Large displacement oil-burner returns in JAC T6

Having the ruled out the possibility of its flagship T9 bakkie coming to South Africa this year, the local arm of JAC has nonetheless reintroduced a previously available engine option for the entry-level T6.

Familiar heart

The beneficiary of a new petrol engine introduced in July, the T6 now receives a second oil-burning heart supplementing the Volkswagen-derived unit already available.

Hailing from JAC’s now long since dissolved partnership with Isuzu, the Japanese marque’s stalwart 2.8-litre oil-burner resides underneath the bonnet, but while larger than the mentioned 1.9 sourced from Wolfsburg, has both less power and torque.

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Hooked to a five-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed in four-wheel-drive derivative, the unit delivers 68kW/210Nm versus the 100kW/320Nm made by the newer 1.9 TDI.

Claimed fuel consumption is 7.9 L/100 km for the two-wheel-drive and 10.5 L/100 km for the 4×4, with payload for both rated at 900 kg.

Sporting a 1 520 mm × 1 520 mm × 470 mm loadbox, which JAC claims is the biggest in its class, the T6 can tow 2 000 kg and comes with a ground clearance of 197 mm, regardless of the wheels the drive is routed to.

“We are happy that the proven T6 2.8 TDI, which was available in the country before, is back in the local JAC stable,” JAC South Africa CEO Karl-Heinz Göbel said.

“The addition of the 2.8 TDI derivative, with its reliable and durable drivetrain and low maintenance cost, now offers potential customers a choice of an economical workhorse at a much lower purchase price than its double-cab competitors.”

Spec on offer

While priced below the 1.9 TDI Comfort, which incidentally doesn’t have the option of an all-paw gripping system, JAC has not skimped on features as the T6 2.8 Lux comes standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, side steps, a sports bar and electric windows, a leather-wrapped multi-function height adjustable steering wheel, dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, faux leather seats and a reverse camera.

Rear parking sensors, a spray-on bin-liner, manual air-conditioning, electric mirrors, auto lock/unlock doors and a six-speaker USB enabled sound system with Bluetooth rounds off the T6’s specification sheet.

Price

As with the 2.0-litre petrol and 1.9 TDI, the JAC T6 2.8 TDI can be specified in six colours; white, grey, black, silver, red and blue with a five-year/150 000 km warranty and five-year/60 000 km service plan being included in the respective sticker prices.

• T6 2.0 Lux – R344 900
• T6 2.8 TDI Lux – R349 900
• T6 2.8 TDI Lux 4×4 – R399 900
• T6 1.9 TDI Comfort – R374 900