First Drive: The Denza Z9GT is a comfortable and innovative GT cruiser

What is it?

BYD is one of the world’s fastest-growing car manufacturers and has become a popular choice among British buyers.

It has gained a reputation for making affordable EVs and plug-in hybrids, and now the Chinese firm has decided to take one step further and look into taking on the likes of Mercedes and Porsche.

Introducing Denza, BYD’s premium sub-brand, and it’s launching its first car in the UK with the Z9GT. A sleek, four-door coupe that will rival the likes of the Porsche Panamera when the car arrives on our shores next year. We’ve had a short drive in it to see whether it can be a serious contender in this sector of the market.

What’s new?

The Z9GT is as fresh as new cars can get, as it sits on BYD’s new ‘E3’ platform, which allows the car to feature ‘rear-wheel steering angle’ and ‘Compass U-turn’ technology.

The car’s body is new, with there being a choice of different electrified powertrains, while the interior focuses on providing both luxury and practicality.

Underneath its skin, the car utilises BYD’s ‘Blade Battery Technology’, which is stronger, more durable and uses no precious metals such as cobalt and nickel to help reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability in the manufacturing process.

It also features a ‘Cell-to-Body’ construction, where the battery is integrated into the body and structure of the vehicle, with the battery acting as the floor of the passenger compartment, to help increase the car’s rigidity and make the chassis of the vehicle stronger in the event of an impact.

What’s under the bonnet?

The Z9GT will be available with a choice of plug-in hybrid and electric configurations.

We’re driving the EV variant, which comes equipped with a 100kWh battery and dual electric motors to produce 952bhp and 1,150Nm of torque. This setup takes the car to 60mph in 3.2 seconds, and it will reach a top speed of 149mph.

Denza claims that the GT can travel up to 391 miles between trips to the plug and that 270kW DC rapid-charging is compatible, allowing for a 30 to 80 per cent top-up to take 19 minutes.

Despite this, the Z9GT will be the first car to be available with ultra-rapid 1000kW DC mega-charging, which Denza claims can add up to 249 miles of range in just five minutes – making it one of the fastest EVs to be charged.

What’s it like to drive?

During a short drive around BYD’s new test track facility, the Z9GT held its own when driven at speed.

The car’s soft suspension makes it a very comfortable cruiser and the steering doesn’t feel overly assisted, which gives it a more engaging character.

The well-insulated cabin and soft seats also make it a refined long-distance GT car, while the handling is surprisingly direct for a car of its size.

It’s just a shame that the letter box-like rear window makes it difficult to see out of the back, and the car does feel rather heavy in the corners, with a little bit of body lean.

The Z9GT is also available with Denza’s ‘real-wheel steering angle’ technology, which enables the rear wheels to rotate inwards or outwards to improve manoeuvrability when parking. Also, there is a function called ‘Compass U-turn’ which combines braking, rear-wheel steering and torque vectoring to enable the car to pivot up to 360 degrees from a standstill.

How does it look?

From any angle, the Z9GT is a striking-looking car with lots of smooth lines and bulbous edges.

The body has more of a shooting brake estate look to it, and has similar styling cues to the Porsche Panamera, with its swollen rear haunches and sleek tailgate design.

At the front, the slim headlights, pointy nostrils and widened front wheel arches have been designed as part of Denza’s new design language it calls ‘Inspired by flowing silk’, which makes the car look sporty even when it’s stationary.

The side profile also features premium touches such as flush door handles, frameless window surrounds and Denza badging located on the C-pillar.

We think the Z9GT is a fantastic-looking car, as it has a unique presence out on the road, while managing to have a simple yet striking appearance.

What’s it like inside?

Wherever you look, everything feels high-quality and has a premium touch.

Our test car is specified with maroon leather upholstery, which extends onto the door cards and the dashboard, while there is solid carbon fibre-effect trim too.

All the controls have a nicely damped feel, and there is a surprising amount of physical knobs and dials. It’s just a shame that the large steering wheel can obstruct some of the shortcut buttons located on the left-hand side of the infotainment screen.

In terms of practicality, with the exception of the mediocre door bins, the Z9GT provides plenty of space, including a large centre armrest storage area, two wireless phone chargers, a massive cut out under the centre console and two cupholders.

Jump in the back, and rear-seat passengers are greeted with bucket loads of leg and knee room, while the almost flat floor makes it feel even more capacious. There are also storage pockets on the back of the front seats, rear door bins, a centre armrest that doubles up with two extra cupholders and roof-mounted vanity mirrors.

Boot space is also impressive, with the car providing up to 488 litres of space; however, Denza has not revealed the total capacity with the rear seats folded at this stage.

What’s the spec like?

There are no details on the car’s prices and specifications at this stage.

Our Chinese-specified test car comes with lots of bells and whistles, including a digital rear view mirror, two wireless phone chargers, a crystal-like gear lever and extended leather upholstery found on the door cards and dashboard.

It’s also unclear at this stage whether the rear-wheel steering angle and Compass U-turn technology will be standard equipment. It’s anticipated that prices for the entry-level car will start from around the £50,000 mark, which will make it a lot cheaper compared to the £82,500 starting price of Porsche’s Panamera.

Verdict

BYD’s new premium sub-brand is looking to have a bright future with the Z9GT.

With its excellent comfort, refinement, quality, space and class-leading charging speeds, car makers such as Mercedes and Porsche need to worry about how Denza has delivered a competent all-round package for a first attempt in this market.

The Z9GT really is an impressive and capable luxury four-door coupe that could steer a lot of buyers away from the German competition.