Budget “Land Rover Defender” coming to South Africa – Everything you need to know

The new Jetour T2 is on its way to South Africa in 2025 and it bears a striking resemblance to one of the most famous off-roaders out there, the Land Rover Defender.

The T2 has been heralded by those who’ve experienced it as a “budget Defender” and if the early success of the Chinese automaker’s other products is anything to go by, it should fly off the shelves once it lands in the country.

For those out of the loop, Jetour is a subsidiary of automotive giant Chery.

However, unlike Omoda and Jaecoo, Jetour functions independently from its parent company; it only borrows Chery’s engines and a few other small parts, while components such as the chassis and transmission are developed in-house by Jetour itself.

Since opening its doors in South Africa in September 2024 with just two vehicles in its stable – the Dashing and X70 Plus – Jetour has enjoyed a healthy level of demand.

In the first week of December, it announced that it had already surpassed 1,000 retail sales between these SUVs in less than two months, an impressive feat for a brand that has never before been sold locally.

Building on this momentum, Jetour has plans to topple the likes of Toyota, VW, Suzuki, Hyundai, and Ford by 2027.

It aims to become a top three Chinese brand before the end of 2024 and to get at least one of its vehicles to crack the top 10 best-selling cars list by the end of 2025.

In 2026, it wants to be a top 10 brand overall, and in 2027, it wants to sit among the top five.

To hit these ambitious targets, Jetour has confirmed no fewer than seven new models for South Africa over the coming years, one of which is the new T2.

What to expect

The T2 clocks in at 4,785mm in length, 2,006mm in width, and 1,870mm in height with a minimum ground clearance of 220mm – positioning it in between the three-door Defender 90 and five-door Defender 110.

Depending on the market, it’s equipped with one of two turbo-petrol drivetrains comprising a 1.5-litre or a 2.0-litre engine both paired with a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

The smaller of the two generates 135kW and 290Nm and only drives the front wheels while the larger one is good for 187kW and 390Nm and can be had with the brand’s intelligent “X Wheel Drive” system that can switch between two- and four-wheel drive on the fly.

The latter boasts a central and rear limited-slip differential and brings seven drive programmes comprising Economy, Normal, Sport, Snow, Mud, Rock, and X Smart.

A “creeping mode” is included, too, which functions like off-road cruise control at slow speeds, as are uphill start assist and steep-slope descent assist.

Potential customers of the T2 can expect a generous assortment of amenities, encompassing Matrix LED headlights, 18-inch alloys, a leather multifunction steering wheel with paddle shifters, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, and heated and ventilated seats with electric adjustment.

Driving info is delivered via a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, with a 15.6-inch infotainment screen positioned in the centre of the dash that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and intelligent voice assistance, which is hooked up to six speakers with a subwoofer in the back.

The 4×4 also comes with Level 2 advanced assistance systems such as intelligent dodge, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, lane-keep assist with departure warning, forward and rear-collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, advanced emergency braking, traffic jam assistance, and 360-degree cameras.

Jetour T2