Introduction to the 2026 Denza Z9GT
In essence, Denza is to BYD what Lexus is to Toyota - a kind of upmarket luxury marque that sits above the mainstream mothership. Yet such products have sometimes suffered in the market. But Denza is unfazed and reckons its focus on style and technology will be enough to see it succeed.
When the brand arrives in Europe later this year, it plans to start the ball rolling with three products, and that number will eventually grow to “six or seven,” according to company boss Stella Li. But the flagship will be this, the Z9GT, which is a stylish estate car that's slightly larger than the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo and will be offered in electric and plug-in hybrid forms.
Our early first drive of the Z9GT took place on a closed Italian proving ground in a Chinese-specification plug-in hybrid and was disappointingly brief. Nevertheless, it gave us a chance to assess whether the Denza has the potential to take Europe by storm.
Pros & Cons of the 2026 Denza Z9GT
Pros: Smart design, roomy cabin, surprisingly manoeuvrable
Cons: Vague brakes, gimmicky party tricks, small boot
Exterior & Design of the 2026 Denza Z9GT
• Big estate seems to take inspiration from Porsche
• Split lights are a distinguishing feature
• Denza says bodywork is inspired by flow of falling silk
Denza has evidently set its sights on the established European marques when it comes to the Z9GT, which is a large estate car to rival the Audi A6 Avant, BMW 5 Series Touring and - in electric form - the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo. But the Denza is actually larger than those cars, with dimensions measuring:
Length: 5,195mm
Width: 1,990mm
Height: 1,500mm
Wheelbase: 3,125mm
Despite the size, the Denza looks pretty svelte, with a shape that shares more than a passing resemblance to that of the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo. It's particularly similar at the rear, where there's a double spoiler and a slanted window, although we think the taillights look more like those of the Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake.
The Z9GT does have some unique details, including the aerodynamically optimised grille at the front and the split lights, which are a recurring theme. There's also a detail line that runs from the front wings and down to the sills, before flowing back towards the rear haunches. Apparently, the whole thing is inspired by silk - even some of the paint options are inspired by the material's natural colour - but that feels a little more like marketing mumbo-jumbo than anything substantial.
The upshot of all this is that the Z9GT looks pretty good in lots of ways, but it always feels a bit like a greatest-hits album of other cars, rather than something all of its own. It isn't ugly by any stretch, but nor is it as attractive as a Taycan - or even an A6 Avant e-tron.
Interior, Practicality, Tech & Comfort of the 2026 Denza Z9GT
• High-tech dashboard gets three screens
• Roomy rear seats, but small boot
• Build quality generally feels solid
While the Denza's exterior might feel a little familiar in places, the interior design shares somewhat less with other products. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's a tech-heavy dashboard, with three screens and wireless phone charging pads, yet the overall look is quite clean and tidy, with some nice, tactile materials and a soft colour scheme.
The whole thing feels reasonably well made, with most switches getting a nicely damped action and most materials feeling quite premium, but there are a few faux pas. Take, for example, the grey plastic on the steering wheel, which looks as though it came from the Hyundai i30 of 10 years ago.
That aside, it's all relatively modern, and the screens definitely feel fresh. The central screen is enormous, at 17.3 inches across the diagonal, while the two screens either side measure 13.2 inches. Behind the steering wheel is a digital instrument display that's sharp but quite cluttered, while there's a passenger touchscreen on the other side of the central 'main' infotainment system.
Denza has clearly tried to rip off the iPad with the styling, but the icons are tricky to fathom and sometimes the menus are a bit awkward to navigate. So much so that any suspicion of Apple's involvement is immediately banished. Nevertheless, you probably would get used to it over time, and Denza is clearly expecting to make changes to the systems before they come to Europe, perhaps knowing how high the standards are on these shores.
And the tech isn't the only thing of which we expect a lot. We also expect estates to be roomy, and while Denza hasn't said much about the Z9GT's boot space, we've had a poke around and can confirm it really doesn't look very big at all. Certainly, there's more space in an Audi A6 Avant e-tron or a BMW i5 Touring.
What the European rivals don't provide, though, is quite so much rear legroom. The Chinese market seems much more interested in rear space than luggage capacity, and Denza has evidently traded one for the other, because there's a huge amount of space for even the tallest passengers in the Z9GT. Four tall adults will have no trouble getting comfortable.
Performance of the 2026 Denza Z9GT
• Three electric motors for electric and hybrid models
• Plug-in DM-i model gets 2.0-litre petrol engine
• Advanced all-wheel-steering system
Both the plug-in hybrid and electric versions of the Z9GT are based on the same e3 (pronounced 'e-cube') platform, which sees the battery become a structural part of the body shell, and both get three electric motors, albeit with slightly different power outputs. In the DM-i hybrid tested here, there's a 200kW motor on the front wheels and two 220kW motors at the rear, along with a 207hp petrol engine. Tot all that up and you get more than 1,000hp, although Denza hasn't explained how all the tech works together yet.
We know a bit more about the electric version, which has a 230kW motor at the front and two 240kW motors at the back, giving a total of 965hp. However, as both cars are approaching the three-tonne mark (the electric car is only around 100kg lighter than a Rolls-Royce Spectre), the performance figures are simultaneously brisk and underwhelming. A 0-100km/h time of 3.4 seconds for the electric car and 3.6 second for the hybrid is mighty fast - plenty of sports cars won't go that quickly - but the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid gets from 0-100km/h more than half a second faster than the hybrid Z9GT. So, the Denza is impressive, but not that impressive.
