Denza B8 vs Lexus NX450H+

What's the difference?

The Denza B8 is an incredibly luxurious car that has a lot going for it, including three rows of seating, a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity and an eye-popping price tag, but it's held back by its overall heft and cumbersome ride.

If you don’t absolutely need the third row of seating, the smaller B5 is arguably the better pick and while it’s also not perfect, it’s a very compelling package and you’ll be saving thousands of dollars in the process.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The NX 450h+ Luxury combines high build quality and upmarket looks with plug-in hybrid convenience/performance/economy and numerous luxury appointments. It’s a competent all-rounder that's difficult to fault and clearly meets the needs of many prestige mid-size SUV buyers.

There’s no way around it, the Denza B8 is a big car. It’s almost 5.2 metres long which makes it larger than a LandCruiser 300 Series and more in line with the likes of the Land Rover Defender 130.

It looks quite boxy and tough on the outside, though it doesn’t have any features that define it specifically as a Denza beyond the inconspicuous badging. There are many angles that are reminiscent of the aforementioned Defender.

The body lines look crisper than the smaller B5, as does the semi closed-off grille and LED light script that connect the big LED headlights.

Unlike the B5, the tailgate-mounted spare wheel is much more prominent in the B8 and this therefore exaggerates its heft, not in a good way.

Inside, it’s luxurious and high-end with lots of visual appeal. I particularly like the amount of soft-touch finishes around the cabin and the overall lack of glossy piano black.

While luxurious, there’s also a rugged edge to the interior. This is most present in the large grab handles which you do need to use when getting in and out.

The amount of physical buttons and switches inside is a nice touch as you don’t need to relate on the touchscreen all the time. The fact the gear shift lever rises up when you turn on the car also adds to the special, luxurious feel.

The exterior is a sculptured blend of sharp creases and flowing curves which create a sporty and sophisticated appearance that clearly appeals to many buyers.

The interior looks and feels about as spacious and airy as you could realistically expect in a mid-sized SUV, which is enhanced with the roof open and sunshine pouring in.

The boldly contrasting two-tone grey and camel interior trim in our test vehicle adds to its visual appeal although we suspect such a bold colour choice could also be a stain magnet in everyday use, particularly for young families with lots of sticky kids’ stuff onboard.

Hopping into the B8 you need to acquaint yourself with how the flush door handles operate. Generally they pop open when you unlock the car but sometimes they can be a little delayed.

Also inside the car there are electronic door release buttons which are nowhere near as intuitive as regular door pull handles. Sure you’d likely get used to this over time but you’ll need to explain it to new passengers all the time.

The seats in Chinese cars usually look nice but aren’t that comfortable or supportive for long-distance journeys. The B8’s are the opposite, offering great support and almost limitless adjustability. Adding to this is the standard heating, ventilation and massage functions.

Ahead of the driver is a leather-wrapped steering wheel which feels nice and has plenty of physical buttons with a tactile click when pressed.

Behind this, the digital instrument cluster is clear and high-resolution and offers a number of different layouts and informative pages you can cycle through. This allows you to customise the display.

In the centre of the dashboard is the mammoth 17.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system which is the largest central screen I have seen in a car to date. It’s a big screen for a big car and Apple CarPlay satisfyingly takes up the entire screen.

Thankfully, the screen is snappy and has a native user interface that is easy to navigate around without getting lost. I particularly like the swipe-down control centre menu that allows you to change key settings without diving into sub-menus.

My only hassle with the screen is I struggle to reach the far left-hand side due to its overall size. Perhaps a trackpad would solve this.

As I noted previously, the amount of physical switchgear around the cabin makes adjusting key functions easy. Examples include physical buttons to change the drive mode, activate the surround-view camera, adjust the suspension position and switch between EV and hybrid driving.

In terms of storage up front there are two non-ventilated 50W wireless phone chargers, two cupholders with adjustable depths, a shallow storage section under the centre console, plus a fridge/hotbox under the centre armrest.

Moving to the second row and the luxury continues. The seven-seat model features a three-seat bench that three people can easily fit across as the floor is flat, whereas the six-seat model gets uber-plush captain’s chairs.

Regardless of variant, there’s plenty of room in the second row, even for adults.

