Have you been dreaming of a boxy new SUV offering great value for money? Excellent, you’ve come to the right review.
You should know: The Jetour T1 with its slightly square looks and modern design details certainly cuts a dashing figure in daily traffic. Our press vehicle, a 2.0T XWD Odyssey in mesmerizing pale grey metallic, added elaborate 19-inch alloy wheels with contrasting black and silver elements to the mix.
More info: Inside you’ll also be greeted by cool modernity surrounded by more of that squared-off chunkiness. The door cards and inner handles feel extremely sturdy, there’s a G-Class passenger panic handle, the media screen is ginormous and so is the gear lever. Even the steering wheel isn’t quite round.
What else? Both outside air vents are twin vertical affairs, there’s no volume knob (grr…), but you should find every modern connectivity, convenience and safety feature in here. Bigger brother T2 offers more Jetour for more money, but our team found that the T1’s ever-so-slightly smaller dimensions looked more modern.
Why you shouldn’t: There’s a decent amount of juice on tap – 180kW or 375Nm of it – distributed via a semi-obedient 7-speed DCT. We never got near the claimed 9L/100km average from the generous 70L tank. Our average hovered in the mid 11’s, although that’s to be expected when piloting a 1,835kg SUV in hillside suburbs.
Also, take extra caution around this vehicle’s elongated tow bar in the dark…
Why you should: Because you’ll have one of the coolest and – judging by the reactions to this and its bigger sibling – most desirable cars in the street. You’ll also face a daunting but (presumably) fun learning curve, both with the massive infotainment system or the many drive modes and off-road settings of this vehicle.
Jetour claims a top end of 180km/h, we assume the presence of an electronic limiter, but the maker has no 0-100km/h figure on hand. Our best of three attempts was a respectable 7.4 seconds, although we noticed the drive-train shifting most gears before its indicated red line of 6,000rpm. Yes, even in Sport mode.
Conclusion: That’s probably an attempt to keep the motor in its optimum power band (ending at 5,500rpm) while ensuring they won’t have too many claims against the massive 7-year/200,000km vehicle warranty and simply unbelievable 10-year/1-million-km engine warranty.
A 7-year/75,000km service plan is also included with each sale.
FULL SPEC LIST
| Engine: | 1, 998cc turbo-petrol i-4 |
| Transmission: | 7-speed DCT, AWD |
| Max. Power: | 180kW @ 5,500rpm |
| Max. Torque: | 375Nm @ 1,750rpm |
| Avg. cons.: | 11.5L/100km (claimed 9) |
| 0-100km/h: | 7.40 seconds (no claim) |
| Top Speed: | 180km/h (claimed) |
| List Price: | R634,900 |