There is no debate that the new crop of Chinese-made vehicles offers a tremendous number of features and are impressively low-priced. They are not perfect, however. (No car is.)
Despite their premium styling and rich features and specs, they often somehow fall short in the actual driving experience: their transmissions suffer from shift lag and lack of responsiveness, the suspension damping feels too soft and floaty, the steering is over-assisted and has zero feel, etc., etc..
That is, until I got to test the BAIC B30e Dune. Finally, here is one Chinese-made vehicle that seems to have all those aforementioned driving imperfections ironed out.
The BAIC B30e Dune is a tad large for a compact SUV, being almost two inches longer than the superb Honda CR-V and having a wheelbase almost five inches longer than that of the Honda.
Sporting a Dual Motor Smart Hybrid System, the BAIC B30e Dune is powered by a 1.5-liter VGT turbocharged petrol engine coupled to an electric motor sending power to the front wheels through a special hybrid transmission. The petrol engine/electric motor combo of the B30e 2WD develops a strong 334 ps and 550 Newton-meters of torque. It has a retail price of P1,488,000.
The B30 4WD variant, on the other hand, costs P300,000 more at P1,788,000, not just because it has four-wheel drive, but because it has not one but two electric motors—one for the front axle and one for the rear. The twin motors generate a strongest-in-class 409 ps and 685 Nm. This phenomenal output enables the B30 4WD to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.9 seconds, enabling effortless overtaking in just about any driving situation.
I also find it impressive that the power delivery is very smooth and linear, considering the horsepower and torque figures are two to three times more than what you get with most other cars. You won’t get that sudden surge of forward motion you might get with other vehicles that have this amount of torque. It’s very easy to drive the B30 sedately and smoothly.
I didn’t get to try the B30 off road, but I expect decent overlanding capability with its Real-Time Intelligent Hybrid 4-Wheel Drive which features front and rear axle drive electric motors, a 7-mode (Comfort, Sport, Economy, Snow, Sand, Muddy Road, Wading) All Terrain System and front skid plates. In contrast, the 2WD version has four driving modes (Comfort, Sport, Economy, Snow).
Fuel economy? BAIC claims that the B30e Dune can get as much as 15 kms/liter in ciry driving. It’s a very credible claim as I usually get way worse than what manufacturers claim but for the B30e, I achieved 14.1 kms/l. That would equate to 720 kilometers of driving range with the 4WD’s 51-liter tank and almost 850 kilometers for the 2WD model (which has a 60-liter tank). And that’s with my heavy right foot.
Both 2WD and 4WD variants run on 19-inch alloy wheels with 235/60R-19 tires, have the same approach angle of 24.5 degrees, departure angle of 30 degrees and wading depth of 450 millimeters, as well as the same 215mm ground clearance.
The extra motor of the B30 4WD does take up a bit of the fuel tank space, hence its smaller 51-liter tank compared to the 60 liters of the 2WD version. The BAIC B30’s generous interior space and smooth ride come from the long 2,820-millimeter wheelbase and well-damped front strut/rear multilink suspension.
Inside, you’ll find heated and cooled front seats (the latter a great help during summer months), a fully digital driver’s interface with an expansive 10.25-inch instrument panel and a huge 14.6-inch floating central display with Apple CarPlay connectivity delivering impressive sound to the eight speakers.
The seats are large, comfortable and very supportive. The handsome leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescope flat-bottom steering wheel gives good feel on the road. The B30’s boxy, upright design enables lots of head- elbow-, and legroom. You shift gears with a small cool-looking aircraft-style aluminum lever. The well-crafted interior is pleasantly minimalist without looking too bare. Soft-touch materials abound and all controls fall easily to hand.
There is a 1.9-meter-long cargo bed, which allows up to 1,496 liters of cargo space. Large suitcases and tournament-size golf bags are a cinch to load into the B30. Yet another cool feature is the cleverly integrated picnic table compactly folded behind the second-row seats and which also serves as a tonneau cover for the cargo area. More cool features? There is remote window opening and a pre-ventilation feature to ensure the vehicle is cool before you enter it.
Styling? I love the B30’s Land Rover Defender-like side profile with its thick C-pillar, its clean lines without extraneous curves or bulges, and its bold front and rear lighting elements, especially those distinctive DRLs that wrap around the whole grille and become absolutely head-turning at dusk or twilight. The black 19-inch rims add further masculinity and style.
The B30’s long list of safety features includes a full Level 2 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist System) suite with FCW, ICA, ACC, AEB, LDW, LKA, HWA, ELK, HMA, TJA, DOW, and BSD). It also has a 360-degree around-view monitor as well as reverse camera and sensors.
Other significant features include smart power tailgate, intelligent adaptive cruise control, 6-way driver and 4-way passenger power-adjustable seats, full-LED lighting for the front and rear with electronic-leveling automatic headlamps, leather seats, panoramic sunroof, and rain-sensing wipers, among many others. Impressively, most features found in the 4WD variant are also standard in the 2WD version.
Tons of features, gobs of power, hybrid fuel economy, ruggedly handsome styling, spacious interior, all at a reasonable price—what’s not to like with the BAIC B30e Dune?
