2027 Denza Z9 GT review: Quick drive

Forget cheap and cheerful. The Denza Z9 GT is a BYD that thinks it’s a Porsche Taycan. Denza, BYD’s premium brand, offers three models in Australia, including two plug-in hybrid large off-road SUVs – the B5 and B8 – and the blingy electric-powered D9 people mover.

The Z9 GT, which will go on sale here in the third quarter of this year, steps Denza up a division. This sporty, luxurious electrified hatchback, which is perhaps better described as a wagon or shooting brake, will be the quickest, most powerful Chinese car ever sold in Australia. And it will have Taycan owners glancing nervously in their rear-vision mirrors.

The Denza Z9 GT is offered in Europe with the choice of two powertrains. The entry-level Z9 GT DM (for Dual Mode) is a plug-in hybrid with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine under the bonnet that directly drives the wheels only at high speeds but otherwise works mainly to keep the car’s 63.82kWh battery pack charged to feed its three electric motors. This model has yet to be confirmed for Australia. Initially we’re getting the more muscular pure-electric version badged simply as the Z9 GT.

The Z9 GT is built on a platform created by BYD specifically for Denza vehicles. Dubbed e³ (pronounced e-cube), the platform accommodates either pure-electric or plug-in hybrid powertrains and has Denza’s second-generation Blade Battery built in as an integral part of its structure. It also has a sophisticated digital control hub called the Vehicle Motion Controller that oversees the regenerative braking and the dual-mode dual-chamber air suspension, as well as functions such as the standard rear-wheel steering and self-parking systems. 

At 5180mm long with a 3125mm wheelbase, the Z9 GT is a big car. Designed under the direction of BYD’s design director, former Audi design boss Wolfgang Egger, it is 206mm longer overall, and 221mm longer between the axles, than the Taycan Cross Turismo that clearly inspired its exterior styling. That long wheelbase delivers generous rear-seat accommodation that easily accommodates two adults.

How much does the Denza Z9 GT cost?

Australian pricing for the Denza Z9 GT has yet to be confirmed. But in Europe and the UK it retails for about the same money as the Porsche Taycan 4S. If that pricing logic holds here, the Z9 GT could cost about $215,000.

What is the Denza Z9 GT like on the inside?

The Denza Z9 GT’s door powers open with a touch on the handle. Once you’re seated, touch a button and the door will close. Press the brake pedal and the Denza wakes up. If you’re a traditionalist you can press the start button on the centre console. 

A quick visual sweep around the interior reveals good perceived quality in terms of materials, and tons of standard equipment. The eight-way power adjustable heated and cooled front seats include a massage function.

The driver’s seat has active side bolsters that share their air tanks with the car’s suspension, so the bolsters react to support you at precisely the same time as the air springs are supporting the car.

There’s a mini fridge in the centre console, three 50W wireless smartphone charging pads – two up front, and one at the rear – and a 20-speaker 1150W sound system from French high-end audio manufacturer Devialet.

There are screens, of course. Five of them, in fact – one in each door for the exterior rear-view cameras, plus a giant 17.3-inch central touchscreen that floats in front of the dash and is flanked by a pair of 13.2-inch screens, one of which displays all relevant information for the driver while the other allows the front-seat passenger to interact with the infotainment system.

But there are also physical switches for windows and mirrors, plus switches on the centre console for various functions including drive mode selection, although the graphics are somewhat hard to read.

What's under the bonnet?

The Denza Z9 GT has three e-motors, one at the front axle and two at the rear. Total system output is 850kW of power and 1210Nm of torque.

They’re big numbers, right up there with the 760kW and 1240Nm outputs of the most potent Taycan, the Turbo GT, and the 779kW and 990Nm of the Ferrari Luce (and in the ballpark of the 860kW Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4-Door Coupe, though its gargantuan 2000Nm puts it on another level entirely). 

But what will really get the attention of Porsche, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz engineers is the fact the Z9 GT’s e-motors draw their electrons from a 122.49kWh battery pack that will accept charge rates up to 1500kW, enabling it to be taken from a 10 per cent state of charge to 70 per cent in an eye-popping five minutes, and from 10 to 97 per cent in just nine minutes. 

That hyper-fast charging is the result of BYD’s self-developed Flash Charge system and its lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) second-generation Blade Battery, which has taken six years to develop. BYD’s original Blade Battery concept, used in volume-selling vehicles such as the Seal and the Dolphin, features cell-to-pack construction in which long, thin cells are laid directly into the battery pack frame rather than installed in modules. This reduces the pack’s size and saves weight, important as LFP cells, though cheaper to make, are 30 to 60 per cent heavier than the more energy-dense nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cells used in most EVs.

What makes the second-gen Blade Battery in the Denza Z9 GT different is the addition of manganese to the cell chemistry, which increases energy density by five per cent while maintaining the trademark thermal stability of regular LFP batteries that enables them to accept faster rates of charge than NMC batteries without overheating. BYD claims its latest Blade Battery is 2.5 per cent more durable than the original. 

How does the Denza Z9 GT drive?

BYD says the Z9 GT will sprint to 100km/h in 2.7 seconds and has a top speed of 270km/h.

