JAC T9 review and buyer’s guide

Cheap utes are becoming popular in Australia. But are they everything they promise to be and can unknown brands like JAC offer real value to consumers who need a workhorse on a tight budget? The T9 is the latest attempt to make Ranger, Hilux, Triton and D-Max irrelevant.

---

The JAC T9 is a cheap, Chinese-made dual-cab 4X4 ute and in the current market of high inflation and incrementally increasing established ute brands, it might seem like a breath of fresh air.

With a notionally top-spec variant coming in $15,000 cheaper than the value-leader Mitsubishi Triton at $65K, 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.

Let’s scratch beneath the surface of this strange new ute and see if it’s the real deal, or just a chunk of fool’s gold.

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 last year. If you don’t have a ute in your showroom, you’re wasting your time.

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. 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. The demand for a T9 is not going to be high, 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 nobody’s driven it, 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.

The brand

The T9 will be 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.

In JAC’s Aussie press release, the company calls 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.

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 but it does fit in neatly. Likewise, the ground clearance of 210mm is poor in relation to most rivals – that Triton GLS mentioned above offers 228mm while the HiLux SR5 offers 216mm. The water wading depth is 800mm, which is impressive for its class.

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.

I'll help you save thousands on a new 4X4 ute here

Just fill in this form.

• No more car dealership rip-offs

• Greater transparency

• Less stress

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

JAC is aiming for a full five-star ANCAP safety rating (as with all carmakers, obviously), but it is yet to be crash tested.

Looking at the standard kit list it does seem as though it has enough acronyms to pass the five-star standard, with stuff like front and rear autonomous emergency braking, speed sign recognition, and a driver monitoring camera system. It also comes with five airbags.

But it’s not entirely unfair to infer that some big questions surround 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.

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.

ANCAP says 5 stars, but you’d be lucky to make it out alive with those internal injuries

The Mahindra Scorpio, which is a 2.1-tonne 4X4 wagon built in India and sold in Australia (disgracefully) using cricket legend Matthew Hayden as the ambassador. It’s a brand new vehicle and scored so badly it got zero starts for lacking auto emergency braking and lane-keeping features, but that’s not nearly as bad as the shit crash testing score it ‘achieved’, if that’s the right word.

The Scorpio was rated ‘weak’ in the chest protection during the full width test at 50km/h, and ‘poor’ in the same test for the rear occupant’s head and chest protection. And in the oblique pole test at 32km/h, the Scorpio scored ‘marginal’. It also allowed a ‘poor’ degree of whiplash to the front occupant, and ‘marginal’ whiplash to the rear occupant. There are also no ISOFix points located in the second row seats.

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

The point here is that it is very unwise to presume such a shiny new ute will A) score five stars at all just because it’s a notionally safe new vehicle, or B) even be safe where it matters even in the case it does get five stars. We just don’t know until the T9 is tested and rated. Do not go out and buy one assuming it will be safe.

The Volkswagen Amarok was pronounced a premium ute, but had no curtain airbags, yet was on sale in Australia for $60,000 for over 10 years, and even a brand new Cherry could allow terrible internal injuries in the event of a fairly common front-on road crash.

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.

Have your say