BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV

Step inside the cabin of the BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV, and one is greeted by the plush and very premium-looking cabin which carries a rich camel brown leather interior theme with gloss black and satin silver inserts. The surrounds of AC vents, spokes of the steering wheel, power window switches, centre console switches and inner door handles are finished in satin silver, whereas the lower centre console and surrounds for the screens and controls on the steering wheel have a gloss black finish. 

The dashboard has a flat slab-like design with rounded rectangular AC vents on the corners and three high-definition screens – one for the instrument console behind the four-spoke multi-functional steering wheel, one for the central infotainment system in the middle and one additional infotainment screen in front of the co-passenger seat.

The grab handles, front and rear centre armrests and transmission lever also have a leather finish in camel brown theme, enrichening the experience. The lower centre console has a rounded rectangular housing for the AC vents and a tiny screen between them which serves the purpose of an engine push start-stop button. The second-row with 60:40 split folding seats offers decent space, though the third-row seats with 50:50 split-folding functionality have little room for full-sized adults and are best suited for kids. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Rich-looking camel brown leather interior theme

Con: Restricted space in the third row

Features and Technology

BAIC has made tremendous efforts in making the B60e Beaumont a first-class experience on wheels, and that’s evident by its comprehensive equipment list on the inside. The comfort and convenience features offered in this flagship SUV from BAIC are electronically adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation, massage and memory functions, leather upholstery, a 13-speaker Infinity sound system, three-zone automatic climate control with rear AC vents and air purifier, ambient lighting, panoramic sunroof, a wireless charger, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, digital auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, multiple USB charging ports and a 220V power supply.

This mid-size range-extender hybrid SUV from BAIC also comes heavily equipped with modern screens, including a 10.25-inch full-TFT instrument console, a 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a secondary 12.8-inch infotainment screen for the co-passenger and multiple touchscreen controls for features like rearview media and even push button start. While the presence of so many screens makes the cabin of the B60e Beaumont look tech-laden, it can be distracting to some. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Heavily loaded with modern features and several screens

Con: The touch responsiveness of the infotainment system could have been better

Boot Space and Storage

BAIC hasn’t revealed the boot space of the B60e Beaumont with the third-row seats up, which, anyway, is very low for long trips. However, after folding down the 50:50 split-folding third row, this SUV has a generous boot space of 972 litres. In the cabin of B60e Beaumont, one can find decent storage spaces, including front cup holders, bottle holders in door panels, a storage compartment beneath the front centre armrest, cup holders in the rear seat centre armrest, a glovebox compartment, a sunglass holder, and front door pockets.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Humongous boot space after folding down the rear seats

Con: Too little boot space with third-row seats up

There are very few hybrid SUVs that come close to the traditional SUV formula of ladder-on-frame construction with upright stance that the BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV offers. Like an old-school SUV, the B60e Beaumont also has a tailgate-mounted spare-wheel, high ground clearance and a heightened bonnet, but all of these have been combined with modern design elements that make it an attention grabber. 

At the front, the BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV gets a uniquely styled fascia, comprising of wraparound design for the segmented LED DRLs, that surround the front grille and headlamps. While the grille has a segmented design with rectangular housings, the headlamps here have rectangular designs too, while placed beside the side edges of the grille. The LED DRLs on the corners extend down to the lower corners of the front bumper, where they are accompanied by LED fog lamps. All these design highlights make the B60e Beaumont look entirely different from the B60 on which it is based.

The side profile of the BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV exhibits the traditional SUV-ish characteristics, like a heightened bonnet, a high ground clearance and a tall roofline, with the 19-inch machined alloy wheels further adding more personality to the SUV. The slim roof rails and chrome finish for the window surrounds, door side mouldings and fender garnish add a premium touch to the side profile of the SUV. 

At the back, the BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV is one of the very few modern SUVs on sale in the Philippines that get a tailgate-mounted spare wheel with body-coloured cover over it. The tailgate has a simple design with an offset door handle, while also having conventional vertically-aligned tail lamps with modern LED inserts on the sides. The corners of the rear bumper have reflectors and reverse lamps.

There are four colour choices on offer for B60e Beaumont – white, grey, black and blue.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Bold SUV-ish design with an upright stance

Cons: The rear profile lacks the boldness and distinctiveness of the front profile

BAIC claims that the B60e Beaumont has a full tank range of 1,200 km. Because the SUV gets an 85-litre fuel tank, the fuel efficiency of the B60e Beaumont is rated at 14.11 kmpl, which is great for an SUV of this size. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Good overall fuel efficiency

Con: Nothing much actually

A body-on-frame SUV, the BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV comes with a suspension setup comprising independent double wishbone at the front and independent multi-link at the rear. While the stabilizers for both front and rear suspension try to keep the SUV stable at fast stretches, the body roll with steering movement at higher speeds is evident. 

Featuring a full-time four-wheel drive system, the BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV has nine drive modes on offer, namely Eco, Comfort, Sport, Snow, Through, Mud, Sand, Rock and Wading, all of which give effective off-roading prowess in varying driving conditions. The off-road driving excellence is further enhanced by a high ground clearance of 215mm and a water-wading depth of 800mm.

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Excellent off-road driving behaviour with nine drive modes

Con: Prominent body roll at higher speeds 

The BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV sources its power from a range-extender electric hybrid powertrain, which is a combination of a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine (serving as the range extender) and two electric motors – one each at the front and rear. Paired with a 40.3 kWh lithium-ion battery, this powertrain setup generates a maximum power output of 540 bhp, while the peak torque output is rated at 655 Nm.

With these performance outputs, the B60e Beaumont is the most powerful SUV ever produced by BAIC. Like many other range-extender hybrid SUVs, the BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV also has an e-CVT paired to its engine as the standard transmission choice. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Powerful hybrid powertrain

Con: Transmission feels lazy at times

The BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV also comes heavily loaded with safety features, with the list including eight airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, traction control, electronic stability control, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, lane change assist, rear cross-traffic alert, door opening warning, traffic sign recognition, hill start assist, hill descent control, roll movement intervention, 540-degree panoramic camera, front and rear parking sensors and automatic parking. While the B60e Beaumont gets decent ADAS features, we do wish to see more of them. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Comprehensive safety features for parking

Con: Could have had more ADAS features

Competitor Comparison

The hybrid and plug-in hybrid SUVs that offer head-on competition to the BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV are the Hyundai Santa Fe, Jetour T2 Lightning i-DM, Lexus UX, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Mazda CX-90, and Rox 01. Stretch a little further, and more luxurious hybrid SUVs like the BMW X3, Volvo XC60, and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class are also available. 

Conclusion and Final Verdict

For a niche segment of three-row hybrid SUVs in which it belongs, the BAIC B60e Beaumont rEV is relatively new and doesn’t have much brand awareness and after-sales support. However, this Chinese SUV has a few tricks up its sleeve, including the traditional formula of an upright SUV with ladder-on-frame construction, an advanced range-extender hybrid powertrain and the versatility of a three-row SUV with tons of features on board.