MANILA, Philippines — Until today you may be forgiven for not noticing a BAIC vehicle when you’re on the road. BAIC’s M20 subcompact MPV and MZ40 subcompact van have contemporary but basic styling. They’re designed to transport you from point A to point B with minimal fuss and attention.
Then there’s the new BJ20, BAIC’s new five-seat compact-sized crossover. The BJ20 first debuted as a concept car in the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show, and began rolling off showrooms as a production model a year later. This newest BAIC will still transport you from point to point, but it will now do it with much greater sophistication. And yes, it will do so with much more eyes on you. Much more.
That’s because styling is — obviously — its strong suit. Design may be subjective, but there’s no debating that the BJ20 was styled to turn heads, much like the Kia Soul, Nissan Juke, and Toyota FJ Cruiser — three automobiles that push the boundaries of design.
Curiously, the new BAIC BJ20 has design elements of two of those three iconic cars — the big, round, low-mounted headlamps like the Juke’s and the extra-thick D-pillar like the FJ Cruiser’s. You might also want to add the Jeep’s trademark grille (albeit with five bars to Jeep’s seven) and the Jeep Cherokee’s hood-level ultra-slim lighting units to the list of design inferences you’ll notice in the BJ20.
Familiar design elements aside, the BJ20 nonetheless achieves a unified look. It has a squarish overall style, marked by straight lines that define the windows, roofline, doors, pillars, and fender openings. Even the character line that adds visual texture to the doors seem to have been drawn with a straight rule. The equally slimline taillamps echo the fronts while black plastic cladding all around the car endow the BJ20 with the de riguer SUV styling cues.
It’s an overall design that’s bold, edgy, and head-turning. Mission accomplished for BAIC.
Size-wise, the five-seater BJ20 is closest to the Hyundai Tucson. The BJ20 is roughly an inch shorter, an almost negligible four millimeters narrower, and a notable two inches taller. Curiously, they both have identical 2,670-mm wheelbases. Of more relevance to our streets strewn by potholes, unexpected road objects, too-large speed humps, and of course, floods, is the BJ20’s 215mm of ground clearance — the highest in its class.
So what’s underneath the head-turning sheetmetal?
There’s a modern Mitsubishi-derived 1.5-liter four-cylinder MIVEC variable valve timing petrol engine turbocharged to the tune of 147hp and 210Nm of torque.
This motor is mated to a CVT, which keeps the engine in its torque-rich powerband and sends power to the front wheels. BAIC claims an average of 13.15 kilometers per liter in mixed city and highway driving.
Suspension is via MacPherson struts up front and multi-links at the rear. There are cheeky Brembo-inspired red-painted calipers for the front and rear disc brakes as well as an electronic parking brake switch normally found in luxury cars. Alloy wheels sport generously sized 225/55R-18 all-terrain rubber.
The BJ20 is priced at P1,148,000 for the Standard model and P1,288,000 for the Luxury edition.
The prices may seem high for a BAIC — until you check out the BJ20’s standard features.
There’s a six-speaker multimedia audio system with a huge 10.1-inch touchscreen display with Bluetooth, USB, and HDMI connectivity. Both vehicles have a Smart Entry keyless system with push-button engine start/stop. The Luxury edition even adds a compass, altimeter, barometer, and cruise control. As for the seats, the Luxury boasts a six-way power driver’s seat, micro-fiber leather upholstery, and a leather multi-function steering wheel. Both models have a power sunroof (panoramic for the Luxury), four-way manual adjustable passenger seats, 60:40-split folding rear seats and tilt-and-telescope steering wheels.
Safety features for both variants are likewise generous: front airbags, ABS, EBD, ESP, Traction Control, Brake Assist, Hill Hold Control, rear parking sensors, Auto-Hold Parking System, tire pressure monitoring system, auto door locks (with auto-unlock in an accident) and ISOFIX seats. The Luxury variant adds side airbags, reversing camera, and a front parking sensor.
Priced like a subcompact crossover but sized and spec’d like compact SUVs, the BAIC BJ20 presents a compelling proposition.