These days it seems like everyone wants a one-tonne ute. Fleets, of course, love them, while their continued domination of new car sales proves that the private buyers still want them as well.
That means that there is another demographic that desperately wants a ute too – carmakers. Everyone, it seems wants into the ute game – EV/PHEV brands like BYD (Shark 6) and established mainstream brands like Kia (Tasman) are dropping new one-tonne (or thereabouts) utes as you read this, while American manufacturers that have relied on their big trucks are getting into the “medium” ute segment as well (Ford launching the Ranger in the USA to great success, as well as the smaller Maverick, while Ram recently confirmed a revival of the Dakota).
And, of course, there are the van and truck makers getting into the ute game – Mercedes-Benz attempted with the undeservingly ill-fated X-Class (it was a product of MB’s commercial division), while Chinese giant SAIC has its LDV T60 and Isuzu has the successful D-Max.
Now there is a new truck maker getting into the ute market, although unless you are really into trucks, you may not even have heard of them.
Jianghuai Automobile Co Ltd (or JAC) is China’s top-selling commercial brand and has sold trucks under the JAC name for more than 60 years. Yes, you read that right – six decades.
The T9 is our first taste of JAC in the car market (yes, I know it's not technically a “car”, but you get my drift) and while we initially only get the diesel-powered version, the company has an all-electric one in the works (that we got up close with at last year’s Beijing Auto Show) that is rumoured to be making its way here as well.
So how does a one-tonne ute from a Chinese truck maker measure up to some of the best-selling new vehicles in New Zealand? Remarkably well, and that’s before you even bring price into it.
The T9 lands in New Zealand in a single form – a fully-loaded top-spec 4WD model with a diesel engine and an 8-speed automatic transmission – placing it right in the meat of the ute segment.
In terms of ride and handling, the T9 excels, with an impressively smooth and resolved ride quality for a ute.
With a high level of standard equipment (it is broadly equivalent to a Ford Ranger Sport or Mitsubishi Triton GLXR), the T9 also boasts a genuinely high-quality interior, with lots of soft touch surfaces and some excellent build quality on show.
The T9 is packed with the latest technology, including a big 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 360-degree camera, rain sensing wipers, automatic LED headlights with auto-levelling, wireless phone charging and a surprisingly grunty 6-speaker audio system. It also gets a full suite of driver assists and safety tech, most of which is genuinely surprisingly well-calibrated and subtle, with minimal intrusions.
And even the systems that are a bit naggy (the speed limit assist and driver monitoring) are at least very quiet and easy to ignore. Which is good, because you will be ignoring them a lot – the speed limit assist will regularly accuse you of exceeding the speed limit when you are well under it, while the monitoring system will tell you to pay attention to the road even when you haven’t looked away, except to look at the notification telling you to look at the road, that is.
It does seem to be easily confused by sunglasses, but as mentioned earlier, the alerts for both are so subtle they are really only an issue for the first few days of driving with them on. In fact, while they can be turned off each time you fire the T9 up, it is actually easier just to ignore them.
In terms of ride and handling, the T9 excels, with an impressively smooth and resolved ride quality for a ute. While it’s not quite up there with the Ford Ranger (but then nothing else is either), it stands out by being impressively composed over small imperfections, particularly corrugations that usually unsettle anything with leaf springs at the rear.
At $49,990, the T9 is a full $20k less than a Ford Ranger Sport dual cab 4X4, while also undercutting the Mitsubishi Triton GLXR by $3000.
So, while the level of kit and technology on offer is right up in the meat of the segment, and the ride quality handily exceeds the average, what’s not quite there is the engine: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel that produces 125kW and 410Nm, which is slightly down on the market leaders that all tend to be around the 150kW/450Nm mark.
It’s not something that particularly affects the driving experience, however, as the engine is punchy and impressively refined at speed. Our particular T9 was quite sluggish off the line, with not much happening down low in the revs, however, but this is more to do with the fact that it only had 100km on the clock when we picked it up; the company assured us things free up considerably with a bit more running in.
Also down on the segment average is the T9’s tow rating which, at 3000kg is down on the competition that can generally haul around 3500kg.
But then there is something else that is massively down on the market leaders that goes a long way to make up for this, and that is the price.
At $49,990, the T9 is a full $20k less than a Ford Ranger Sport dual cab 4X4, while also undercutting the Mitsubishi Triton GLXR by $3000. This means it is also around the same price as the equivalent LDV T60 and KGM Musso (formerly the Ssangyong Rhino), both of which it effortlessly out-classes in terms of quality, ride and equipment.
JAC is China’s top-selling commercial brand and has sold trucks under the JAC name for more than 60 years.
Anyone looking for a high-spec ute with excellent build quality and a comfortable ride that is priced less than an entry-level single cab chassis Ranger is and convincingly better than the Chinese competition at the same money should certainly have the JAC T9 on their radar.
In fact, the T9’s closest competitor is probably the Mitsubishi Triton GLXR, which is just $3k more than the T9 and makes for an interesting comparison - that $3k could well be worth it for the Mitsubishi’s extra grunt and towing capacity, but the T9 makes an extremely strong case for itself if ride quality and refinement matter to you more.
How much does the JAC T9 cost?
At just $49,990 the T9 represents fantastic value for money, heavily undercutting the mainstream competition, while offering far superior build quality and dynamics than the similarly-priced Chinese competition.
What are the key statistics for the JAC T9?
The JAC T9 is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine that produces 125kW and 410Nm. The diesel engine is hooked up to an 8-speed automatic transmission and a part-time 4WD system with a low-range transfer case.
Is the JAC T9 efficient?
JAC NZ claims a combined average fuel consumption of 8.4l/100km for the T9 and while we didn't get anywhere near that in our time with it - we saw around 11l/100km - we wouldn't have expected to, as our tester was very, very fresh, with just 100km on the clock when we picked it up.
Still, even 11 is about right for a diesel ute anyway, so if it drops as the engine frees up with a few more kilometres on the clock then its all the better.
Is the JAC T9 good to drive?
Yes, it is. While the steering feel is nothing to write home about (and what ute is?), it is accurate and responsive, while the T9 feels secure and predictable through corners.
But it is the T9's ride quality that truly impresses. Not only does it easily outclass similarly-priced utes, it also does better than most other utes in the market regardless of price: it's really only the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok that better it, and they are more or less the same thing.
Is the JAC T9 practical?
It's a ute, so yes. While the T9's towing capacity is down on the majority of its competitors (3000kg versus the segment average of 3500kg), it can actually take a full tonne (1045kg to be precise) in its tray, unlike a lot of the others that just get close.
In terms of interior practicality, the T9 boasts the usual array of cubbies and trays (including an actually usable wireless charging tray) as well as a rare feature for the segment - a heated and cooled centre console compartment suitable for keeping drinks cool or, as JAC likes to point out, pies warm!
What do we like about the JAC T9?
The impressive ride quality, high standard of interior fit and finish and it looks tough too. The engine isn't the most powerful, but is very smooth and refined, with a surprisingly perky and responsive nature once it is up and running, while the transmission is a nicely slick operator as well.
What don’t we like about the JAC T9?
Our tester was particularly sluggish off the line, which we were assured would improve as the engine got a few more kilometres on it. As it stands though it did make you very circumspect about going for that gap in traffic...
What kind of person would the JAC T9 suit?
Anyone who wants a handsome, well-built ute with a close-to-class leading ride and isn't keen on spending up to $20k more for a mainstream badge on the nose.
