Jac J75 light truck review

White Motors Corporation (WMC) imports JAC trucks, as well as other Chinese vehicles, to Australia and is very serious about the success of the new brand. On staff it has senior executives with extensive experience in the Australian truck industry, usually gained while working with what are now competitors to JAC.

WMC has appointed major dealer groups, including AHG, CMC, Adorns and Macquarie, to sell the JAC trucks, and tell us more are at various stages of negotiating agreements.

VALUE

Let’s begin our first local review of Chinese-made JAC trucks in Australia by talking about their prices. Because that’s going to be their big selling point. With recommended retails typically around 15 to 20 per cent lower than those for the current major players in the light commercial field JAC trucks will immediately appeal to those chasing a bargain.

We also write about the prices at the start of this news story because the low dollar numbers may help dull some of the upcoming criticisms of the JACs you’re about to read. JAC prices begin at just $36,389 for the entry level J45 4.5-tonne model. On-road costs have to be added but you get a lot of vehicle for under forty grand in a market segment that typically starts in the high forties.

JAC is proud of what it says will be exceptionally strong aftersales service in Australia. It also boasts its spare parts pricing will be lower than those for others in the industry. The warranty on JAC trucks is for two years for the complete vehicle, with the driveline being warranted for up to five years. The distance limit on the latter is an impressive 500,000 kilometres.

TECHNOLOGY

One reason for the big warranty is that JAC trucks use a Cummins ISF diesel engine. This is a brand new design and uses the latest Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology to enable it to meet Euro 5 emission standard.

These dedicated truck engines have capacities of 2.8 or 3.8 litres. The former used in the J45, the latter in the J65 and J75 (the numbers represent the GVM of the trucks). Power output is 110 kW in the 2.8 and 105 kW in the 3.8, the apparently odd numbers reflecting the smaller engine is aimed at the car-licence vehicle. Torque tells the full story, with the 2.8 engine producing 360 Nm, and the 3.8 having a very useful 450 Newton metres.

The 2.8-litre engine sits in front of a five-speed ZF manual gearbox, the 3.8 gets six forward ratios. An automatic is in the pipeline for the JAC J45 and will help sales with those more used to driving cars than trucks. Standard on all JAC light-duty trucks being imported to Australia are air conditioning, power windows, a radio/CD/mp3 audio system and central locking.

The JAC importer says its J65 and J75 models are the only vehicles in its class to have full air brake systems.

DRIVING

Our initial test drives were done only in JAC J75s. Our first impression was a serious likeness to an old Isuzu light-duty truck of 10 or so years back. The fit and finish on the Chinese vehicles was quite good, though one of them later developed a squeaking noise from somewhere under the dashboard on the driver’s side. So something wasn’t fastened in correctly.

The Cummins ISF 3.8-litre engine is a delight to sit behind and by far the best feature of the trucks. It pulls effortlessly from anywhere over 1000 revs and is willing to use its torque to hold only high gears for long periods. The trucks were loaded to about 80 per cent and we did a fair bit of driving in heavy traffic in the suburbs of Brisbane, as well as in hilly country areas on a roundabout trip south to the Gold Coast.

The ZF six-speed gearbox was generally OK, but did tend to bind at times, requiring quite forceful changes on several occasions. Steering was on the vague side and even a highly experienced truck driver I shared vehicles with found it hard to keep on the straight and narrow at times.

Despite the compact overall dimensions of the J75 it has a large turning circle that makes manoeuvring in tight spots very difficult at times.

Ride comfort isn’t too bad for a light truck, with the suspension coping with most Australian back roads. Tyre and road noise were higher than we liked and would be tiring over extended periods behind the wheel.

VERDICT

There’s room for improvement in the JAC light commercials. The local importers are well aware of this and are sending information back to China on a constant basis. If these improvements can be incorporated without any significant increase in prices then light trucks seem assured of success in Australia.

RANGE

J45 2.8-litre 4995 kg GVM: from $37,389
J65 3.8-litre 6995 kg GVM: from $39,589
J75 3.8-litre 7995 kg GVM: from $40,689
 

J75
Price: from $40,689
Engine: 3.8L Cummins ISFe5 engine, 105kW/450Nm
Gearbox : six-speed manual