JAC T9 review and buyer’s guide

The T9 is China’s next workhorse trying to make the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi Triton irrelevant. With cheap utes becoming popular in Australia, it promises toughness, practicality and affordability that appeals to private and fleet buyers. But unknown brands like JAC must face tough questions…

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The JAC T9 is a cheap, Chinese-made dual-cab 4X4 ute and in the current market of expensive ute brands, it might seem like a breath of fresh air. Too good to be true, even.

With a notionally top-spec variant coming in $35,000 cheaper than Australia’s most popular vehicle, the Ford Ranger, even the value-leader Mitsubishi Triton at $65K is asking $15,00 more than a JAC T9. But it can’t possibly be all bad news, right?

No, it’s not all bad news - and that’s what should be worrying to bigger brands in our extremely competitive market with so many new Chinese brands drawing sales away from the likes of Ranger, Triton, D-Max, Hilux, BT-50 etc.

But we need to ask some hard questions here. Scrutiny is needed in regard to what you’re not getting in a JAC T9 for that additional cash in a Triton.

Any carmaker wishing to enter the Australian market right now must first consider the most important segment; utes. The ute segment made up a whopping 20 per cent of all passenger vehicle sales in Australia in 2023, and in 2024, while dual-cab 4X4 utes were down 2 per cent in a total national sales figure that was slightly up, they still made up 17 per cent of Australian sales.

If you’re a brand selling in Australia and you don’t have a ute in your dealerships, you’re either stupid, ignorant or arrogant. For brands that will have a ute very soon, but which should’ve done so years ago (looking at you, Hyundai and Kia) then it’s already too late. You’ve been beaten to the punch by LDV, MG, GWM, JAC, BYD and even Mahindra (although Indian, not Chinese).

Let’s scratch beneath the surface of this strange new JAC T9 ute and see if it’s the real deal, or just a chunk of fool’s gold. Download the official JAC T9 brochure here >>

It does look right, you have to admit… This is no Kia Tasman in the design department

And so we arrive at the new JAC T9. This is a brand new ute for Australia, direct from China. JAC Motors is a relatively small vehicle manufacturer by Chinese standards, sitting outside the top 10 in terms of the best-selling vehicle brands. It sold just 592,499 vehicles in 2023.

By contrast, rival Chinese brands such as Chery sold 1.88 million, Great Wall Motor sold 1.23 million, and MG sold 903,789 vehicles.

What we need to make clear here is that there is effectively nothing established about the JAC brand or the T9 itself.

Nobody knows anything substantial in terms of early technical faults or reliability. Before you go splashing tens of thousands on some no-name ute with no runs on the board, consider waiting 6-12 months as a general rule in the face of some emerging ultra-new vehicle brand.

This doesn’t suggest the JAC T9 is actually going to be unreliable, incapable or that the brand will collapse commercially in a few years. In fact, it’s a categorically balanced piece of consumer advice that recognises a 50/50 chance the T9 is actually a brilliant vehicle. It’s an acknowledgment that nobody knows.

Keep in mind resale value is likely to be very low in years to come due to this being a brand new product that nobody has ever heard of and with such a small retail price. The demand for a T9 is not going to be high, especially used because: it’s so damn cheap to buy new anyway).

So the value in the used market won’t be high - in much the same way the LDV T60 has poor resale value compared with a Ranger or Hilux which hold their value, because demand is strong.

Servicing and after-sales care will also be limited due to JAC's tiny (borderline non-existent) dealership network. It’s taken nearly 10 years for MG to get into the top 10 brands. Let’s wait and observe how much local investment and commitment is made into the Australian market for JAC. We need to wait and see how invested they are in their customers.

Summary: Problem is very few people have driven it in the last 12 months, depreciation will likely be disastrous, reliability is completely unknown and support is effectively non-existent. If you’re in the market for a ute now, check out our best utes here >>.

