Beijing X55

Well, for starters, the X55 is badged Beijing, which is a sub-brand of BAIC or the Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation. BAIC’s rich history dates back to 1958, and also includes two interesting subsidiaries. Beijing Benz is a partnership between BAIC and Mercedes-Benz to manufacture the Star’s vehicles for the Chinese market. Beijing Hyundai is a similar sort of manufacturing partnership. So, BAIC is pretty well established. You see, once you do a bit of reading and research, you come to realize that China’s automotive industry is far more mature than we realize.

Back to the X55’s history; it’s called the Beijing Mofang in some markets and was introduced in 2022. So, it’s pretty fresh, then. Let’s get to know it better!

Exterior

The Beijing X55 is available in a choice of five colours, and we’ve got a nice red tester on this rainy morning. The other colours are white, silver, platinum grey and yellow. Regardless of which colour you pick, you get a set of 19-inch dark alloy wheels. However, you can opt for a dual-tone effect with a black roof. 

The overall design of the X55 is not dissimilar to many competitors, with a European-inspired front end, slimline LED daytime running lamps and a tall beltline. At the rear, you’ve got clean and modern styling, and a set of LED taillamps with integrated DRLs here – yes, the X55 has got rear daytime running lamps too, which can only serve to aid visibility further. Digging a bit deeper, I discover that the design language is called Crystal Stars, which is best encapsulated by the body-coloured elements within the black front grille face. 

Another piece of design language is called Flowing Curves, which uses flowing lines to emphasize the side profile of the X55. Of course, you’ve got pop-out door handles which the literature tells me is “like a handshake”. Furthermore, there’s a neat ‘ice-break’ mode that repeatedly fires the electric extension mechanism a few times if it detects that the door handle has become frozen. Not applicable for Sri Lanka(!), but neat to read about. Plus, the X55 boasts a pretty slick drag coefficient of 0.32cd. Finally, I take a peek beneath the rear bumper and notice that there are twin tailpipes, albeit hidden and angled downwards. 

Mech & Tech

Powering the Beijing X55 is BAIC’s Magic Core 1.5T 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. Co-developed with BAIC and Germany’s Meta, we’re told that it boasts 39.2% thermal efficiency thanks to features such as 350-bar direct injection, a variable geometry turbo and Miller circulation. Official figures are 138kW (185hp) and 305Nm of torque, which is pretty good. The brochure also tells us that the engine is rated for 92 petrol and Euro VI emissions standard compliant.

Even sweeter is the fact that we’ve got a 7-speed DCT or dual clutch transmission to play around with. Of course, the X55 is front-wheel drive and at the moment, there’s no all-wheel drive variant available. Steering is performed via an electrically assisted rack, while braking comes courtesy of all-round discs with ABS and EBD. The rear uses multi-link suspension, and we’ll find out how it handles shortly.

Driving Experience

Upon entering the X55, one could easily mistake it for an EV as there’s a duo of screens to contend with. However, you start to notice features like the gear shifter having a manual shifting area, which an EV wouldn’t have. Then, you thumb the start button and the engine fires up with that unmistakable internal combustion feel. In fact, I’m thankful for the minute vibration that you can distantly feel while it idles because this is not an EV. Don’t get me wrong, I like EVs and all, but end of the day, I’m a petrol/diesel person at heart. Eco warriors look away now. 

The X55 has got three driving modes called ECO, NORMAL and SPORT which adjusts throttle mapping and feel accordingly. We’ve encountered such modes in myriad vehicles so by now you probably have an idea of what they are meant for. Much of our test drive is spent in NORMAL although a few full-bore forays in SPORT are done as well. Here, the X55 really shifts, accompanied by a squeal from the front end and some torque steer via the steering wheel if you set off from a standstill. It’s a rainy day and the roads are wet, so we can’t push it fully, but suffice to say, the claimed 7.84-second 0-100km/h time seems very achievable if you’re traveling alone.

The engine is strong in the mid-range and you rarely need to wring it out, although if you choose to do so, the 7-speed DCT shifts with suitable urge. It’s not as whip-crack instant as the units in sportier vehicles but still manages to swap ratios quickly while adding some smoothness that doesn’t send your head nodding back and forth. You can also manually shift gears via the gear lever but I didn’t use this much – you don’t need to, as the gearbox’ brain is pretty smart. 

