The BYD All-Terrain Circuit in Zhengzhou, China shows us what BYD vehicles are capable of

With BYD being one of the strongest automotive brands in the world, a feat for any Chinese automaker really, it definitely needs an avenue to showcase what it’s capable of. That’s where the BYD All-Terrain Circuit comes in.

BYD Cars Philippines recently brought us to the newly-opened facility, located in the city of Zhengzhou in Central China to experience what it has to offer. Something that surely became a highlight and the perfect culminating activity for our five-day trip to the brand’s home country and market.

In fact, we were the first-ever media delegation from the Asia-Pacific Region to visit and experience the facility, making our trip very timely as the facility opened its doors just about a month prior to our visit.

Welcoming us to the facility were two vehicles—the BYD eMax 9 and BYD Sealion 8, the former rumored to be coming to our market within the year and with several sightings already on Philippine roads. The latter? We don’t know. But these are signs.

So what exactly is this facility all about? It’s essentially a showcase of what BYD has under its sleeve, from its different sub-brands, to what specific models are capable of. All these we got to experience firsthand.

After a quick briefing on the day’s activities we headed to our first stop, the Sand Incline, featuring the Yangwang U8 which is probably one of the most well-known models from BYD thanks to its different capabilities.

This part of the facility simulates driving on desert sand dunes with 6,200 tons of sand that covers a 29.6m vertical drop and a 28° slope. It’s also certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest and largest dune climbing facility for car testing. And as you probably already guessed it, the Yangwang U8 took this course with ease.

This was followed by the Water Crossing Test, also with the Yangwang U8. This was essentially a demonstration of what the luxury SUV is most known for, its water floating capability, something that is surely useful in countries like ours where people have stolen funds for flood control it floods a lot. 

The Yangwang U8 would drive into a 70m long and 1400mm deep pool of water to showcase how it’s able to float and wade through deep water, while keeping its occupants safe.

BYD seems to be really proud of the Yangwang brand since our next experience was to be on the Race Track with the Yangwang U9 supercar. This part almost everyone was looking forward to, especially since just a few days before, the higher-performance YangWang U9 Xtreme broke the world record for the fastest production car.

Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed once we got called to the car as we were only given a shotgun ride with two hot laps, after being told we were gonna drive. Probably lost in translation, but oh well. It’s still an experience of the Yangwang U9 after all.

The race track features nine corners and a 550m straight section where our test driver got the Yangwang U9 to go up to 220kph just before hard braking for the first turn. It’s also quite narrow which made for a very thrilling passenger experience.

After that very adrenaline-filled joyride, we were off to the Off-Road Experience, featuring the Fangchengbao Bao 5. This was fairly simple, drive on the simulated off-road course composed of rocks, rough surfaces, and humps and bumps of multiple sizes and intensity.

What was amazing here was how the Fangchengbao Bao 5 remained very pliant. Yes, you will feel all the different surfaces we were driving on, but you won’t feel disturbed at all. 

And as we got through the day, a fun-filled activity was on the facility’s Low Friction Circle. This is a circular smooth basalt brick track with a diameter of 44m and 3mm of water covering. This not only provides a surface akin to snowy and icy conditions, it also creates a fun drifting experience, even to those who don’t know how, like me.

For this stage, we used a Denza Z9 GT, a very attractive and sexy shooting brake variant of the Denza Z9 midsize sedan. We engaged its interesting Drift Mode feature, and had fun trying our best not to spin out, and just consistently driving the full circle while having fun.

And finally, culminating the activities for the day (and the trip) was a quick autocross-style run on the Dynamic Paddock, a 15,300sqm asphalt-paved area with different scenarios such as a slalom and moose test.

We first got a short briefing with an instructor in the BYD eMax 9 DM-i. Yes, a minivan of all vehicles. That was quite the experience and felt like we were being driven by an aggressive chauffeur who you’d fire after the drive.

Once it was our turn, I went straight to the BYD Tang DM-i which recently arrived in our market. It’s a crossover so there really isn’t much to say about it on this course, but what I’ll tell you is that it’s surprisingly agile for what could’ve felt like a boat.

Next, I got the chance to drive the refreshed version of the BYD Seal electric sedan. Now this…this was the highlight. 

With its powerful dual electric motor setup and all-wheel drive drivetrain, there was no way you’d mess up with this. Two runs in, all I felt was pure adrenaline and the feeling of just wanting to do it over and over again.

The BYD Seal handled extremely well, taking the tight corners with finesse. The steering was a bit too light for my taste, and added a bit too much confidence, but nevertheless, it was an amazing car to push around especially with its responsive and direct nature, plus plenty of feedback, matched with the instant torque from the motors.

BYD plans to bring its All-Terrain Circuits to more cities, with locations in the cities of Hefei and Shaoxing also coming soon, with the latter having an off-road area covering more than 800 hectares at an altitude of 500m. 

Perhaps they can do it in the Philippines too? Mmmm…

Whether we do or do not see such a facility in our country, it really is a showcase of what BYD is capable of as a company navigating one of the largest and most competitive industries in the world. From excellent comfort, high-speed capabilities, fun-to-drive dynamics, and most importantly, safety in times of emergency, this facility shows us that BYD has us covered.

_{Photos by Julian Panlilio}