Leopard Ti7 After 3,500 km: Raw Experience Without the Hype

First Impression and the Decision

This is my first time buying a hybrid car, to be honest. I got it after hearing people in the group talk about BYD vehicles in general. The car is currently at 3,500 km. For the first two weeks, I only charged it at fast-charging stations because it supports CCS2.

Before this, I rented a "Seele" and "Song Plus" from Yelo for two weeks, and honestly, I hated them. The problem with plug-in hybrids is that without a charger at home, you don't really benefit from them. Type 2 chargers aren't widely available in public places except at "Electromin," and you need to buy a separate cable. No real advantages, no savings—just feels like any other car.

Then the Ti7 came along, and I noticed the one thing I'd been hoping for: the fast charger. That's when I decided to buy it, and thank God, it's been a great experience and everything is working well.

I'm enjoying the car and I recommend it. I won't lie and say 'stay away' or anything like that. But anyone buying should know about a real owner's experience without any sugar-coating or flattery.

Charging and Daily Use

I bought a portable "Fairy" charger because I can't do proper grounding, and I use it almost daily. When I go out on trips and the battery drops or the car switches out of EV mode, if I find a fast charger, I charge it right away without hesitation.

All that talk about not charging frequently and stuff like that doesn't make sense. The car's manual says it's fine, and there are no warnings whatsoever.

Problems I Faced

The car went to the dealer 3 times for the following reasons:

• The suspension system is very stiff in all modes and overly sensitive.
• Cruise control and radar are unreliable and constantly malfunction.
• The right turn signal keeps getting stuck and won't turn off.
• There's a distinct clicking sound when hitting bumps at the front.
• Sound is muted even for alarms and signals—usually after startup until you adjust the volume and back.
• The windshield washer on the passenger side sprays outside the glass.
• The floor mats were never delivered—they keep making excuses.
• GPS problems with Google Maps and the app.

After Service and Updates

I came back with updates and they fixed some issues:

• They updated the suspension system and fixed the clicking sound, but now it feels stiffer than before.
• They updated cruise control and radar, and it's working fine now—no more constant dropouts.
• GPS is sorted and working perfectly, even on the app.
• Got my floor mats.
• Fixed the windshield washer. (The rest they either didn't fix or didn't know how to).

Dealer Issues and Pricing

Their maintenance is extremely expensive. A 10,000 km service costs over 1,000 rials! What are they doing besides oil and filter according to them? For the record, the manual says about 4 liters of oil, which costs around 200 rials, and the filter is about 100 rials. So why this markup?

The dealer schedules every 10,000 km on the total odometer reading, but the manual says either 10,000 km on the HEV meter or 15,000 km on the total odometer. So you can see the dealer is being unreasonable and doesn't have the right to do this—especially when the Ministry of Commerce follows the manufacturer's manual, not the dealer's word, since the car and manual are intended for the import market.

Service Quality and Staff

The dealer is poor quality and will become a problem if they don't improve. Most staff don't know what they're dealing with or what they're doing, whether in sales or after-sales service. This talk of "maintenance packages" feels like they're mocking us. The price is already inflated, and their handling of the service intervals is wrong. So you're forced into something because if you skip any of it, they'll say "goodbye." The contracts are just a trap so you can't service elsewhere.

Even the sales consultants and marketing people in the showroom don't know anything about the cars. It's just marketing with no real information—which means trapping the customer and giving wrong details. And if you ask after the purchase, they say "go to the after-sales department," basically saying my job with you is done! And after-sales says we don't know, we'll check, we'll figure something out, and so on.

Final Thoughts

I'm enjoying the car and I recommend it. I won't lie and say "stay away" or anything like that. But anyone buying should know about a real owner's experience without any sugar-coating or flattery. It has flaws, yes. It has strengths, yes. What outweighs what? That depends on what you need.

Your brother, Abu Elias

I swear I'm not on anyone's side—not the dealer's, not the car's, not the group's, not the customers'. I'm just giving you my honest experience that I have in mind, and I hope everyone knows about it.