FEATURES & PRICING

Two variants of its first model (for Australia), the T9, will hit local showrooms soon. The Oasis and Haven. Both are relatively high-spec variants compared with rivals; they both come with 18-inch alloy wheels, a leather-accented interior, 10.4-inch touch-screen running Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charging, and a spray-in tub-liner with a sports bar.

Prices start from $42,662 for the Oasis and $45,630 for the Haven, and that doesn’t include on-road costs. For perspective, a similarly-equipped Mitsubishi Triton GLS with the new twin-turbo engine retails from $59,090, not including on-road costs. But it does come with a more comprehensive four-wheel drive system and a 150kW/470Nm motor.

The two new variants are covered by JAC’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

T9 Oasis (4X4, auto) | $48,600 driveaway (approx.)

• Wireless phone charging

• Android Auto & Apple Carplay

• 6 speaker stereo

• DAB+ digital

• Lane keeping & departure warning

• Forward collision alert

• Driver fatigue & attention warning

• Side door exit warning

• Blind spot monitoring

• Rear parking sensors& reversing camera

• Proximity smartkey

• Climate control

• Tyre pressure monitoring system

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T9 Haven (4X4, auto) | $45,638 driveaway (approx.)

adds:

• 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment unit

• 64-colour led-tailored ambient mood lighting

• Heated front seating

• Leather accented interior

• Front parking sensors

• USB-A & row 2 usb-c ports

• 360° camera

• 220v power plug

• Center console cooler box

• Front & rear parking sensors

ENGINE

It aims to do this using a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder producing 125kW (120kW net) and 410Nm. These are some of the weakest outputs in the class. Fuel economy on the official average cycle is listed at 7.6L/100km. That’s not bad for the segment but not as low as the Ford Ranger 2.0TTD’s rating of 7.2L/100km.

Fleet operators will be interested in the emissions rating of 202g/km, which is only just over the common threshold of 200g for many fleet department requirements. The Ford Ranger 2.0TTD is one of the only utes that dips well below, at 189g/km. The engine meets Euro 5 emissions standards (put in place back in 2011).

The T9 powertrain incorporates an eight-speed automatic transmission with switchable four-wheel drive and a low-range transfer case – the former of which is built by renowned gearbox manufacturer, ZF. There is no manual option.

TOWING

A braked towing capacity of 3500kg and a payload of 1000kg have been confirmed. The gross combination mass is 5930kg and the kerb weight is 2055kg, leaving 375kg for cargo and passengers when towing at the maximum weight trailer.

None of this sets any new benchmarks for the segment, unless you’re looking for a very slow ute under working conditions - that is a direct consequence of simply not having enough grunt like the big-name rivals like Ranger, Triton or D-Max.

Likewise, the ground clearance of 210mm is below par in relation to most rivals – a Triton GLS offers 228mm while the HiLux SR5 offers 216mm. But does it actually matter? Are you actually going to climb rocks and logs with it, or just move hay around the farm and take the kids on camping holidays?

The T9’s water wading depth is 800mm, which is impressive for its price, just on balance. Thats upt here with Ranger and BT-50, and it’s 100mm better than Triton.

An approach angle of 27 degrees is slightly below standards set by the established rivals, and the departure angle of 23 degrees is about average. The turning circle of 12.4 metres is also average. 

There is a full-size spare wheel but it is a steel rim as opposed to the alloy spares on most rivals. Disc brakes are featured at the front and back. Grip (or lack thereof) comes courtesy of a set of 265/60 Chao Yang highway terrain tyres.

But it also needs to be addressed here that towing 3.5 tonnes with a T9 (or most other utes) weighing in at just 2055kg is a terribly unsafe idea. A T9 weighs 70 per cent less than its notional maximum trailer, which is a disaster waiting to happen whereby the pig trailer is going to be predisposed to pushing the ute around under dynamically unstable cornering scenarios.

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INTERIOR

Well, up on the dash you’ll find a 10.4-inch touch-screen housed within a dash fascia that looks remarkably similar to Subaru’s latest theme. Vertical climate vents running down the sides and a hexagonal border supports the portrait-style layout. We know the Chinese like to rip-off the IP of other companies but this is a bit blatant.

