BACKED by BYD, Denza’s D9 sets its sights squarely upon those seeking a luxury seven-seater electric multipurpose vehicle (MPV).
This flagship family mover is set on swaying attraction from more established high‑end rivals such as the evergreen Toyota Alphard and Vellfire, as well as new electric competitors like the Zeekr 009.
In contrast to the Alphard/Vellfire will cost around RM538,000 or RM448,000 respectively, while the range-topping Zeekr 009 can cost RM359,800.
At present, Denza Malaysia offers two fully-imported D9 variants at much lower prices (on-the-road without insurance), with the Advanced FWD costing RM259,000 while the Premium AWD gets tagged at RM309,000.
Despite the D9 being infused with high‑tech offerings, it still makes this all-electric people mover a highly value‑oriented choice by being more affordable than a 009 and priced well below an Alphard or Vellfire.
The D9 represents a bold entry into the luxury electric MPV segment and brings with it futuristic aesthetics and practicality.
The exterior showcases the brand’s Pie-motion design language, where its front fascia features a distinctive diamond-cut grille flanked by meteor-inspired headlights to create a somewhat commanding presence on the road.
Meanwhile, the dimensions, being 5,250mm in length, 1,960mm in width, and 1,900mm in height, further contribute to this effect.
Inside, the D9 delivers premium refinement with soft Nappa leather, open-pore wood and suede for the headliner.
The real highlights are the comfort amenities for the middle row with the captain’s chairs fully integrated with heating, ventilation, massage functions, 10-way powered adjustability, powered leg rests for that zero-gravity experience and the ability to almost recline flat.
Moreover, the D9’s cabin is quiet, allowing occupants to have a soft-spoken conversation that even the driver will be able to decipher with relative ease.
Try 64.6 dBA (according to Denza) at best while cruising at 120kph, thanks greatly in part to the inclusion of double‑layer laminated glass all around.
There’s also that massive 15.6-inch portrait touchscreen that dominates the dashboard, a 10.25-inch digital cluster and that wonderful 14-speaker Dynaudio sound system for listening pleasures, a foldable tray, six USB ports (Types A and C) and 50W wireless chargers among others.
Practicality is also ever-present, especially that 6.8-litre fridge under the centre console that heats and cools (from -6 to 50 degrees Celsius).
Of course, there are powered sliding doors, soft-closing front doors, a powered tailgate, a panoramic glass sunroof that comes with an electric shade, integrated wireless charging pads for each second-row seat, individual control panels in the armrest to adjust climate, sunshades, audio and seat settings as well as manual sun shades for the sliding doors.
In short, comfort and convenience have been prioritised here, and this includes power‑adjustability for the front seats that comes with ventilation and memory functionality.
As a bonus, a full ambient lighting system is included that truly beats to...your preferred “beats” along with a CN95 cabin air filter and controls to practically everything.
With that said, this is the reason why everyone “beelined for the back seats” as soon as the sliding doors opened.
The D9 is more of a luxury lounge on wheels than a sports car, although it has no qualms about sprinting from 0 to 100kph in about 6.9 seconds, despite having a gross weight of about 3,439kg.
This is all thanks to the all-wheel-driven (AWD) system that splits its performance of 374PS and 470Nm between the front and rear motors.
Even with such a weight, the 389km journey to Desaru provided some insight into what the D9 Premium AWD had to offer while on the road.
Throttle response was linear and refined even while in “Sport” mode, with just a tad of abruptness.
While in Comfort mode, there’s still plenty of performance for casual driving while the dual‑motor AWD system apportions torque to the front and rear without any drama.
While seated in plush rear seats, quietness was exceptional when travelling at legal highway speed limits with barely a whisper of wind or tyre noise entering into the cabin - a testament of the double‑glazed glass and sound insulation.
Swapping to behind the wheel, the drivers will have a commanding position with excellent all-around visibility that’s paired with a relatively light steering feel as most would expect an MPV would provide.
The lane‑keep system works smoothly with just the right amount of feedback, and the 360-degree camera system was a definite blessing when faced with tight spots.
Although the fully-loaded advanced driver aid systems (ADAS) felt competent, the driver fatigue monitoring system was constantly chiming to indicate that this driver’s genetically-inherited set of eyes might be too “Asian” for its liking.
The same could be said about those wearing sunglasses, too.
The dashboard provided a sense of modernity with the 15.6-inch screen offering crisp graphics and voice control (Hi Denza), with navigation and climate controls quickly accessible by swiping down on the screen.
Second-row passengers have such controls at their fingertips via the seat armrests for quick adjustments.
Outright, the D9’s suspension tuning can be said to favour comfort over agility.
The D9 uses a two‑stage DiSus‑C electronically controlled suspension with Comfort Control adjustable damping where in Normal mode, it soaks up road imperfections impressively.
Over potholes or broken road sections, the D9 tackles such imperfections with minimal judder.
Through bends, however, body roll while at speed and nose dives under heavy braking were quite present, probably due to the massive 3.4-tonne gross weight.
Although, the ride did feel highly plush for front and second‑row occupants who, despite their best efforts, kept succumbing to slumber.
During the southward journey, the undulating highway stretches showed that the D9’s front and rear suspension reacted differently to bumps with the presence of vertical pitching - perhaps due to its long 3,110mm wheelbase.
The D9’s rear end seemed eager to bounce when tackling undulations while at speed and it continuously enjoyed wandering off course, resulting in the need to make continuous course corrections, even in a straight line.
Adding to this effect, the 235/60 Continental PremiumContact C tyres fitted to the 18-inch wheels made the light steering feel numb with a delayed response.
It is understood that the D9 is no sports car, but the level of comfort could be dialled down to add a little crispiness to its handling prowess.
In terms of energy consumption, the sizeable D9 AWD’s range can be considered to be respectable with 480km WLTP (580km NEDC) on a full charge.
Under real‑world conditions, the D9 managed to achieve about 340km of range with three adults on board with an average 27kWh/100 km - higher than the optimistic 21–23kWh/100 km Denza advertises for mild driving, but understandable given the heavy load and spirited tests.
This equates to roughly 340–370km of actual range, although a more moderate pace should yield better figures.
Practical range is aided by a large 103.6kWh Blade battery which supports up to 166kW of DC fast charging, enough to grab about 150km of additional range in 10 minutes.
During the trip, a stop was made at DC Handal’s chargers, rated at 400kW.
Starting the session around 30% state-of charge (SoC) with an indicated 176km of range, the battery was charged up to 91% to provide an indicated 510km of range.
The 61% top‑up (roughly 63 kWh) took under half an hour and with a cost of RM1.50/kWh, that should bring the bill to about RM95 (officially, charging it from 30–80% takes just over 20 minutes).
The final leg to Desaru consumed the rest and upon arrival, the D9’s SoC was about 68% for 394km range indicated, and this allows for long road trips to be accomplished without that anxious gnawing of running out of the proverbial electrical “juice”.
With a price tag of RM309,000, the D9 Premium AWD presents itself as a challenging choice in the upscale electric MPV segment.
It delivers a compelling mix of refined luxury, cutting-edge technology, and dual-motor performance, all wrapped in a spacious and feature-rich cabin.
