"Go back to the drawing board" might be what Jetour had in mind with the refresh on the Dashing and X70 Plus models. The facelifted Jetour Dashing drove up to our driveway, and I was very much eager to learn whether the upgrades and calibration revisions have made this a more appealing product offering.
It seems like the Dashing and X70 Plus pair have somehow fallen under the shadow of the arrival of the T series, and you might think people have completely forgotten about the Dashing. But no, a good majority of Jetour's vehicle sales include the presence of the Dashing as a strong second-best seller and a major pillar of Jetour's massive growth, right next to the T2.
So then, it is a strong favorite for most that surely has people's hearts, but it didn't leave the same impression on most journalists who had a go at it when it was introduced to our market. The talking point? A very weird, off-putting throttle calibration paired with a loopy and numb steering wheel feel, together with reports of lackluster build quality, made the entire experience a sight for sore eyes. But have they amended these changes? Let's find out.
Let's being on the outside looks which I am on the fence about
The vehicle features a typical SUV high-riding silhouette, cladding, big wheels, and some accents on this particular model that aim to encapsulate a sporty race theme.
The front carries a split light arrangement, which has your daytime running lights on the top section and below, the main beams, which have the brand's "Drive Your Dreams " slogan laser-etched on the reflector section. Now, while this is quite the normal arrangement to spot on cars today, I have a gripe with the sharp edge that separates the top and bottom elements, giving the car a 1969 Chevy Corvette Stingray look, but in a more visually conflicting manner.
To add to that visual element, you get a honeycomb grille that dominates the front of the vehicle. The grille itself then has an integrated effect without a border, making it look as if the openings are part of the body rather than being a separate panel . This looks cool, but it is interrupted by side venting, which takes on another pattern altogether, making the car look too busy. I think if you get a black color Jetour Dashing, this issue goes away, but not for me, who had the car in this new Ash Grey color.
Moving along to the side, you get the same stylish 19-inch alloy wheels, which are wrapped around a generous amount of rubber, which I must say also had a positive impact in ensuring a comfortable ride. The other significant change or upgrade from the pre-facelift version is the addition of red piping that runs along the lower cladding located on the skirts of the Dashing.
The rear is where things get a bit interesting, to say the least.
Four tailpipes are the addition to the facelift these are not real tailpipes but rather just an aesthetic add-on that had or has me slapping my knee because I find it quite unnecessary in a car this beautiful. I guess the aim with these was again to keep in the "sporty" theme, but it is sadly just too much it does get onlookers intrigued, though.
Overall, the exterior design is quite appealing and has its unique way of saying "look at me. " I personally feel that the rear, even with those non -real exhaust outlets making an appearance, is the best part of the entire vehicle. To each their own, I guess.
The cabin is modern and works, no over simplification
Unlike the T Series bunch, the Dashing does not have massive screens or a hexagonal steering wheel, which is fine by me. These cars within one brand having so much contrast is very interesting. While the T Series does things a bit more out of the box, this Dashing keeps it simple.
The interior screen equipment here consists of dual 10.25-inch digital displays : one very simple driver's display that has two types of viewing screens, the old-school dials being my favorite, and an infotainment screen that efficiently handled all my connectivity wishes, no hassle.
Although the screen is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, I could not help but notice that the screen itself looked a tad dated. That, and the fact that at the best of times, it was unresponsive, as I had to do a lot of doubling when I could have sworn I pressed that button.
To make matters a bit sour, you have haptic feedback controls for your air conditioning, which was quite frustrating for two reasons. One, haptic feedback buttons are always finicky, and you never really make enough contact with them to engage. Secondly , when you touch the button to, let's say, open the air conditioning fan, it made a very loud beep, which I could not switch off after digging through the screen multiple times to try and silence the beeping.
Not all is bad here, though. One can expect the finest synthetic leather appointments, top-quality contrasting red stitching that bounces off the ambient light for a more serene mood, a combination of brushed steel and woven plastic that looks like gray carbon fiber, and to put the cherry on top, a massive sunroof that lets in so much sunshine goodness, adding to an already spacious cabin setup.
It was almost weird not having those lower center console storage spaces in this car, as they have almost become a staple, especially on Chinese-manufactured vehicles. It was also fantastic to quickly adjust and find my preferred driving position, as most of these vehicles oddly have the steering propped up at an angle.
Build quality shines through, as almost everywhere your hand meets a surface, it is neatly stitched, wrapped, or smoothed out, should it be a scratchy plastic area. The electronically operated front seats are comfortable, and you have heated seats as a bonus, with a cooled function only available when you upgrade to the larger X70 Plus.
Safety means that the Dashing boasts many features as standard
- 540° panoramic camera system (360° view plus under-vehicle chassis view)
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Active Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Warning
- Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Assist
- Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Six airbags
What sits under the hood?
The 2026 Jetour Dashing 1.5T Prime uses an updated 1.5-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine that now produces 125 kW and 270 Nm. Power is then distributed through a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) to the front wheels only. This updated output of the car is an increase of +10 kW and +40 Nm. Jetour also claims the fuel figure is now lower, with the average fuel consumption reduced from 7.8 L/100 km down to 6.8 L/100 km.
The first time behind the wheel, I was quick to spot the difference, or in this case, the improvement made to the calibration. Most Chinese-made vehicles admittedly always seem to have something a bit off when it comes to the refinement of throttle inputs where in some cases the response is laggy or too sensitive, causing the vehicle to jump and leave you embarrassed in the driver's seat, like you don't know what you are doing.
Here, the response is more natural as the vehicle loads up the rev equivalent to how much pressure you have applied to either the brake or gas pedal. This might seem like a little thing, but I genuinely feel that a good or bad pedal input can ruin the entire driving experience and make it feel more laborious to engage with.
The gearbox, not another CVT for once, was quite enjoyable to experience. When it felt like time to take things into my own hands by switching the vehicle into manual mode, where you operate the pedal shifters, the vehicle's changes were engaging, and even though they were a bit caught out at times, the car never had an unpleasant shunt, engine yelling, or weird ratios ; good job, Jetour.
The steering feel was a mixed bag for me, but it was more or less adjusted thanks to weightiness settings that allow one to choose what steering mode you want the car to have, even without putting the vehicle into sport mode just to get a weighted feel.
The ride was quiet, composed, and more refined; the extra shunt of power also arrives on cue and doesn't knock you out of your seat when least expected. However, you can catch the vehicle out sometimes, like when you're accelerating from an incline or turning into an intersection, but it is nothing major at all good drive.
Pricing
The retail price for the updated Jetour Dashing 1.5T Prime in South Africa starts from R479,900 excluding optional extras and fees.
Warranty and Service Details
- Vehicle Warranty: 5-year / 150,000 km
- Engine Warranty: 10-year / 1,000,000 km (for the first owner)
- Service Plan: Typically bundled as a 5-year / 75,000 km plan (or 5-year / 60,000 km depending on promotional launch specs
Conclusion
It is quite evident that this vehicle has an appeal that you just can shake about it. The futuristic looks, packed safety sense list, added value of practicality and now, refined throttle calibration have pulled the Dashing towards being a more solid pick in its segment.