Second-row amenities include a small screen on the back of the centre console box that allows you to change the climate control and change the seat heating/ventilation, among other functions.

There’s also a button that opens the fridge/coolbox so the second-row passengers can access it. This is a nifty touch though you’d want to make sure small fingers don’t get caught as the anti-pinch function isn’t the strongest.

A feature that’s unique to the six-seat version is a massaging function on the second-row captain’s chairs. This is a very cool touch that no other SUV at this price point offers.

Accessing the third row in the six-seat version is rather easy as you only need to walk down between the captain’s chairs. It’s also simple enough in the seven-seat version as long as you access it from the kerb side.

Third-row space is decent for adults, but this shouldn’t be surprising as the B8 is such a hulking vehicle. The backrests also recline allowing for extra comfort. Amenities include air vents in the headliner, USB-C ports and scattered storage. It’s enough for seats that will likely only get occasional use.

Around the back the B8 has a side-hinged tailgate which is a little problematic as you need to allow space for it to open up in parking spaces. This is hard when the car is already 5.2m long…

With all three rows upright there is 147L of boot space, which is fine, but this expands to a much more usable 920L with the third row folded.

The boot space is square and usable, though there is a large load lip which is body-coloured and would easily get scratched if you drop something on it. Not the best in a family-oriented vehicle.

Boot-related amenities include buttons to electronically fold the second and third row seats and lower the suspension to make things easier to load into the boot, a 12V socket, scattered hooks, as well as a small underfloor section to store the changing cables.

Although it stands out like a sore thumb, it’s great to have a full-size spare wheel on the back of the tailgate. This is very helpful in the unlikely and unfortunate event you get a puncture.

Its compact dimensions of 4660mm length, 1865mm width and 1660mm height make the usual driving chores in congested urban settings, particularly tight inner-city streets and parking spaces, much easier than a full-size SUV.

With its 2050kg kerb weight and 2540kg GVM, it has a load capacity of 490kg of which up to 75kg can be carried on the roof rails using approved racks.

While almost half a tonne of load capacity may seem ample, keep in mind that the combined weight of five large adults could reach that limit before you could start loading their luggage.

It’s also rated to tow up to 1000kg of braked trailer, which would be ideal for hauling small trailers with a recreational focus like fold-out campers, jet-skis, trail bikes etc. However, Lexus does not publish a GCM figure, so for weekend escapees we don’t know how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time.

There’s more than adequate space for the driver and front passenger, along with storage that includes a bottle-holder and bin in each door, overhead glasses holder and a single glove box.

The centre console has two cupholders and a deep box with padded lid that doubles as a comfy elbow rest. You’ll also find a quartet of USB ports, a 12V socket and wireless phone charging pad.

The rear bench seat is surprisingly accommodating for tall people, given I’m 186cm and when seated behind the driver’s seat set in my position I still have sufficient knee clearance and headroom.

However, with three up, those in the centre must compete for shoulder space plus have their feet either side of the transmission tunnel and knees together between the front seat backrests. So, three adults is okay for short trips but should be capped at two for longer drives.

Rear passenger storage includes a bottle-holder and bin in each door, pockets on both front seat backrests and two cupholders with the centre seat backrest folded forward. The rear of the centre console has adjustable air vents, rear seat heating controls, another 12V socket and a pair of USB ports.

The power tailgate can open by waving your foot under the rear bumper (useful when hands are full) to gain access to the rear luggage area, which provides numerous internal hooks for securing cargo straps or nets plus underfloor storage for the charging cables and more.

This luggage area offers up to 520 litres (more than half a cubic metre) of load volume with the rear seat upright. It expands into what is effectively a small van when the rear seat is folded flat, which can carry everything from a mountain bike to flatpack furniture.

Our test vehicle is the NX 450h+ Luxury (launched late 2025) which sits one rung below the premium 450h+ F Sport on the model ladder. Even though they share the same PHEV all-wheel drive (AWD) underpinnings, the Luxury’s emphasis on providing more affordable luxury at the highest level is reflected in its list price of $84,500, before on-road costs, which is $11,500 less than its F-Sport sibling. Our example is finished in optional 'Graphite Black' prestige paint available at extra cost.

