Chinese car brands never cease to amaze us. Once again, we raised our hands in disbelief, and for good reason, because we wouldn't expect a clone of the classic Land Rover Defender.
BAW has been producing cars since 1958 and is one of the oldest manufacturers in the country. Since 1964, BAW has focused primarily on the production of the Beijing BJ212 off-road vehicle, which remained in the program for more than 20 years and was used mainly by the military. The new 212 model is similar to this model in terms of the front end and number.
The BAW 212 is a true off-roader, just like its British predecessor. It's not just a disguised SUV. No, this vehicle has optional four-wheel drive, a reduction gear, and even differential locks front and rear. But that's not all: there's also an incredible 40-degree lean angle at the front and 36 degrees at the rear. There's no shortage of the usual driving programs to tailor the car to your needs. Power is provided by a 2,0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with 150 hp (maximum torque was not disclosed), working with an eight-speed automatic transmission. We assume this will be an automatic transmission with a torque converter, although there's no information on this.
In terms of appearance, some might notice a resemblance to the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (headlights), Jeep Wrangler (bumpers and wheel arches) or Mercedes G-Class (rear). But as mentioned at the beginning, BAW is quoting from its history. The only image of the interior we have available shows a large touchscreen floating in the middle of the dashboard (so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road or the course of your journey too much), and a steering wheel with a flattened underside. Overall, the build quality seems to be high, although there are perhaps too many buttons below the monitor, which makes it difficult to quickly find the button you want. Over time, you will have to get used to the position of the individual buttons.
It's also not fair to make too many suggestions for improving a car that sells for the equivalent of 14.000 euros in its home country of China. It sounds like a joke, but it's not. It's also true that the top-of-the-line version costs just 20.000 euros. Yes, we're talking about the price level of the European Dacia Sandero. We think the military green color suits the car very well, and we can only regret that we can't see the BAW 212 on European roads. Would you buy it if it were available?