We’re traveling four-up but the X55 still picks up speed at a rate that may amaze some of today’s EVs with similar power figures. I test its handling through a series of sweeping bends and while the tail does step out a smidge, it’s at confluence of speeds and steering angles that an average driver will never explore. Meanwhile, when I got on the power to correct this (front-wheel drive, remember), I felt the resultant torque steer through the steering wheel. Yup, for an electrically assisted system, it’s pretty communicative.

OK that’s the dynamic driving section (sorry, I got carried away). How about the ride quality? Well, it’s pretty decent. Bumps are soaked up nicely, manhole covers become a distant blemish, and rumble strips are more audible than discernible. Of course, the X55 that comes to Sri Lanka gets some decent 55-profile rubber so there’s plenty of sidewall for absorbing road imperfections. But overall, the suspension tuning is one of comfort – explains the slight body roll in the previous paragraph. As for the brakes, they are more than enough to haul you up from high speeds and easy to modulate as well.

Living With The Beijing X55

Our test vehicle is a fully loaded Luxury spec one, so we’ve got some niceties that the lower Honor trim doesn’t enjoy. This includes leather seat upholstery in a nice shade of black with red stitching. At the showroom, I see models with red leather upholstery and find them quite nice too – although that would be overkill if you’ve got the red exterior too. The Luxury spec also brings a powered driver and passenger seat with heating and ventilation. Another addition is a wireless phone charger and an upgrade to an 8-speaker sound system. There are a few more things as well such as rear reading lamps and a rear centre arm rest. 

What about those screens? Well, the driver’s instrument cluster is a 10.25-inch unit while all vehicle functions are controlled via a 10.1-inch central touchscreen. This includes your radio, media functions, dual-zone automatic climate control with rear air vents, seat temperature control (Luxury), multi-colour ambient lighting (Luxury) and vehicle settings. There’s no physical controls for these, which I would have liked to see – at least for climate control functions and media volume. But screens seem to be taking over the world so we must adjust.

Overall, it’s a nice place to be, especially as you’ve got a large panoramic sunroof that can be opened, allowing light to flood into the interior. This, paired with the red leather interior can really create a cozy ambiance. I also noticed that the seats were quite comfortable, with ample padding and support. There’s a cooled centre console storage compartment as well, which is nice. Luxury trim models also get some adjustment to the rear seat backrest angle. Meanwhile, the trunk can hold up to 350 litres of cargo and includes a tonneau cover. You can fold down the rear seat backs for more space. Beneath the trunk floor lies a space-saver spare tire, a rare find nowadays since EVs tend to pack their battery packs in that space.

Safety and ADAS Features

As you’d expect, the BAIC Beijing X55 comes with the whole array of safety features and advanced driving assistance systems that are commonplace nowadays. There’s a full suite of airbags, a tire pressure monitoring system, stability control and ABS. The Honor gets basic cruise control while the Luxury comes with adaptive cruise control. It also gets a 360-degree camera system, blind spot detection, front collision warning and lane departure warning. More than enough for Sri Lankan driving, then.

Fuel Economy

Given that it’s a 1.5-liter turbocharged petrol engine driving a compact SUV, I’d realistically expect around 7-8km/l in city driving. If you’ve got a light foot and drive mostly at off-peak times, you might achieve better. Highway and outstation runs should easily exceed 12km/l, and with a 53-liter fuel tank, you’ve got some decent range at your disposal. Plus, the brochure says that you can use 92 petrol, which is nice for the wallet.

Price and Warranty

The Beijing X55 retails at Rs. 15,495,000 for the Honor variant. Stepping up to the Luxury variant will cost you Rs. 16,750,000, while Rs. 16,995,000 gives you the Luxury variant with a two-tone colour scheme, like our tester. These prices are correct at the time of testing. In terms of warranty, David Pieris Automobiles is offering a 3-year / 100,000-kilometre warranty on the X55.

Final Words

After checking out several EVs back-to-back, it felt good to get behind the wheel of a conventional internal combustion-engined vehicle. As a petrolhead, you do miss things like engine vibrations, gear shifts and of course, engine sounds. Putting that bit of rose-tinted glasses aside, the Beijing X55 is pretty darn good for what you pay. It’s roomy, well-equipped and performs nicely too. Furthermore, at this price point, most of its competitors are EVs so it all boils down to what you want – petrol power or electrons.