r/CarTalkZA

I just spent a week in the facelifted Jetour X70 Plus, and honestly, this is one of my favourite Chinese cars I've driven, if we're not counting the hybrids.

Jetour came into the SA market with the X70 Plus and the Dashing, which are fine cars, I guess, but me, I've always been one to prefer cars that are enjoyable to drive. Those had all the value and tech while lacking decent throttle response, making that driving experience a bit irritating, especially when trying to overtake.

This facelift has a new front grille and new wheel design, and it's now positioned as the luxury SUV from Jetour, which I found weird that it wasn't already. They used to market the X70 as the sportier one of the two, with sporty-looking rims, red accents and quad exhausts. The old quad exhausts were actually just cosmetic, but this new one still has four exhaust outlets, with two of them now being functional.

I actually really like this car. I think it looks elegant and expensive, especially in black with the chrome accents. The tail lights kinda remind me of the Audi Q8. The interior is lovely too. It reminds me of Mercedes' design, but hey, it works.

Jetour actually gave the power a bit of an upgrade, from 115 kW (154 hp) and 230 Nm to 125 kW (168 hp) and 270 Nm, and it's noticeable. It also now has a 7-speed DCT instead of the old 6-speed. Whenever I get these Chinese cars, I immediately put them in Sport because that calibration is better in that mode, plus I found it to even be easier on fuel in Sport mode. The car is pretty responsive and, dare I say, fun.

You get all you need. Surprisingly, you even get heated and cooled seats. I drove the Prime version, which costs R494,900, but there's a Prestige version which is R444,900. What impresses me the most is that the facelift is just R10,000 more than the old version. R10,000 for heated and ventilated seats, more power and better drive? The car was always easy to recommend to many, but now it's easy to recommend to most.

I really liked this car, one of my favourite Chinese cars. Fuel consumption was around 8.5-9 L/100 km, but I think it's worth noting that this car was brand spanking new, only having done 600 km.

One of the most popular Chinese vehicles in SA today, the Haval Jolion. I had the Pro Ltd Edition, which is just different in cosmetics. It only differs in terms of the green calipers and a green strip around the lower body.

The look, body and shape of this car is extreme, I would say. If you were to see it, you'd think this is a 300-400 hp car with pops and bangs, but no. It's a 105 kW (140 hp) and 210 Nm 7-speed DCT. So while it's not as fast as it looks, it's still a good car to drive.

With these Chinese cars, you get the best out of them in Sport mode, not only in terms of responsiveness but even with the fuel consumption, so I kept it in Sport mode for all but one trip. In fact, on the same trip, one in Eco and one in Sport, I got better consumption in Sport, with Sport mode using 9 km less of range on a 24 km trip of mostly city driving. Fuel consumption, they claim 8.1 L/100 km, but I hovered around 9.9 at best. And this is where your Japanese and German cars still excel over the Chinese. The Suzuki Across, which compares with this car, got me 4.4 L/100 km at one time!

Interior-wise, it's actually quite simple. No big TV screen, but a sizeable infotainment screen. I will say, though, that I hate that I can only change the drive modes (Eco, Normal and Sport) through the screen rather than having a simple toggle or button nearby. The faux-leather seats are comfortable, you get a panoramic sunroof and a volume-dial-style gear selector.

Rear space is much more spacious than the Suzuki Across because here you don't get that transmission tunnel. I think it's a good-looking car. I really like the rear taillight, which looks sleek. The only thing I have against the design is the wheel size and how they fit in the arches. It looks straight botched, and that's the first thing I'd change were I to buy this car.

The car comes in at R431,450, and I kinda see why it's popular. Guys, I kid you not, the other day I saw more than 20 delivery trucks all filled with these Havals. There were 100s of them.

I'd go for the Suzuki, though.

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I drove the Suzuki Across GL Auto for a week and here are my thoughts:

Firstly, the looks. I really like the way it looks in the front, especially with the white finish I had it in and the chrome bar on the front. The back looks a bit weird to me. It almost looks like an Alfa Romeo Junior in white, except with Temu body parts. Other than that, it's fine. It gets LED headlights, LED DRLs and even LED fog lights.

Inside is where it really shines. Before I even talk about the interior, the manual Across is R349,900, this automatic mid-spec is R372,900, and the top-of-the-range GLX is R464,900. The GL is the one to go for. You get everything you need, from parking sensors, a reverse camera and a full spare tyre, not a biscuit, and the niceties like cruise control, your wireless charger, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto.

The interior is nice, the seats don't feel cheap, and it's a sizeable crossover SUV. I do think it's a bit too close to the Grand Vitara, so Grand Vitara owners wouldn't see much of an upgrade.

In terms of power, I had the GL Auto, which has 76 kW (101 hp) and 137 Nm with a mild-hybrid battery. The battery helps in stop-start traffic and with the consumption. The powertrain is a bit weak for my liking, but then again, it's a Suzuki. It's an A-to-B car. I found overtaking needed a bit of calculation and timing because the lag is a bit much when you step on the throttle.

But who is buying a Suzuki for the power? You buy it for the consumption numbers. I averaged around 6.2 L/100 km for the week, mostly in the city. You can get numbers as low as 4.4 L/100 km on the highway, and the range adjusts with your driving. At one point, the car added 60 km to the range after driving around in traffic, which is impressive.

I see why Suzuki is a big name in SA and are doing well. For this price, you get a really great car. I know many aren't keen on the techy interiors we get now, so this will be right up your alley. It'll get you from point A to point B efficiently, with a great-quality infotainment screen that isn't reminiscent of a 55-inch flat screen, all the tech you need really, and a quality interior.

This car competes with the Haval Jolion, among others, which I then drove this week (more thoughts on that later), but the Suzuki is the better deal by far. Other cars to look out for in this segment would be the Toyota Urban Cruiser and Suzuki's own Grand Vitara, and from the Chinese, the Lepas L4 and Chery Tiggo Cross.

I say the Across comes out on top.