{"id":386046,"date":"2026-04-18T15:57:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/386046\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T15:57:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:57:31","slug":"baic-x55-premium-first-drive-crossover-curves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/386046\/","title":{"rendered":"BAIC X55 Premium first drive: crossover curves"},"content":{"rendered":"

What’s this new car all about then?<\/p>\n

BAIC (Bejing Automotive Industry Corporation) is one of the newer entrants<\/a> into the New Zealand market. It landed here in February with a focus on SUVs, but unusually for a Chinese brand, no focus on EVs \u2013 instead rolling out conventional combustion and petrol-electric hybrid models.<\/p>\n

\"BAIC
\nNot short of ornate styling detail.<\/p>\n

The retro-styled B30<\/a> is the star model in the lineup, but the pricing pathway for BAIC opens with this X55. It\u2019s still technically an SUV like the B30, but it\u2019s also not at all like the B30: the styling is more sleek and urban-focused, compared to the more rugged look of the B30.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s probably bigger than you think: at 4.6m in length, X55 is really in the thick of the medium-SUV segment size-wise.<\/p>\n


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\"BAIC
\nIt’s powerful for the class, but quad-exhaust powerful?<\/p>\n


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Some of the X55\u2019s appeal will rest on its sharp styling. It\u2019s a fairly generic SUV shape, but packed with intricate design details: snazzy lighting signatures, very smart alloy wheels, flush door handles\u2026 even comical-looking quad exhaust tips at the back.<\/p>\n

The pricing pathway for BAIC opens with this X55. It\u2019s still technically an SUV like the B30… but it\u2019s also not at all like the B30.<\/p>\n

There are some pretty good colour choices, too. The usual greys, blacks and whites, but you can also have a very bold red and if you go two-tone (black roof) you can also have a striking blue or yellow.<\/p>\n

\"BAIC
\nSome nice satin-look finish, but the infotainment screen is a bit dour.<\/p>\n

Inside, there are plenty of budget materials, but it still looks pretty sharp, with red stitching, satin-finish\u00a0switchgear and some extra flashes of red on the ventilation outlets at the corners of the dashboard. The little cutouts on the seatbacks have \u201cBejing\u201d embossed into them, a little nod to BAIC\u2019s hometown.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a little cohort of this style of car developing in NZ, mostly from Chinese brands who seem to like having sleek-looking urban SUVs as counterpoints to their more traditional 4×4-style models.<\/p>\n

The 10-inch infotainment screen isn\u2019t as successfully executed. The graphics are a bit murky and as is the fashion, virtually every control is in there: everything from climate control to drive modes.<\/p>\n


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\"BAIC
\nHometown homage embossed on the seatbacks.<\/p>\n

The X55 is another car that shuns Android Auto. It has wireless Apple CarPlay, but if you want Android you have to connect to a third-party system called CarbitLink-Easy Connection App. No thanks.<\/p>\n

How much is it?<\/p>\n

Full retail price for the X55 Premium is $37,990, but there\u2019s currently a launch offer of $34,990, valid until June. The same $3k discount applies across the BAIC range.<\/p>\n

What’s it like to drive?<\/p>\n

One of the X55\u2019s USPs is a healthy 138kW\/305Nm output from the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine. The transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch (FWD), so if you want to press on it does indeed have a pretty decent turn of speed, the DCT swapping gears with alacrity.<\/p>\n

\"BAIC
\nQuick enough and neat in the corners, but the X55 is not really about the drive.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not so slick at lower speeds, the gearbox feeling a bit sluggish from a standstill and struggling to change gears smoothly at middling speeds.<\/p>\n

The X55 has substantial-feeling steering, which may surprise in a car like this. The ride can be abrupt at low speeds, but smoothes out nicely once you gather pace.<\/p>\n

One note about the active driver aids: the X55 has lane departure warning but no lane assist, meaning it can\u2019t help steer you straight. Some may prefer that\u2026 just something to be aware of.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the pick of the range?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s just one model, the X55 Premium, and it wants for little in terms of standard specification.<\/p>\n

\"BAIC
\nX55 (right) with the rest of the family: three B30s on the left.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a fairly comprehensive suite of active safety features, adaptive cruise control, 360-degree camera system, panoramic roof, power tailgate with height memory, dual-zone climate control with rear face-level vents, cooled storage box in the centre console, six-way adjustment for driver and front-passenger seats, and multi-colour ambient lighting.<\/p>\n

What other cars should I consider?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a little cohort of this style of car developing in NZ, mostly from Chinese brands who seem to like having sleek-looking urban SUVs as counterpoints to their more traditional 4×4-style models.<\/p>\n

The most familiar to Kiwis will be the Omoda C5, with a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and prices of $31,990 for the BX, or $36,990 for the more highly specified EX. It\u2019s worth noting you can also have a pure-electric version, called the E5, for $40,990 in BX form and $44,990 as an EX.<\/p>\n

GAC is also in the mix with the Emzoom, which sells in a single specification with a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine for $31,990.<\/p>\n

There are of course also a plethora of compact SUVs from established makers around this price point: consider the Kia Seltos ($33,990-$44,850), GWM Haval Jolion ($27,990-$37,990, including hybrid options) or Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross ($36,990-$45,990 for the non-PHEV models). Most are smaller and slightly more expensive than the BAIC X55, though.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What’s this new car all about then? BAIC (Bejing Automotive Industry Corporation) is one of the newer entrants…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":386047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[199333,11357,138,2027,6191,111,139,69,762,763,17620,200196],"class_list":{"0":"post-386046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-baic","9":"tag-budget","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-ice","12":"tag-medium-suv","13":"tag-new-zealand","14":"tag-newzealand","15":"tag-nz","16":"tag-review","17":"tag-reviews","18":"tag-suv","19":"tag-x55"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}