Jetour T2 is really not a pretender – The Mail & Guardian

Head-turner: The Jetour T2 commands attention everywhere it goes.

Launched at the end of October 2025, the Jetour T2 is fast becoming one of South Africa’s favourites, selling 1 651 units by the end of January. 

Jetour registered 665 units sold for January alone and since the launch of the vehicle in Cape Town, I’ve noticed incredible hype around the vehicle. 

People consistently asked me about it even before I had it on test for a week and one thing is for sure: the demand speaks for itself. In fact, there were reports of the vehicle being sold out across the country at the end of January. 

A lot of the hype comes down to the presentation of the vehicle.

The exterior gets that Land Rover Defender inspired shape with the classic box shape with short overhangs and flared, muscular wheel arches. 

But it also does well to throw in its own sense of style as well. The vertical bold front grille that features an illuminated Jetour badge makes it distinguishable from all the other big boxy SUVs out there. 

But, if you park it side by side with a Defender, it will definitely be difficult to tell the difference when looking at the vehicles from the side. 

At the end of the day, the T2 is an absolute head-turner. No matter where you go with it, people will stop to look, compliment and ask a few questions about it. Those who are comfortable with you will make sure they get a full experience of the car and I don’t really blame them, because it commands attention. 

The interior

If there’s one thing we’ve learnt with Chinese cars, it’s that you don’t question their interior.

Especially those that are meant to be a flagship model from a brand. It is no different with the Jetour T2. 

The exterior usually has you drooling and the interior is meant to quench your thirst. 

It is meant to be a “rugged luxury” design that just captures you as soon as you enter. The first thing you notice is the massive 15.6 inch infotainment system that sits dead centre in the front of the vehicle and a 10.25 inch digital instrument cluster that is tucked into the dash. The infotainment screen supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and is extremely responsive. 

Below this big screen is a set of buttons to control the climate and a few other things, but then we get to the gear which extends that rugged feeling with how big and bulky it is. 

Jetour has made this interior absolutely breathtaking and put soft touch materials all around to make it feel as premium as possible. 

The seats are also super comfortable and spacious while the boot has 580 litres of space with the rear seats up, extending to nearly 1 494 litres when folded.

There are also some very cool features, like an integrated bottle opener in the boot plus additional cup holders that make it easy to park this SUV and chill out when you are off on an adventure. 

The interior also has a massive panoramic sunroof that extends from front to back and ambient lighting that also gives an atmosphere to the entire car. 

The drive

First of all, I did not expect to be sitting as high as I was in the Jetour T2. Secondly, I did not expect on-road drive to be as good as it was. 

The only reason for this is because I expected a better on-road experience from the T1, because the T2 has a more robust, off-road-oriented suspension setup with significantly higher ground clearance.

It is 220mm of ground clearance to be exact. Now, I am not going to lie. The T1 felt slightly smoother and more agile on the road. 

However, that is what it is meant to be. 

The T2 is supposed to be your adventure vehicle that is good on and off-road while the T1 is more of the city SUV. 

However, I still found the T2 to be incredibly smooth on the road with exceptionally easy gear changes and also a very punchy engine that can move you along wherever you are without any fuss. 

With some adventure SUVs, all the emphasis is put on the off-roading that the drive in the city and on the highways becomes either terribly bad or terribly sluggish. 

The Jetour T2 either comes in a 1.5 litre turbocharged engine two-wheel-drive set up or a 2-litre turbocharged four-wheel-drive set up. 

If you want to be able to use the car to the best of its ability and for all its capabilities, your best bet is taking it in the second set up. 

If you are just there for the aesthetics, then the 1.5 litre shouldn’t trouble you. 

The 1.5 litre turbocharged engine is not underpowered. It still delivers 125kW of power and 270Nm of torque with the fuel consumption claimed to be better than that of the four-wheel-drive variant. 

The 2-litre turbocharged engine delivers 180kW of power and 375Nm of torque which makes it feel perfectly powered.

The vehicle also has X Mode”, which is an intelligent, automated off-road system designed for superior, “set-and-forget” performance on challenging terrain like sand, mud and rocks. 

It automatically adjusts torque distribution, engine power and traction control, making it highly effective for rugged, uneven surfaces.

Pricing and verdict

The new Jetour T2 range is priced at R 569 900 for the Aspire while the T2 Xplora is at R 639 900 and the flagship T2 Odyssey is at R 679 900.

Part of its popularity is also its price. I mean, all this for under R700 000 is actually ridiculous. 

Part of also being so popular means that the vehicle will have its detractors.

There are still those who question the Chinese vehicles and have labelled it a “pretender” due to its resemblance to the Defender. 

But make no mistake about it, the Jetour T2 is far from that. It is absolute value for money and the sales figures show that.

The Jetour T2 is also a South African Car of the Year 2026 finalist.