Denza Bao 5 driven: Can China’s new hybrid off-roader dethrone the Land Rover Defender?

There’s a new Defender rival in town – and it’s coming from China.

BYD – the world’s biggest electric car maker and recently dubbed the ‘Tesla killer’ – has unveiled the third model from its tech-focused luxury sub-brand, Denza.

And its on a mission to leave Land Rover in the mud.

The Bao 5 has a huge, squared-off shape that looks like its been designed using an Etch A Sketch. But it promises to deliver intelligence, refinement and versatility.

With a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain producing more than 500bhp, the Bao 5 claims 56 miles in electric-only mode and – with a full petrol tank and a battery charged to 100 per cent – 537 miles without needing to stop.

Even more boldly, it promises to be a proper 4×4 that can ‘conquer the unexpected’.

But while other Chinese cars have gained huge success in Britain in recent years by significantly undercutting established rivals, the Denza doesn’t have a bargain price on its side. In fact, it costs just £7,000 less than an equivalent PHEV Defender.

So, can it dethrone off-roading royalty of the scale of the revered Land Rover on merit alone? Daily Mail and This is Money senior motoring reporter, Freda Lewis-Stempel, has been finding out…

What is Denza? Welcome to BYD’s new brand in Britain

BYD is on its way to becoming a household name among Chinese car brands.

Denza, however, is one that few people in Britain will have heard of.

The luxury tech arm of BYD was founded in China in 2010 in partnership with Daimler. Its focus was on ‘new energy vehicles’ – EVs and advanced hybrids.

Denza’s first model went on sale in China at the end of 2014, and its first store outside mainland China opened in Hong Kong in 2024.

Daimler exited the partnership in 2024, and a year later BYD announced that Denza would arrive in Europe, with Britain set to be one of its first markets.

Denza promises to ‘blend cutting-edge technology with sophisticated design to deliver a smarter, safer and more refined driving experience’.

Why is Denza targeting the 4×4 segment?

Chinese carmakers are laser-focused when targeting the UK market, and Denza has pinpointed the segment it believes it will have the highest success in: boxy off-roaders.

It points to the UK representing more than half of European sales of chunky SUVs. 

But the Defender in the Bao 5’s sights is a mighty market leaders to topple.

Land Rover started Britain’s immensely popular trend of big, square, utilitarian and rugged 4x4s, and the Defender is Land Rover’s best-selling product by a country mile.

In 2025, Defender achieved record deliveries of more than 115,000 units – outstripping models like the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.

The Bao 5 is not only a Defender adversary, but Denza says the SUV is an ‘entry ticket to the segment’, with the Bao 5 going ‘for best-in-class’ across all the key components of this ilk of vehicles.

This includes off-road capabilities, intelligence, refinement and versatility.

It looks like an unapologetic off-roader 

Bao 5 is a large, unapologetically square-cut 4×4.

That’s following directly in the tyre tracks of the status quo of the segment, which also includes the ever-present Toyota Land Cruiser and billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s automotive hobby project, the Ineos Grenadier.

The brand’s lock-shaped badge, which features inside and out, Denza says is an emblem of ‘strength, durability, safety and power’.

With its upright stance, assertive front-end design, ring-shaped headlights framing a dark grille, scalloped lower bumper and contrasting skid plate, the Bao 5 certainly looks every inch a rival to the aforementioned rufty-tufty rivals.

Deeply sculpted doors, squared-off wheelarches, aluminium roof rails, side steps, chunky tail-lights, underbody skid plates and a tailgate-mounted spare wheel reinforce the message that this is no ordinary SUV. 

Instead, it is a vehicle that wants to be taken seriously as an off-roader.

What’s it like on the inside?

I very much like the interior design of the Bao 5. 

I think it strikes a stylish balance between luxurious comfort, modernity and utilitarian, hardcore cool.

Screens play a prominent role in the cabin but, surprisingly, not in an intrusive or ultra-minimalist way. 

The 12.3-inch full-LCD driver display, 50-inch head-up display, 15.6-inch central touchscreen and 12.3-inch passenger display are integrated into Denza’s signature ‘lock’ design theme.

Framed by angular grab-handle-style air vents, with black aluminium door handles, locking motifs on the steering wheel spokes and padded interlocking armrests, the cabin feels both authentic and original.

The pièce de résistance, though, is the cockpit-style button panel and gear selector. 

Reminiscent of the Ineos Grenadier’s overhead control panel but positioned on the centre console, the metal buttons and rotary controllers give the Bao 5 a fashionably functional feel. 

They also provide quick access to features such as the differential locks and are genuinely useful to have alongside the digital displays.

The rest of the cabin is focused on comfort. 

It features Nappa leather front and rear seats with heating and ventilation, while the front occupants also benefit from a 10-point massage function. There’s also a heated steering wheel and a panoramic sunroof.

The seats are exceptionally comfortable, and space is abundant throughout the cabin – even the tallest passengers will have no issues getting comfortable in the Bao 5.

