GREAT EXPECTATIONS

THE B5 AND B8 4X4 WAGONS FROM DENZA BRING LOW COST AND PREMIUM OPTIONS TO THE LUXURY OFF ROAD MARKET

- WORDS MATT RAUDONIKIS

Denza has launched its first vehicles in Australia in the form of the B5 and B8 wagons.

Denza is the luxury arm of China's BYD brand, much like Lexus is to Toyota and Genesis is to Hyundai. It's no surprise Denza positions itself as a luxury brand, as it was originally conceived as a joint venture between parent company BYD and Mercedes-Benz. BYD eventually bought out its German partner, but not before learning a thing or two about building premium automobiles.

The Denza B5 starts at $74,990 for the base model, before stepping up to the B5 Leopard at $79,990. The bigger B8 wagon starts at $91,000 for the seven-seat version and rises to $97,990 for the six-seat variant.

The Denzas ride on the same body-on-frame DMO (Dual Motor Offroad) PHEV platform as the BYD Shark, with electric motors independently powering the front and rear axles. A small-capacity internal combustion engine (ICE) acts primarily as a generator but can also provide drive to the front axle when needed.

The B5 is powered by a dual-motor hybrid setup that produces up to a claimed 400kW and 760Nm in total. The 31.8kWh battery provides up to 90km of electric-only driving (WLTP) and supports 100kW DC fast charging. The three-tonne B5 is claimed to do the 0-100km/h dash in 4.8 seconds.

The B5's ICE is a 135kW/260Nm 1.5-litre petrol unit that is also found in the current Shark ute.