The BAIC Beijing X55 offers looks, style, and tech at an affordable price, but does it make a good car for a new driver?
Got an eye for beauty but a budget for mediocrity? The BAIC Beijing X55 (BAIC is short for Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation), is one of the most affordable, handsome and high-tech cars around, but it’s still not cheap, considering what most new drivers can afford – find out how much are car repayments on the BAIC Beijing here.
But, some people are more fortunate than others, and if you do have from R394 900 to spend on a new car, will a Beijing X55 be a good fit for you if you lack driving experience?
Safety features
The BAIC Beijing doesn’t disappoint in the safety department. In my article, Is the BAIC Beijing good for families?, we focus on its suitability for family life, and safety makes up a large part of it:
Every X55 has ABS, EBD, hill-start assist, hill-descent control, cruise control, stability control, a space-saver spare wheel, a tyre-pressure sensor, 6 airbags, child locks, rain-sensing wipers, daytime running lamps, light-sensing LED headlamps, park distance control, a driver fatigue warning and a rearview camera. Premium models have front park distance control too. The X55 has a five-star safety rating. – Ané Albertse, AutoTrader
Infotainment
My colleague, Sean, did an infotainment comparison between the systems in the BAIC Beijing, Haval Jolion and Proton X50, below:
The X55 features a 10.1-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system but doesn’t come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, however, smartphone mirroring is possible through third-party apps. The system is not as easy to use as many others, so check out our Beijing X55 Apple CarPlay and Android Auto user guide.
Space
The BAIC Beijing has been cleverly designed to offer sufficient amounts of space on the second row and in the boot. My colleague, Lawrence wrote an article focusing on the available cabin space and whether you can fit a bicycle into a BAIC Beijing X55:
The overall dimensions of the X55 is 4 620 mm long, 1 886 mm wide, 1 680 mm tall and it has a wheelbase of 2 735mm which gives it a spacious cabin for passengers and/or carrying luggage. The only dimension that BAIC has officially released for the cargo area, states that the boot volume is 350l, enough to pack your biking gear and some snacks, but we do also know that the X55 has rear folding seats that can increase boot depth and volume substantially.
Power and Performance
In his article titled Top 3 things you need to know about the BAIC Beijing X55, my colleague, Chad, delves into the petrol-engine and gearbox:
The 1.5-litre turbocharged engine in the X55 is the recipient of several awards. It has received a “China Heart” Top 10 Engine award in 2021 and the gearbox has been awarded a 2022 “Longpan Cup” Top Ten Transmission in the world award.
This unit utilizes a variable geometry turbocharger to help it produce 130 kW and an impressive 305 Nm torque. It is mated to a 7-speed DCT380 gearbox that sends power to the front wheels. This combination is good for a 0 to 100 km/h sprint time of only 7.8 seconds.
For more in-depth info, click here to read Tayedza Mbiri’s Beijing X55 (2023) review.
Reliability
The X55 has a 5-year /150 000 km warranty but a 5-year/60 000 km service plan is optional. The fact that the Beijing X55 has been selected to be a finalist in 2023 SA Car of the Year, is a great sign. From an after-sales point of view, it’s still early days, so only time will tell how reliable the X55 will be in the long run, but since BAIC is planning to build a manufacturing plant in the Eastern Cape, at least parts availability won’t be a problem:
BAIC made substantial investments in developing smart cars under its new BEIJING brand through cooperation with partners in the “intelligent-connected” vehicle technologies field. The company’s longstanding joint venture with Beijing Benz Automotive has included top-class innovations, supported by *Daimler’s technology, in the BEIJING product range. – Mr Hugo Hu, Vice President of BAIC SA
*Daimler has a 9.55% stake in BAIC Motors Hong Kong
Verdict
The Beijing X55 will make a good car for a new driver, if the infotainment system can be forgiven for not being the most user-friendly, but apart form that, everything else seems to very much count in its favour.
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Keyword: Is the BAIC Beijing good for new drivers?