Beijing Automobile Works Co., Ltd, one of the pioneers of Chi­nese automobile industry, was founded in 1958 as the second larg­est automobile factory in China. In 2001, it was developed into Beijing Automobile Works Co., Ltd. (BAW) based on modern enterprise system.Now, if you find the BAW name familiar it’s because it’s been on Nepali roads for some time now. However, what we have here is on a very different side of the spectrum. We have with us the BAW Warrior, a promising off-roader that was jointly developed by Beijing Auto Works and Chrysler.

While BAW does contribute to the commercial market, it also produces special vehicles for military use in China. The BAW Warrior is the most widely used 4×4 vehicle in the Chi­nese army and the People’s Liber­ation Army. It is also used by some paramilitary and law enforcement units and also the UN.

And it is now here to wreak havoc on the roads of Nepal.

Exterior

The BAW Warrior plants itself on the Nepali roads with indomitable authority. For perspective, the War­rior stands wider than the Hummer H3. It is a behemoth and if we were to truthfully use this term, it would be for this machine. Just with its sheer size the BAW Warrior man­ages to turn heads, and it should: it is based on the stunning Cherokee.

It is a masculine machine and you will not find a lot of frills; It’s bare, raw, and ready for action. The mesh inserts are clearly visible through the five massive slots of the Jeep-esque grille. This is flanked by simple round headlights and side indicators on the flat front face. A massive bumper and side bull bars finish off the front.

To be absolutely blunt, it is a boxy design and it is pretty evident. The windshield is rather vertical and the strong steel double cabin body has the same boxy design. This is carried on to the pickup bay which gets a spare wheel on the gate.

Interiors

Much like the exterior, the interi­ors are simple. You wouldn’t look for luxury in a car that is meant for seri­ous military business, would you? However, it does exceed expectation on cabin space. There are acres of headroom and shoulder room for all occupants, four of whom you can comfortably accommodate in the rear seats.

The seats themselves are comfort­able and provide adequate support. Visibility for the driver is good, even the A-Pillars don’t cause too much of a distraction. You won’t find any premium plastic parts in the BAW Warrior. Nevertheless, soft touch plastic and leather might not be the best thing to have on a car in which you might have to wade into rivers and water that might fill up the cabin.

Performance

Inside the massive bonnet of the Warrior is a 2.7L diesel engine bor­rowed from Isuzu that works well to haul the massive machine around. It is a torque heavy mill, which we loved. While the Warrior is better suited for off-road driving, the way it performed on the tarmac put a smile on our faces. Shift up through the gears and you’ll notice that the engine delivers power to the rear wheels with much enthusiasm. Body rolls on such a massive machine is inevitable but you quickly learn to live with it.

Let’s be honest here. You’re not going to drive a machine like the BAW Warrior to go grocery shopping. So we did what any sane person behind the wheels of a 2.7 liter, 4WD, military grade off-roader would do; we took it off-roading. And this was where the Warrior truly shined. It suddenly came to life, as if happy that it was finally off the smooth tarmac. All that torque finally started to come to use as it chewed up and spat out anything in front of it. The massive ground clearance definitely came in handy too.

Verdict

The BAW Warrior is a formidable machine. For its sheer size alone, it gets a lot of respect on the roads. However, if you’re looking for refined driving and luxurious inte­riors, it’s best you look somewhere else. But if you’re looking for an off-road capable machine, and you’re not fussy about fancy frills, this is definitely a good option. And, not to mention, it will outsize practically anything else in the segment on the streets of Nepal.

However, unless you’re planning to properly use the abilities of the Warrior as a private buyer, it will be a vehicle underused. We feel that the BAW Warrior would be better suited for a job that requires traversing larger distances and beaten tracks. A job that utilizes the prowess that this machine has to offer. And priced at just Rs 4,600,000 it makes great monetary sense too O