Another year, another time the Denza B8 gets previewed at the Bangkok International Motor Show (BIMS). This time, however, there’s a much greater chance of the car coming to the region, given that it has now gone on sale in global markets, including in right-hand-drive Australia.
But the car you see here is technically not a Denza – it’s still the Chinese-market Fangchengbao Bao 8, as denoted by its four-diamond badge (instead of the silver and blue roundel that the finalised version will wear). In fact, this fully-decked-out example even sports the China-only DJI drone and landing pad on the roof, which is a pricey 16,000 yuan (RM9,400) add-on.
The B8 is a rugged, body-on-frame plug-in hybrid 4×4, and Australia gives us a good idea of what we can from the Dual-Mode Off-road (DMO) powertrain. Power comes from two electric motors – the front one makes 272 PS (200 kW) and 360 Nm of torque, while the rear motor churns out 408 PS (300 kW) and 400 Nm.
All this is allied to a hybrid-specific 2.0 litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine producing 197 PS (145 kW) and 350 Nm. Total system output is rather less than the sum of its parts – a still beefy 578 PS (425 kW) and 760 Nm, enabling it to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds.
Juicing the motors is a 36.8 kWh Blade LFP battery, which the engine also charges when necessary. The B8 works in a similar fashion to most other Chinese PHEVs in that it uses solely electric power until around 25% battery remaining, at which point it engages the engine to keep the pack at this state.
Judged by this metric, the pure electric range is 100 km on the WLTP cycle, and with a massive 91 litre petrol tank, total range is quoted at 905 km. The battery supports an impressively high DC fast charging power of 120 kW, as well as AC charging up to 11 kW; there’s also a 6.6 kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) function.
To make sure it can handle anything Mother Nature can throw at it, the B8 can be specced with both rear and front locking differentials, and it comes with BYD’s novel DiSus-P hydraulic suspension that delivers 140 mm of ride height adjustment. This enables the max water wading depth to increase from 800 at the standard height to 890 mm, as well as bumping up approach and departure angles to 34 and 35 degrees respectively.
All that tech is necessary because the B8 is massive, measuring 5,195 mm long, 1,994 mm wide and 1,905 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,920 mm. It’s also exceedingly heavy, tipping the scales at a whopping 3,290 kg – meaning that, fully loaded, you’d technically need a Goods Driving Licence (GDL) to operate it.
Looking spiffy in Nebula Silver, the B8’s handsome square-jawed looks are emphasised by the gloss black body cladding (not exactly practical for an off-roader) and massive 21-inch two-tone alloy wheels on this show car. Our region likely won’t get the latter, however, as Australia instead receives 20-inch black rollers.
Inside, the car is as plush as ever, although the impractical white Nappa leather upholstery will almost certainly be swapped out for black or brown. That, the wrongly-placed steering wheel and the 12.3-inch passenger touchscreen aside, however, this is pretty much representative of what customer B8s will be.
This includes the 12.3-inch instrument display, a massive 17.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, a head-up display, a gear selector that rises when the car is started and crystal-like switches for various powertrain functions. There are also twin 50-watt Qi wireless chargers, heated and cooled armrest storage (basically a fridge) and power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation and massage functions.
The B8 is available with six- and seven-seater layouts, the former featuring second-row massaging captain’s chairs with built-in ottomans. This unit is the seven-seater, but the middle bench still reclines electrically and comes with heating and ventilation. A multi-function switch on the rear doors lets occupants open or close either the window on the other side or the sunroof blind, and they can even activate a one-touch recline function that pushes the front passenger seat forwards for extra legroom.
Both second- and third-row seats can be folded and raised electrically, increasing boot space from a minimum of 147 litres to a maximum of 920 litres (902 litres for the six-seater). You can also raise or lower the suspension from the boot area, but unfortunately, you will have to swing open the side-opening tailgate (which houses the spare tyre) manually.
This particular unit comes with lidar sensors atop the windscreen to support Huawei’s Qiankun ADS 3.0 technology in China, enabling highly-automated city and highway driving and even a “valet parking” function. None of this will make its way to other markets, but you can still expect the usual Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functionality such as adaptive cruise control.
Closer to home, Denza has just opened registrations of interest for the B8 in Malaysia, so expect it to arrive here pretty soon. It won’t be cheap, however – even in Australia, the car starts at AU$91,000 (RM253,600), and with our tax structure the way that it is, it will likely breach the RM300,000 mark once it reaches here. Still, are you excited for it? Let us know in the comments.
