Another day, another Chinese car, huh?
True that, yes, but these aren’t like the usual China cars. These two are more premium than your run-of-the-mill SUV, and they come courtesy of BYD’s luxury brand Denza. What’s more, they’re plug-in hybrid SUVs, which we understand is all the rage these days.
Very well, then tell us more. But let’s focus on the Denza B8 first.
Good, because that was really going to go first. The B8 is the bigger among these two. It measures nearly 5.2 meters long and has a 2,920mm wheelbase, which makes it longer than a Toyota Land Cruiser. It’s positioned as a luxurious off-road-ready SUV, with a design that’s both classy and rugged.
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Luxurious, huh? Tell us about the Denza B8’s interior, then.
It’s pretty good, actually. The seats are stitched in leather, the dash and the panels are fitted with soft-touch materials. It comes in two variants, with the higher trim boasting some nice captain seats in the second row. The massage functions for the first two rows, however, come as standard.
There are plenty of amenities here, starting with the massive 17.3-inch infotainment system paired with the 18-speaker Devialet sound system. The head unit gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. There’s also a refrigerator underneath the center armrest on the front row. It slides open towards the rear, and it also doubles as a heater. Its temperature settings range from as low as -16 to 50 degrees Celsius.
The B8 is a seven-seater, by the way, so it gets an extra third row with two added seats. These seats can be easily folded down with the push of a few buttons to open up more cargo space in the back.
What’s under the hood of the Denza B8?
Okay, time to talk specs. The B8 is powered by a 2.0-liter gasoline engine paired with two electric motors that output a total of 603hp and 760Nm of torque. The B8 also gets a 36.86kWh BYD Blade Battery. This entire setup promises a maximum EV range of 115km and a combined maximum range of 1,040km. Frankly, for a vehicle of this size, that’s not bad. Those numbers are comparable to that of smaller hybrid crossovers.
It’s quick, too, capable of doing 0-100kph in just 4.8sec. And we can attest to it, because we’ve tried it out.
Oh, you’ve driven the B8?
Yes, and the B5, too. But let’s talk about that later. Let’s discuss the numbers of the B5 first.
Alright, on to the Denza B5, then.
As implied earlier, it’s smaller. The B5 stands under 4.9 meters long and has a 2.8m wheelbase. It’s still larger than the typical midsize SUV, but it’s not quite full-size just yet. In terms of styling, it’s very similar to the B8, only with a little less rugged look. It borrows the B8’s design cues, but it does away with the plastic claddings underneath.
That means the Denza B5 should be less premium than the B8?
Technically, yes, but it doesn’t mean the B5 isn’t premium, because it very much is. It loses out on the captain seats in the second row, but it still boasts an interior that’s clad in an abundance of leather and soft-touch materials. In fact, the first row of the B5 is almost identical to the B8’s, only with a smaller 15.6-inch infotainment system and a little more plastic here and there. It also still comes with a 16-speaker Devialet audio setup.
The B5 is also a five seater, so it doesn’t have two extra seats in the back. That said, there’s still plenty of room to go around for all passengers, especially with the flat floor in the second row.
Okay. Does the B5 share the same engine with the B8?
The differences get bigger here. The B5 packs a 1.5-liter gasoline engine paired with two electric motors. Output is a tad lower at 570hp, while torque is the same at 760Nm. It has a slightly smaller 31.8kWh BYD Blade Battery that enables a maximum EV range of 100km. Combined with a full tank of gas, maximum range goes up to 975km. Just like the interior, it’s not as good, but still very impressive performance on its own.
It’s just as quick, too, as the B5 can reach 100kph from a standstill in the same 4.8sec span that the B8 will.
Can we talk about how they drive now?
Yes, but manage your expectations—we didn’t have that much seat time. I said we were able to test just how quick these SUVs are, and they’re very quick and powerful, but that part was the only on-road driving we did. The rest of our quick test drive prior to the launch consisted of tricky, muddy, and flooded terrain.
See, these two are off-road-oriented vehicles, so it was only fitting for Denza Philippines to have us take them through an off-road course. We only did one full lap each, but they impressed.
Both the B8 and B5 are very capable 4x4s, and driving them off-road is as easy as it gets. They both come with a number of features that made our task feel like a walk in the park. For starters, both vehicles get various drive modes that automatically adjust the settings of the vehicle accordingly. It’s as simple as scrolling the control on the steering wheel or selecting the modes on the touchscreen.
Both vehicles also get front and rear electronic differential locks. The B8, however, has a more advanced DiSus-P suspension setup with an adjustable ride height—something the B5 doesn’t have. The B8 can also wade through 850mm of water, 150mm deeper than what the B5 can do.
Both SUVs do get all the cameras you need for off-road driving, and they even have real-time water-wading monitoring. We drove through as deep as 500mm of water, and the B8 and B5 just went through without any issues whatsoever.
We were also able to try out Creep mode, which is a feature available in both Denzas that lets you crawl slowly when driving off-road. Think cruise control, but for speeds like 1kph. It automatically controls the acceleration and deceleration for you, even through large craters and steep slopes.
In a nutshell, it makes off-roading feel like a cinch, even for inexperienced drivers and newbies. It’s that capable and tech-loaded, and it’ll make purist off-roaders squirm.
Sounds good. But it also sounds...expensive.
Well, we did say that these are premium offerings. the B5 is priced at P3.798 million, while the B8 starts at P4.998 million for the Dynamic trim. The higher B8 Preimum variant goes for P5.398 million.
We can’t pass definitive judgment on these just yet, but I’m sure these will turn a few heads here and there. They’re some of the few off-road capable plug-in hybrids in the market right now, and they both have luxurious interiors on top of that. These might not easily sway the Land Cruiser and Patrol buyers, but they will at least pique their interest. None of these larger SUVs are plug-in hybrids that are as efficient and versatile as these Denzas, after all.
Anyway, for more on the B8 and B5, you can just check out our preview video embedded below. Enjoy.
