Tough with a little softness
When people think of BAIC, if they are at all familiar with the rather large and purposeful company based out of Beijing, they tend to think of rugged vehicles meant to do tough jobs. Outside the mainland homeland, BAIC vehicles tend to be looked for in some rather challenging places. Very utilitarian.
So why, with this vehicle, do you have the very British-sounding “Beaumont”? It is a large SUV, and after going through all the tech options and modes and powertrain capabilities it looks to be a quite capable one at that. In the markets of those challenging places, BAIC has apparently found themselves a buyer looking for just what they produce. Extremely capable off-road vehicles that can do things at a fraction of the prices of the more well-known more plush 4×4 badges.
And not just for work either. They seemed to have gotten attention not just as a workhorse vehicle but also as a bit of a fun weekend choice as well.
So what the Beaumont is, is basically an extremely capable off-road three-row SUV that tries its best to take advantage of the latest in technology in interesting and rather purposeful ways. It has a serious backbone built for going off the beaten track, full four wheel drive capability, an Eight-Speed ZF transmission and an electronically locking differential with 2H/4L/4H. But to the basics they add technology. There are a surprising number of mode choices available, focusing on economy and sport and comfort but also rocks and wading and traversing and mud and snow and more, within which you can still choose 2H/4L/4H depending on what is allowed for what. We counted 17 different driving combinations, and that I don’t think included towing anything yet.
This whole package is rather tall and large, and is powered by a surprising little 2 liter turbocharged diesel engine which combines with a mild hybrid (48V Electric Assist). Horsepower is stated as 163 and torque at 400 Nm. Not meant to be a high-speed high-power highway rocket really, more a legal-speeds on-road with a good amount of oomph off it.
I am not someone who particularly likes large vehicles, and definitely not tall ones. In the pouring rain I was discussing with my now-driving daughter why I was happier in handling cars even if the weather was bad. So a big surprise here was how easy the Beaumont fit into my high-traffic school runs and too-tight mall parking daily drives. Surprisingly easy to drive something that should be unwieldy. Not a lot of feel on the steering wheel, but the compensation was it was very easy to turn even at a stop. And a very tight turning radius, too, for something so large.
The urban tightness drivability was definitely helped by all the tech as was everything else. But it was all pretty well thought out, the transmittal of information was clear and quick.
The vehicle as tested was actually a bit of a test bed in that it isn’t yet in the final configuration for regular local sales. There was a lot of text language on the very complicated menus that is in the process of being changed. Quite smartly there is the option to use either text or image for things like drive modes. Also this unit didn’t have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but those should be in the regular production vehicles. There is no on-board navigation, but the many cameras recognize traffic signs and will display speed and beep when you exceed what is posted.
When you go through everything on the 12.8 inch center infotainment screen (with screen mirroring at least until CarPlay and Android come in) and the 10.25 inch LCD instrumentation display (all in one sleek unit really) you start to see what is really possible. You may not understand it right away, and there is still translation to be done, but it clearly shows you how much control you have over so many options. Here again, you may not understand TPMS (Tire Pressure Management System) but you will also have a photo of the tire itself and the pressures of all four. One thing the jury is out on though is the screen as rear view mirror choice. Some people like it, some don’t.
The B60 Beaumont should probably best fit someone who wants or needs, either for work or for fun, something with serious technical off-road ability but wants more than a simple truck but less than a fully luxuriously-badged SUV. They will appreciate the leather seats and the large sunroof and the pretty decent audio system. Which, by the way, has a cabin active noise cancellation system. Lots of places to stuff things and plug in. All the needed and wanted safety systems. This isn’t really a vehicle for those that need a badge to prop up their ego, it is more for those that would rather spend their time doing things a little more important. Or fun.
