This is the new Borgward BX5 SUV, and it has become a rather fine looking car with an in-your-face grille and artfully sculpted fenders. Much better than the BX7. The BX5 will be launched on the Chinese car market on March 24. Price will start 139.800 yuan and end around 180.000 yuan.
Rear overhang nice ‘n short, making for a sporty stance. There is a Borgward dealer very near my home, I will go there soon to check out the BX5 myself. I went there last week but it wasn’t in yet.
There will be two engines available: a 1.8 liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with an output of 190hp and 280nm and a 1.4 turbo with 140hp and 240nm. Later on a 1.4 turbo hybrid will join the lineup with a massive output of 253hp and 453nm.
The 1.8 turbo will be mated to a six-speed automatic, the 1.4 turbo to a seven-speed DCT.
Size: 4483/1876/1677, and wheelbase is 2685.
Borgward is 100% owned by China’s Foton Motor, a subsidiary of the Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC). Foton Motor (web) is a commercial-vehicle manufacturer that is now moving into passenger cars.
Interior in black over beige with some wood. Center stack a bit busy with shiploads of buttons. Steering wheels a tad too dull for 2017; many car makers are going for more daringly shaped wheels these days.
The instrument panel is decidedly analogue.
The touch screen is 8 inch. It has Apple CarPlay but no Baidu CarLife. It has Wifi, a rera-view camera, and it comes equipped with all sorts of fancy apps that allows a driver to start to aircon with his phone from his home. Handy for the cold Beijing winter or the hot Shenzhen summer!
Enough space for the head and legs, as this gentleman kindly demonstrates.
Rear end with fashionably small lights, a proper spoiler, a skid pad under the bumper, and invisible exhaust pipes.
Business seems to be going well for Borgward. I see the BX7 all over the place here in Beijing and the BX5 will likely fare even better. Is the resurrection of the Borgward brand going to work out…?