As mentioned, it comes with Android and Apple connectivity, while the Haven adds a surround-view camera package, heated and power-adjustable front seats, power-folding side mirrors, tinted windows, and front parking sensors.

Both variants also come with rear climate vents, which is great to see – there are still some utes that don’t include these fairly important items (especially for our hot Aussie climate). USB-A and USB-C ports are also located at the back, with a household socket outlet also available.

Some of the other, somewhat interesting highlights include puddle laps on the top model, mood lighting inside with 64 colour options, a rear diff lock, diamond stitching for the door cards and seats, and one of the biggest badges you’ll see embedded in a front grille.

MAIN COMPETITORS

Ford Ranger

Pro: V6 diesel for heavy towing, 4A offers effectively AWD use on sealed roads in poor conditions, feasible (but not ill-advised) 3.5t towing thanks to 2.3-tonne kerb weight, big touchscreen with clever forward-vision 4WD camera system, takes Euro-size pallet in tray, maximum payload capacity over 1000kg on certain variants

Con: Expensive model range, Ford Australia’s lacklustre customer service reputation and Ford’s average reliability generally.

Click here for more on Ford Ranger >>

Mitsubishi Triton

Pro: Centre differential allows for cross-axle slip when using 4-High on high-traction surfaces such as wet sealed bitumen (permits effective AWD driving without driveline wind-up damage), excellent value model range, high spec level on GLS and GSR includes radar cruise control, tray fits Euro-size pallet, maximum payload capacity over 1000kg on certain variants with heavy duty suspension pack.

Con: Slightly less upmarket interior compared with, say, Ranger or BT-50.

Click here for more on Mitsubishi Triton >>

Toyota Hilux

Pro: Huge dealer network, reliable 2.8 turbo-diesel (having fixed those DPF issues), decent payload and towing capacity is up there as a benchmark for other utes, basic 4WD system is pretty capable, Rogue and Rugged accessory packs negate the need to visit ARB.

Con: Primitive 4WD system doesn’t allow on-road use in sketchy conditions like Triton or Ranger, lighter kerb weight on SR5 makes heavy towing less dynamically stable at speed.

Click here for more on Toyota Hilux >>

Mazda BT-50 | Isuzu D-Max

Pro: Reliable 3-litre turbo-diesel engine, almost luxurious interior in BT-50, good payload and towing capacity equals other utes, simple 4WD system is capable, plenty of accessory packs, good customer support with Mazda.

Con: Primitive 4WD can’t be used on-road in poor conditions (ie Triton or Ranger can), lower kerb weight makes heavy towing more unstable in corners at road speed, poor customer support from Isuzu, old large-capacity engine is a bit thirsty.

Click here for more on Mazda BT-50 >> or here for more on Isuzu D-Max >>

SAFETY

“Safest ute” is marketing fluff that ignores the fact the T9 lacks a basic airbag expected on all new vehicles, and the AEB has a serious blind spot… Keep reading.

JAC was awarded a full five-star ANCAP safety rating in August 2024 having been tested against the latest (and still current) raft of protocols.

Safety in the light commercial passenger vehicle market certainly has improved in the last 10 years now that multiple models across numerous Chinese brands are all on sale with five-star safety ratings - unlike 15 years ago.

Looking at the standard kit list it does pass the five-star standard, with stuff like front and rear autonomous emergency braking, speed sign recognition, and a driver monitoring camera system.

It might be nice that it also comes with a front-centre airbag, it’s pretty disappointing there’s no driver’s knee airbag, which is present in a Ranger, Triton, BT-50, D-Max, Navara and Hilux.

A damn-near perfect pole test result with only .75 of a point deducted out of 4 in the driver chest region

But it’s fair to question how it does in some of the basic destructive crash tests like the frontal offset test at 50km/h with a 40 per cent overlap with an oncoming vehicle, the full-width test at 50km/h or the teeth-gritting oblique pole test at 32km/h and at a 35-degree angle. The JAC T9 passes them all with good results. The only minor point deduction is for the rear passenger in the full-width test at 50km/h.

