Just one month after its reveal at the Chengdu Motor Show, the facelifted Jetour T2 has gone on sale in China as the Traveller 7, being offered alongside the existing model (Traveller). The refreshed boxy SUV is being made available with the same engines as before, as well as a plug-in hybrid version.
The base model retains the use of a 1.5 litre turbo four-cylinder, producing 184 PS and 290 Nm and mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that sends drive to the front wheels. All other petrol variants are all-wheel drive with a 254 PS/390 Nm 2.0 litre mill, the same unit as the one sold in Malaysia but with a higher tune making 9 PS and 15 Nm more. The other big difference is that the top variant moves to an eight-speed auto.
As for the i-DM PHEV – known as the Chery Dual Mode (C-DM) in China – that still uses a 156 PS/220 Nm 1.5 litre turbo mill, but there’s now only a single 307 PS/330 Nm electric motor, while the three-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) has been swapped out for a single-speed unit. This is essentially the same front-drive system found in the Jaecoo J7 PHEV, albeit with a more powerful electric motor.
This change means the PHEV model is more efficient. Despite offering a slightly smaller 26.61 kWh LFP battery, the car ekes out a marginally longer WLTP-rated range of 108 km (up from 100 km previously), while the larger 45.12 kWh option boosts this figure to 173 km (up from 162 km on the old 43.24 kWh model).
Jetour promises a combined range of up to 1,400 km on the CLTC cycle with a 70 litre fuel tank. By the way, our recently-launched T2 i-DM has an 18.4 kWh battery with an NEDC EV range of 100 km (around 85 km WLTP).
All PHEV variants are currently FWD, with the triple-motor AWD version – which apparently produces a faintly ridiculous 782 PS and 835 Nm – presumably coming later. No charging details have been released just yet, but Jetour has confirmed a 6.6 kW V2L function.
As previously reported, the T2 gains a more refined front end, with circular headlights replacing the square ones, making the car look even more like a discount Defender. These are joined together by a light strip that runs across the grille, pushing the Jetour script up onto the bonnet.
Meanwhile, the bumper – previously protruding a long way and made from unfinished black plastic – has now been made flush and painted in body colour, with a larger air intake and the dispensing of the pseudo-off-roader lights and tow hooks.
The rear end continues to feature its distinctive vertical four-point taillights, but with a new rear spoiler, smoother D-pillar trim (no more linear pattern) and a revised bumper design. The bonnet “grab handles”, wheel arch flares and rear bumper are also now in body colour, with the latter getting a simpler design and new auxiliary lights.
The theme of refinement continues on the inside. While the basic architecture appears to have been retained at first glance, look closely and you’ll notice that every part has been tweaked, dispensing with many of the current T2‘s macho design details. A cleaner dashboard is bookended by new, more integrated dual vertical air vents on either side, finished in chrome.
Similarly, the centre console has been made neater, although the T2 retains plenty of physical switchgear, including air-con controls and a rotary selector for the seven drive modes, plus an X-Mode button for the XWD all-wheel drive system. Dual smartphone holders with a Qi wireless charger also continue to feature.
The facelift continues to use a 10.25-inch instrument display and a 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, but the latter now runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8255 chip with 24 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, enabling iFlytek’s Spark generative AI voice control.
Elsewhere, the new ten-way power-adjustable comfort seats feature a 12-layer construction and come with eight-point massage, while a 23-speaker surround sound system and 256-colour ambient lighting have also been added. Quilted upholstery adds to the plush-looking cabin, while the surfeit of chunky grab handles maintain a sense of ruggedness. A new steering wheel from the larger G700 – now with a round top – completes the look.
Safety-wise, the T2 is available with highly-autonomous city and highway driving functions, although the systems come from different suppliers. The petrol variants feature Chery’s own Falcon 500 technology, while the PHEV upgrades to Huawei’s Qiankun ADS5 system.
Prices range from 149,900 yuan (RM91,200) to 169,900 yuan (RM103,400) for the petrol model and from 159,900 yuan (RM97,300) to 179,900 yuan (RM109,500) for the PHEV. Could we see the T2 facelift being introduced here next year?
