BAIC X35 review: a superseded compact SUV from a brand that is still around
2.9/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
The X35 is a modest, unremarkable compact SUV on its own terms, and it is no longer part of BAIC's active Bahraini lineup. What lifts it above a used-market afterthought is that Khalil Kanoo Motors is still trading, still selling BAIC vehicles, and still has some institutional familiarity with the brand's older cars. Buy it as a cheap, basic SUV with reasonable — not guaranteed — parts access, priced to reflect a discontinued model rather than a current one.
Pros
- BAIC is a genuinely active brand in Bahrain, unlike fully orphaned manufacturers — Khalil Kanoo Motors still trades and services current models
- Simple naturally aspirated engine with no turbo or complex gearbox to fail expensively
- Genuinely compact SUV footprint that is easy to park and manoeuvre around Manama
- Should be priced as a low-risk-relative-to-price budget used SUV
Cons
- Discontinued locally; no longer covered by any current manufacturer warranty
- Dealer parts priority now sits with the current BJ/X-series range, not this generation
- Modest 116hp engine and dated cabin even by 2018-era budget-SUV standards
- Resale value is limited to what a buyer will pay for a basic, discontinued used SUV
The X35 was BAIC's compact SUV entry in Bahrain during the years before the brand repositioned itself around the more rugged BJ-series and the X7/X55/U5 Plus range now sold by Khalil Kanoo Motors. A 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four with a 5-speed manual or automatic drove the front wheels — unremarkable mechanicals aimed squarely at buyers who wanted SUV shape and ride height without paying for a turbocharger or all-wheel drive.
Modest by design, not by accident
At 4,325mm long with a 2,570mm wheelbase, the X35 was always a genuinely compact SUV rather than a mid-size car wearing a taller body, and its 116hp engine was tuned for city driving rather than highway overtaking. None of that was ever going to trouble a Creta or a base Tucson on paper, and it did not try to.
Why the dealer's survival is the most important fact here
What separates a used X35 from an orphaned-brand SUV of similar vintage is straightforward: BAIC is not a defunct manufacturer, and Khalil Kanoo Motors continues to actively sell and service the brand's current range in Bahrain. That means the X35, while no longer in production or covered by warranty, benefits from a dealer network that has not disappeared and technicians who have at least some institutional memory of the brand's mechanicals, even if current parts stocking prioritises the BJ and X-series cars actually on the showroom floor.
That is a meaningfully better position than a Zotye owner is in, but it is not the same as buying a current model. Expect routine servicing to be straightforward, expect anything unusual to take longer and possibly require sourcing from outside Bahrain, and price the car accordingly — this should be a budget SUV purchase, not a confident one.
For a buyer who wants basic SUV practicality on a tight budget and values having an actual, contactable dealer over one that has vanished, the X35 is a reasonable, low-risk-relative-to-its-price used buy. It is not a car to expect much resale value from, and it is not a car to buy assuming full parts availability without checking first.