It’s not quite as quick as the European EV elite – based on claimed figures, the Mercedes-AMG GT63 4-Door Coupe will get to 100km/h in just 2.1 seconds and hit 300km/h (equipped with the optional Driver’s Package), while the Weissach Pack-equipped Porsche Taycan Turbo GT will hit 100km/h in 2.2 seconds and tops out at 305km/h. And while the Z9 GT is only a 10th or two off the Ferrari Luce in terms of the 0-100km/h sprint, the Italian car has a top speed of 310km/h. 

But the Denza is nevertheless impressively rapid, a car that will both thrill and challenge the enthusiastic driver. To a point. The smooth punch of the powertrain is complemented by a ride that is supple and quiet, especially at low to middling speeds. But the steering is light and somewhat numb, and we noticed some float in the suspension above 160km/h on the empty backroads of our test route. 

The Denza also feels heavy when pushed hard, despite the trick rear-wheel steering and cross-axle torque vectoring systems – we could hear the tyres scrambling for grip when pushing through corners, even with all the traction and stability control nannies on full alert (thankfully, you can turn off all the annoying driver aids such as lane-keep assist). It feels heavy because it is heavy. That giant Blade Battery might deliver good range and blisteringly fast charging capability, but its LFP chemistry means it weighs a lot more than a comparable NMC battery. 

The Ferrari Luce is the proof point: It has a 122kWh NMC battery and weighs 2260kg, while the Denza Z9 GT tips the scales at more than 2800kg. Managing that mass is one reason the Z9 GT doesn’t dynamically join the dots in the same way as the Luce on a twisty road; it lacks the same precise control over its chassis and feels more digital in its responses.

The Z9 GT has five drive modes – Normal, Eco, Sport, Sport Plus, and Snow. Sport Plus can be accessed at any time by holding in the right-hand paddle for a few seconds. It’s like being fired from a cannon. Fortunately, given Z9 GT’s speed and mass, carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, and the 21-inch wheels are equipped with quality Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tyres, measuring 255/40 and the front and 275/40 at the rear.

As you’d expect in a modern high-performance EV, the Z9 GT offers even more adjustability in how you can set it up, via controls buried in menus on the central touchscreen or quickly accessed via a button labelled DiSus on the centre console. The air suspension can be switched between comfort-oriented or sport-focused damping profiles and three ride heights. The steering and brake assist functions can also be toggled between comfort and sport levels. 

Pressing a button labeled e³ on the centre console opens a whole new world of fun and games. There’s something called Pencil Compass Turning, which can pivot the Z9 GT by 360 degrees around a notional point at the nose of the car, and Intelligent Crab Walk, which enables the car to move diagonally.

Both functions are enabled by the Denza’s ability to spin its rear motors and turn its rear wheels independently in different directions. More conventional capabilities unlocked by the e³ button include a race mode, and a drift mode. For all that, the Z9 GT offers only two levels of regenerative braking, standard and high.

What do you get?

2027 Denza Z9 GT standard equipment highlights:

• Heated and ventilated front and rear seats
• 8-way electrically adjustable front seats
• Front seats with massage and memory function
• Rear-seat massage function
• 4-zone independent automatic climate control
• Premium rear centre armrest with two integrated cupholders
• Multi-colour gradient ambient interior lighting
• Active side lumbar support for driver's seat
• Satellite navigation
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Three 50W wireless smartphone chargers
• Augmented-reality head-up display
• Power-assisted soft-close doors
• Foot-gesture tailgate opening
• Panoramic roof

Is the Denza Z9 GT safe?

The Denza Z9 GT has yet to be tested by Euro NCAP, but it is equipped with a full suite of passive and active safety features.

Standard safety equipment includes: 

• Side curtain airbags
• Adaptive and intelligent cruise control
• Lane departure assist
• Emergency lane-keep assist
• Front and rear cross-traffic alert and braking
• Brake assist
• Parking assist with 360-degree camera
• Driver monitoring system
• Forward collision warning
• Automatic emergency braking
• Traffic sign recognition
• Blind-spot detection
• High-speed blowout stability control
• Hill descent control

How much does the Denza Z9 GT cost to run?

Denza offers a six-year, 150,000km vehicle warranty and an eight-year, 160,000km high-voltage battery warranty on its vehicles in Australia, and the Z9 GT is likely to have similar warranty coverage.

The Denza’s 122.49kWh battery pack delivers a WLTP-rated range of 600km. In Europe, the Z9 GT comes with a year's free Flash Charging as standard. BYD Australia plans to install 1500kW Flash Chargers in capital-city Denza showrooms by the end of this year, but it’s not known whether local buyers will be offered a similar deal.

CarExpert's Take on the Denza Z9 GT

The Denza Z9 GT isn’t quite a Porsche Taycan-beater, but it shows the best of China’s automakers are no longer an academic threat to manufacturers in North America, Europe, and elsewhere in Asia.

The Chinese aren’t tiptoeing into the markets with cheap and cheerful mainstream cars like the Japanese and Koreans once did. No, they’re coming at China Speed, and their ambition is boundless.

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