Dashing Off To a Great Start

By Lee Pang Seng

MULTIBRANDS under the same automotive group are feasible as they cater to different tastes and ages with their respective products. This is not lost on the Chinese automotive players and this is noted as more brands from China enter the Malaysian market.

Jetour is one of the recent newcomers and its Dashing SUV (sport utility vehicle) is already off to a great start with more than 2000 bookings, of which more than half were delivered. The enthusiastic response is probably due to its attractive prices; RM109,800 for the Comfort variant and RM116,800 for the higher-spec Prime.

These attractive prices are made possible as the Jetour Dashing is locally assembled by Berjaya Assembly in Johor Baru (this was once Oriental Assembly that used to assemble the Honda range in the 1980s and 1990s before Honda’s Pegoh facility in Melaka was established in the early 2000s).

Although Jetour Malaysia operates under its own steam in Malaysia, the Jetour brand comes under the Chery Group in China, which also includes the premium Jaecoo range. Some might note the similarity in the typeface used for the brand names in Jetour and Jaecoo. Apparently, this led to some customer confusion in Malaysia as interested buyers ended up in the wrong showroom.

For sure, the body styling between Jetour and Jaecoo is very different. It is also different from that in the Chery model portfolio. In that respect, Jetour has succeeded in giving its model range a standing of its own to build its pool of customers and followers.

We had a go at the Jetour Dashing Prime recently to have an idea of its brand positioning in the Chery Group. The large front grille with staggered chrome bars gives the Dashing a distinctive look and this is supported by sleekly profiled DRLs (daytime running lights) that sit above the respective LED (light emitting diode) headlamp cluster.

The bonnet tapers towards the centre to give the DRLs a more pronounced stance. This design is more obvious from the driver’s viewpoint and adds a slight distortion to gauging the width of the SUV in the front. That slowed us down when approaching narrow ramps in shopping malls as we weren’t exactly sure how far we were from the concrete walls.

It is not exactly a new design as it reminded us of the Peugeot 504 in the 1970s and 1980s, which has this centre bonnet taper design. The visual effect is quite similar as it made the headlamps more pronounced although with the Jetour Dashing, the added emphasis is on the sweeping angled DRL pattern.

The rear is almost as striking in visual effect brought about by the horizontal ‘Y’ light clusters with complements from the rear roof spoiler and black lower apron. The flushed door handles open at an angle instead of popping out completely, which felt rather fragile when used to open the doors. The pop-out item on other Chinese vehicles felt sturdier.

The variant we took over the long weekend was the higher-spec Dashing Prime and it came fitted with 19-inch alloys fitted with GitiControl 235/55 R19 tyres (the Comfort variant runs on 18-inch alloys and 235/60 R18 tyres). The suspension system sees a MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear.

As a mid-range SUV, its rivals include the Proton X70, Mazda CX-5 and Honda CR-V. Dimensionally, it fits right in within this category with a 4590mm long body that is 1900mm wide and 1685mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2720mm and a minimum ground clearance of 160mm. Weight-wise, it tips the scales at 1553kg (kerb) or 40kg more than the Dashing Comfort as it has a higher level of standard items.

On getting into the Dashing, it was almost a déjà vu kind of feeling where the dashboard was concerned. As we had driven the Chery Tiggo Cross recently, which was an entry-level or B-segment SUV, the one-piece panel that combines the driver instrument cluster and multi-info centre panel was immediately a familiar sight. Jetour calls it the LCD (liquid crystal display) smart twin screen with each being a 10.25-inch unit.

And like the Tiggo Cross, there were some physical controls and in the Dashing, those on a panel below the central aircond vents were for the aircond system and windscreen demisters.

Access to other systems and controls were via the touchscreen multi-info screen. There is voice control for the air-conditioning system too.

Adding a premium touch are the leather seats with red stitching, and the driver enjoys a six-way electronically adjustable seat and four-way electronically controlled lumbar support, the latter only in the Prime variant. Likewise, the front passenger in the Dashing Prime also enjoys electronic seat adjustment but four ways only.

Interior ambient lighting (best noted at night), LED welcome light for the door mirrors, 50W wireless fast charger for the handphone on the centre console, tyre pressure monitoring system  and wide-angle panoramic sunroof are among the few features to boost its premium status. The rear seat rests are split 60:40 and could be folded away to extend the luggage space from 486 litres to 977 litres.

Power and performance

The Jetour Dashing is powered by a 1.5-litre (1498cc) turbocharged engine. While it might seem similar to the unit powering the Chery Tiggo Cross Turbo, it is tuned to provide a higher power output as it has more vehicle weight to handle. It puts out 114kW (156PS) at 5500rpm and 230Nm that develops early at 1700rpm and holds till 4000rpm. The Tiggo Cross Turbo’s engine delivers 108kW (147PS) and 210Nm.

The engine output is channelled to the front wheels via a six-speed DCT (double clutch transmission). There are two drive modes – Eco and Sport – and paddle shifters behind the steering wheel come standard for those who might like to enjoy a more involved driving experience by selecting the gears manually, especially through winding stretches.

We found the Jetour Dashing up to expectations when taking our favourite corners and winding stretches. Steering feedback was pretty good and we could tell the direction the front wheels were pointing, allowing us to approach the respective corner and bend with a good measure of confidence.

With body lean largely checked, we could also explore its dynamic character further. The GitiControl tyres also contributed to this positive impression, which raised new respect for this brand of tyres. Apparently, when BYD’s Yangwang U9 Xtreme EV earned its fastest car record run at the ATP Papenburg oval track in in Germany recently, it was running on Giti tyres!

With 19-inch wheels and tyres, we expected some hardness in ride but was pleasantly surprised. There was some parallel with the Tiggo Cross we drove recently in that we could feel the firmness during the initial drive. Nevertheless, the suspension system came with well-tuned springs that dampened road impacts rather well.

A family member tried out the rear passenger seat to get an impression of the ride comfort and the feedback tallied with our experience with the Tiggo Cross as ride comfort was up to the mark. We are confident of that as the Dashing has a multi-link rear suspension that’s more ride compliant against the torsion beam design of the smaller dimension Tiggo Cross B-SUV. There was also no complaint on the lack of space as the feedback was positive on the good legroom for rear passengers.

From the driver’s perspective, we felt the initial turbo lag was more noticeable in the Jetour Dashing as it was a heavier SUV. Once the turbo was on song, the road speed build-up was positively felt and we wouldn’t be surprised if the Dashing would be as quick as the lighter Tiggo Cross in 0-100km/h sprints. We certainly revelled in taking off quickly the moment the traffic lights turned green.

On the highway, the Dashing was as quiet running as expected with air turbulence nicely subdued by the good body aerodynamics. Road roar over the respective tarmac surfaces was within expectations and here too, we found the Giti tyres appreciable for its silent running performance.

While the Dashing might not have a long list of advanced safety features, it comes with sufficient items to make driving this Jetour SUV easy on the mind. The features include 360-degree Surround View parking assistance, 180-degree Transparent Underbody View, blind spot detection, rear collision traffic alert, lane change warning, adjustable overspeed alarm, to name a few.

There is also peace of mind in vehicle ownership. In addition to the attractive vehicle price, Jetour Malaysia also provides good product warranties; 10-year or one-million-kilometre engine warranty, seven-year or 150,000km vehicle warranty and five complimentary vehicle services with free labour and parts (although this might only cover certain areas). All told, it’s a Dashing great package.