drivers go out. Drivers burn rubber. Drivers come in. Drivers pore over track data to pinpoint where they must drive faster. Tire warmers tell you just how badly Porsche wanted a good lap time out of what's likely the last gas-powered Cayman. From left to right: 9000-rpm redline, 937 horsepower, 937 horsepower again. What a 205/45R-17 tire from a Mazda MX-5 Miata Club looks like against the 345/30ZRF-21 rear artillery from a Lamborghini Revuelto. The Cayman 718 GT4 RS MR reached 1.23 g's through Turn 1. Checking in on tire pressures is key to maintaining wildly sticky grip around VIR. David Beard's live reaction after being told there were no more grilled-cheese sandwiches. Another beautiful year of Lightning Lap is in the books! You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
