Denza Z sports car – we’ve driven China’s 1582bhp Porsche 911 rival
China wants to take on Europe’s sports cars with the new £142,900 Denza Z, and we’ve driven it
It’s clear that China is to be taken very seriously when it comes to mainstream new cars. BYDs, Omodas and Jaecoos are hoovering up sales in the hatchback, saloon and SUV classes, and now Denza – premium sub-brand of BYD – is taking on an altogether different challenge. With the new Z, it’s gunning for Europe’s sports cars with a 1582bhp 2+2 electric coupe that will go on sale in the UK this summer for £142,900. Should the Porsche 911 be worried?
On the face of it you’d say no, given that many manufacturers – including Porsche itself – have admitted that demand for high-end electric cars is far from where it needs to be right now. The electric 718 Cayman and Boxster are currently in limbo, Lotus has turned back on its EV-only plans and Lamborghini has cancelled its first electric car. Does an electric sports car from an unfamiliar brand have a hope of turning that around? Time will tell, but having driven the Z for a couple of laps of the Goodwood Circuit, there’s still work to do to bring the driving experience up to scratch – although it does offer a hugely impressive level of performance per pound.
Launching as a Coupe (£142,900), Spider (£159,900) and track-oriented Racing version (£172,900), the Z uses Denza’s own electric sports car platform, and measures 4780mm – significantly longer than a Porsche 911, and closer to a Mercedes-AMG GT. To look at, it’s a mix of Lotus and McLaren with perhaps a hint of Bentley at the rear – not especially cohesive but certainly striking. Even more so in Racing spec, which adds a front air intake, carbonfibre splitter and a large, three-position adjustable carbon wing, making it 100mm longer.
Beneath the skin you’ll find a 76kWh battery pack, mounted in the floor and powering three motors – one 671bhp unit at the front, two 456bhp units at the rear. Total outputs are 1582bhp and 915lb ft of torque, resulting in a 2.25sec 0-62mph time and 186mph top speed. The Racing version, when fitted with optional semi-slick tyres, cuts the 62mph sprint down to 1.96sec and raises the top speed to 217mph. Though the Denza’s starting price is just a little more than a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, its straight-line performance eclipses the £200k Turbo S.
Thankfully there’s sophisticated chassis and suspension tech to go with all that performance. The Z uses double wishbone suspension up front with a multi-link setup at the rear, with adaptive dampers and carbon ceramic brakes standard across all models. The Coupe and Spider use air suspension while the Racing uses more focused coil springs. The Z also makes use of torque vectoring, with the rear motors able to distribute power between the wheels independently. They also allow the Z to stabilise itself in the event of a tyre blowout, or perform a ‘compass turn’, where the car pivots around its front wheels.
Range varies across the three models, starting at 236 miles in the Racing and climbing to 254 in the Coupe, and all Zs get BYD’s Flash Charging capability as standard. This means that at a compatible charger, the battery can be topped up from 10-97 per cent in nine minutes.
Driving the Denza Z
Climb inside the Z and you’ll probably reach for the seat height adjuster immediately; sadly the floor mounted battery means you’re perched up high even in the lowest setting. Ahead you’ll find a thin-rimmed, squared-off wheel and a digital dash, supplemented by a large 12.8-inch infotainment touchscreen in the centre. Fit and finish is solid, albeit closer to something like a Lotus Emira than a £150,000 car. Visibility is good, helped by the fact you’re forced to sit in a raised position.
Despite technically being a four-seater, you wouldn’t want to carry adults in the second row. As in a Porsche 911 or AMG GT, they’re only suitable for small children. Or, if you opt for the Racing version of the Z, you can do away with the rear seats altogether and replace them with a roll cage and carbon trim.
We're in the base Coupe for our short stint at Goodwood, but we’re not able to play with the drive modes, of which there are plenty. On the wheel you’ll find a multitude of switches, including buttons for Boost and Track modes. The former ‘amplifies throttle torque’ by 30 per cent for 20 seconds, while the latter opens up configurability for the Z’s front-to-rear power distribution, dampers, regen, brake feel, torque vectoring and drift mode. These settings could dramatically change the feel of the car, and this plus the fact that we only had one fast lap, means that a definitive conclusion on how the Z drives will need to wait until later.
Pulling out of the pits, the traction control holds the Z back initially – for longer than seems necessary – but once the power comes on stream it’s relentlessly fast. It doesn’t actually feel like nearly 1600bhp but the way it sucks up Goodwood’s straights in a sustained, silent rush focuses the mind, and you arrive into braking zones carrying huge speed and momentum. The first time I enter the fast, double apex first corner is quite hairy. I leave what feels like plenty of margin under braking but I don't get the bite I expected, the pedal feeling a little dead underfoot. Sweeping towards the apex there's an unsettling sense of mass and momentum under combined braking and turning, particularly over crests and bumps in the circuit. Our test car has the suspension in Comfort mode which probably doesn't help.
The steering has sharp, keen responses and it's firmly weighted, but quite sticky around the straight ahead, which makes it hard to feel exactly how much the tyres are loading up. There’s not much opportunity to feel the Z’s torque vectoring in the fast sections but through Goodwood's Lavant corner it helps keep the car hooked to a tight line under power. It's not as subtle and seamless as it could be but the power of the system can be felt. Under power the Z is heavily restricted by the traction control so you can't detect any playfulness, but turning in on the brakes does generate some yaw. Helpful in slow corners but again, not very reassuring in Goodwood's fast sections where confidence and stability is everything.
Initial impressions are that the Z is far from a natural track car, but one that does have the hardware to be really effective with better software tuning. Perhaps the Racing would fare better, or the even more extreme Special Edition, which is launching as a track-only version with over 2000bhp, a 0-62mph time of 1.7sec and claimed downforce of over 2000kg at 186mph. Either way there's still work to be done for it to be as intuitive and engaging as Europe’s best.