As you’d expect there are plenty of items on the standard equipment list including 18-inch alloy wheels with 235/60 R18 tyres and an inflator/repair kit (no spare), heated door mirrors, tilt-and-slide moonroof, a rear spoiler, roof rails and LED headlights/DRLs to name a few.

Step inside using the smart entry and start function and drivers are treated to luxuries like front seat heating/ventilation with 12-way power adjustment (eight-way passenger), a heated steering wheel with paddle shifters and power height/reach adjustment, digital multi-information display, an electric parking brake, traffic sign recognition, tyre pressure monitoring and active parking aids.

There’s also outer rear seat heating, dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, multiple USB ports, 10-speaker premium sound, a 14-inch multimedia touchscreen with multiple connectivity including wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and lots more.

Power comes from a plug-in hybrid set-up combining dual electric motors and a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine.

Total system outputs are a meaty 425kW and 760Nm. They need to be, as the B8 has a kerb weight of 3.3 tonnes. Despite this, Denza claims it can still do the 0-100km/h sprint in just 4.8 seconds.

Power is sent to all four wheels with a rear mechanical diff lock as standard across the line-up. A front diff lock is only offered on the six-seat version.

What’s most surprising about this big beast is it offers a segment-meeting 3500kg braked towing capacity. It also has up to 700kg of payload, depending on the variant.

The sophisticated PHEV drivetrain with electronic AWD comprises a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that delivers 136kW of power and 227Nm of torque to the front wheels through a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

There’s also electric motors front and rear, fed by an 18.1kWh lithium-ion traction battery that can provide limited electric-only driving range.

The front electric motor, which assists with driving the front wheels through the CVT, produces 134kW/270Nm while a smaller one exclusively drives the rear wheels with 40kW/121Nm. Although the combined output from these three power sources is 310kW, Lexus claims a total system output of only 227kW to optimise efficiency and reliability.

The petrol engine and electric motor outputs are electronically synchronised and traction is continuously monitored to automatically vary the amount of power being sent to the front or rear wheels to optimise stability and traction in all conditions.

There’s also a choice of drive modes comprising 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Eco' and paddles on the steering wheel allow manual shifting of the CVT 'ratios' for a more engaging drive, or to increase the regenerative braking effect (like using lower ratios on descents etc).

Several operational modes can also be selected including electric-only driving (we covered 60km on one full charge and 56km on another) and two modes of hybrid driving, plus battery charging while driving courtesy of the petrol engine which during our test charged the battery from near zero to 100 per cent in 56km.

There’s also external plug-in charging of course. At home we used the three-pin domestic wall socket compatible 10A charger/AC Type 2 cable supplied with the vehicle, which took about six hours (at a tiny 2.3kW) to charge from 35-100 per cent.

Feeding the dual electric motors is a 36.8kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. Denza claims it allows for an electric range of 115km, according to NEDC testing.

The battery can also be used as a power source for appliances using vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality at rates up to 6.6kW.

AC charging is offered at rates up to 11kW, whereas DC fast-charging is offered at rates up to 120kW.

Additionally, there’s a 91L fuel tank. Denza claims this allows the B8 to have a total range of 1040km (NEDC).

Fuel consumption depends on how often you charge the battery. Denza claims the B8 will use 2.0L/100km from 100 to 25 per cent battery charge and 9.9L/100km under 25 per cent battery charge, both according to NEDC testing. Regardless, this is better than all similarly sized petrol- or diesel-powered SUVs.

Lexus claims average combined consumption of only 1.3L/100km, achieved in ideal lab conditions which is largely irrelevant. When we stopped to refuel after 424km of real-world testing, which included our usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving and switching between the different modes (including 116km of electric-only driving), the dash display was showing 5.7L/100km.

That was close to our own figure of 5.4 calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, so based on our test consumption and depending on the mix of drive modes used, you could expect a realistic driving range of up to 1000km from its 55-litre tank which prefers 95RON premium petrol.

Behind the wheel, the Denza B8 primarily acts as an electric vehicle (EV), meaning it’s largely quiet inside the cabin when driving around normally.

Once the battery charge gets down lower, the petrol engine typically switches on to top up the battery. It largely acts as a generator and a lot of the time you can’t tell whether it’s on or off.

