Whether in the Middle East or South America, the Jetour T2Bahrain Jetour T2Egypt Jetour T2KSA Jetour T2Kuwait Jetour T2Oman Jetour T2Qatar Jetour T2UAE Jetour T2 has received considerable positive market feedback since its launch. Dubbed the "half-price Defender," it has garnered a mixed reputation in the market. So, how does the Jietour T2 actually perform? We will conduct tests on its acceleration, braking, A/C cooling capability, noise levels, cabin space, and trunk capacity to help everyone determine whether this vehicle is worth buying.
exterior:
The exterior design of the JetourBahrain JetourEgypt JetourKSA JetourKuwait JetourOman JetourQatar JetourUAE Jetour T2 was crafted by former PorscheUAE PorscheBahrain PorscheEgypt PorscheKSA PorscheOman PorscheQatar PorscheKuwait Porsche designer Hakan Saracoglu, adopting the currently popular boxy, hardcore off-road SUV styling. It is important to emphasize that the Jetour T2 is an SUV built on a unibody chassis.
At first glance, it's difficult to associate the front fascia of the Jetour T2 with the Land Rover DefenderBahrain Land Rover DefenderEgypt Land Rover DefenderKSA Land Rover DefenderKuwait Land Rover DefenderOman Land Rover DefenderQatar Land Rover DefenderUAE Land Rover Defender. This is because all of its design elements are distinctly rectangular. Its daytime running lights form a square composed of four independent light units, while both the "JETOUR" lettering and the decorative lights below are also rectangular in shape.
The rear design follows the same design philosophy as the front, predominantly featuring rectangular elements. The taillights also form a rectangle composed of four independent light units, creating a cohesive visual theme with the front daytime running lights. Even the spare tire cover is square-shaped. Here’s a handy tip to distinguish the Jetour T2 from the Land RoverUAE Land RoverKSA Land RoverKuwait Land RoverQatar Land RoverOman Land RoverBahrain Land RoverEgypt Land Rover Defender: if the spare tire cover is square, it’s a Jetour T2; if it’s round, it’s a Land Rover Defender.
Just as I was about to remark how distinctly different the Jetour T2's design is from the Land Rover Defender, I came across the "Jetour T2 Defender Kit" on a car rental website. With this kit installed, the two models resemble brothers—one with a square jawline and the other with a round face.
interior
The interior design of the Jetour T2 also adopts a rugged and tough style, with the overall design dominated by rectangular elements. Additionally, the cabin features an abundance of grab handles and rivet details, enhancing the vehicle's hardcore off-road character.
The instrument cluster features a 10.25-inch full LCD display, capable of showing basic information such as RPM, speed, and fuel consumption. The central section can also display surrounding vehicles while driving.
The infotainment system is equipped with a large 15.6-inch screen, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 automotive-grade chip. The native system interface operates smoothly, but some lag occurs when switching to Apple CarPlay. Moreover, adjusting the air conditioning while connected to Apple CarPlay requires a rather cumbersome process: you need to select the "Jetour" option within Apple CarPlay, then tap the climate control icon to adjust fan speed and temperature. Using voice commands to control these functions is much more convenient in such situations.
The center screen displays various off-road related information, including tire pressure, pitch angle, roll angle, and the locking status of the central and rear axle differential locks.
The Jetour T2 features a 50W wireless charging pad in the front row. Additionally, there are four USB charging ports in the storage space beneath the gear lever, along with two more USB ports for rear passengers. Therefore, keeping your phones and other electronic devices charged is never a concern inside the Jetour T2.
Daily Driving experience
The 2026 Jetour T2 is equipped with an 8-speed automatic transmission. When creeping slowly in parking lots or congested areas without pressing the accelerator, I personally felt the vehicle moves somewhat quickly, requiring a slightly firmer press on the brake pedal. However, on normal open roads, the Jetour T2 performs very smoothly. Acceleration and deceleration are seamless, with no noticeable gearshift jerks. Power delivery is responsive and proportional to pedal input—even at speeds of 80 km/h or 100 km/h, pressing deeper on the accelerator still provides a satisfying sense of acceleration.
The Jetour T2 offers good comfort for daily driving, with its shock absorbers and damping tuned to a relatively balanced setting. When going over speed bumps, front-row passengers do not feel an excessive upward jolt. Minor road vibrations are effectively filtered out and not directly transmitted through the steering wheel or into the cabin. Additionally, the Jetour T2 is fitted with Giti Control P10 tires, which are geared toward premium comfort. Overall, the chassis of the Jetour T2 delivers a comfort-oriented feel.
The flip side of the comfort-oriented chassis is that the Jetour T2's on-road handling is slightly compromised. With a body height of 1880 mm and a ground clearance of 220 mm, these figures mean it was never designed for low-center-of-gravity agility. Therefore, I have two recommendations when driving this vehicle: first, remember to turn the ESP back on after off-road driving, and second, slow down more than usual before entering a roundabout.
The Jetour T2 features an on-demand all-wheel-drive system that can automatically switch between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. Additionally, it is equipped with two differential locks—a central differential lock and a rear axle differential lock—giving it slightly better off-road capability than a typical urban SUV. For the vast majority of the time, the vehicle operates in two-wheel drive. It only engages four-wheel drive during hard acceleration or off-road conditions, and it quickly disengages afterward. Overall, the Jetour T2 functions primarily as a two-wheel-drive vehicle in most daily driving scenarios.
