This Chinese clone of the classic Defender costs £12,000

Including reduction gear and differential locks - watch out for the BAW 212!

BAW 212 2025

Photo by: BAW

By: Fernando Moreno

Published by: Brian Potter

Jan 13, 2025 at 2:33am ET

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Chinese car brands definitely never cease to amaze us. Once again we've got our hands on our heads, and with good reason, because finding a clone of the classic Land Rover Defender is not something you'd expect.

Meet the BAW 212, a real off-roader, just like the British model. Indeed, it's not just a camouflaged SUV with an adventurous body. No, this car features switchable four-wheel drive, a reduction gearbox and even front and rear differential locks.

But wait, there's more: disconnectable anti-roll bars and an incredible 40-degree approach and 36-degree departure angles. There's no shortage of the usual driving programmes to tailor the car to the kind of use you want to make of it.

Gallery: BAW 212 2025

BAW 212 2025

Source: BAW

Power comes from a turbocharged petrol engine, with 2.0-litre displacement and 150 PS (maximum torque not disclosed), working with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Back to the aesthetics, some may also find similarities with the Toyota FJ40 (the headlights), the Jeep Wrangler (the bumpers and wheel arches) or the Mercedes-Benz G-Class (the rear). As is often the case with these clones, the inspiration does not come from a single model.

BAW 212 2025

BAW 212 2025, interior

Photo by: BAW

The only image we have of the interior shows a large touchscreen mounted in the centre of the dashboard in a floating position (so you don't have to take your eyes off the road too much) and a steering wheel with a flattened bottom.

Overall, the build quality seems high, although there are perhaps too many buttons all together under the monitor, making it difficult to find the one you want quickly. It will be a matter of getting used to the position of each one over time.

Other less creative designs from China:

Chinese also copy camper vans - check out this cheap T1

This £15,500 Land Rover Defender is a worthy 4x4

This £11,000 Lamborghini Urus copy is an affordable sports SUV

Bizarro World: China builds fake VW Beetles from fibreglass

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It is also not fair to make too many points for improvement in a car that sells for the equivalent of £12,000. It sounds like a joke, but it's not. It is also true that the top-of-the-range version is only £17,000. Yes, we're talking about Dacia Sandero prices.

Personally, I think the military green paint suits the SUV like a glove, so we can only regret not being able to see the BAW 212 on UK roads.

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