New Denza Z9GT 2025 review: super estate has BMW and Mercedes in its sights

Verdict

We can’t make any meaningful conclusions about the Denza Z9GT at this stage due to our incredibly short time behind the wheel and there being a lot of unknowns. However we hope its effortless, wafting sensation isn’t lost by the engineers’ efforts to mimic the driving experience of established German cars, as we think this would be a much better selling point than the somewhat interesting, but rather pointless, manoeuvring capabilities or the design.

Most Chinese brands make their introduction to the UK market with something mainstream, family-friendly and value-focused. Stuff like the BYD Atto 3, XPeng G6, Leapmotor C10 and Jaecoo 7, which all happen to be SUVs. 

Denza, however, is going after the upper echelons of European carmakers, like BMW, Mercedes and even Porsche, and firmly believes it can match the best on design, interior quality and technology. Needless to say, a small, affordable crossover wasn’t going to cut it.

Enter the Denza Z9GT. This shooting brake estate was launched last year in China, and will touch down in mainland Europe by the end of the year before crossing the Channel some time in early 2026. 

It sits on the ‘e3’ platform – pronounced ‘e cube’ – that’s exclusive to Denza and allows the Z9GT to feature a tri-motor powertrain, with one electric motor on the front axle and two at the rear. Every model gets this set-up, but buyers will have a choice of plug-in hybrid or all-electric versions.

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The EV delivers 952bhp and 1,150 Nm of torque, which is sufficient to propel the nearly three-tonne wagon from 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds. Meanwhile, its 100kWh battery provides up to 391 miles of range on the Chinese CLTC test cycle, but we expect that figure to drop to around 300-350 miles when measured on the WLTP standard.

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However, our first encounter was with the Z9GT Super DM-i hybrid, which swaps in a smaller 38.5kWh battery and adds a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. This version is said to cover 125 miles on battery power alone, and more than 680 miles in one go. Again, though, those figures are based on the CLTC test cycle.

The four-cylinder engine is only used to drive the front wheels once you go beyond about 60mph. The rest of the time it generates energy for the battery and three e-motors. In the PHEV, they deliver 858bhp – more than a BMW M5 Touring – plus 935Nm of torque, allowing it to hit 62mph in 3.6 seconds. 

Our incredibly brief test drive of the Z9GT Super DM-i took place on the Vairano test track outside Milan, so we could experience what the car was like at higher speeds. Unsurprisingly for such a hugely powerful car it accelerated to more 110mph like it was rolling out of bed, with the numbers on the speedo climbing at a stupendous rate while everything remained calm inside; the car felt super stable throughout.

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We also got to test how the dual-chamber air suspension stood up to potholes, cobbles and even undulated road surfaces. There was certainly a pleasing wafting quality to the ride, with the body moving up and down a lot as the car went over bumps in a boat-like manner. The fact this particular model tips the scale at roughly 2.8 tonnes may have something to do with that.

However, it’s worth noting that the Z9GT we drove was one tuned for the Chinese market. For Europe, Denza’s engineers will be tuning its suspension to be firmer, and more like the established premium German models it’ll be going up against.

Hopefully not too much, though, because the brand isn’t looking to match the sportiness of cars such as the Porsche Panamera or BMW 5 Series, so offering potential customers a softer, more comfortable ride could appeal to potential customers.

While they’re beavering away, we’d also like the engineers to eliminate the noticeable delay we felt in the steering wheel and throttle response, plus the little to no feel from the brake pedal initially and how suddenly the brakes bite. Also, the ‘active side bolsters’ on the driver’s seat were extremely ‘handsy’ in our test car.

The Z9GT is nearly 5.2 metres long – about the same as a Mercedes S-Class – but thanks to independent rear-wheel steering its turning radius is just 4.62 metres, which is tighter than some city cars, including the Dacia Spring.

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Most companies would have stopped there, however some of BYD’s legion of more than 120,000 engineers clearly had some time to kill so the Z9GT has the ability to pivot around its front axle to slide the car into parallel parking spots, and can even crabwalk because the rear wheels can rotate out or inwards up to 15 degrees. We got to experience the latter from the passenger seat, and it’s a genuinely bizarre sensation as your brain tells you that cars aren’t supposed to move like this. 

We’ve been told that performing these ridiculous manoeuvres doesn’t wear down the tyres faster than normal, although we’re not entirely convinced by that, given another novel feature of the Z9GT is an ability to remain stable if you have a blowout at speeds of up to 112mph.

Inside, quality seems impressive, with the majority of surfaces lined with leather, contrasted by metal trim, and wood across the dashboard and doors. There are screens everywhere, of course, including a very responsive 17.3-inch central touchscreen and displays for the digital side mirrors. The crystal gear selector and switches won’t be to everyone's tastes, however those are also among the details likely to change for the European market. 

In terms of practicality, there’s an enormous amount of kneerom and generous headroom for rear-seat passengers, though they might find under-thigh support is lacking because of the high floor. The 488-litre boot isn’t as big as we might expect for such a large estate car – the BMW i5 Touring’s has 570 litres, for instance – and there’s no underfloor storage.