In a bakkie power war that is seemingly never ending, the Jetour F700 is bringing 665kW and 1135Nm to the party.
Jetour has released pricing and powertrain details of the eagerly awaited F700 plug-in hybrid bakkie in China. Picture: Supplied
Just last week we spoke about the JAC T9 PHEV that is also on its way here. And how when it gets here it will be South Africa’s most powerful bakkie with 360kW and 674Nm.
But not for very long it would seem, as the Jetour F700 will be taking over that title when it arrives here in 2027.
Ford Ranger Raptor was King
It’s crazy to think that not too long ago Ford’s Ranger Raptor with 292kW and 583Nm seemed unbeatable. Everybody thought Ford had lost the plot.
I mean, who needs a bakkie that produces almost 300kW and gets to 100km/h in 6.90 seconds?
Clearly the answer was everybody, because as fast as Ford imports Ranger Raptors, they are sold. It’s something Jetour is hoping will happen with its F700.
If you look at what is coming out of China, they are playing the same power game and Ford’s Ranger Raptor is slowly but surely moving down the performance charts.
Nothing less than 300kW now
Ahead of the Ford Ranger Raptor it is the JAC T9 PHEV with more power as already mentioned and a faster claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.90 seconds.
Up next is Chery’s KP31 PHEV, that is still looking for its unique South African name. It produces 300kW and 620Nm. The slowest claimed time online for this bakkie is 5.8 seconds.
Then you have the two BYD Shark 6‘s on the list sitting in second and third. The Premium produces 321kW and 650Nm and gets to 100km/h in 5.66 seconds.
The recently launched Performance now produces 350kW and 700Nm thanks to a change from a 1.5 litre combustion engine to a 2.0 litre. It is claimed to get to 100km/h in just 5.5 seconds.
Jetour F700 to be fastest
Top of the virtual list is the Jetour F700. The claim is 0-100km/h in a lightning fast 5.0 seconds. With 665kW and 1135Nm on tap, there is no reason to believe this bakkie will not be South Africa’s fastest bakkie.
Many are going to argue that a bakkie is not about speed and all of this is meaningless. But Ford Ranger Raptor and BYD Shark sales are proof that there are people out there that want a fast bakkie.
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens when the Jetour F700 gets here. It’s not only just stupid fast and powerful, it also has all the off-road and towing credentials of a real bakkie too.
