I can’t remember how many times this is the first time. Going to Alxa every summer and autumn is a must. As the editor of off-road media, and also as a member of the content report team of the annual Heroes Meeting, he has been to Alxa several times since 2011 with only one purpose – to serve the Heroes Meeting, road survey before the meeting and report on the meeting.
This year is the fourteenth year of the Heroes Club. The Heroes Club has developed from a self-entertainment event for more than a thousand people to a super off-road carnival where millions of off-road enthusiasts gather. The development speed is very fast. At present, the Alxa Heroes Club has become The world’s largest pan-outdoor ecological circle iconic carnival. For the majority of off-road people, the hero meeting is like a “year”, and every time they go home to celebrate the “year”, it becomes the biggest concern of off-road people.
We are still responsible for the platform reporting task for this hero meeting. As early as mid-September, I came to Alxa Left Banner in advance to make preliminary preparations for the content report. This time our work car is a 2019 BJ40 City Hunter version. In the past period of time, we checked in Tengger with the BJ40 City Hunter and traveled thousands of miles to a heroic appointment.
The 2019 BJ40 City Hunter Edition is a brand-new model launched by Beijing Off-Road at the Shanghai Auto Show this year. On July 29, Beijing Off-Road launched the BJ40 City Hunter Edition 2.3T model. We chose the BJ40 City Hunter Edition 2.0T model for this trip to the Heroes Club.
To be honest, I just got this BJ40 City Hunter Edition this time, and I was really amazed by it. This BJ40 City Hunter version looks tougher and more majestic, with a square body highlighting off-road style. The square body with rough lines unreservedly shows the tough style in design. This maverick look is instantly recognizable and recognized for its tough-guy character.
The BJ40 City Hunter Edition has a large body with a length, width, height of 4645/1925/1871mm, and a wheelbase of 2745mm. Because of the square shape, it is more robust and elegant. From the appearance, this BJ40 City Hunter version continues the hard-core style, retaining classic elements such as five-hole grille, rectangular headlights and fog lights. The five-hole front air intake grille is made of silver chrome-plated material, and the interior is a bright black mesh design, which is excellent in layering and texture. The square headlights are connected to the center grid, forming a good wide-body visual effect. The interior still uses integrated LED headlights with far and low beams, which has a strong sense of technology and recognition. Both sides of the thick and powerful front bumper are designed with rectangular fog lamps, which are also equipped with LED light sources, which are perfectly connected with the lower grille and have a strong integrity.
The side of the body adopts a large number of flat and straight lines, the rear is still very tough, and the external spare tire looks wild. The interior of the longitudinally arranged rectangular taillights adopts a ring-shaped design, and the red and black alternates look stylish and dynamic, and are also equipped with LED light sources. It is worth mentioning that the front and rear bumpers are equipped with left and right symmetrical double tow hooks, and the eye-catching red painting and shape are the highlights of the whole car, which is very recognizable.
The BJ40 City Hunter Edition is equipped with a new lightweight wheel, which reduces the weight of the vehicle by 15kg, further improving the handling and fuel economy of the vehicle. The two-color hollow design highlights the sense of movement, and the tires are matched with Cooper tires with a size of 265/65R17.
In the Tengger Desert, at the Alxa Heroes Club, we witnessed this grand super off-road PARTY together with the BJ40 City Hunter Edition.
The trip to the Heroes Meeting, from Beijing to Alxa and back, plus the use of cars during the conference, has a total mileage of 4,000 kilometers. Among them, the round-trip high-speed section is about 3,000 kilometers, and the asphalt-hardened desert road from Alxa Left Banner to the Heroes Meeting Site is about 60 kilometers. The total mileage in the desert is about 100 kilometers, covering a variety of daily and off-road landforms. , You should have a comprehensive understanding and feeling of the BJ40 City Hunter Edition.
Starting from Beijing to Alxa, along the Qingyin Expressway all the way to Yinchuan, and then along the Yinba Expressway to Alxa Left Banner, the journey is about 1400 kilometers. Since 2011, except for planes, basically this route goes to Alxa Left Banner.
Although I have traveled to Alxa many times, every departure will be exciting. Only love can be moved, and I think this is also the feeling of a serious off-road obsessive.
On October 1st, the feast will start again. In the vast and magnificent desert, the roar of chariots resounded through the sky. Colorful flags fluttering in the wind, explosive and shocking electronic rock. Millions of off-road people gathered at the Alxa Heroes Club to enjoy this desert feast, and the passion has already ignited the night sky of Tengger.
