New SUV simply Dashing

JETOUR: INNOVATIVE DESIGN, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY, AFFORDABILITY

- Jaco van der Merwe

These days it's a case of another week, another new Chinese car.

The link between the latest brand to join the fray, Jetour, and mega Chinese manufacturer Chery, at least adds some familiarity to the newcomer. Only six-years-old, Jetour is the youngest of Chery's independent marques, which also include the Omoda and Jaecoo badges locally alongside the mother brand.

While all four of these nameplates focuses entirely on SUVs for the moment, they do offer four entirely different propositions. Chery's three models, the Tiggo 4, 7 and 8 Pro, are all styled along the lines of conventional SUVs.

Omoda is positioned as a plusher offering featuring eccentric futuristic styling, while Jaecoo adopts a boxy design that exudes ruggedness.

The styling of the two initial Jetour models, the Dashing and X70, are diverse, so for the purposes of this driving impression we'll stick to the former today.

We had the Jetour Dashing in top spec Deluxe trim for week after its official launch and were keen to see if it can create its own niche in the bigger stable brimming with similar-sized - and priced - SUVs.

Making very sure it can never be confused for any other SUV under the Chery umbrella, the Dashing features a coupe-like roof at the rear and a very sporty front-end design.