BYD again out of the ‘cruel goods’, standard with air suspension + dual-chamber, with 870 hp, DENZA Z9 DM

In today's ever-changing automotive market, the success of a product no longer relies solely on its initial glitz and glamour, but more importantly on whether it can continue to innovate and keep pace with the times. Looking back to the fuel era, certain star models, in 2016 and 2017, had a good record of annual sales exceeding 100,000 units, and German and Japanese B-class car favourites, but in recent years has gradually faded out of sight. This phenomenon also applies in the new energy sector, where even industry giants such as BYD need to keep deepening their technology and enriching their product lines to meet the increasingly diverse needs of consumers. Against this backdrop, the launch of the DENZA Z9 DM is undoubtedly a highlight that deserves attention. It is equipped with a number of hardcore technologies, such as the Cloud Chariot-A dual-cavity air suspension system and the Easy Tripartite technology, which bring users a brand new driving experience. In this issue, we take DENZA Z9 DM 2024 1100 4WD Ultra Edition as an example for an in-depth explanation.

The exterior design of DENZA Z9 DM is a sight to behold. Elegance is the main focus of the front face, and the headlamp cluster adopts the ‘Corona’ design language, with DLP Pixel headlamp technology integrated inside the headlamp cluster, which can support intelligent driving functions and provide better lighting effect and safety. The hood is adorned with a number of ribbed lines to lower the visual centre of gravity, and combined with the black kit running through both ends of the front end, it brings a nice sporty look. The introverted Z details on the side body are cleverly hidden in the overall lines, and the light and shadow effects present different aesthetics with the undulation of the body curves. The shoulder design is broad and elegant, showing a sense of power and luxury. The frameless door design with electric opening and closing function and 21-inch multi-spoke starburst wheels further enhance the vehicle's sense of fashion and sportiness. The rear end is smooth and rounded, equipped with segmented red light strips and a two-section spoiler on the lower surround, adding a sense of dynamism and vitality to the entire vehicle.

The Yun-van-A system consists of air suspension and electromagnetic dampers, which can finely adjust the height and damping of the chassis to enhance the comfort, smoothness, support and passability of vehicle driving. It supports both single-chamber air suspension and dual-chamber air suspension specifications, and is equipped with an intelligent side seat active adjustment function, and the Tengiz Z9 DM adopts this advanced dual-chamber air suspension system. The Yun-van-A dual-chamber air suspension system adopts a perception-decision-execution architecture, capable of monitoring and adjusting parameters such as body height, body stiffness, and damping softness and hardness in real time. When accelerating or braking, the system triggers multi-stage stiffness adjustment, which improves the anti-pitching ability by more than 25%, and reduces the speed of lateral inclination angle by 23% when steering at high speed, effectively improving the stability and handling of the vehicle. In addition, it comes with iCCT Intelligent Comfort Control Technology, which is able to inhibit head-up/nodding phenomenon during vehicle acceleration and deceleration, maintain the front and rear balance of the body, and ensure ride comfort. Meanwhile, the active suspension height adjustment function enables the vehicle to realise a variety of suspension height adjustment modes within the 150mm adjustment stroke according to the road conditions and driving needs, including speed-adjustment, welcome mode, fetch mode, etc., which brings great convenience to the driver.

In terms of power, DENZA Z9 DM is equipped with a 2.0T plug-in hybrid powertrain, consisting of a 2.0T engine and three drive motors. The maximum power of the engine is 152kW (207Ps), and the maximum torque is 325N-m; the total power of the electric motors is as high as 640kW (870Ps), and the total torque has reached 1035N-m. Such a power configuration allows the DENZA Z9 DM to accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds, which truly realises the perfect combination of speed and passion. In addition to the strong power performance, the chassis quality of DENZA Z9 DM is equally impressive. The front suspension is double-wishbone independent suspension, and the rear suspension is multi-link independent suspension, which not only improves the vehicle's handling, but also takes into account the ride comfort. With integral active steering technology, the maximum rear wheel turning angle can reach 20° in both directions, and the minimum turning radius is only 4.62 metres, allowing drivers to navigate easily in narrow spaces.

DENZA Z9 DM's body dimensions are 5235/1990/1500mm, and the wheelbase reaches 3125mm, which is one of the best in its class. The interior is spacious, both longitudinally and horizontally, and even with a full seating capacity of five people, you won't feel cramped at all. The front row of 173cm tall passengers will adjust the seat to the right position, the rear passengers can still feel free to cross their legs, leg space is abundant, head also has a fist four fingers distance.

For the seats, DENZA Z9 DM is made of Nappa leather with perforated treatment, the leather is delicate and breathable. The front seats are equipped with lumbar support and legrest adjustment, as well as heating, ventilation, memory, massage and other luxury features to keep the driver comfortable even on long drives. The rear seats are also equipped with heating, ventilation and massage functions, allowing every passenger to enjoy a prestigious ride. The interior is also equipped with Tiwari speakers with Dolby Atmos technology with seat speakers as well as a sky channel, which combined with the 128-colour ambient lighting in the interior provides passengers with an immersive auditory and visual experience. The rear row is also equipped with dual 12.8-inch entertainment screens and a touch control adjustment screen, which is mainly used for adjusting seat functions and the entertainment system, allowing rear passengers to enjoy a rich entertainment experience while travelling. In addition, luxury features such as a cold and warm refrigerator, interior scenting device, and in-car air purifier are also available, making every trip a pleasurable one.

Switching to the front seat, the DENZA Z9 DM's wrap-around countertop design is a sight to behold. Wrapped in a large area of leather fabric, the skin feel is delicate and upscale. Countertop modelling three-dimensional and has a good sense of hierarchy, the instrument panel and the passenger screen is located in the same horizontal panel, the size of 13.2 inches, there is another level in front, that is, 17.3 inches of 2.5K central control screen, the three screens together constitute the DENZA Z9 DM's intelligent cockpit. The steering wheel is a leather polygonal design with multifunctional buttons as well as heating, memory and pocket gear functions, allowing the driver to be more comfortable when manoeuvring the vehicle. The front island is also equipped with dual 50W wireless fast chargers for mobile phones and a row of delicate physical buttons, including mode switching, emergency lights, start-stop and other functions, allowing drivers to easily operate various functions while driving.

DENZA Z9 DM is equipped with BYD 9000 car technology chip and DiLink system, which supports navigation and road information display, car networking, OTA upgrade, facial recognition, four-voice zone recognition, continuity voice recognition and other functions. The car machine integrates two sets of desktops, one for the map desktop and the other for the dynamic wallpaper interface, and users can quickly switch between the two desktops on the homepage. In addition, a negative screen function is also provided, which integrates five major function cards, including quick operation, the whole car control function area, brightness and sound adjustment area, scenario mode and SOC setting, which is convenient for users to carry out quick operation.

In the new energy sector, BYD is undoubtedly a respectable headline force. From the tens of thousands of dollars Seagull to the million-dollar Rangoon series, BYD has covered all groups quite well. At the same time, BYD is constantly developing new technologies to meet the increasingly diverse needs of consumers. As a premium brand model under BYD, the Tengsten Z9 DM has really strong overall strength. Whether in terms of power performance, chassis texture, spatial comfort or intelligent technology, it shows excellent performance. For consumers who are considering the purchase of a new energy SUV, DENZA Z9 DM is undoubtedly an option worth savouring.