mReview: DENZA D9 Grandeur AWD – A New Challenger Has Arrived

The DENZA D9 is the latest shot to be fired from BYD’s arsenal, aimed squarely at disrupting the establishment, that is, the existing crop of cars dominating the towkay-class. 

In recent years, luxury MPVs have become the Asian equivalent of a blacked-out Cadillac Escalade, ultra-comfortable VIP shuttles synonymous with the well-endowed. Just about everyone has thrown their hat into the luxury MPV ring, all aiming to dethrone the ever-popular Toyota Alphard. Until now, none have been able to do so, but there’s a new challenger in this arena, one with an incumbent-toppling pedigree. 

Enter the DENZA D9, an all-electric luxury MPV from the premium arm of BYD. The D9 might be the first car under the DENZA name-plate to be brought into Singapore but they’ve come out swinging. 

At first glance, the D9 looks every bit the part it’s trying to play. The long, tall, boxy shape with a large upright front grille is textbook towkay-class, maximising interior space and therefore comfort for the occupants. They might not have been doing this for very long but BYD/DENZA sure know how to make a hit product. 

In short, the D9 presents itself as a veritable challenger to the likes of the Alphard, despite being a full EV. In fact, its EV nature is actually a boon to comfort levels, specifically in the area of interior noise levels, as there is no vibrating, rumbling engine to speak of. 

The interior looks and feels premium, much more so than in some of its competitors.

Instead, the D9 is propelled by either a single (front-wheel drive) or dual motor (all-wheel drive) setup. Our test car is the AWD variant which produces 369hp and 470Nm of torque, a little up from the FWD’s 308hp and 360Nm. All that juice is good for 0-100km/h in 6.9 seconds for the AWD and 9.5 seconds for the FWD. 

Regardless of which motor setup you choose, however, you’ll still get the D9’s mammoth 103.36kWh battery pack, packing you with enough charge to last up to 480km or 520km for the AWD and FWD variants respectively. Very useful for cars in this class as towkays don’t much like having to wait around for their cars to charge. 

The middle row's captain's chairs are prime real estate for your VIP (very important posterior).

Said towkays have no shortage of vehicle features to keep them and their families comfy though, whether on their commute or on a long drive. The entire interior is draped in Nappa leather and even in the third row, passengers will hardly be at want for space, with ample legroom and headroom even for my 1.8-metre-tall self. There’s also individual USB Type-C ports, cup holders, air-con vents, and windows, perfect for keeping your two kids occupied when they don’t want to interact with each other. 

Sitting in the third row is no longer a punishment when you're in the DENZA D9.

The middle row’s captain’s chairs, however, are easily the best seats in the house. Each electrically-operated seat features ventilation, wireless phone charging, and the all-important zero-gravity mode. Each seat also gets a little screen that you can use to operate everything from the sunroof to the fridge. That’s right, of course the DENZA D9 has a fridge. It’s a proper unit too, capable of cooling or heating items from -6˙C all the way to 50˙C. 

A fold-out tray table and extra cup holders give the cabin a business-class feel.

Up front, there’s more generous servings of Nappa leather, this time combined with white oak trim on the dashboard. The layout of the dash is handsome yet practical. Unlike many of its competitors, DENZA has opted for physical buttons on the steering wheel and centre console instead of screens or touch-sensitive surfaces.

The 14-speaker Dynaudio sound system sounds great and comes as standard on either variant.

But screen-lovers despair not! The D9 still has a whacking great 15.6-inch infotainment screen for accessing your multimedia features and further vehicle settings. There’s also a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster and heads-up display to go along with it. 

Driving, or indeed being driven in, the DENZA D9 is a wholly relaxing experience. There is next to no noise at all, whether that be from the road, wind, or aforementioned lack of an engine. There’s also intelligent damping to keep body roll and chassis movement in check to ensure that the VIPs seated within are not being unduly jiggled about. 

Steering is incredibly light and easy to place, with the standard 360˙ camera working a treat for when you need to squeeze yourself into a parking spot. The 360˙ camera is also just one component of a full suite of driver assistance and safety systems that help to keep everyone safe and sound. 

Up to 2,310 litres of cargo capacity is more than enough for your family's belongings.

The price for all of this? Less than you might expect actually. At the time of writing, the AWD version as tested is $50,000 less than the Alphard, with the FWD variant another 45 grand cheaper still. 

The DENZA D9 is undoubtedly extraordinary value and I would not be at all surprised if like every other car BYD Singapore has brought in, this turns out to be yet another big hit. 

Read More: mReview: BYD Seal Dynamic 100kW – Singapore Special

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