Denza's UK Gamble: A 536-HP Off-Roader That Costs As Much As A Defender

Denza, BYD's premium sub-brand, has officially touched down in the UK with a body-on-frame off-roader that's clearly gunning for Land Rover Defender territory. Sold in China as the Fangchengbao Bao 5, this rugged newcomer arrives with genuinely impressive hardware - but rather than undercutting the establishment the way most Chinese brands do when entering a fresh market, Denza is charging almost exactly what Land Rover does.

Pricing kicks off at £69,500 ($93,200) for the entry-level Elegance trim and climbs to £78,880 ($105,800) for the Ultimate. For context, that's nearly identical to the £72,000 ($96,600) starting price of the Defender 110 plug-in hybrid. It's a bold strategy for a brand that most British car shoppers have never encountered before, and Denza is clearly betting that the Bao 5's spec sheet can do the convincing that its badge recognition can't. The company is also positioning the SUV against heavyweights like the Toyota Land Cruiser, Ineos Grenadier, BMW X5, and Mercedes GLE.

Underneath, the Bao 5 shares its ladder-frame architecture with the BYD Shark 6 pickup and the larger Denza 8 (known as the Fangchengbao Bao 8 in China). Both UK trims ride on identical mechanicals, and both get the same plug-in hybrid powertrain, which Denza claims is the first in the segment to mount its combustion engine longitudinally.

That engine is a modest 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder good for just 148 hp and 177 lb-ft (240 Nm) on its own - hardly enough to shift a rig this size. That's where the electric hardware takes over. A front motor contributes 268 hp and 266 lb-ft (360 Nm), while a beefier rear unit adds 383 hp and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm). Combined, the system delivers a substantial 536 hp and 561 lb-ft (760 Nm), enough to send the lighter Elegance to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.8 seconds, with the Ultimate arriving a tenth slower at 5.0 seconds. Top speed on both is electronically limited to 112 mph (180 km/h), so this isn't a machine built for Autobahn runs.

A shared 31.8 kWh battery pack provides 56 miles (90 km) of pure-electric range, and factoring in the gas engine stretches total range out to an impressive 537 miles (864 km). Charging is capable but not class-leading: DC fast-charging peaks at 100 kW, enough to go from 30 to 80 percent in 16 minutes, while an 11 kW AC connection takes roughly three hours to go from 15 to full.

Off-road, Denza isn't cutting corners either. The Bao 5 packs electronic locking differentials front and rear plus a locking center diff, along with double-wishbone suspension at both ends and the brand's DiSus-P adaptive damping system, which can raise ride height by up to 5.5 inches (140 mm). Denza claims its torque-vectoring system reacts up to 30 times faster than a conventional mechanical setup. With the suspension raised, ground clearance reaches 310 mm - about 20 mm more than a Defender — while approach and departure angles improve to 39 and 34 degrees respectively.

Inside, both trims get a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a head-up display, and a 15.6-inch central touchscreen, with an optional secondary display for the front passenger. Step up to the Ultimate and you'll also find heated and ventilated seats front and rear, leather trim, and a temperature-controlled storage box - the kind of luxury touches Denza clearly hopes will justify asking Defender money for a name most UK buyers are only just learning to pronounce.