When five seats stop being enough

Three children and two adults. Grandparents joining for the weekend. A school run that covers two families. The moment you regularly need a sixth and seventh seat, a five-seat SUV becomes a daily negotiation.

The BAIC BJ60 is the seven-seater in the BAIC Bahrain range, available in both 5-seat and 7-seat configurations.

The size

  • Length, width, height: 5040 / 1955 / 1925 mm
  • Wheelbase: 2820 mm
  • Ground clearance: 215 mm
  • Fuel tank: 85 litres
  • Body-on-frame construction

At just over five metres it is a large vehicle. Worth knowing before you buy: measure your garage and check the bays you park in daily. The upside of that length is a genuinely usable third row rather than a token one.

Powertrain

  • 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine
  • 185 kW and 400 Nm
  • 48V BSG integrated motor adding 10 kW and 50 Nm
  • 8-speed automatic transmission
  • Part-time four-wheel drive
  • 92 octane

The 48V system is a mild-hybrid arrangement. It does not drive the car on electricity alone, but it smooths the stop-start system and adds torque assistance off the line — useful when you are pulling a fully loaded seven-seater away from a junction.

The third row in practice

The 7-seat versions — Exclusive 7 seats and Flagship 7 seats — get equipment the 5-seat cars do not:

  • Easy-access mechanism for getting into the third row
  • Third-row air vents
  • Third-row reading lights
  • Third-row grab handles
  • Third-row cup holders
  • Third-row seatbelts with emergency locking
  • Three-zone automatic climate control

That third-row ventilation is the one to focus on. In a Bahrain summer, a third row with no dedicated vents is unusable for anyone sitting in it. The BJ60 gets both vents and its own climate zone.

Second-row seats in the 7-seat cars have four-way manual adjustment with backrest angle and cushion flip, plus 4/6 split folding and the ability to lie flat.

Comfort for everyone else

Across the range: leather seats, eight-way electric driver's seat with memory and welcome function, six-way electric passenger seat, four-way electric lumbar support, and front seat heating, ventilation and massage as standard on every trim.

From Exclusive upward, the second row also gets heating, ventilation and massage.

Other equipment includes a 12.8-inch central display, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, panoramic sunroof (0.82 m²), 256-colour ambient lighting on Exclusive and above, nine speakers (twelve on Flagship, with a branded sound system), wireless charging, and power outlets in all three areas of the car including 220V sockets in the second row and boot.

The Flagship adds a W-HUD head-up display with a 2.2 m imaging distance, active noise reduction and front soundproof glass.

Capability, because this is still a BJ

The BJ60 is not a road-only seven-seater dressed up as an SUV. It is a body-on-frame 4x4:

  • Wading depth: 750 mm
  • Approach angle: 30 degrees or more
  • Departure angle: 24 degrees or more
  • Front and rear electronically controlled differential locks (front lock from Exclusive up)
  • Drive modes: Sport, Economy, Comfort, Snow, Crossing, Sand, Mud, Rock — plus Wading on Flagship
  • Crawl mode, hill descent control, hill ascent control
  • Full-size rear-mounted spare wheel

For families who go out to the desert at weekends, this matters. Very few seven-seaters offer differential locks and 215 mm of clearance.

Safety

Front, side and curtain airbags front and rear. ABS, EBD, CBC, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control, roll movement intervention, ISOFIX across two rows, automatic collision unlock and tyre pressure monitoring, all standard.

From Exclusive upward: 360-degree camera with overhead view, transparent chassis, blind spot monitoring, lane change assist, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert, door open warning, full-speed adaptive cruise control and automatic parking.

Choosing a trim

Luxury 5 seats — the five-seat entry point, with heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, rear differential lock and the full set of drive modes.

Exclusive 5 or 7 seats — adds the driver assistance package, front differential lock, 360-degree camera, three-zone climate, ambient lighting and second-row seat comfort.

Flagship 7 seats — adds the head-up display, wading induction system, active noise reduction, twelve-speaker branded audio, power side steps, wheel fenders and 20-inch wheels.

If you need seven seats, the choice is between Exclusive 7 and Flagship 7.

Book a test drive

Bring the family. The third row needs to be tested by the people who will actually sit in it. Book a test drive or send a sales enquiry.