Denza D9 launched in Malaysia – BYD’s premium EV MPV, up to 374 PS, 520 km range, RM259k-RM309k

It was only back in September that BYD announced it would bring its premium Denza brand into Malaysia, and today we’ve come full circle with its first launch here, the D9. Open for booking since last month and previewed just last week, the luxury electric MPV takes aim at the all-conquering Toyota Alphard and Vellfire as well as its main electric rival, the Zeekr 009.

Let’s start with the most important bit. Denza has earned a crucial coup over the 009 right from the off by pricing the D9 significantly lower – the base Advanced FWD retails at RM259,000 nett, while the Premium AWD costs RM309,000.

In China there’s a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version with up to 1,050 km of CLTC range as well, but Malaysia (like other global markets) only get the EV – at least for now. The Advanced FWD has a single front motor that makes 313 PS (230 kW) and 360 Nm of torque, which sounds plenty, but due to the 2,764 kg kerb weight, it takes 9.5 seconds to get from zero to 100 km/h.

The Premium AWD adds on a less powerful rear motor, churning out 61 PS (45 kW) and 110 Nm and contributing to a total system output of 374 PS (270 kW) and 470 Nm. Despite the kerb weight ballooning to 2,865 kg, the all-paw model takes over two and a half seconds out of the century sprint, which it completes in 6.9 seconds.

Both variants have a massive 103.6 kWh Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that yields WLTP-rated ranges of 520 km for the FWD and 480 km for the AWD. If you charge it at the max 166 kW DC, you’ll go from 30% to 80% SoC in 30 minutes and recoup 150 km of range in 10 minutes. It will also accept up to 11 kW AC.

At 5,250 mm long, 1,960 mm wide and 1,920 mm tall, the D9 is considerably larger than the Alphard/Vellfire twins, while being 41 mm longer and 72 mm taller than even the imposing Zeekr 009. Its 3,110 mm wheelbase is longer than the Toyotas’ 3,000 mm but shorter than the Zeekr’s 3,205 mm. The boot holds 410 litres; this is expandable to 2,310 litres with all rear seats folded.

Under the skin, the D9 rides on MacPherson strut front and multilink rear suspension. The Advanced FWD model gets passive frequency selective dampers, while the Premium AWD receives true adaptive dampers as part of BYD’s DiSus-C Intelligent Damping Body Control System. Denza is touting the car’s refinement characteristics, claiming interior noise levels as low as 64.6 dBA at 120 km/h.

Using its sizeable dimensions to its advantage, the D9 offers plenty of road presence, its black mask-like front end incorporating the LED projector headlights and vertical chrome ‘grille’ bars. The rear, meanwhile, is dominated by large sail-like silver D-pillars that lead into the full-width tail lamp bar. Those 18-inch multi-spoke alloys come with 235/60 tyres – Michelin e-Primacy on the Advanced and Continental PremiumContact C on the Premium.

Regardless of variant, you get powered sliding doors, soft-closing front doors, remote vehicle/AC start, a panoramic sunroof, tri-zone climate control, a 15.6-inch touchscreen (that doesn’t rotate), ‘Hi Denza’ voice command, a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel, 14 Dynaudio speakers, three 50-watt wireless chargers (one front row, two second row), one USB-A port and five USB-C ports. Wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, certainly.

Below the front armrest box is a 6.8-litre fridge with dual temperature control (offering adjustment between -6 and 50 degrees Celsius), and there’s brown leather upholstery, fabric headlining, ambient lighting, a PM2.5 air cleaning system with a negative ion purifier, and a powered tailgate.

Let’s talk seats. Up front, they’re eight-way powered and ventilated, while the second row are 10-way powered captain seats which each have armrest screens, winged headrests, legrests, heating/ventilation and 10-point massage. Retractable picnic tables are behind each of the front seats, while the third row is four-way manually adjustable.

That’s a long list of standard equipment, so what extras do the AWD get (besides an extra motor)? The answer is additional LED DRLs down the sides of the grille, front seat massage, driver seat memory, beige Nappa leather upholstery, real wood veneer trim, textured suede headlining, a head-up display, a digital rear-view mirror and an ‘AWD’ tailgate badge.

For safety, you get eight airbags and four Isofix mounts across rows two and three, while the ADAS (which utilises five millimetre wave radars, eight ultrasonic radars, four surround cameras and a driver monitoring camera) comprises adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, front and rear cross traffic alert with auto brake, rear collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keep assist and high beam assist.

You can have your Denza D9 in Arctic White, Whale Sea Blue or Cosmos Black. The first 800 customers will get a free 22 kW wallbox (including installation), free six years/120,000 km service, a free exclusive Denza neck and waist pillow, plus a free exclusive Denza luggage.

Warranties? Six years/150,000 km for the vehicle, eight years/160,000 km for the battery and eight years/150,000 km for the drive motor and motor controller. Denza has also introduced a Malaysia-Singapore-Thailand cross-border after-sales warranty programme, essentially giving users who travel across the three countries a worry-free experience.

Denza D9 spec sheet, click to enlargeGALLERY: Denza D9 Advanced FWD

GALLERY: Denza D9 Premium AWD

GALLERY: Denza D9 spec sheet, slides and official images

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.