The benefit this brings is saving fuel. On relatively smooth roads at speeds of 70-90 km/h, the author achieved a minimum fuel consumption of 7.8 L/100km, which equals 12.8 km/L. For a vehicle with a curb weight of 1,880 kg and a maximum horsepower of 250, this is already quite an impressive level.
Powertrain
The Jetour T2 is equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, delivering a maximum horsepower of 250 PS and a peak torque of 390 N·m. It is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission developed independently by Chery.
After six test runs, the vehicle's 0-100 km/h acceleration times were recorded as 9.04 seconds, 8.80 seconds, 9.02 seconds, 9.12 seconds, 9.24 seconds, and 8.88 seconds respectively. To eliminate the influence of road gradient, the best two-way average of 8.92 seconds is determined as the Jetour T2's optimal 0-100 km/h acceleration time.
According to Cartea's scoring criteria, the Jetour T2's powertrain scores 4 points.
Braking test
The Jetour T2 is equipped with Giticontrol P10 tires in size 255/55 R20. In six consecutive 100-0 km/h braking tests, the results were 36.9m, 37.81m, 37.21m, 38.27m, 37.44m, and 36.24m respectively. The best two-way average of 36.84m is taken as the optimal braking performance for the Jetour T2. The braking performance of the T2 proved highly consistent, with all results falling within the 36-38m range.
According to Cartea's scoring criteria, the Jetour T2's braking performance scores 7 points.
NVH test
Our measurements show that the Jetour T2's noise levels are 43.2 dB at idle, 55.6 dB at 60 km/h, 61.4 dB at 80 km/h, and 72.1 dB at 120 km/h.
Due to its boxy SUV design, wind noise becomes notably apparent at 120 km/h. However, when cruising at speeds below 80 km/h, the Jetour T2's noise insulation is actually quite commendable among gasoline-powered vehicles. According to Cartea's scoring criteria, the Jetour T2's noise performance scores 4 points.
Passenger space
The Jetour T2 offers a front-row headroom of 1000mm, front shoulder room of 1500mm, and front seat cushion length of 510mm.
The rear headroom measures 970mm, rear shoulder room is 1510mm, standard rear legroom reaches 810mm, and the rear seat cushion length is 500mm.
While the boxy design presents challenges for noise insulation, it delivers tangible benefits in interior space. The Jetour T2 offers superior front and rear headroom compared to urban SUVs with more streamlined profiles. With rear seat cushions measuring 500mm in length, it provides superior thigh support over its competitors. According to Cartea's scoring criteria, the Jetour T2 scores 7 points in passenger space.
Trunk Space
The Jetour T2's cargo bay measures 1040mm in width and 960mm in height. With the rear seats in their standard position, the cargo depth is 740mm, providing a cargo volume of 738 liters. When the rear seats are folded down, the depth extends to 1500mm, increasing the total cargo volume to 1498 liters.
To achieve a completely flat cargo floor in the Jetour T2, the rear seats need to be folded forward, which is a relatively cumbersome process. While this folding mechanism creates a flatter surface for placing a mattress, the resulting 1500mm depth is only suitable for some shorter adults to sleep in the cargo area. According to Cartea's scoring criteria, the Jetour T2 scores 6.5 points in cargo space.
A/C Cooling Test
On the test day, the midday temperature reached 32°C. After leaving the vehicle stationary for 30 minutes, the interior temperature rose to 38°C. Within 15 minutes of turning on the air conditioning, the cabin temperature dropped to 27.1°C, achieving a significant temperature reduction of 10.9°C.
Conclusion
Based on our actual tests, the Jetour T2 received an average score of 5.8 points. As a C-Segment SUV, the Jetour T2's price of 151,000 AED is not particularly cheap. In this segment, you could opt for time-tested models like the Nissan X-Trail or Toyota RAV4Bahrain Toyota RAV4Egypt Toyota RAV4Kuwait Toyota RAV4Oman Toyota RAV4Qatar Toyota RAV4UAE Toyota RAV4KSA Toyota RAV4, which are also more affordable. But what do you gain by spending that extra 10,000 to 20,000?
Firstly, you get an exterior design that better satisfies your craving for off-road capability. The Jetour T2's appearance is more reminiscent of a rugged off-road SUV. Secondly, its four-wheel-drive system features central and rear axle differential locks, giving it theoretically better off-road capability than a typical 4WD urban SUV. Thirdly, the Jetour T2 boasts 250 horsepower, placing its performance in a league of its own at this price point. Fourthly, the Jetour T2 has a large screen, plenty of charging ports, and generous passenger and cargo space. These are all strengths of the Jetour T2.
The only drawback of the Jetour T2 is likely its wind noise. This is primarily due to its boxy design, which creates a larger frontal area and makes airflow management more challenging, leading to increased wind noise. Secondly, constrained by its price point, the Jetour T2 does not feature active noise cancellation or extensive sound-deadening materials.
Furthermore, the Jetour T2 comes with a 10-year/1,000,000-kilometer warranty and a 3-year/40,000-kilometer maintenance policy, which can help reduce some long-term ownership costs.