The fun of off-roading is to drive your car to gallop in the beautiful world, go to places that others can’t reach, and see the scenery that ordinary people can’t see. Compared with other regions, the desert has its own unique landform characteristics, which is more fun to experience and more suitable for large-scale vehicle assembly. Hero meetings over the years have basically been assembled and held in the desert.
Launched in 2006, the off-road e-family hero meeting has become the world’s largest off-road carnival after 14 years of continuous development. From the original Wengniutebronk Sandland to the Kubuqi Desert, and then to the Chongli River, they migrated several times, and finally came to Alxa in 2011. Thanks to the strong support of the local government, the Off-Road E Heroes Club has achieved rapid development in Alxa, and in 2013 it was determined to be permanently located in Alxa. Since then, the infrastructure has developed faster, and heavy investment in many aspects has led to the continuous expansion of the hero’s scale and improvement of functions. In 2016, the establishment of the new main venue of the Hero Club was a symbolic milestone. This means that a real desert city was formed in Tengger, and it built a real home for the Heroes.
Compared with the previous ones, this year’s Hero Club will continue to introduce new ones while inheriting classic events and activities. In the event part, there are not only the traditional core events of the Hero Club T3 Challenge, T3 Relay, Rock Challenge, Tengger Challenge, and All-Terrain Vehicle Challenge, but also performance car drifting exhibitions and locomotive stunts. Desert races are included. In terms of activities, after years of running-in and experience, various large-scale themed activities have matured and formed their own unique characteristics. In addition to themed events such as Dreamland Electronic Music Festival and Auto Expo, there are also new highlight activities such as Little Heroes Club, Special Flight Performance, Fixed-point Skydiving, and Drone Light Show, which greatly enhance the public participation and entertainment of the Heroes Club . Other projects and activities such as Mongolian Yuan Culture, Motorcycle Town, Food Festival, Children’s Paradise, RV Camp, etc., provide a more comprehensive service platform for the diversified interaction of the Hero Club.
In a sense, the Hero Club is a super buggy show. Hundreds of thousands of off-road vehicles from all over the country gathered here, and the scene was spectacular. Among them, there are many hard-core off-road vehicles, such as Japanese Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Prado, Nissan Patrol, Nissan Terra, Mitsubishi Pajero, Suzuki Jimny, etc., European and American Jeep Wrangler, Mercedes-Benz G, Land Rover series, Ford Raptor, etc. There are also many domestic brands such as Beijing Off-Road, Haval, etc., no matter old cars, new cars, or discontinued cars, you will see them. Here, you can meet many brothers and make new friends with the same goals. It doesn’t matter where you come from, or whether you drive a new car or an old car. As long as you have a heart for off-roading, then you are right to come.
At the Alashan Heroes Meeting over the years, the BJ40 series is one of the most exposed models. Whether it is the gathering of riders organized by Beijing Off-Road Officially, or the model gathering activities from the Si Zero Forum of the e-family community, or even club organizations across the country, there are a large number of BJ40 owners and vehicles participating in the hero meeting every year. Therefore, on the way to Alxa, in the base camp of the Heroes Club, and on the field of the T3 Challenge, the BJ40 series can be seen everywhere.
In fact, it can be said that as a global off-road event, it must not lack the “wrists” in the circle. The multiple brand camps and activities at the annual hero meeting illustrate this point. Personal experience and witness are must for mainstream off-road brands. to do.
After driving 4,000 kilometers in 10 days, I have a comprehensive understanding and feeling of the BJ40 City Hunter Edition. Regarding the interior and interior space, it can be defined by fashion and delicacy.
The sporty three-spoke multifunctional steering wheel has a very good grip. On the top of the center console is a 10-inch external center control screen, which integrates rich functions such as navigation, multimedia, radio, and Bluetooth phone, and the overall visual effect is very outstanding. The central air outlet adopts a circular retro design, and the brand elements of “Beijing” are integrated into it, which has a sense of design. The one-button start button is located between the two circular air outlets in the middle of the instrument panel. It integrates volume adjustment buttons, 2H, 4H and 4L (four-wheel drive mode) switching buttons, and also supports switching between sports and snow modes. The air-conditioning control area still uses a combination of physical buttons and knobs, and the embellishment of chrome-plated accessories enhances the exquisiteness of the detailed design. The design of armrests in many parts of the vehicle is also a major feature of off-road vehicles, and the materials used are also quite generous, which completely subverts the rough image of off-road vehicles.
It turns out that off-road vehicles can also be surprisingly refined.
