Jetour’s T-Series is a local success, with over 4,587 T1 and T2 SUVs sold in the past 6 months. The boxy design draws attention, but rising fuel prices demand something more than merely good looks and equipment. The new T1 i-DM and T2 i-DM add electrified options with intriguing figures.
T1 i-DM
The T1 is the smaller of the two and offers a suburban style with a hint of rugged off-road boxiness. It’s an elegant SUV that houses a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, paired with a single motor, an 18.4kWh battery and a single-speed DHT (dedicated hybrid transmission). The engine alone produces 100kW, and the electric motor provides an additional 150kW, for a combined output of 250kW and 530Nm. It has a lot of power for a family car, but this car isn’t about highway dominance as much as it is about thriftiness.
This new PHEV technology allows the T1 i-DM to achieve a combined consumption of 1.1l/100km, only achievable when the battery is charged, a pure EV range of 100km, and a combined range of 1,200km. The numbers are impressive but familiar, as competitors such as the BYD Sealion 6 offer a slightly lower range at 1,100km and a power output of 238kW and 550Nm.
Although the biggest difference is the powertrain, the T1 also features a number of aesthetic tweaks. It now hosts a horizontal light strip on the front grille, an i-DM C-pillar badge, exclusive 19-inch wheels and four-leaf clover headlights.
Priced at R689,900, Jetour has positioned the T1 competitively. It goes up against the BYD Sealion 6 (R639,900) and the Jaecoo J7 SHS (R689,900). It offers customers a unique design and impressive figures at a price that’s hard to ignore.
T2 i-DM
The brand’s best-seller, the T2, has also received electrified refinement. And this model will be closely watched by its competitors. We have already seen the local popularity of the T2, and with its updated electrified powertrain, this trend will likely continue. It also comes with a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, but the T2 i-DM has two electric motors. The engine produces 100kW, the first motor contributes 75kW, and the second 90kW for a combined output of 265kW and 610Nm, and is paired with a 3-speed DHT. Although the figures are slightly higher than the T1’s, it too is geared towards efficiency.
Offering 1.3l/100km and a combined range of 1,200km on a full charge and a full tank, the T2 is the slightly larger, bolder and more rugged T-Series offering, and its boxy, adventurous shape remains, with a few tweaks. These include 20-inch wheels and an illuminated Jetour logo on the front. It’s a bold-looking SUV that can be customised with various aesthetic touches, making it even more aggressive.
Priced at R779,900, it’s competitively priced, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it competes against. From a design and purpose angle, it competes with the Tank 300 HEV, while from a pricing angle, it competes with the J7 SHS and the likes of the Chery Tiggo 8 PHEV, but its focus on off-road ability with a bold urban twist makes it somewhat of a unicorn in the space and one that already has the public intrigued even in standard ICE form.
The i-DM T-Series does arrive with several perks for early customers. These include 20% off factory modifications and accessories, an air compressor for inflating tyres, and an 8-year/160,000km battery warranty.
The Jetour T-Series range is unique and is selling well. Now, with the arrival of the plug-in hybrid i-DM range, customers can reap the benefits of added power and response from electric motors, with a similar, subtly updated look at a competitive price. It’s a range with a local chapter that has only just begun, and if the last six months are any indication of the success these new off-road PHEVs could achieve, they will surely do well. We have yet to drive the T1 and T2 i-DM, so watch this space for our review.