Perhaps more interesting is the electric architecture that underpins the whole car, with an electronic brain that manages the power delivery, the all-wheel-steering system and the air suspension all at once. That means the car can not only act to respond to natural lean in corners, but it can also change how much torque is going to each wheel at any given moment, helping in low-traction situations and preventing any misbehaviour while the car is cornering.
On the road, it all feels quite impressive, with relatively little body lean in corners and a strikingly small turning circle, but there are some catches. For starters, the steering feels a bit inert, even though it's quite nicely weighted, and though the ride initially feels quite cossetting, more broken surfaces highlight an underlying jiggle that's difficult to ignore once you've noticed it. Worse still are the brakes, which are quite inconsistent, with a soft pedal and a sharp response from the callipers making it difficult to drive smoothly at low speeds.
Some of that can no doubt be improved upon with a Europe-specific tune of the components. Denza will be hoping to wow people with a few party tricks, too. The rear wheels can turn independently at up to 10 degrees either way, so the car can perform all sorts of gymnastics, including pivoting around its front wheels and 'crab walking' diagonally to help you manoeuvre. The crab walking feels like a bit of an anticlimax when you realise the car can't actually sidestep without forward motion, but the so-called 'compass turn' pivot is quite impressive.
Nose the car into a tight parallel parking space and you can tell the on-board computers to swing the rear end into line. That then turns the rear wheels in opposite directions and runs one forward and one in reverse, creating a tank-style turn in a very small space. You can turn 180 degrees this way too but given the amount of rubber it leaves on the ground and the mess it makes of the road surface, we wouldn't recommend it. In fact, we don't think owners will really use it at all.
It's a bit of a shame, then, that the Denza is reduced to cheap tricks like that, because while they look good on TikTok and they give the marketing bods a talking point, the Z9GT isn't too bad to drive. The engineers are promising they will improve the suspension when the cars come to Europe, but we suspect the focus on parlour games may mean the engineers don't get a chance to make it as good as it could be.
Range, Battery & Charging of the 2026 Denza Z9GT
• EV offers 100kWh battery while hybrid gets 38.5kWh
• Likely to be decent range for European model
• No charging speeds published as yet
Although both the electric and hybrid versions of the Z9GT come with a thin, structural 'Blade' battery, the hybrid's power pack is unsurprisingly smaller than that of the fully electric car.
In Chinese specification, as our test car was, that means the plug-in car gets a 38.5kWh battery, while the electric car's battery has a nice, round 100kWh capacity. Denza hasn't yet told us how quickly each battery will charge, but the company has announced some range figures.
While neither figure is achieved using the WLTP economy test in use in Europe, the Chinese test pegs the electric Z9GT's range at 630km, while the hybrid manages 201km before its petrol engine is called upon. The hybrid's range is pretty impressive, but the electric model looks a bit short on range when compared with the Audi A6 e-tron and the Taycan, despite the fact the European test cycle is a little tougher than the Chinese one.
All that said, we've heard Denza may make some modifications to the Z9GT for Europe, sacrificing some of the immense - and frankly unnecessary - power and performance in favour of greater range, particularly in the case of the electric model.
Running Costs of the 2026 Denza Z9GT
• Electric model will be cheaper to run than hybrid
• No details on real-world efficiency
• Denza is promising solid aftersales service
To a large extent, the Z9GT's running costs will depend on whether you choose the electric version or the plug-in hybrid. While range and economy figures may not be confirmed for European customers, the electric model will be the cheaper of the two to run, especially if you can take advantage of cheap-rate electricity.
While we don't know much about charging speeds, Denza has said the 2.0-litre petrol engine in the hybrid will burn 7.6 litres of unleaded every 100km on the Chinese CLTC economy test once the battery is depleted. That isn't too bad, but the WLTP figure used in Europe would likely be higher, and it means those wanting the cheapest way of getting from A to B will be better served by the EV.
Speaking of better service, Denza says it plans to operate individual Denza dealers that will be separate from BYD showrooms, and it claims there will be a full aftersales service for customers, which presumably includes a warranty and servicing. How that will look, however, clearly remains to be seen.
Irish Pricing & Rivals of the 2026 Denza Z9GT
• Estate goes up against Audi, BMW and Porsche rivals
• No official confirmation it's coming to Ireland
• There's no word on how much it will cost
Denza has only just formally announced its arrival in Europe, and the brand still hasn't fully confirmed whether it's even coming to Ireland, let alone how much its cars might cost on these shores. We haven't even had any hints from the company, so how much the Z9GT will cost is still anyone's guess.
Verdict - Should You Buy the 2026 Denza Z9GT?
This is a bit of a moot question because we don't even know for sure this Denza - or any other Denza - will officially go on sale in this country. But this Chinese-market example suggested the brand still has some fine-tuning to do before it can really be considered an alternative to the likes of Audi, BMW and Porsche. But BYD learns quickly, and the Z9GT is hardly devoid of talent, so it may have some potential if Denza can get the pricing right.
FAQs about the 2026 Denza Z9GT
How many child seats fit in a Denza Z9GT?
With European specifications still to be decided, we don't yet know how many child seat mounting points will be offered, but we expect at least two ISOFIX points to be fitted in the rear seats. We also know there will be plenty of space inside, which should make slotting child seats in quite a simple job.
How safe is the Denza Z9GT?
Again, we aren't yet sure. Euro NCAP hasn't yet tested the Z9GT - probably because it isn't on sale in Europe yet - so we don't really know. However, we do know the car will come with numerous driver assistance tech features, including autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning. It also has clever suspension and torque vectoring tech that keeps it stable in a tyre blowout, suggesting Denza certainly has an eye on safety.
Want to know more about the Denza Z9GT?
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