The seats are all wrapped in leather, and the backrest and the side wings of the cushion also play a good role in wrapping and supporting the body. In addition, the main driver’s seat supports electric adjustment, and the front seats are also equipped with a heating function. The rear row is also equipped with independent air outlets for air conditioning, a small storage compartment at the lower part, and a three-hole power jack next to it. This is a very practical function, and it is very convenient for some devices that need 220V charging, such as cameras and drone batteries, computers, etc. The luggage compartment can be opened in two stages, the rear seats can also be folded down, the loading capacity is good, and the flexibility is also very strong.
The BJ40 City Hunter version we drove this time is equipped with a 2.0T direct-injection gasoline engine, matched with a ZF 6AT gearbox, with a maximum output of 160kW (218Ps) and a peak torque of 320Nm.
In terms of actual driving experience, except for the taller body and line of sight, the handling on urban roads and high-speed sections is basically the same as that of a car. The acceleration and braking are in line with the response and sensitivity that a 2.0T model should have. When the 2.0T engine is driving on the road, it can be clearly felt that its power still has a considerable margin. This time I also drove nearly 100 kilometers in the desert. Although it is a city hunter version, its power performance is not inferior to other versions. When driving in the desert, as long as the tire pressure is set to about 1.0, as long as you keep moving and drive carefully, most desert terrains can be passed.
Driving the BJ40 City Hunter Edition galloping in the desert, with the deepening of the accelerator and the increase of the speed, especially when the speed exceeds 2500 rpm, the power output is basically in line with expectations. Sufficient power is the biggest guarantee for driving in the desert, and its performance Didn’t worry us at all. The matching of the engine and the transmission plays a very important role, and the shift speed is well controlled, because the M gear is used throughout the operation, and the corresponding gear and speed are maintained at the appropriate time to achieve excellent power requirements.
The historical development of Beijing’s off-road vehicles is remarkable. The first BJ212 is a milestone in the development history of China’s off-road vehicles. Today’s BJ40 series still inherits the 60-year hard-core off-road genes and is constantly evolving. As a domestic brand, in just a few years, its market share has increased considerably. Continuously improving product quality and product positioning that meet market demand are the decisive conditions for obtaining market share.
Since the beginning of this year, Beijing has successfully defended three consecutive championships in the China Tower Rally, which has proved the glorious strength of BJ40 on the most difficult ring tower track in history. It is understood that Beijing Off-Road will continue to participate in top domestic events such as the China Cross-Country Long-Distance Championship, and continue to test and disseminate the performance and quality of products through professional event challenges.
BJ40 City Hunter is a perfect fusion of off-road spirit and urban SUV smart and comfortable driving under the double blessing of hard-core military gene and unique urban national trend.
Beijing Off-Road pioneered the “new off-road grading standard” and divided its products into four series: S/P/C/SE, which respectively correspond to different consumer groups, so that the design and configuration of vehicles can meet the needs of target users more accurately. And this time we are driving a representative model of the C series, which is mainly built for those who yearn for off-road life.
With the development of the times and the improvement of living standards, many people began to pursue a more personalized lifestyle and break free from the shackles of reinforced concrete, so off-road SUVs have also attracted more people’s attention. As a representative of off-road SUVs, the BJ40 City Hunter Edition can fully satisfy people’s off-road dreams, and you can buy the purest off-road vehicle at a price of less than 200,000. Tough body and shape, stylish interior and workmanship, perhaps only the BJ40 City Hunter version can bring me such a feeling.
To be honest, through this experience, I did like this car.
Heroes will look different in the eyes of different people. Some like racing cars, some like themed activities, and some like the lively atmosphere. No matter what, Hero Club provides you with a variety of choices and fun.
Today, the Hero Club is not just a grand event for the off-road e family, it has become the Hero Club in the hearts of all off-road people. Its existence makes more and more people understand the off-road culture of automobiles, fall in love with off-road sports, and continuously inject fresh blood and vigorous vitality into the pan-outdoor off-road group. No matter how the form changes, what remains unchanged is the spirit and original intention of the Heroes Club.
It is not difficult to see that the current Hero Club has become a comprehensive public entertainment platform integrating traditional events and themed activities, and its functions have been diversified. It is bound to attract more people to participate in it, and more brands and Organizations in various fields pay attention. The future hero meeting will be more lively and popular.
In the just-concluded Alxa Heroes Meeting, the cumulative number of vehicles was nearly 400,000, and the number of people reached 1.2 million. There are more and more people who like the outdoors, and more and more people like cross-country sports. Let us follow the direction of our hearts, learn more about off-roading in the future, and enjoy the new world and broader life that off-roading brings us.
The 14th Heroes’ Meeting in 2019 has come to an end, and the end is the beginning. Will the 2020 Heroes’ Meeting be far behind?
(Photo: Yin Bing)