Recent fellow Chinese brand Cherry with the Tiggo 7 managed to snag terrible crash performances in these tests, getting a ‘weak’ chest protection score in the frontal offset test, and ‘weak’ chest protection in the oblique pole test.

So it’s good to see a vehicle platform intended for much heavier duty use scores well in those key crash tests. Utes travelling long distances are more likely to have off-the-road crashes into the scenery, or into oncoming vehicles, and it’s typically when they’re carrying significant payloads.

T9 holds up well in the 60km/h side impact test against the 1400kg sled

Unlike in first generation Chinese vehicles to sell in Australia 15 years ago, the T9 did an excellent job protecting occupants inside the cabin, especially in the far side impact tests at 60km/h for the side impact test and 32km/h for the oblique pole test.

Where old Chinese models would see dummy heads often contact hardpoints in the cabin through the airbags, these ones all performed as they’re supposed to. T9 scored 85 per cent (34 points out of 40) for adult occupant protection.

But it gets even better when it come to child occupant protection.

While there was no “Child Presence Detection” system which would’ve earned it another 4 points it managed 7 out of 13), the T9 was flawless in the dynamic front crash tests (frontal offset, full width) and in the dynamic side tests (8 points out of 8), and despite being a ute (which are usually terrible for restraint installation), it got 12 out of 12 points for getting the full gamut of child seats fitted. That’s 87 per cent or 43 out of 49 points.

Possible: a brand new, cheap 4X4 can be a deathtrap thanks to seatbelts that unclip during a crash

In terms of protecting vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, the T9 scores pretty well. Not exceptionally, but decent for a large vehicle.

The main area it was marked down was in head protection where it was marked down 7 points for the usual areas, “the base of the windscreen, on the stiff windscreen pillars and front edge of the bonnet surface”, according to the ANCAP technical report.

Overall, 87 per cent (54 out of 63 points) is pretty good compared with the Ranger’s 74 per cent (tested in 2022).

Lastly, in the pseudo-scientific “safety assist” category, where features like lane-keeping (and its various iterations thereof), autonomous braking and driver stalking, the T9 did annoyingly well (depending on your view of some of these systems).

Autonomous emergency braking is the most useful of these features offering real-world driver-response Plan Bs in the event you don’t brake quickly enough. The T9 scored very well in the various speed increments in a variety of offsets and relative distances from the dummy vehicle in front.

Although, the T9’s AEB performed poorly in the crossing T-bone tests at roughly target vehicle speeds of 20-40km/h when the T9 was doing between 40-60km/h. What do you notice is the critical problem with these test speeds? Answer: 40-60km/h is school zone and suburban streets speed zones. This is exactly the place where you want flawless performance from your AEB system.

Lane support systems were decent in testing, keeping inside all white lines and staying on the blacktop in even the trickier scenarios like gravel and grass edges.

The drive stalking camera is, apparently, quite good at constantly warning you when (it thinks) you’re “distracted” or “fatigued”, which usually means every time you look out the side glass, in the rearview mirror, when you wear sunglasses or look at the infotainment screen to change the radio station, or just every time you reach for your coffee.

DRAWBACKS

THE BRAND

The T9 is JAC’s first-ever Australian-delivered vehicle, handled by a new importer and distributor of auto brands, called LTS Auto. LTS Auto is going to be pushing the T9 through its nationwide network of 40 dealers, with sales kicking off in April 2024, making it just one year old.

In JAC’s Aussie press release, the company called the launch of the T9 “an exciting moment for JAC”. Does this mean it’s not an exciting moment for Aussie customers? Either way, it is pitching the T9 as a new turbo-diesel ute that promises both form and function.

There is absolutely no track record of JAC selling vehicles in Australia, so any grandiose sounding statements about long-term this or that, their warranty or their history in China or other markets, it’s meaningless. Any rhetoric you hear from punters on the street, commentators in the motoring media, or indeed JAC Australia themselves, is totally unfounded.

