This is definitely not usual fare for NZ4WD. Urban SUVs are, however, the most popular cars on the market. Toyota’s RAV4 leads the way in sales, but the breadth of choice is simply staggering.

The BAIC B30 is a boxy, retro-styled SUV offering impressive hybrid power (301 kW/685 Nm), a comfortable ride, and high-end tech features.

There have been many SUV-style vehicles arrive here in the past few years, some of them from fairly unfamiliar new automotive brands. Many are what we’d call ‘cross-over’ or ‘soft-roaders’, built in the appearance of an SUV but with little offroad ability.

The 2026 BAIC offerings are a pair of SUVs, the most interesting of which is the AWD B30 (or B30e/BJ30, these alternative names appear on the rear door and lower left edge of the dash). BAIC (Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation) is one of China’s large-scale auto manufacturers, producing more than 1.7 million vehicles a year.

The B30 is the more distinctive of the pair. In China it is sold as the BJ30, a reference to BAIC’s long history with Jeep. Here it will simply be called B30, though the BJ30 badge gets a place in the cabin and on the rear door it’s B30e.

This is an upright, old-school design that stands apart from most mainstream SUV offerings. Black cladding, a tall body and wide stance give it a purposeful look. Under the styling it is a monocoque medium SUV aimed at family buyers. At 4730mm long and 1910mm wide, it’s bigger than a Toyota RAV4. The rear seats fold flat for a nearly two-metre load length. The cargo area’s lid pulls out to become a handy-sized picnic table.

Inside, there are synthetic leather seats, a grippy steering wheel and a huge 14.6-inch infoscreen. The system itself has good resolution, but has a slight lag between a touch prompt and its response. Apple Carplay is on board, while an adapter installed post-build allows Android Auto to function. The B30 has a full panoramic sunroof too.

Flying in the face of recent design trends, the screen is home to pretty much every cabin or drive control system.

The official fuel economy number is 6.5 L/100km and combined with the hybrid system that gives a combined driving range of up to 1,000km. We got down to 7.1l/100km in onroad and gentle offroad work.

Driven, the B30 works as well on tarseal as on gravel, the relatively small-capacity engine backed seamlessly by the hybrid system. On twisty roads the front end feels quite soft, and rises noticeably under acceleration. It's very much aimed at urban SUV buyers, and would work well as a second vehicle in a household that also uses a more offroad-capable 4WD ute. On the open road (tarseal or otherwise) the upright body style gives the driver a good view of the road and the suspension hangs on well, giving decent feedback through steering wheel and seat alike.