Drove the All New Jetour Dashing X70 this week. It comes from the Jetour stable, which is owned by Chery in Wuhu China, but sold under license by Jetour in SA. It offers itself as a sophisticated and upmarket SUV, and competes with Hyundai  Tucson, Kia Sportage and Volkswagen Tiguan.

Let’s look at the styling.

Styling.

It has a commanding presence, with a prominent grille flanked by sleek, elongated LED headlights, accentuated by bold chrome detailing and piercing LED illumination. At the rear, the symmetrical quad-exhaust setup hints at its impressive on-road performance and rugged off-road capability. This is a bit overstated however, as it is by no means a performance vehicle.

Measuring 4 724 mm from nose to tail, with a wheelbase of 2 720 mm, the Momentum model comes equipped with rear parking sensors, 19-inch alloy wheels, four airbags, keyless entry, 360° panoramic view parking assist. It has a nice panoramic roof to let in the sunlight.

The Cabin.

A genuine 7_seater it has loads of space in the cabin, it comes with synthetic leather seats, a 10.25-inch Instrument Cluster and Infotainment system, wireless smartphone charging, automatic LED headlights, an electric tailgate and electrically adjustable  driver seat 6-ways.

Added to these, the Deluxe also includes , six airbags, automatic rain sensors and an additional two speakers. The ambient lighting and detailed stitching with the red line accent also lend themselves to a sporty look.

Coming in at R454 900 for the Momentum and R484 900 for the Deluxe model, the X70 Plus recently received the accolade of “Best 7-Seater of the Year” at the Egypt Car of the Year Awards.

Engine.

The X70 Plus has a turbocharged 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that delivers 115 kW and 230 Nm to the front axle via a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission. Not that breath taking in terms of performance, but has Eco & Sport mode, and in the latter, seems to grow a few inches taller. It includes active and passive safety features, including ABS with EBD, tyre-pressuring monitoring system, electronic stability control, hill-hold control system, hill-descent control system, and ISOFIX child-seat anchors. 

The Deluxe model includes additional driver-assistance features like blind-spot detection, lane-change assist and rear cross traffic alert. The handling was good as well. It is a nice family SUV, with a great price tag at R484 900.00, and the X70 Plus comes with a 10-year/1-million km engine warranty, along with a 5-year/150 000 km vehicle warranty and a 5-year/60 000 km service plan.

Adding to this attractive new offer is Jetour South Africa’s comprehensive after sales strategy, with R100 million in parts already stocked at Jetour’s head office in Midrand, Johannesburg.

Summation.

With a plethora of new Chinese brands in the country, it’s easy to get lost. But the Dashing X70 PLUS is a cut above, and has space and style going for it as well.