The vastly different sibling of the plug-in turbodiesel KP31 of parent company Chery will make its debut on local soil next year.
F700 has gone on-sale in China under Jetour’s off-road Zongheng brand. Picture: carnewschina.com
Reported last month as only being set for unveiling at the Guangzhou Motor Show in November, Jetour has released pricing and powertrain details of the eagerly awaited F700 plug-in hybrid bakkie in China.
Off-road ready
Officially called the Zongheng F700 as the second model of Jetour’s off-road sub-brand, the first being the G700 SUV, the F700 will have a choice of three derivatives, and provide seating for five or four.
Although based on the same body-on-frame platform as the G700, the F700 lacks its sibling’s amphibious capability, but still has a low range transfer case, locking front and rear differentials, and a virtual centrally locking diff.
Dimensions
Confirmed at Jetour’s South African market launch two years ago as the then internally named P5, the F700’s dimensions amount to the following:
- Length: 5 495mm;
- Wheelbase: 3 350mm;
- Height: 1 985mm;
- Width: 2 050mm.
According to autohome.com.cn, the F700 has a tow rating of 3 500kg, wading depth of 900mm, approach angle of 32 degrees and departure angle of 15 degrees.
While no mention was made of a final payload rating, previous reports suggested 800kg and a ground clearance of 350mm, attributable to the inclusion of air suspension.
Tri-motor plug-in hybrid
The source of speculation until now, motivation comes from the same plug-in hybrid powertrain as the G700, but with a catch.
Once alleged to make up to 1 215kW depending on the number of electric motors, Autohome reports only a single option will be offered; a 2.0 T-GDI paired with a 31.4-kWh battery pack powering three instead of the G700’s two.
Whereas the combustion engine makes 155kW/340Nm on its own, the inclusion of the electric hardware ups the combined output to 665kW/1 135Nm.
Paired to a two-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT), the F700 will get from 0-100km/h in a claimed five seconds and travel 150km on the battery pack alone according to China’s CLTC cycle.
With the combustion engine included, the range is said to be 1 300km.
Noted spec
Carrying over the same interior design as the G700, noted features include a 15.6-inch infotainment display, a 10-speaker sound system, 540-degree camera system and automatic parking.
Also included is the corner-to-corner 35.4-inch display on top of the dashboard, electric, heated and ventilated front and rear seats, and massaging chairs on the four-seat model only.
Coming to South Africa in 2027
Now available, pricing starts at 314 900 yuan and finishes at 354 900 yuan for the flagship four-seat model, the stickers adding up to between R760 000 and R860 000 when directly converted and without taxes.
Already approved for South Africa next year along with the G700, the F700 is set to become the country’s most powerful bakkie.
This, despite the recent arrival of the BYD Shark Performance, the incoming JAC T9 PHEV and the plug-in hybrid turbodiesel KP31 of parent company, Chery.
As it stands, pricing will only be announced once sales commence in the new year.
