Jetour Auto Malaysia has finally launched the Jetour Dashing, almost a year after its first appearance here in May last year. Originally scheduled for introduction in the second half of last year and then in Q1 this year, the SUV is now officially on sale in Malaysia.
The Dashing will be initially offered in fully-imported CBU guise and only for the first 100 units, with the first deliveries of units from China – which arrived last month – set to take place immediately after the launch. Following this, CKD local assembly of the Dashing is scheduled to begin next month, with production set to be carried out by Berjaya Assembly in Johor.
As previously indicated, the C-segment five-seat offering goes on sale in Malaysia in two variant forms, these being the Comfort and Prime, the variant names being revised from the Prime and Signature they were known as during the preview last year. The Dashing variants are priced at:
In conjunction with its introduction, Jetour Auto Malaysia has announced a limited time early-bird offer of a RM2,000 cash rebate on the Dashing for the first 500 customers. The SUV comes with a seven-year/150,000 km vehicle warranty and a 10-year/1,000,000 km engine warranty, as well as a five-time free labour/parts service.
Measuring in at 4,590 mm long,1,900 mm wide and 1,685 mm tall, with a 2,720 mm wheelbase, the Dashing – which is underpinned by the automaker’s Kunlun platform – sits between a Honda CR-V (4,691 mm) and Toyota Corolla Cross (4,460 mm) in terms of size. Other relevant numbers include a ground clearance of 160 mm and a boot size of 486 litres with the rear seats up, and 977 litres with the units folded down.
While a number of powertrain permutations exist for the Dashing, Malaysia gets only a single choice, and this a 1.5 litre turbocharged inline-four petrol engine that produces 156 PS (154 hp) at 5,500 rpm and 230 Nm of torque from 1,750 rpm to 4,000 rpm. Drive is sent to the front wheels via six-speed dual-clutch transmission, with the SUV offering three drive modes (Economy, Comfort, Sport) to pick from.
In terms of wheels, the base Prime rides on 18-inch wheels shod with 235/60 profile tyres, while the higher-spec Signature is equipped with 19-inch units, wrapped with 235/55 profile rubbers. As for exterior colours, five are available for the Dashing, and these are Carbon Black, Hematite Red, Khaki White, Phantom Grey and Aurora Green.
Standard equipment on the Dashing includes LED headlamps, LED DRLs, LED tail lights, a powered tailgate, keyless entry and start, remote engine start, leather upholstery and a six-way powered driver’s seat. Incidentally, the local car features a different dashboard compared to the Chinese model.
The Dashing also features a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen placed together to present an integrated widescreen display, along with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support.
The standard kit list also includes automatic air-conditioning with rear vents and a CN95 filter, a 50 watt wireless charging pad, four USB ports (two Type-A front and one Type-A/one Type-C rear) and a four-speaker audio system.
In terms of safety and driver assistance systems, the base Comfort variant comes equipped with four airbags (driver/front passenger, front side), passive cruise control, a reverse camera, ABS, EBD, brake assist, ESC, traction control, six airbags, a tyre pressure monitoring system, ISOFIX child seat anchors, overspeed warning and four reverse sensors.
As you’d expect, the Prime improves upon the Comfort’s equipment levels by adding a panoramic sunroof, heated side mirrors with LED welcome lights, rain-sensing wipers, a four-way powered front passenger seat and ambient lighting as well as a bump in the speaker count to six. The rear seat back angle is also adjustable on the Prime.
It also adds two airbags (front/rear curtain) and brings along ADAS in the form of lane change warning, blind spot monitoring, lane change warning, rear cross traffic alert and a 360-degree around view monitor, together with 180-degree transparent underbody view. There is however no autonomous emergency braking.
While the Dashing is the first Jetour model to make its way into the local market, it won’t be the only one for long, as it will be joined by others before the year is out – it has already been indicated that its seven-seater D-segment SUV, which competes with the Proton X90 and Chery Tiggo 8 Pro, will arrive sometime in Q2, followed by the T2 off-road SUV in Q3.
The brand also provided an update on its network expansion in the country, announcing that more than 30 new 4S and 3S centres are scheduled to open in 2025 alone (up from 20 mentioned previously). Aside from KL, the network will cover key locations in Selangor, Penang, Ipoh, Seremban, Melaka, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak. The company added that it has also secured a comprehensive spare parts inventory nationwide.
GALLERY: Jetour Dashing 1.5 TCI Prime
GALLERY: Jetour Dashing 1.5 TCI Comfort
