If you made a list of all the vehicles most likely to make Toyota and Land Rover nervous, the Chinese BYD Denza Bao 5 deserves a spot near the top. This is a rugged, ladder frame SUV designed from the ground up to take on the Defender and Land Cruiser, combining traditional four wheel drive hardware with an extremely powerful plug in hybrid system and a price that is difficult to ignore.
In China the vehicle is sold as a BYD Bao 5, while globally it is known as the Denza B5. It rides on BYD’s Super Hybrid platform, with a body on frame chassis, four wheel drive and a plugin hybrid drivetrain.
At the heart of the B5 is a 1.5 liter turbocharged four cylinder gasoline engine producing 194 horsepower. The real kick, however, comes from the motors that spin thanks to electrons. Each axle has its own electric motor, and the combined package can pump out as much as 677 horsepower and 560 foot-pounds of torque. The result is a claimed zero to sixty time of just 4.8 seconds, downright insane for a big and heavy 4×4 SUV.
The 31.8 kWh lithium battery provides roughly sixty miles of of electric driving under WLTC testing in the Australian specification. The gasoline engine then provides the long distance capability that is a must for any adventure vehicle. The 22 gallon fuel tank gives the B5 a combined range of between 500 and 700 miles, depending on trim and exact market.
4×4 for real
The B5 rides on independent front and rear suspension, comes with electric front and rear differential locks and four wheel drive. Ground clearance is approximately 8.5 inches in the standard Australian specification, with the Leopard version adding BYD’s trick hydraulic suspension system. The B5 can also wade through up to 27.5 inches of water.
Inside, the Bao 5 looks considerably more expensive than its Chinese price suggests. There is a large central touchscreen, digital instrumentation, extensive driver assistance technology and a cabin that pushes the vehicle toward the premium end of the market.
A question of price
In China, the current Bao 5 starts at roughly US$38,700, with the latest Flash Charge model capable of charging from 10% to 97% battery in less than ten minutes reaching a high point of $45,500. Prices are higher in export markets, though the final price is often heavily influenced by import taxes and dealer fees.
Sold as the Denza B5 in Australia, it has already established itself as a genuine competitor to the much loved Toyota Prado (known as the Land Cruiser 250 in the US), with Australian reviewers praising its combination of performance, technology and off road capability. BYD vehicles are taking Australia by storm, thanks in part to horrifically high gas prices and three hours of free electricity in much of the country thanks to the vast number of residential solar installs.
The BYD Denza’s styling is remarkably similar to the current generation Toyota Land Cruiser.
Thanks to a rapidly changing tariff policy, Canadian buyers can expect to see the Bao 5 on BYD showroom floors any day now. Mexican government records are already listing the Denza B5 among imported plug in hybrid vehicles, so sales there are also imminent. Sadly, the United States is a very different story. Chinese electric vehicles still face a 100 percent import tariff, with virtually no hope of a change to that policy in sight.
For those in Canada, Mexico, Europe, Australia and other global markets, there’s plenty to be excited about with new vehicles dropping into the market at a pace never before seen.
The US will have to wait.
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Images: BYD, Toyota
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