JAC has been an established brand in South Africa for quite some time. In fact, we have become quite familiar with its products over the last decade with us having run tests on the Boarding, Vigus and Landwind. New to its stable is the JAC T8 which like the GWM P Series, has been introduced as a step-up offering compared to its utilitarian products of the past.
While still hard-working in its roots, the JAC T8 brings with it a number of modern features such as a conclusive touchscreen infotainment system. The modest bakkie sources power from a 2,0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel mill that delivers 102 kW and 320 N.m of torque to a 4×4 system via a six-speed manual gearbox. With this drivetrain, we were able to clock a 0-100 km/h time of 11,33 seconds.
The bakkie to beat in this market is the Toyota Hilux. The model we have brought with us for this duel is the 2,4 GD-6 Raider in 4×4 automatic guise which uses a turbodiesel 2,4-litre four-cylinder which delivers 110 kW and 400 N.m of torque. Despite the more powerful engine and self-shifting box, we only recorded a 0-100 km/h time of 12,25 seconds.
With these results being so interesting, we couldn’t resist putting the bold Chinese newcomer against SA’s most treasured bakkie.
