Jetour made such a splash with the shamelessly Land Rover Defender-styled T2 towards the end of 2024 that the design of its T1 sibling almost flew under the radar. The Jetour T1 does a fine job itself by “borrowing” from the Jeep Renegade.
Judging by the Jetour pair’s extraordinary success since their local market launch late last year, the controversial styling is key. In almost no time, the Chery-owned Chinese carmaker’s T models overtook the brand’s established Dashing and X70 Plus models.
The T1 and T2 might be very similar in size, but they appeal to different buyers. Like the Defender, the T2 is the brand’s rugged off-roader ready to create memories as an adventure SUV. The T1 features more urban styling, very much in the mould of the Renegade. It sets out to be a versatile city vehicle blending family life with weekend adventures.
Jetour T1 apes Jeep Renegade
First up for The Citizen Motoring was the T1, which we sampled in R634 900 2.0T Odyssey XWD guise. There is only one more expensive model in the line-up, the Odyssey Dark Night XWD, which offers bespoke aesthetics at a R25 000 premium.
With Jeep Renegade styling, which is evident at the front and the rear, the T1 is quite a concoction of different models. Up front it also resembles its T2 sibling and the Defender, while elements from the latter and the Ford Bronco stand out on its side profile. At the rear, there is even a slight resemblance to the Citroën C4 Cactus.
Whatever your opinion of the styling might be, it stands out for the crowd with its square upright appearance and distinctive front grille incorporating the striking LED headlight design and JETOUR lettering. Black moulded bumpers, lower door mouldings, prominent wheel arch cladding and 19-inch two-tone alloy wheels combine well to create a look fitting for something meaner than what is considered a soft-roader.
Very posh affair
Once inside, you get the feeling that the interior is probably a bit too premium for a scruffy Camel Man with dirty boots. There is the odd little butch touch in the form of an exposed nut or two and almost airplane-styled gear lever, but the rest is a very premium affair. There are soft-touch panels everywhere that blend in with brushed aluminium and pian black touches to create a clean and minimalistic finish.
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Our tester’s interior is Black & Green, the latter hue’s looking a fair bit like a type of aqua green. Not being too dark, it gives the cabin a spacious look along with the light projected through the standard panoramic sunroof.
Space in the rear is more than just an optic illusion, with plenty of head and legroom on offer. Boot space is a very generous 574 litres.
Creature comforts galore
A 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Sony sound system takes centre stage along a 10.15-inch digital instrument cluster. The spec list for the Jetour T1 goes on forever and includes the likes of ventilated front seats, ambient lighting, 540-degree camera system and electric tailgate.
The XWD Intelligent four-wheel drive system sees the T1 Odyssey receive five off-road modes, Rock, Snow X, Mud and Sand, along with the Normal, Sport and Eco driving modes.
Keeping occupants safe are passive safety systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Automatic Emergency Braking and a Forward Collision Warning system.
Lots of oomph
The Jetour T1 Odyssey is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, a familiar mill in Chery’s greater operations. It sends a very healthy 180kW of power and 375Nm of torque to all four corners via seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. As good as this drivetrain sounds and is most of the time, there is a downside to it.
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The Chinese revolution in the local market has been synonymous with many good things in the form of competitive prices, comprehensive specifications sheets and serious safety systems. Yet right from the start, things that have not been all that kind to their cause have been poor fuel consumption and terrible throttle calibration.
Both these problems have largely been sorted with the introduction of hybrid models. But sadly, the lack of hybrid technology in the Jetour T1 line-up means that those nagging issues have reared their ugly heads again.
Chinese niggles resurface
The powertrain is slow to react to small inputs on the accelerator and when you try and negate this with firmer action, the mill sparks to life with unhinged enthusiasm. This is something you’ll probably get used to over time, but we struggled to adapt in just a week.
The rest of the drive is otherwise very enjoyable. Steering is light, albeit a little lifeless, while the ride is very plush with more than enough oomph from up front. We did not take it off the beaten track, but reckon with its generous 200mm ground clearance, the plushness of the suspension, the all-wheel drive modes and the amount of power on offer, hitting the dirt should be fun.
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Without even pushing the T1 hard and leaving it in Normal mode, we could only manage fuel consumption number of 14.5 litres per 100km over 293km. This is way off the claimed number of 9.0l/100km and something you feel more fitting for a Land Cruiser than an urban adventurer.
Jetour T1 a charming prospect
Overall, the Jetour T1 is quite a charming prospect, offering good looks, lots of comfort and capabilities at an appealing price. It is not perfect, but its flaws are unlikely to deter the masses queuing outside the growing number of Jetour dealerships. These buyers will feel they are still far better off than anything for the same price in a heritage brand’s stable.
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