The 18-speaker Devialet audio system, complete with three headrest audio modes, is phenomenal and will delight any music aficionado. It also makes a refreshing change from the usual Sony or Bose-branded setups.

Another standout interior feature is the refrigerator box housed within the centre armrest. The 4.5-litre compartment can cool to -6°C and heat to 50°C, and the former setting proved particularly welcome on a 35°C day in Sussex.

The 475-litre boot provides ample space for holiday luggage, while folding the rear seats increases capacity to 1,069 litres.

What’s the Bao 5 like to drive?

On paper, the Bao 5 has a lot going for it. 

It features what Denza describes as the world’s first off-road-dedicated hybrid architecture, produces 537bhp and 760Nm of torque, and can sprint from 0-to-62mph in 4.8 seconds.

Much of its appeal centres on its off-road credentials. 

It comes with intelligent electric four-wheel drive, three intelligent electric differential locks (which force the wheels on the same axle, or across axles, to rotate at the same speed), 310mm of ground clearance and 16 driving modes, ranging from ‘Sand’ to ‘Race’.

Sadly, I didn’t have the opportunity to test those off-road capabilities during this initial drive, as the route was strictly tarmac-based.

On the road, the first thing you’ll notice is the vehicle’s weight. 

This is a substantial machine, and you can feel every bit of it.

Despite being a hybrid, it is also surprisingly lethargic off the line. 

You expect an immediate surge of acceleration, but when pulling out onto the road outside Goodwood Motor Circuit, I initially felt as though I hadn’t pushed the accelerator hard enough.

This characteristic is in keeping with the progressive power delivery of BYD’s DM-i hybrid system, but in a 2,890kg 4×4, you would ideally want a little more urgency at lower speeds.

Around town and in slower-speed driving, it often feels as though the vehicle has not quite settled into its stride and is always half a step behind your inputs.

At higher speeds, however, that sensation largely disappears. 

Both ‘Sport’ and ‘Race’ modes help bring the vehicle to life on twisting country roads, allowing it to gather pace with far more enthusiasm on A-roads.

The Bao 5 leans through corners, but that’s to be expected from a body-on-frame 4×4 of this size and weight. 

Visibility is also excellent, as is the driving position. From behind the wheel, you get a commanding view of the road ahead.

Unfortunately, it does pick up a fair amount of road-surface imperfections, from lumps and bumps to rough patches of tarmac. 

Interestingly, this was more noticeable from the passenger seat than it was from behind the wheel, despite the vehicle’s standard air suspension.

What I will say in its defence is that many of the best and most authentic off-roaders don’t drive with the polished refinement of a conventional SUV on the road – and that bodes well for its capabilities away from the tarmac.

As a result, I’m genuinely excited to see what the Bao 5 is like on a green lane because it has all the ingredients to be something of a hybrid off-road beast.

I think its driving characteristics will appeal to a broader range of buyers than the Ineos Grenadier, though it is less polished on the road than Defender owners might expect. In that regard, it feels closer to a Land Cruiser.

Range, specs and pricing

The Bao 5 offers an electric-only range of 56 miles, significantly more than the Defender PHEV’s 27-mile EV range and broadly comparable with rival Chinese plug-in hybrids, including the Jaecoo 7 SHS.

Its total combined range is 519 miles.

Buyers also get 3kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability as standard, allowing household appliances and other electrical equipment to be powered directly from the vehicle, as well as a 2.5-tonne towing capacity.

There are just two trim levels, which keeps the range refreshingly straightforward: Elegance and Ultimate.

The Elegance comes comprehensively equipped as standard, with highlights including a panoramic sunroof, heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, an 18-speaker Devialet audio system, multiple digital displays and wireless phone charging. It is priced from £69,500.

The Ultimate adds a selection of premium upgrades, including Nappa leather upholstery, ventilated rear seats, a digital rearview mirror, a second wireless charging pad, 20-inch wheels with Pirelli tyres and the DiSus-P Intelligent Hydraulic Body Control System. It is priced from £78,880.

Unless you’re a dedicated off-roader who specifically wants the DiSus-P system, I’d recommend saving almost £10,000 and opting for the Elegance trim.

Orders for the Bao 5 open in October, with first customer deliveries expected between Q4 2026 and Q1 2027. Denza’s first UK retail site, located at Westfield London, will also open in October, giving prospective buyers an opportunity to see the Bao 5 in person.

The Cars and Motoring verdict

For now the jury’s out as we await further and full testing, especially off-road. There’s potential – but I’m yet to be fully sold.

So, for the moment the question isn’t really whether the Bao 5 can truly take on the Defender, or even the Land Cruiser, or any other boxy 4×4 for that matter, but whether drivers will trust a new carmaker they haven’t heard of with £70k of their money?

Can they back a Chinese carmaker that’s blatantly going after Britishness?

We’ll have to see when those order sheets open.