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.
