When it comes to off-road compatible family cars, little can compete with the Toyota Land Cruiser badge for reliability and capability, and the Prado has always offered great value. Yet the value game has changed with new entrants from China, called the Denza B5.
The GWM Tank 500 was the first to hit Australian shores, but now BYD is shaping up an off-road wagon to rival the Prado and Ford Everest.
Known as the Fangchengbao Bao 5 in its home market (which translates to Formula Leopard), BYD’s luxury off-road sub-brand has sensibly floated the more straightforward Denza B5 name for its Australian release.
The B5 has plenty of similarities to BYD’s own, game-changing Shark 6 pick-up, including its basic ladder frame chassis, independent coil-sprung suspension layout and ‘DMO’ plug-in hybrid powertrain, but the B5 levels up in several key areas.
Adaptive dampers are the first, but it’s the inclusion of electronically locking front and rear differentials plus simulated low-range and locking centre diff modes that has us most intrigued.
To see whether the B5 (and other models) is fit for Aussies, BYD invited Chasing Cars to sample left-hand-drive versions in China before their likely local market launch.
Now, information about future products isn’t always clear from BYD (which has recently dramatically shifted its import strategy to direct, rather than through a distributor) yet Chasing Cars secured confirmation the B5 is coming to Australia as the first Denza model.
BYD Australia senior product manager Sajid Hasan told us “the B5 will be the first model…I’m confirming it now,” but he stopped short of discussing actual pricing. However, we can expect a Q4 2025 launch for the B5, when it is likely to be priced above $70,000 but below $90,000.
That sounds a bit expensive, certainly when compared to GWM’s Tank 500 hybrid (from $66,490, driveaway), yet the brand maintains its products will have a luxury edge. And as for Prado, a much slower Kakadu is $99,990 list.
First up, the looks. Imposing and boxy with some sharp LED lighting details, the B5 has a certain swagger in person that’s more cohesive than the aforementioned GWM rivals. Better than Prado? There’s none of the heritage, that’s for sure.
It’s a sizeable rig, at 4.89 metres long and 1.97 metres wide, with a reasonable 2800mm wheelbase. This pushes the wheels out to each corner nicely, for a squat look.
Inside, the sub-five-metre length means the B5 is a spacious five-seater, but there’s no provision for a third row. You’ll have to look up to the longer B8 — also under strong consideration for Australia — for seven seats.
What’s really impressive isn’t the B5’s huge, rotating 15.6-inch touchscreen or bright 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, but instead it’s the build quality. Sturdy grab handles sit at either end of a horizontal dash, there’s no creaking or rattling from door cards or the seats.
Speaking of, the power-adjustable, heated and ventilated chairs are seriously lush, with decent bolstering and lumbar support.
Controls aren’t all hidden in the touchscreen, either. The B5 has drive mode and volume scroll knobs on its steering wheel, while there are physical buttons for the diff locks, low range, and other features in the centre console.
The second row has lots of space for full-size adults. The only snag is a high-set flat floor, owing to the batteries and body-on-frame construction.
We can’t comment on the ease of using the tech as the B5’s multimedia system, which was in Chinese. However, it was responsive to touches when navigating the myriad on- and off-road drive modes.
Speaking of, our first interaction with the B5 was on a daunting dirt course. Not because it had any seemingly insurmountably technical obstacles (it didn’t), but rather because it was an ATV track that barely had space for the near two-metre thick B5 to squeeze down.
Here is where the clear, interactive exterior cameras came in handy. Think the Land Rover Defender’s are good? Think again. China has optics absolutely nailed, right down to the simulated see-through chassis available.
Weaving through the sub-tropical scrub was the trickiest bit, with otherwise smooth dirt. The suspension was plush and the steering electric power-assisted steering light and breezy.
Not learning too much, we found a clearing overlooking the surprisingly picturesque Daya Bay which was littered with craggy, granite-like outcrops for us to try and climb.
Unlike the related Shark 6, the Denza B5 packs plenty more drive modes (eight in total), which have greater influence. We started in normal mode, leaning on the traction control for smarts. The B5 got halfway up before starting to struggle.
Engage ‘Rock’ mode, the petrol engine fires into life (probably for more consistent power), the B5 drops into a simulated low range, and the rear differential lock engages. With that, it flawlessly crested the shark rock climb.
For those not familiar with BYD’s DMO plug-in hybrid system, it employs one electric motor on each axle for the bulk of drive, while a front-mounted 1.5-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder mostly charges the Denza B5’s 31.8kWh ‘Blade’ lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, and occasionally kicks into help proceedings.
In the more upmarket Denza B5, BYD has leveled up the punch with 200kW front and 285kW rear motors, for total combined outputs of 505kW and 760Nm, leaving the Shark 6 in the dust and sprinting from 0-100km/h in a claimed 4.8 seconds.
A note on driving range, because the Denza B5 is rated at an impressive 1200km combined (NEDC), with EV-only range listed at 100km in the WLTP. Fast-charging is 100kW for China-market models, too.
There’s another benefit beyond speed and driving range to this punchier hybrid powertrain, as the B5 also sends more power to its rear axle than front, which should result in greater poise and capability.
We got a chance to test that in a yacht club carpark, of all places, where BYD had marked out a tricky motorkhana course.
No doubt at the pace of the B5. It takes a moment to spool up as its considerable 2890kg kerb weight rears up on soft springs and dampers before firing itself and sundry down the road. Some amount of run-on was evident in the throttle tuning, as well.
The brakes are strong, but with light control weights the B5’s pace, combined with pronounced body roll, is more than a little unnerving! We didn’t notice any front wheel spin on full throttle at least (common in the Shark 6 ute).
Some finessing of the chassis would go a long way. With greater roll stiffness and revised steering settings, the Denza B5 would feel more cohesive on tarmac. Naturally, final judgement will be saved until it hits Aussie tarmac.
As a verdict, it’s impossible to tell whether a car is perfect, or better than other rivals, from a brief contextless (and lightly jet-lagged) test drive in a Chinese market vehicle. However, the B5 shows some serious promise.
Loads of technology and huge on-paper outputs are implied, but the build quality and genuine high-end feeling inside were stand-out. Add to that improved off-road ability compared to the Shark 6 — which is already proving very popular — and Denza is onto a winner.
We suspect some further suspension and drivetrain calibration is needed for true Australian success. Pricing is also crucial — $80K for this much punch and luxury would be hard to walk past. We’ll be monitoring Denza developments closely.