With New Zealand’s seemingly endless need of utes, is there space in the market for yet another ute? Chinese manufacturer, JAC, think so.
JAC (pronounced “Jack”) says it is the biggest exporter of commercial vehicles in China, sending them out to over 100 countries. The company has been operating since 1964, and has turned over a total of $45b in revenue.
In 2023, the company sold 600,000 utes for the Chinese and overseas markets, so they certainly should know a thing or two about building a decent ute, perhaps also because JAC is half-owned by Volkswagen.
Today would see the launch of the all-new (to New Zealand) T9. JAC built its first ute not too long ago in 2015, and 2018 saw the global launch of the T6. In 2022, the company sold 220,000 utes, and in 2023 this rose to 320,000 units. In fact, in 2023, 20% of all utes exported out of China were from JAC, to a total of 132 countries. For a country and manufacturing base as large as China, 20% of all ute exports is an impressive number.
The T9 was tested in Australia, South Africa, Asia, and South America. There was also testing with a camouflaged T9 in New Zealand, with the company claiming that the T9 was “tested for kiwis, by kiwis”, in both on and off-road conditions.
For New Zealand, the ute has the tagline of “JAC of all trades”, and they are heavily targeting tradies with the T9, with things like bigger cupholders for those never-ending cans of V. For its price, the T9 could be extremely tempting to tradies that want to replace that aging Triton, Hilux, or Ranger.
2025 JAC T9: Price
At $49,990 for the single, high-spec model, the T9 undercuts their closest dual-cab, AWD, automatic wellside rival by $5,000 (based on RRP). That rival is the GWM Cannon X, a ute that JAC says is not as well-equipped as their T9. JAC claim the T9 is a “foreman’s ute at apprentice pricing”, and that’s a fair comment, and we wonder if this will kick off a pricing war for utes. It is currently unknown if this is an introductory price, or if this price will remain.
The T9 will be available in New Zealand in early 2025, confirms JAC.
That single model is “high-tech and high spec” says JAC, and it’s hard to disagree. Spec and tech-wise, both front seats are electrically adjustable and heated, there is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (albeit using a USB cable, not wireless), a Qi wireless charging pad, and the rear seat reclines by up to 25 degrees.
Add into that list ambient lighting (that you can sync with your music, perfect for tradies?), ISOFIX mounts for child seats, a 10.4” centre screen, a 240-volt power socket in the passenger area (150-watts max), loads of storage, a 360-degree camera, hill hold, front and rear sensors, automatic bi-LED headlights, automatic wipers, and fully auto windows among other features.
On the outside, the side steps are standard, as is the deck sports bar. To make sure the tray stays protected, it comes with a spray-on bedliner as standard. At the launch venue, JAC had a number of T9s with different tray options to highlight its versatility.
2025 JAC T9: Powertrain
The 2025 T9 will be fitted with a 4th generation JAC 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel motor. This still gets the T9 a 3-ton tow rating (braked), and JAC states that a third of all utes sales in New Zealand are 2.0-litres. The engine puts out 125kW of power, and 410Nm of torque.
ZF supplies the 8-speed automatic transmission for the T9, and the ute is fitted with a diff lock and a high-low transfer case that enables the T9 to shift between 2WD and 4WD on the fly. It comes with different off-road modes as well. The transfer box is a Borg Warner unit, the turbocharger is from Garret and the electronics are Bosch. These well-known names should give buyers confidence that it’s not all new tech that is unproven, says JAC. “It’s a whole bunch of familiar componentry to give consumers confidence”, they suggest.
The payload for the tray is 1 ton, and it will take a full pallet with the tailgate closed.
Corrosion has also been considered, with a galvanised chassis with a high (40.9) zinc content, and internal wax injection into cavities to help protect the T9. JAC New Zealand mentioned that the T9 has “class-leading fuel economy”, and the ute is rated at a low 7.6L/100km.
2025 JAC T9: Safety
This ute is loaded with Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS), including:
There are 18 ADAS systems, and 27 safety features including 7 airbags. The T9 comes with a 5-star ANCAP rated (rated in 2024), and a 5-year, 200,000km warranty. This includes 5 years of Roadside Assistance. The dealership network in New Zealand currently sits at 11, with another 9 being developed. There are service centres for the T9 right across New Zealand.
2025 JAC T9: First Impressions
The T9 was launched at the Tuesday Club, a rentable building that has a café, and more importantly a good collection of classic motorbikes. You can learn to weld here, among a number of other life-skills.
As far as the T9 goes, we’d get a small amount of time behind the wheel today, only 30 minutes or so. On walk-up, ground clearance should not be an issue with a high ride height, meaning a bit of a climb to get into the T9. In saying that, ground clearance is listed at ‘only’ 210mm – it feels and looks much taller.
My first impression driving was of the brakes; they are very touchy, and a light foot is needed to brake smoothly. They are not progressive, and work needs to be done on this. But, I soon got used to them, so not all bad.
The rest of the ute seems excellent. I rode in the back seat of a T9, and the engine is relatively quiet, but up front, it’s markedly louder. Not obtrusive or a deal breaker, but not as refined or as quiet as some other (far more expensive) brands. Standing outside the T9 while its idling, and the engine doesn’t sound like a diesel at all, so it’s easy to see some work has been done on this side of the engine. Performance is very good though, and that ZF automatic transmission seems well suited to the engine.
Sitting at the lights and waiting, it’s nice to see nearly all the AC controls are physical buttons below the large centre screen; much better for tradies to use when on the move or wearing gloves. All the general controls fall to hand well, and that large screen has a nice, clear resolution.
The steering wheel feels good, as does actual steering of the ute. Around Auckland’s city streets, it feels pretty manoeuvrable, and the turning circle seems quite tight (I couldn’t find the figure for this). With four people in the T9, the ride was better than I had expected, but on a solo drive, more bouncy – as you’d expect. It’s not terrible and it’s certainly acceptable. With a tray full of tools this wouldn’t be an issue.
With so many safety systems, I had expected the T9’s systems to be a little overpowering. We’ve almost come to expect that Chinese-built cars and utes to have not-great to terrible driver aids. It feels like the Chinese manufacturers don’t test their cars out of their own country, and perhaps that’s true.
I’m happy to report, the T9 doesn’t feel like that at all. Only a short drive, but for example the Driver Monitoring System did not fake-alert once, as often happens in other Chinese brands. I could look at the centre screen or left-side mirror without the car telling me off.
2025 JAC T9: Summary
With such a low relative price, I had expected a bit less from the T9 – built to a price, and all that. But it feels well made, it drives well enough (except for those brakes) and is extremely well equipped.
If I was a tradie looking to upgrade, it would be hard to ignore the JAC T9; even based on price, it trumps the competition. Add in that it drives well and has a good warranty, and it feels like JAC are onto a winner in New Zealand’s tough ute segment.
We’ll book a T9 in to review in the new year.
For more information, head to JAC’s New Zealand website.
