JMC Vigus: Strong, comfortable and bold in design

We are not immune to the sometimes strange or interesting names which car manufactures come up with for their products, and this trend will probably not go away anytime soon considering some of the outrageous designs and concepts which are introduced in a constant effort to appeal to our senses and motivate the market to dig into its purse.

We have also not seen the end of the introduction of the so-called, and often snubbed at, Chinese products. And the surprising (really) thing about the latter is that its products are becoming increasingly popular and equal to that of the established or more traditional manufacturers.

Regular readers might still remember some of my comments I shared after my test drives of JMC products which are available from Trade Auto in Mbombela. One observation I distinctly remember was this: “Previous generation technology with which many users have enjoyed millions of happy and productive kilometres without hassle”.

Well, JMC has just introduced its latest, and dare I add, truly awesome Vigus – a product which will be available in eight derivatives. I drove the top of the range double-cab 4×4 derivative – and it is not your average Chinese product. It offers way beyond what any of JMC’s Boarding (another strange name) products offer – way beyond.

This is established brand’s territory. And yes, you are taking what I just said, with a pinch of salt. It’s fine by me, because like with most things, one cannot support my or anyone else’s opinion unless you have had first-hand experience.

Trade Auto has replaced the standard 16-inch wheels on the Vigus with 17-inch rubber and it does suit the car – it has also been branded as you can see. I did see this Vigus in standard attire before all the latter was done and it still looked attractive enough to draw lots of attention.

The front-end design is bold and powerful for one, as a result of the high ground clearance and larger wheels which synchronised well with the prominent wheel arches and running boards. I am not particularly fond of the latter because as much as it can protect your vehicle, it will also limit serious off-roading in challenging conditions. So its usefulness will depend on your application of the vehicle.

The Vigus comes standard with large, as I call them, grab handles on the load bay making it a lot easier to tie down bikes and whatever else you need to transport.
The car-like interior with its solid finish and fit, touch screen and the rest, caught me somewhat off-guard as it is a significant improvement on that of the Boarding products. The seats are wide, supportive, and very comfortable and, of course this being the top model, leather-clad adding to the soft-touch surfaces on the fascia and the overall upmarket look and feel. The seats do not offer height adjustment but even so, I found it perfectly set for my preference.

A slight adjustment of the steering and I found the sweet spot in no time. The office space is large and offers excellent head clearance and good all-round visibility.
The Vigus is kitted with a 2,4-litre diesel engine producing 90kW and 290Nm which may not sound much compared to its competition – GWM, Foton Tata, Mahindra and yes, some would actually dare to compare it to Ford, Hilux and the Amarok. The latter three of course much more expensive than the Vigus. The Vigus torque peak is between 1 500 and 2 600r/min and I was quite surprised by its really responsive acceleration from standstill and in the green band.

The five-speed manual gearbox also impressed. The stick is firm and completely smooth but then, with more than two million test kilometers in the most arduous of conditions, one would not expect any hiccups. And as you all know by now, the Uitkyk Road is a definite for all my bakkie test drives and the Vigus did not disappoint – not one bit. No rattles or strange noises, quiet and confident feedback from the suspension – excellent torque response at low speeds and with 4×4 H engaged, no surprises or “wake-ups” through the corners. By the way, engaging 4×4 H or L is all done electronically via a knob next to the driver on the centre console. The latter can be done on the fly also – but rather fly slower than faster!

In 4×4 L the Vigus may just surprise many egos if you catch my drift. And then with all the luxury and safety features, it may surprise even more. In conclusion though, I must say that if JMC should drop the price with some R30 000 to R50 000, they would be releasing the cat among the pigeons and it would, in my mind, be worth their while. The Vigus will surprise most. I would love to see what it does in a Spirit of Africa kind of competition. Red faces – yeah, I can see many!

As I said earlier – don’t shoot the messenger until you have driven the Vigus and, let me know if I am on the button