Not having any context on how JAC might comport themselves based on their history means if you want to be an informed consumer, before spending up to $50,000 on a dual-cab ute, you’re best to wait for JAC to prove itself. Wait for them to start making decent sales figures first, and see what rumours do or don’t surface about their conduct at dealership or head office levels in terms of on-shore parts availability, honouring their legal obligations under consumer law, whther they try to sting you in the service department for routine fault-finding - that kind of thing.

LAC could be the next Volkswagen or Mercedes-Benz waiting to ensnare you in their greedy corporate trap. Or they could be the new Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Mazda, BMW or Lexus in terms of nipping your problems in the bud, taking a proactive response to any technical issues you have out in the suburbs and also not try to take advantage of your mechanical ineptitude.

They could just be average, so there’s that.

JAC wasn’t kidding about the “form” part; it absolutely ticks that bloke’s ute look…

THE UNKNOWNS

Nobody’s got a clue about what early technical faults or reliability gremlins might emerge with the JAC T9 - just look at the LDV T60 situation with Timothy Rigby whose bodywork started to rust underneath the paint, most likely a cause of insufficient rust-proofing (galvanization) at the factory. This would’ve been acceptable for a $40K ute if LDV importer Ateco’s customer service response was exemplary - instead of trying to blow him off. Story here >>

Don’t go haphazardly dropping fifty grand on a T9 until we have a fleet of them out there running kilometres onto the clocks and giving us some data to go on. The T9 could be an absolute dog, with fleas. It could break under its claimed 3500kg towing capacity (braked, obviously).

Every new vehicl;e that comes onto the market, even the biggest models from the most established brands, have problems - teething issues, you might say. Look at the current Ford Ranger with its early driveline vibrations and transmission that struggled to select an appropriate gear despite having 10 to choose from.

Toyota Hilux has the 2.8-litre engine’s fifth injector problems related to the DPF system, Mazda CX-5 with the 2.2-litre diesel suffered oil dilution problems back in 2018, while even newbies like the BYD Shark 6 has a terrible ride and handling setup that makes it very harsh on suburban Australian roads.

Let’s wait and see if JAC can sell some T9s into fleets and put some serious miles and workload into these things to see how they stack up - or don’t.

DEPRECIATION

Resale value is absolutely going to tank, the moment you drive off the dealer’s forecourt. That’s because of factors such as (and primarily) the basement pricing. This is one of the cheapest utes you can buy in Australia - deliberately so.

Being such a brand new product from a carmaker the average punter on the street’s never heard of, and with such a small retail footprint, the desirability simply isn’t there, meaning demand is low. 

Having such a low price means instead of buying one second-hand, it’s already half the price of a Ford Ranger, so you’re better off just buying a new one rather than a used one. So if you buy a T9, then try to sell it in a few years’ time because you’re sick of the rattly cabin noise (perhaps) or you hate the unladen ride, or maybe you just need more grunt, then you’re going to be selling it for piddles against the new price.

CONCLUSION

If budget is your number one priority and it’s running quite low, then yes, the T9 could be worth checking out. As with any new-to-market product, it would be wise to wait for the initial rollout to listen out for the first lot of feedback and reviews to come through.

This also means any early faults or reliability concerns have a chance to surface before you’ve dropped your obviously hard-earned money on some no-name ute with no runs on the board. Let others be the lab rat for the first 6-12 months. And nom, that doesn’t mean the JAC T9 is going to be unreliable or fraught with technical gremlins - it simply means we don’t know yet.

Keep in mind resale value is likely to be very low in years to come due to this being a brand new product that nobody has ever heard of. Servicing and after-sales care will be limited due to JAC's small commercial footprint in this country, at least to begin with.

So look to see if the brand makes any significant effort to expand its dealers, its local investment and commitment to making this commercial venture work long-term. Otherwise you’ll be left with a technical problem and nobody around to help you diagnose and resolve it. Again, that doesn’t mean JAC will fold, it means we need to wait and see how invested they are in their customers, or just turning a quick profit.

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