Days before the 2015 Borgward BX7 was set to have its debut, official images were leaked onto the internet and now the vehicle has been revealed properly at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. You will be aware by now that the BX7 brings the brand back into business after the German carmaker has been inactive for more than five decades.
The Borgward is said to be German in name only though as China-based Foton Motor are now the ones who own the manufacturer. Therefore the BX7 will also be put together in China. Let’s talk about the vehicle itself now. The Borgward BX7 keeps the standard SUV shape togetehr with generous ground space and high belt line. The front of the vehicle is overruled by the usual “trademark” octagon radiator grille.
The diamond-shaped Borgward logo is located within the grille and is enclosed by diamond-shaped elements found within it. The regular BX7 has vertical bars on its grille so this design is exclusive to the flagship TS version. The grille is surrounded with headlights along with LED daytime running lights (DRLs). Tthe fog lights are located underneath in the air inlet assembly.
The Borgward BX7 comes with 21 inch wheels together with 255/40 tyres and brushed aluminium roof rails are located on the top of the vehicle (of the TS version only). At the back of the car, inbetween the combination LED taillights you will find Borgward lettering and on top there is a subtle tailgate spoiler. Two chrome-edged exhaust outlets are also found on the rear bumper.
The Borgward BX7 runs on a turbocharged 2.0 litre inline-four petrol engine found underneath the hood, along with 224 PS and 300 Nm of torque. Said mill is coupled to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with power being sent out to all corners of the vehicle through a fixed all-wheel drive system. It takes roughly 10 seconds to do zero to 100 km/h and it has been claimed that the top speed is 200 km/h.
There is a plug-in hybrid version as well. The same petrol engine is used for this model, but there is an additional electric motor to procuce a combined power output of 401 PS. Borgward have stated that its BX7 plug-in hybrid has the ability do offer an all-electric range of 55 km.
In the interior of the vehicle the cabin is trimmed with Scottish Nappa leather together with contrasting stitching and the centre console has been given an aluminium-like trim. If you go for the higher-end TS version then you get sports pedals and also a lat-bottomed steering wheel. Offered as standard is a 12.3-inch touchscreen display which is apparantly the biggest one out of it’s league.
The infotainment system offers voice command options and also onboard WiFi connectivity. Navigation, USB, AUX and Blotooth are also available. Using Borgward’s Multiple Interaction platform you can pair Android and Apple handets to the system as well. After they have been paired, the system allows the driver to have access to the music on those handsets as well as phone contacts and whatever else.
Car owners have the option of five, six or seven seater configurations for their vehicle. It has been said that when the second and third row of seats are folded that there is a total luggage capacity of 1,344 litres.
Amongst the driver assistance features are city braking with pedestrian detection, driver fatigue warning, proximity cruise control, collision assistant with active brake intervention, tyre pressure monitoring system, traffic sign recognition capabilities, and also a 360 degree surround view camera.
As far as safety is concerned, the driver and front passenger of the Borgward BX7 are given “two-stage hybrid airbags” and also side and curtain airbags. Three-point seat belts with pre-tensioners are also available as well as a child safety seat detection system on the front passenger seat and Isofix mounts.
