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Dashing By Name, Dashing By Nature: The Jetour That Refused To Give Me A Complaint
Dashing By Name, Dashing By Nature: The Jetour That Refused To Give Me A Complaint
Date: 2026-09-25
I'll admit it, I went into this road test expecting to write a polite, forgettable paragraph about another budget Chinese SUV. Instead I spent a week trying to find something to complain about in the Jetour Dashing Core, and came up embarrassingly short.
Under that sculpted, borderless grille sits a 1.5 litre turbocharged engine putting out 115kW and 230Nm through a slick 6 speed dual clutch gearbox, enough shove to make Field's Hill feel like a small triumph rather than a chore. It pulls cleanly, shifts smartly, and never once left me wishing for a diesel option I hadn't even considered asking about, nor for a bigger badge on the bonnet.
Step inside and the Core trim throws a genuine curveball, twin 10.25 inch displays for the instrument cluster and infotainment, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice command that actually understands a Durban accent, and a rear parking camera that saved my bumper at least twice outside the Gateway parkade. For a car wearing this price tag, it borders on being cheeky.
Safety isn't an afterthought either, front and side airbags, ESP, ABS, traction control and hill hold all present and accounted for, doing their quiet, unglamorous job of keeping you upright on the windy stretches up towards Salt Rock.
At R359,900, the Dashing Core isn't chasing badge snobs. It's chasing anyone tired of paying more for less, and on this evidence, it's earned the right to be cross-shopped against cars twice its reputation and price. Witty styling, informative tech, and not a single moment where I felt short-changed.
Go see it, sit in it, and try to argue with the price. Jetour Umhlanga, 15 Meridian Drive, is where that conversation starts, and where I'd happily send you to have it. Call ahead on 087 008 2002.