An SUV for every road, the BAIC B40 Plus is ‘born for the battlefield’

South Africa’s latest sport utility vehicle (SUV) has been built to face any and every terrain imaginable, while promising a bold and imposing design.

Launched in October, Chinese maker BAIC’s B40 Plus is said to have its roots in the military, tested in almost every condition, altitude, terrain and carries the tagline ‘born for the battlefield, perfected for use in the real world’!

Style echoes the confidence of the driver with the design of this SUV, which boards with aggressive bumpers and wheel arches and commands presence regardless of whether it is cruising through the streets of a city, or traversing off-road terrain.

According to BAIC senior manager for sales and marketing, Basil Costa, the B40 Plus is more than capable of off-road, with testing on extreme environmental adaptability, a process called 5 high & 1 drought.

This includes high temperature, high altitude, high humidity, high cold, high salt content and of course, drought.

The process is a stringent one, which ensures adaptability to extreme conditions 10% higher than regular cars.

Powering this veteran of a SUV is your choice of a 2.0 litre petrol turbo or turbo diesel.

But to break it down for you, the petrol engine kicks out 160kW at 5 500 r/min while the turbo diesel pushes out 110kW at 4 000 r/min, and 350Nm of torque at 1 800-2 800 r/min.

“The front suspension is a double wishbone/coil spring independent suspension while the rear suspension is a 5-link/coil spring non-independent suspension.”

“The overhangs are minimal and combined with a ground clearance of 210mm, it results in a generous approach angle of 37 degrees, departure angle of 31 degrees and ramp over angle of 23 degrees,” said Costa.

The selectable 4WD system with mechanical central transfer case and rear differential lock allows driver control over how the engine is powered, dependent on the terrain, conditions and requirements.

There are also features like the reverse camera, Park Distance Control (PDC), and customizable Multi-Information Display (MID), to keep the driver in complete control of his landscape.

The B40 Plus features a 5-model line up to choose from, with pricing ranging from R549 500 to R629 500.

All the B40 Plus models are sold with a 5-year/120 000kms warranty with service plan options available.

BAIC Automotive Group has 59 years of automotive development experience, and is one of the 5 largest automotive groups in China.

It is headquartered in Johannesburg, also boasting a local assembly plant in the Eastern Cape.

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