FIRST-DRIVE REVIEW: 2023 Jetour X70 Sport — The 7-seater that’s out for blood

Jetour Auto Philippines officially debuted on March 15, 2023, bringing with it a lineup of four vehicles priced so aggressively that these are expected to shake up the local market.

At the forefront of this epic showdown is the Jetour X70 Sport, the middle of three variants in the seven-seater X70 lineup and the one that Jetour expects to sell the most.

AutoFun Philippines was able to take the X70 Sport for a spin around Pasay City before the brand’s grand debut in Okada. Here’s what we found.

In a world where crossovers are constantly given matte-black trim for “ruggedness,” this X70 Sport is a refreshing change.

The unit we tested is bright red from top to bottom, with silver accents for the roof rails and the door handles. The entire crossover looks rather sleek and certainly doesn’t look its price (something I’ll tackle later).

Up front, pointed headlights flank the prominent, four-slat Jetour front grill. The LED foglights are four small units that reside in the lower bumper.

Down the side, the X70 Sport has a small window area that adds to the sporty appearance of the vehicle, with the large D-pillar space leading the eye to the large tailgate spoiler.

Finally, the rear end features large, wraparound LED taillights with a pert and sporty lower bumper that has two authentic exhaust pipes sticking out.

Step inside the X70 Sport and, again, it looks nothing like its price range.

The two-tone, brown-and-black cabin is very attractive and has good-quality hide and decent plastics. Standard equipment includes an electric parking brake, a panoramic moonroof and an electric tailgate.

Unlike its more radical sibling, the five-seater Jetour Dashing (which I’ll talk about in a separate review), the controls are more conventional. This includes the large gear selector, the simpler touchscreen infotainment system and the big digital gauge cluster.

Overall, the X70 Sport is a nice place to sit in, especially with the reasonably supportive driver’s seat. But a long-term review will also let us to evaluate how good the interior is for journeys

Another thing that’s quite nice about the X70 Sport is the performance.

Under the hood is a turbocharged 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine with 158 PS and 230 Nm of torque. This is mated to a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission.

On the road, the stiff suspension and the 20-inch alloy wheels mean a firm ride that makes the crossover feel more planted than most in its class. However, we weren’t able to check the tire pressures, which may be set too high.

A long-term review will unveil how it performs over a variety of road conditions.

What is quite apparent are the strong brakes with excellent pedal feel. However, the X70 Sport’s transmission seems to take time to gird its loins and unleash the full turbo potential of the powerplant.

The steering is quite light, but lacking in feel, especially for a sporty model. We weren’t able to check if the steering weight is adjustable.

Perhaps the final production units that will be available on April 2023 will have remedied these issues by then.

Jetour Auto Philippines is laying down the gauntlet against established crossover rivals. Will it emerge victorious? PHOTO BY VJ BACUNGAN.

And speaking of final production units, the Jetour X70 Sport is just ₱1,299,000.

Jetour Auto Philippines made very clear in its product presentation that it is going after buyers of the very popular Geely Coolray and Ford Territory crossovers, which can both only seat five.

In addition, all Jetours come with a six-year/unlimited mileage warranty, along with a 10-year warranty for the engine.

Overall, the X70 Sport offers a very compelling package for the money. Let’s see what a long-term review of the crossover unveils.

What do you think of Jetour’s new crossover?

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