BYD's premium brand Denza spearheads its luxury model line-up with this car, the Z9 GT. With standard-setting technology, it aims to re-write the rulebook for performance-orientated EVs and PHEVs. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review

There's never been a luxury performance Grand Touring model quite like Denza's Z9 GT. For a six-figure sum, this stylised high performance Shooting Brake delivers the Chinese motor industry's current state of the art technology for full-EVs and Plug-in Hybrids. Even if you don't want this car, you can't help being impressed by it.

Background

BYD's Denza brand begins here with something quite different, a big uber-powerful Shooting Brake-style crossovery kind of estate, the Z9 GT. Picture something combining the genes of Porsche's Panamera and Taycan Cross Turismo models and you're somewhere near the kind of car this Z9 GT is trying to be. Which means it's trying to be very premium indeed, as is Denza's remit in the BYD empire, where it fits in above BYD's mainstream models and sits alongside the conglomerate's Fangchenbao off-road brand, both marques positioned under the Chinese company's ultimate Yangwang nameplate. Taking on the big posh German makers with large luxury sector products is something that premium brands from mainstream car makers have frequently tried and failed at over the years - Infiniti, Genesis and Maserati are just three recent examples. But with Denza, BYD is certainly giving what might seem like an almost impossible objective for a fledgling car maker its very best shot. The Z9 GT was the first model it launched in Europe and is offered in both Plug-in Hybrid and full-EV forms. It's the latter version that's garnered the most headlines because it's one of the fastest-charging electric cars ever made and it's the cheapest way to get more than 1,000PS in any car you can currently buy.

Driving Experience

It seems like only yesterday that the German premium makers were engaged in a power output battle with cars developing 500 to 600PS. An EV era in which extra horsepower was simply a software tweak away raised the stakes further, but even so, few expected that the 1,000PS barrier would be breached by a relatively mainstream model quite as quickly. Yet that's what the EV version of this Z9 GT manages, with power to spare - 1,156PS to be exact. For perspective, we'll tell you that its two most obvious (and considerably more expensive) rivals, Porsche's Taycan Turbo S and the Audi RS e-tron, both put out 925PS. Both competitors are slightly faster in the real world though, because neither has to lug around anything like as much as 2.9-tonnes, this Denza's kerb weight. And that means the huge 122.5kWh battery that largely accounts for this bulk is considerably limited in the range it can provide - to 373 miles. For class perspective, the 122kWh battery in a Mercedes EQS 450+ can take you 542 miles. But that car doesn't have 1,210Nm of torque, the result of a tri-motor AWD system that uses a 313PS motor on the front axle and twin 422PS motors at the rear. Consequently, 0-62mph vanishes in just 2.7s en route to 167mph. And the standard carbon ceramic brakes stop you just as quickly. A single-motor EV model with the same battery and single-speed EV transmission will join the line-up - and might be the version to have. Or at least it might be assuming you don't want to consider a Z9 GT variant we might find ourselves slightly more tempted by, the Plug-in Hybrid. It lacks the tri-motor EV model's headline-grabbing performance stats, but is still pretty ground-breaking for a PHEV, particularly one based around a humble-sounding 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder engine. Here again there's a tri-motor system, with a 270PS unit at the front and a couple of 252PS rear motors. They're all energised by one of the biggest drive batteries ever fitted to a PHEV, 63.8kWh in size allowing for an EV range of 126 miles. Thanks to a combined output of 776PS, 0-62mph takes 3.6s en route to 162mph. The powertrain is designed to work as an REX range extender at low speeds (under 62mph) and as an ordinary full-Hybrid above that. So, with the powertrains understood, what of the car? Well with all that weight to carry about, there are obviously severe limitations on how 'sporty' the handling can be, so it's not surprising to find that the engineers opted instead to focus on the 'GT' part of this model's nameplate. That generally means creation of an uber-fast, uber-comfortable Grand Tourer, which is very much what this Denza is - but of course, there's more to it than that. Key to the GT remit is the dual-chamber air suspension system, which will float you impressively over the poorest surfaces. It adjusts itself of course to your chosen drive mode (Eco, Normal, Sport or Snow) and can have its ride height changed for challenging tracks. Under a provided centre screen 'DiSus' menu, further options are available to alter suspension stiffness and there's a 'Vehicle Motion Control' system to make suspension, braking and steering adjustments in as little as 10 milliseconds. There's also a provided 'Boost' paddle which when held down for a few seconds sends the car into its fastest 'Sport+' drive mode. The Z9's e3 platform (pronounced 'e cube') has been designed to work with the second generation version of parent company BYD's 'Blade' battery technology. And includes even more effective 'cell-to-body' packaging with the battery integral to the car's platform, in this case allowing for a 32% increase in chassis stiffness. That platform incorporates independent rear-wheel steering (allowing for a supermini-like turning circle of just 5.35-metres) and enables individual Wheel Torque Control. Which is used for the car's 'Compass Turn 360' feature, so-called 'pivot turning' where the front wheels lock in place and the rears turn and steer - so the vehicle rotates within its own footprint, this for times when incredibly tight manoeuvres are needed. Individual Wheel Torque Control also allows for a so-called 'crab walk' function where the car can drive diagonally up to 8.5-degrees. If after all that you still can't fit this 5-metre-long 2-metre-wide Z9 into the space you have in mind, there's a self-parking feature that can work either in-car or, if you're standing outside it, via an app on your 'phone.

