For many years, the luxury MPV market has been dominated by the Japanese. More specifically, the Alphard/Vellfire twins. But are we about to see the beginning of the end of their reign?

Whilst many have tried to compete with the Toyota duo, most have failed. There’s just something about the image and the level of equipment that makes them the de facto choice for anyone in the market for such a vehicle.

DENZA, the luxury arm of BYD, doesn’t settle for “most”. Which is why their DENZA D9 is perhaps the closest overall package I’ve seen pose a legitimate challenge to the Japanese establishment. And there’s more good news the deeper you dive too.

Because the D9 Elite is just $290,888 (prices accurate at time of publishing), almost $100,000 less than the Alphard. And yet it feels like you aren’t missing out on anything.

Proper Presence

Part of why the D9 works is in its aesthetics. Many of its Chinese competitors are essentially just large rectangular boxes on wheels. There’s a sense that their designers didn’t put in the effort to chase that last 10%, which is what makes a premium product, well, feel premium.

The D9, on the other hand, is properly styled. Despite sharing the same overall shape, and having aesthetics clearly inspired by the Alphard, there’s sufficient attention-to-detail in the design to distinguish this from being just another large Chinese electric MPV.

Pay close attention to the metalwork on the D9 and you’d realise that even panels that you thought were flat, aren’t actually flat. They have a slight curvature to them, pairing well with the bold and high shoulder line of the vehicle. The front ‘grille’ oozes road presence, with silver vertical slats and an embossed DENZA logo proudly adorning its fascia.

The rear end is less conventional for a vehicle in its class, with a heavily sculpted area beneath the rear lights, C-pillar trim panels and a rather intricately detailed lightbar. For that extra sleekness, the rear wiper is also concealed behind its subtle rear spoiler.

Defined by Space and Light

Luxury is defined by space and light. And there’s no shortage of either in the D9. For starters, you get a generous panoramic sunroof, which allows plenty of natural lighting to flood the cabin (there’s a retractable window blind should it get too hot/bright for your liking).

It’s clear who the D9 was designed for. Middle seat occupants are treated to a pair of business-class-style arm chairs, which are fully-electric, and come with massage and ventilation functionality. The Elite trim level comes with a synthetic leather, but you really wouldn’t be bothered by the fact that it isn’t genuine leather.

The seat bolsters and materials feel top-notch, and you can get properly comfortable in either of the middle seats. They also have a screen embedded in each of their middle armrests, allowing you to control basically most of the car functions. There’s also a fridge in the car, which can chill your food at up to -5 degrees.

Even third row passengers are not starved of space. There’s enough knee room here to rival the second row of some saloons. And yet it still has a usable boot even with the third row up – not something you can say about a lot of its competitors. There’s less kit up front, so no massage seats for the driver and front passenger, but that’s about the only compromise you’ll have to make opting for the Elite.

Magic Carpet-ish

The long wheelbase and low centre of gravity means the D9 is stable, smooth and rides surprisingly well. The drive is best described as ‘calm’ – its 308 bhp electric motor is controlled by a throttle pedal that has been tuned to be less responsive for the initial travel.

Once you get going though, you’d realise that the rest of the pedal travel appears to control the motor power linearly. DENZA has also paid attention to its regen mode, with its firmware gently bedding in recuperation when you take your foot off the accelerator.

The steering feels about right for its intended application, with sufficient power assistance to make it easy to use in tight spaces. It has a 103.36kWh battery pack, which DENZA claims is good enough for 520 kilometres.

Across my four-day test drive, I averaged about 4.9 km/kWh, which translates into roughly 505 kilometres on a full charge. Which works out to be 97% of its claimed range, and is a fairly impressive statistic.

The Birth of a new Benchmark

The DENZA D9 is a thoroughly impressive car. It offers all of the luxury and performance that its established competitors have, but at a truly competitive price point. Even in the Elite trim, the D9 is genuinely enough car for 90% of those seeking a car in its class.

But if you truly want something that’d comprehensively blow everything else out of the water, DENZA also offers the D9 in the AWD ‘Grandeur’ guise. There aren’t many significant differences, but this variant adds additional pizzazz with new DRLs, as well as Nappa leather, massage seats up front and a additional pair of driven wheels.

It isn’t all a bed of roses though. Sure, it is exceptional value, but there are still minor imperfections that stop it from scoring full marks. And it is in this usual department that most Chinese automakers flounder – I’m talking about its UI. It is cohesively generally, though there are sub-optimised sub-menus, which should easily be rectified down the line. If this is something you can tolerate at this juncture, the D9 is a car you have to test drive if you are looking for a premium MPV!

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