The Denza Z aims to take on Europe’s finest supercars, yet this brief encounter left several questions unanswered.
When it comes to exceptional performance cars, the Porsche 911 Turbo, Corvette Z06 and Ferrari 12Cilindri are almost unavoidable reference points. Very few people would think to add a Chinese car to such an exclusive group.
Denza, the premium marque within the BYD Group, intends to change that and disrupt a segment that European and American manufacturers have dominated for decades. This is particularly true in Europe, where heritage and prestige still carry considerable weight in buyers’ decisions.
Chinese brands may sometimes lack imagination when naming their cars, especially as the final letter of the alphabet has long been associated with a Nissan sports car. Ambition and headline figures are certainly not in short supply with the Denza Z, however: 1,604 hp, 1,240 Nm and a claimed 0–100 km/h time of 2.25 seconds.
Denza remains almost unknown among prospective buyers in this rarefied segment. In short, it wants to be to BYD what Lexus is to Toyota or Genesis is to Hyundai: a more exclusive brand with distinctive styling, luxurious interiors, extraordinary performance and prices to match.
More for less
The low-slung, sleek Denza Z will be offered as a coupé, a convertible and in an even more extreme Racing version. The entry-level model is expected to cost just under €160,000, a substantial sum in absolute terms but considerably less than several European rivals with comparable performance.
A Porsche Taycan Turbo GT with the Weissach package costs around €80,000 more while producing 500 hp less. In return, it brings stronger brand appeal, higher overall quality and dynamic ability that the Denza has yet to prove.
As an electric car, the Z has another important selling point: its 76 kWh battery is designed to benefit from BYD’s ultra-rapid Flash Charging system.
Under ideal conditions and at a compatible charger, the company claims peak charging power of 1,500 kW, enough to complete a charge in around nine minutes. It remains to be seen when this infrastructure will become available in Europe and how long the car can sustain output close to that figure.
To gain a first impression of the Denza Z, we travelled to the Goodwood circuit in southern England during this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. This was not a full road test, but merely three laps of its 3,860-metre layout, covering a little more than 10 kilometres in total.
Helmet on, seat belt fastened, and with a Denza engineer in the passenger seat to keep things in check. Time to go.
Before “turning the key”
Before setting off, there was time to assess the cabin. The front seats are comfortable, and much of the interior is trimmed in good-quality leather. Assembly standards are convincing, although some plastics have no place in a car intended to challenge Porsche, McLaren or Lamborghini.
The displays are also too ordinary. They could have come from a BYD Dolphin without raising any eyebrows, which does little to create the sense of exclusivity expected of a supercar at this price.
The cabin is essentially designed for two people. The rear seats are mainly useful for extra luggage or, at most, children on short journeys. Driver and front passenger measuring up to 1.90 m have adequate room, but even though I am shorter, getting settled in the Z while wearing a helmet was not easy.
Sedated horsepower
This first dynamic experience came with numerous restrictions. Boost mode was unavailable, the stability control had to remain fully engaged, and power delivery was deliberately progressive. The result was something of an anticlimax. I did not experience the ballistic, almost unreal acceleration delivered by other electric cars with more than 1,000 hp that I have driven.
A more comprehensive future test will need to establish whether the Z can genuinely deliver on its on-paper promise. And it promises a great deal.
There are two motors on the rear axle, each producing 340 kW (462 hp), plus a third motor at the front with 500 kW (680 hp). Combined output stands at 1,180 kW (1,604 hp), while peak torque reaches 1,240 Nm. This is only the entry-level version.
Denza claims 2.25 seconds for 0–100 km/h and a top speed of 300 km/h. We could not get anywhere near that figure, both because the circuit’s straights are particularly short for a car with this much power and because of the tight constraints imposed by the test engineer.
The top speed is electronically restricted to manage energy consumption and battery temperature. With only 76 kWh – a modest capacity for a car with this level of performance – weight has been kept close to 2.2 tonnes.
The carbon-ceramic brakes, with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers, need some temperature before showing their full potential. Once warmed up, though, they provide the expected stopping power and fade resistance.
The seats, on the other hand, could offer more lateral support. The steering would also benefit from greater feedback, particularly as its rivals include some of the industry’s most precise and communicative steering systems.
With every electronic system active, entering a corner slightly too quickly triggers a clear intervention from the stability control, cutting power delivery and restricting agility. Even so, it is apparent that the rear wheels do more pushing than the front wheels do pulling, helping the Z rotate through bends and giving it a less neutral balance.
Denza Z potential still locked away
Several functions were still disabled on this pre-production car. These included the red Boost button to the right of the steering wheel and the Track Mode switch on the opposite side.
According to Denza’s engineers, Boost makes throttle response 30% more aggressive for 20 seconds. Once activated, the instrument display and central screen change their layout to reflect the additional performance.
The paddles behind the steering wheel, intended to simulate gear changes, were not functioning either. That is a shame, as they could make the driving experience more engaging, especially on track.
Sophisticated suspension
The Z also debuts the DiSus-M intelligent damping system, paired with the e3 platform. Its dampers use a magnetorheological fluid whose viscosity can be altered in milliseconds by a magnetic field, enabling almost instantaneous adjustment during compression and rebound.
Ride comfort is impressive for a supercar and suggests it could cope with surfaces less perfect than Goodwood’s near-flawless tarmac. The suspension is independent at all four wheels, using double wishbones at the front and a multi-link arrangement at the rear. It also features air springs and variable damping.
For buyers who find 1,604 hp insufficient, Denza is preparing the Racing version. With specific tyres, top speed rises to 350 km/h and the 0–100 km/h sprint is expected to take less than two seconds. It also gains an enormous rear wing, while the air springs are replaced by coil springs to improve high-speed stability.
Not expensive… for what it offers
Denza has not yet confirmed the Z’s final European price, but early estimates point to a figure slightly below €160,000. If confirmed, that would place it well below the more than €250,000 required for the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, which offers 1,034 hp.
The gap is even greater when compared with the 911 Turbo S: it could cost less than half of the more than €324,000 requested in Portugal. Yes, it is petrol-powered, but it is also the benchmark at this level and the car that comes closest conceptually to the Denza Z.
Of course, price – less than half – power – more than double – and acceleration do not tell the whole story. The Denza will have to show that it can come close to the dynamic precision, overall quality and brand value of Porsche models.
Even so, at less than €160,000, it will be difficult to accuse it of being expensive for what it promises. Orders are expected to open in certain European markets during 2026, with the first deliveries due before the end of the year, although its arrival in Portugal has not yet been confirmed.
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