Design and Build

There's nothing else that looks quite like a Z9 GT. That might attract you to it. Or it might not. And opinion might also be divided as to whether this 5.2-metre Shooting Brake-style model has crossover genes in its DNA; and, more importantly, whether it really has the visual impact needed for a £100,000 car. Some elements work better than others; the front looks a bit generic, but there are some attractive side creases and rear lights that have been said to evoke the spirit of 1960s Americana. At least some of the wow factor likely customers will want is provided by electric doors - all four open at the touch of a button and then the driver's seat slides back to ease access. But this isn't technology that adds much to the usability experience, falling into the same category as the optional digital wing mirrors. Inside up-front, it's all very nice but whether this is the cabin of a six-figure premium luxury GT might evoke further customer debate. If you're undecided, the stitched leather, the 20-speaker Devialet high-end audio system and the standard fridge compartment between the front seats might sway you Denza's way. The expected enormous centre screen is 17.3-inches in size and has a built-in AI assistant to try and compensate for the lack the fascia buttons most more mature segment customers would probably rather have. But everything you'd want is on this monitor and it's supported by a further passenger-side display to its right. Rear seat space is generous - but only two chairs are provided. Still they recline, massage you and of course are heated and cooled. Even tall folk will enjoy plenty of headroom too. The boot isn't quite as impressive (a bit small and narrow for a car this big) with total capacity beneath the hatch rated at 495-litres for the EV or 478-litres for the PHEV. There's a further under-floor compartment. And a 53-litre under-bonnet 'frunk' for the charging leads.

Market and Model

It's at this point that Denza could have really nailed this car as an unmissable executive segment proposition. Which with an asking price of under £75,000 it would have been. Certainly, this was possible. In Australia, a Z9 GT sells for the equivalent of £55,000-£60,000; in China, not much more than about £45,000. It's disappointing then that in major European company's, this model's price is so much more. For the UK, the 122.5kWh EV model costs £105,000. The PHEV variant requires £95,000. Where is Denza getting these figures from? Perhaps from comparison with segment rivals. For a Porsche Taycan Turbo or Audi RS e-tron GT, both with less power and slower charging speeds, you'll need to budget in the £135,000-£145,000 bracket. And with either, you'd almost certainly have to spend even more to bring the specification level up to this Denza's standard. And there are some items (like the fridge compartment between the front seats and the centre screen's karaoke system) that only this Z9 has. Standard kit for this Denza model also includes a 20-speaker 'concert hall-standard' Devialet premium sound system. Plus there's nappa leather upholstery and every seat in the car has a massaging system - plus the rear chairs recline. You get rear-axles teering, all the parking cleverness we told you about in our 'Driving' section and there's a Lidar sensor on the roof, futureproofing the car for future-legislated autonomous driving. The only extras you can add are digital side mirrors, bigger 21-inch wheels (to replace the standard 20-inchers) and matte paint.

Cost of Ownership

Probably the most important thing about the Z9 GT is not how fast it goes or what it looks like but how it charges. It benefits from the BYD conglomerate's new standard-setting 'Flash Charging' technology which completely resets the standard for the DC battery replenishment of electric cars. Find one of the 'Flash Charging' sites that BYD is busily installing across Europe and this Denza can DC-charge at up to 1,500kW. For perspective, a rival Porsche Taycan tops out at 320kW. This means a 10 to 70% charge of the EV version's 122.5kWh battery can be completed in just five minutes, a 20 to 97% charge (adding 323 miles of range) takes nine minutes and a 10 to 30% get-you-home charge takes only two minutes. Potentially game-changing. Denza parent company BYD is starting in the UK with 300 'Flash Charging' points (able to accommodate 600 cars), with site numbers building quickly from there. A year's free 'Flash Charging' comes included in the cost of the car. 'Flash Charging' also works with the PHEV but even if you can't use it, a DC fast charger could replenish the Plug-in Hybrid variant from 30-80% in about 20 minutes. At home, using a typical single-phase 7.4kW AC wallbox, a full charge of the 122.5kWh EV version needs about 13.5 hours, a time you could reduce to 11 hours with a three-phase 11kW AC supply. A full AC charge of the PHEV version with a 7.4kW wallbox needs about 6 hours, a time you could reduce to around 3.5 hours with a three-phase 11kW AC supply. As usual with BYD-derived products, there's a six year/90,000 mile warranty, while the battery gets an eight year/120,000 mile warranty. Because asking prices are over £40,000, owners will be paying the VED car tax 'expensive car' surcharge, which means payments of £620 annually from ownership years two to five.

Summary

Perhaps there's something for everyone here. Standard-setting power outputs and charging speeds. Redefining parking technology. Rear seat space that is difficult to better in a GT. And premium badge engineering that no one else in your company car park is likely to have. Plus the wow factor of electric doors. For all that, we still wonder who's going to buy a Z9 GT. Its prodigious weight means the EV version's driving range is some way off the top class standard. Depreciation is uncertain. And you may not feel the front end makes the required overtaking statement. These are all things that matter, but we still can't rather like help rather liking this Denza. An initial glance at the styling might suggest a mere attempt at copying German rivals but in fact this car is trying hard to be refreshingly different - and to some extent succeeds. If this is the kind of approach we can expect from Denza in the future, there's plenty to look forward to.