You’ll likely only notice it if you floor the accelerator or go up a steeper hill. Even then the engine largely stays quiet and in the background.

When the battery charge gets down low enough and you gun it, the petrol engine can directly power the front wheels. This is rare, though, because the car leaves at least 25 per cent battery charge in reserve.

With 425kW and 760Nm thanks to the dual electric motors and 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, the B8 is far from slow. In fact, for a 3.3-tonne beast it absolutely hauls thanks to the instantaneous torque the electric motors provide.

However in the standard drive mode there is a noticeable input lag from when you push the accelerator pedal hard and when the car starts accelerating. This is reduced in the 'Sport' drive mode.

Although the B8 may produce lots of power and torque, it feels its weight. When you accelerate hard it pitches back dramatically, much like the Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s much more pronounced than in the smaller B5, but still smile-inducing.

As standard, the B8 line-up gets an adaptive hydraulic suspension system that is claimed to be able to self-level the car. Despite this, the B8 gets a considerable amount of body roll regardless of which drive mode you select.

Many Chinese cars have floaty, comfort-oriented suspension tunes over firmer and a more dynamic-feeling ride, and the B8 is no exception. It feels like a 3300kg+ SUV.

The kicker is, like many body-on-frame vehicles, the ride gets busy on harsher roads with more frequent bumps. As a passenger you get jostled about in the cabin.

The steering tries to disguise the overall heft of this SUV but as a result it can feel overly assisted and vague at certain points. Depending on the drive it either artificially adds or reduces resistance.

Unlike the related BYD Shark 6, the B8 gets diff locks and a low-range mode which uses a clutch pack on the rear electric motor to allow for more controlled, low-speed crawling.

The adaptive hydraulic suspension allows the car to be lowered down or lifted up. In its highest mode there is a 890mm maximum wading depth.

Interestingly, compared to the smaller B5, the B8 feels more sorted off the beaten path. Its added heft helps round off bumps more easily, plus there’s added momentum behind it.

Lastly, in terms of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), the B8 is a very quiet car to drive. As I mentioned above, the electric-first nature automatically makes this a quiet car.

Surprisingly, given the B8 is a huge 3.3-tonne box on wheels, there is very little road and wind noise. It seems Denza has put a big emphasis on sound insulation.

The cabin is what you might call ‘cosy’ for tall people like me (186cm) but there’s still adequate room to find a comfortable driving position.

The ride quality is noticeably firm, which contributes to its sporty feel. The steering is nicely weighted with good response and braking is reassuringly strong.

Acceleration in full-electric and hybrid modes is brisk but not exceptional and about what you’d expect from this powertrain, which engages the rear electric motor for standing starts and other situations to ensure all-wheel drive traction is being deployed when you need it most.

We sampled the different drive modes, with 'Sport' providing a more engaging feel (particularly when manual shifting using the paddle shifters), 'Eco' producing a more subdued response to optimise range and the default 'Normal' providing a pleasant compromise.

Even so, despite its technical wizardry and generous choice of driver preferences, we reckon most daily driving owners would simply plug-in and charge each night, start off in electric-only mode and if needed continue in ‘Normal’ hybrid mode.

The NX has a maximum five-star ANCAP rating (awarded 2022), eight airbags and a suite of active safety features including AEB with pedestrian and daytime cyclist/motorcycle detection, steering assist, lane-keeping, safe exit assist, rear cross traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, LED DRLs, tyre pressure warning and lots more. The rear seat is equipped with two ISOFIX child seat anchorages and three top tethers.

The Denza B8 is covered by a six-year, 150,000km warranty, whereas the battery pack is covered by an eight-year, 160,000km warranty. There’s also three years of roadside assistance.

This isn’t a standout warranty in the mainstream market, though compared to premium marques it’s a notable step up.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first.

The first five years' of servicing totals $3762, which averages out to just over $750 per service. This is just a tad more than the smaller B5, but it’s much cheaper than premium rivals.

Comes standard with a five years/unlimited km warranty. Same applies to the lithium-ion traction battery, which is eligible for additional warranty coverage of up to five years (so 10 years in total) based on annual inspections.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km, whichever occurs first. Capped pricing, which applies to the first five scheduled services up to five years/75,000km, totals $3225 or an average of $645 per service.