What’s New in the Jetour T2: A Detailed Overview

The all-new Jetour T2 was launched in the UAE on January 27, 2024. Retailed exclusively by The Elite Cars network, the T2 is one of the pricier offerings by the premium Chinese carmaker. Considering how obsessed this market is with SUVs, the demand for new models continues to surge. The Jetour T2 is very much a part of this tremendous growth.

Tackling the likes of the GWM Tank 300, Haval H9 and Toyota Fortuner, the Jetour T2’s path is a challenging one. While not easy, the T2 draws on a few key strengths to ensure its place in this extremely competitive environment. Let us figure out if these would be enough to score the new Jetour T2 (a) victory.

Variants & Price

One of the first strengths that works in the Jetour T2’s favor is its distinct lack of confusing variant options. Prospective buyers of the T2 in the UAE are offered just one variant – Luxury. It is pretty well kitted out and almost justifies its price tag, which comes in at AED 146,000 (including VAT).

Another strength the Jetour T2 packs is its 10-year/1-million-kilometer warranty – impressive, to say the least! Buyers are also provided with a 3-year/40,000-kilometer service contract with the purchase of the new T2.

Exterior

Styling plays a huge role in how prospective buyers evaluate their next purchase, especially when it is an SUV. With its alluring boxy design and confident upright stance, the Jetour T2 is already off to a great start. The boldly-styled sheet metal works in conjunction with the flat facades and short overhangs of the T2’s exterior design.

The flared wheel arches with their plastic shrouding and 20-inch alloy wheels make a loud and bold statement. There is a bright fluorescent finish on the hubcaps, front tow hooks, and in the roof rails, capturing one’s gaze immediately. The fixed running boards and a 220 mm ground clearance add to this SUV’s overall presence.

The stylish taillights consist of multiple LED strips behind a clear-lens panel, while the third brake light is situated right up top. A large door-mounted spare wheel with a square-ish cover sits in the middle of a side-hinged tailgate. The Jetour T2 weighs about 1.9 tons, measuring 4,785 mm in length, 2,006 mm in width and 1,880 mm in height.

Interior

While it may appear compact at first, the Jetour T2 is anything but. Its 2,800 mm wheelbase means there’s plenty of usable room on the inside. Factor in the large windows, high ceiling, flat floor, and spacious seats – you get an accommodating family-hauler. The T2 is only a 5-seater, but one with nearly 480 liters of boot space.

There is an interesting ‘trail-like’ pattern on the dash, plus oodles of faux metal and leather trim throughout much of the cabin. The upright & relatively-flat dashboard design coincides with the wide cabin, tall AC vents, a squircle steering wheel, and chunky grab handles up front. The stylized metallic grilles for the 12-speaker Sony sound system look cool, too.

The panoramic sunroof lets in a good amount of natural light, whilst the LED ambient lighting setup does the rest. The Jetour T2 gets ventilated & powered front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a 15.6-inch touch-infotainment system, and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. Adding to this are Matrix LED headlights, auto-folding ORVMs, wireless phone charging, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, etc.

Adding to the equipment list are multiple USB outlets, active noise cancellation, an adjustable-steering column, paddle shifters, and push-button ignition. However, the Jetour T2’s interior is slightly let down by the quality of its plastics and its overall feel. One also needs to use the touchscreen to adjust/operate the climate control, which can get distracting.

Engine and performance

The Jetour T2 has a 2.0-liter turbo-petrol four-cylinder that makes nearly 251 hp and 390 Nm of torque. It communicates these values through a 7-speed DCT gearbox to a BorgWarner four-wheel-drive system. This system integrates a center differential, an electronic limited-slip rear differential, hill-descent control, and four terrain-specific drive modes. For extra protection, the T2 gets a front bash plate.

Despite its old-school exterior design, the Jetour T2 utilizes a modern monocoque body. Its turbocharged engine is quite lively and lightweight too – courtesy of its aluminum construction. The Jetour T2 has a top speed of 180 kmph, while going from 0-100 kmph takes less than 8 seconds. Its MacPherson front and multi-link rear suspension means the T2 handles fairly predictably.

Safety

There is a barrage of safety nannies that come as standard with the Jetour T2. These include 6 airbags, tire-pressure monitoring, electronic stability control, traction control, roll-over mitigation, ISOFIX anchors, surround-view cameras, adaptive cruise control, etc. The T2 also gets forward-collision warning, auto-emergency braking, rear-collision warning, blind-spot warning, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, rear-cross traffic alert, and traffic-jam assist.

Conclusion

The Jetour T2 is clearly a well-sorted design with plenty going for it. It tries combining old-school style with a splash of modern fashion sense. It is a new-age monocoque with a 4WD system and a lengthy list of standard features. The powertrain and performance are fairly good, while space and practicality aren’t a concern either.

To top it all off, Jetour is providing its customers with fantastic warranty coverage with the T2. However, the brand is still relatively new, and for all intents & purposes, a little untested in terms of reliability. That said, if you want to spend nearly 150,000 dirhams on a modern Chinese SUV, the Jetour T2 holds promise.