Had the opportunity to drive the JETOUR X70 Plus  7-seater last week. This car has been quite the topic of converstion amongst some motoring journalists, and I was keen to see how it performed. Let’s start with the looks, not quite as ‘’Dashing’’ as it’s sibling the Dashing, it still paints a pretty picture. Striking comes to mind, with it’s commanding grille, flanked by elongated LED headlights and chrome detailing. It has some red accents on the exterior styling that are either your cup of tea or not. Very subjective, but they do indicate some contrast.

The rear has quad exhausts, which belies some performance but this is by no means a performance car. It’s a family car, with seven seats. The 19 inch alloys also convey a sporty look.

The Cabin.

Inside it has a premium feel, which is a word used a lot these days, but it has soft materials, fancy red detailed stitching and faux leather seats. These are electrically adjustable six ways. Fancy double dash screen, with 10.25 inch infotainment screen to the left side. It has wireless smart cell phone charging, AppleCarPlay & Android connectivity.

It has a panoramic glass sunroof as standard, an electric tailgate, depending on model four or six airbags, ours had the latter. Keyless entry, 360 deg panoramic view parking assist  and six speakers.

So, comfortable very spacious front and rear, with excellent Safety features. Measuring 4 724 mm from nose to tail, with a wheelbase of 2 720 mm, 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. It feels like more at altitude, gets a bit of torque steer on the front wheels, and in wet weather is a bit worse, but not unmanageable.

Safety.

Safety is a hallmark and features a myriad of items 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.

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.

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.

So it was a pleasurable experience test driving the X70 Plus. It is a refined drive and offers much in the way of comfort and a premium feel inside and out. The price is great value for money, and probably cannot be beaten. So get yourselves to a dealership, they have over 40 across the country, and drive the Dashing and the X70 Plus.