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On September 13, a new Chinese crossover BAIC X55 was presented in Moscow, which is assembled at Avtotor facilities. If you haven’t heard of BAIC, here’s a brief history of the company. The company was founded in Beijing in 1953, but the first car, the Jinggangshan sedan, was only released in 1958. In 1984, Beijing Jeep Corporation was founded, China’s first automobile joint venture between BAIC and American Motors. In 2002, the Chinese manufacturer formed a joint venture, Beijing Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd., to localize production of Korean cars. In 2005, Beijing Benz Automotive Co., Ltd. was formed, thanks to which the first Mercedes-Benz for the local market rolled off the assembly line already in 2006. In 2009, BAIC Motor acquired the main assets of Saab, and the Chinese manufacturer transferred the engine and gearbox production technologies as well as the entire development complex. And in 2017, a joint venture was formed with German company ZF Friedrichshafen AG to manufacture automatic transmissions. Today, BAIC Group, which is majority owned by the state, produces not only passenger cars for the needs of the Chinese military, but also commercial vehicles, such as buses and trucks, as well as jeeps and other heavy equipment.
The BAIC X55 crossover is the fourth model in the company’s lineup in our market. All of the brand’s currently offered cars are assembled at Avtotor in the Kaliningrad region, and contracts have been signed for a total of seven models. The new product looks stylish and futuristic, with smooth curves at the front and a false panel in place of the usual radiator grill, the latter moved much lower. This decision was made to reduce the aerodynamic drag coefficient Cx – 0.32. At the same time, the noise level in the cabin is less than 67 dB when driving at a constant speed of 120 km/h. The door handles in the X55 are of a hidden type, which is now fashionable as well as the current two-tone body colour. Visually, the car turns out to be very interesting with narrow all-LED optics and attractive smooth body lines; It looks especially good in bright colors. In terms of design, BAIC X55 is on par with OMODA C5, Changan UNI-T and Jetour Dashing. That is, this car is aimed at the youth who want to have a crossover that is not only practical but also stylish.
Everything inside the BAIC X55 is still at a good level. A 10.1-inch digital instrument panel, separately supplied 10.25-inch media system display, pseudo-sports bucket front seats with electric adjustment, complete package of heating and ventilation, which can be trimmed in bright red eco-leather. Here we see a floating central tunnel, like in the Jetor Dashing, as well as pleasant ambient lighting. There was also room in the cabin for a huge roof with an automatic sunroof at the front, which can be closed independently in the rain. The climate control in the car is dual zone and apparently can only be controlled from the media system screen. The steering wheel has both keys and a control roller, very similar to the Tesla. In terms of materials in the cabin, everything is standard for modern Chinese cars. At the top, in the visible part, we have high-quality materials, the same soft plastic and eco-leather-covered elements on the front panel, but a high-quality, but still hard plastic at the bottom.
I felt very comfortable behind the wheel of the crossover, although, I still need to get used to the car while driving. The longitudinal adjustment of the chair was not nearly enough for me, I had to lower it. Being 187 cm tall, I also sat comfortably behind me, although I noted that there was practically no room in the knees, and it was a bit difficult to ride in the back due to the narrow door. The trunk in the BAIC X55 is a bit disappointing, with a volume of only 350 litres. But in the top-end configuration, the tailgate comes with an electric drive and the ability to open it contactlessly.
In terms of electronic equipment, the new top-end BAIC is quite good, though not ideal. For example, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were not delivered here; Only Carbitlink was installed to copy information from a smartphone screen. But there is automatic parking, all-round camera with HD resolution, blind spot monitoring, as well as adaptive cruise control with lane control and keeping system. There are also emergency braking systems.
Our BAIC X55 crossover comes with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 178 hp. (in China it is 188 hp) and a maximum torque of 300 N∙m, available in the range of 1500-4250 rpm. It uses a variable geometry turbine, which German engineers helped the manufacturer create. The power unit is mated to a 7DCT pre-selective robotic gearbox. Front wheel drive only. The crossover accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 7.8 seconds. At the same time, the maximum braking distance from 100 km/h to 0 is 35.6 meters. According to the WLTP method, the X55 consumes 7.7 liters of fuel per 100 km in the combined cycle. Ground clearance is quoted at 180 mm, which is good enough for a city crossover.
A set of active and passive safety systems allowed the BAIC X55 to achieve a maximum of 5 stars in the C-NCAP crash test. The top-end configuration of the car includes: front airbags for driver and front passenger, front side airbags and curtain airbags for front and rear passengers.
In our market, BAIC X55 is offered in two rather rich trim levels, Comfort and Elite, and is priced at 2,755,000 and 2,999,000 rubles, respectively. In current reality the price tag is quite at the level of competitors, and in some cases even lower. The only thing is that I will not save money and take the BAIC X55 in the elite configuration, because it has more various useful options and a full set of airbags.
