Denza B8 2026 review: BYD’s Fangchengbao Leopard 8 plug-in hybrid 4WD targets Lexus LX & Range Rover
If a Lexus Alex or a high-grade Toyota Land Cruiser 300 series isn’t big, fancy, or fast enough for you, then this might be the car for you. This is the Fungen Bao Leopard 8. And there’s a lot to talk about with this car. So, let’s get right to it. So, in Australia, BYD won’t use the Funang Bao name. Instead, it’s looking highly likely they’re going to adopt the Denza name. And this will probably be called the Denza B8. Not confirmed yet. All speculation, but it’s looking highly likely. Now, as well as things like the Lexus LX, as I mentioned, and the Land Cruiser, other rivals could include things like the Land Rover Defender, or even something like a Range Rover, maybe a Range Rover Sport, but this has a bit more off-road capability than certainly the latter. In terms of its exterior design, it’s a little bit more refined than the B5. The B5 looks a little bit more rugged. This still has an element of ruggedness to its exterior design, but it’s softened a little bit. It’s certainly not as boxy. If you look at the front, it’s kind of not rounded off, but it’s just softened in a really nice way. There’s definitely a link between the B5 and the B8. You can see that in the headlights, but even looking at the bumpers, the grill, and even the wheel arches, they’re just not as chunky off-road friendly as the smaller B5. It’s a very imposing car in the middle. I’m 6′ tall and I’m nowhere near as tall as this thing. Uh, but it’s got some quite cute elements. This again feels a little bit Land Rover here on the side with the SE-pillar, but with its own kind of BYD twist. And the boxiness does come in at the back, though. It’s really kind of a sharp drop here and really nicely squared off with some quite cool tail light designs. And you’ll notice the absolutely enormous spare wheel housing. It sits out really, really far. Again, whether that makes it to the Australian version, whether it passes ADRs, they’d have to do a lot of calibration to uh things like the reversing camera and all of that kind of stuff. So, we’ll see if that ends up coming. So, the B8 is a bigger car than the B5, and it certainly feels it here in the cabin. Now, in China, this vehicle is available as a six or a sevenseater. So, if it comes to Australia, I would guess that it would be a seven-seater, but we’ll have to wait for confirmation of that. But there’s plenty of room across the front here in the B8, and that’s largely due to this quite massive center console. It’s an interesting console. It’s got the same kind of uh blingy dials as the B5 and the the same gear shifter that elevates itself when you turn the car on. Uh, this also has a very cool, quite literally cooled uh, center box here and it’s actually got quite a bit of space in there. It’s quite deep. And you can obviously change the temperature with the dial there. So, that’s pretty cool. These cup holders are great as well. You can change the depth of them with these buttons here. I always really appreciate that. And again, you’ve of course got the uh, dual chargers and more storage space underneath. In terms of the infotainment, multimeter, all that kind of stuff. Again, big 17.3 in screen right here in the center, flanked by the two 12.3 in screens on either side. Okay. So, again, reflecting the B8’s higher position in the range. It’s a little bit plusher, and there’s a little bit more tech back here compared to the B5. Uh you can see that with these dual screens here that have got individual air conditioning controls as well as music and a few other things. And the seats are a little bit more sumptuous as well. Probably weirdly a similar amount of leg room as the B5, but that would be down to the fact that this does have the third row. So that’s certainly meant they’ve had to uh be conscious of space in the boot. And that means that yes, it’s not acres of leg room here, but I don’t think anyone’s going to be complaining. As you can see, I’ve got still plenty of space and room. So, this is the boot of the B8. It’s quite fancy. It’s got some really lovely kind of faux suede lining here. And there’s quite a lot of space, quite a lot of amenities, but quite a lot of space. That’s because the third row is currently lowered in this car. Now, to raise the third row, you’ve got some handy switches over to the right of the boot, and you just hold onto them, and that will raise each individual seat. The B8 is built on BYD’s DMO Super Hybrid platform, and it has a body-on-frame chassis with air suspension. It has a plug-in hybrid powertrain that pairs a 200 kW 2 L turbo petrol engine with a dual motor setup pumping out a total of 550 kW and 760 newm. BYD says it can do 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. A 36.8 kWh blade battery ensures an electric WLTP driving range of 100 km. Our time in the B8 on the tight off-road course and the compact tarmac track was limited, but it gave us a little taste of the big SUV. First up, it’s quick in a straight line. So quick, the nose lifts quite a bit when accelerating hard. The tight tarmac track revealed the dynamic limitations of the B8. It’s wallowy and so topheavy that it was a bit of a chore pushing it through bends. It soaked up the rumble strips well and I get the impression that this will be a very comfortable cruiser. But a proper verdict will have to wait for a proper drive hopefully on Australian roads. For more on the Denza B8 or any other BYD models, head to carsguide.com.au. Are you [Music]
Is the 2026 Fangchengbao Leopard 8 China’s boldest entry yet into the upper-large SUV game? In this CarsGuide review, we put the premium plug-in hybrid 4WD to the test to see if it can truly compete with established premium off-roaders like the Range Rover and Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series-based Lexus LX. If confirmed for an Australian release date, it’ll likely be badged by BYD as the Denza B8.
With its distinctive boxy styling, tech-packed interior and dual-motor PHEV drivetrain delivering serious torque, the Leopard 8 (B8) makes a strong first impression. But how does it handle real-world driving, cabin comfort and build quality stack up in its domestic Chinese market? We explore everything from the adaptive air suspension to its EV-only range and hybrid fuel efficiency, while also examining the practicality of its three-row layout.
Whether you’re curious about Chinese car brands or looking for a high-tech alternative to the mainstream, this first-look road test gives you the facts. Should the Fangchengbao Leopard 8 (Denza B8) earn a place in Aussie driveways? Let’s find out.
#Denza #B8 #Review
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Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
00:49 Exterior design
02:12 Interior design and practicality
04:45 Under the bonnet
05:18 Driving
05:47 Verdict
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Read Tim’s full review: http://bit.ly/4lecBgh
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