Around 25 km from Dullstroom lies the little village of Tonteldoos. “Tonteldoos” is the Afrikaans word for a tinderbox, a small metal box containing kindling, flint, and a piece of steel. With this, you had everything needed to start a fire. It is believed the village was named after one of the local farms belonging to Samuel Smit. He named it Tonteldoos because a local weed, known as a tontelbossie, was found in the area. When dry, it is highly flammable. The area also had flint, which, when struck with steel, created sparks; thus, the land was a tinderbox in itself.
I visited Tonteldoos once when I still had my Ducati DesertX. However, when Jetour delivered the new T2 to my house, a plan hatched to take my wife to Dullstroom for lunch with a small detour through Tonteldoos.
The Jetour T2 strikes an imposing figure. It is unashamedly aimed squarely at the Land Rover Defender. I heard someone call it the “Jetour Pretender”, but this car does more than just pretend. It offers all the luxury you could want at a price significantly lower than its British counterpart. The T2 comes in three derivatives with two engine options. First is the T2 Aspire with a 1.5 L turbocharged engine. This car is Front Wheel Drive only. The next two models in the range are the Xplora and the Odyssey, which offer different levels of trim. These models are powered by a 2-litre turbocharged engine that delivers 180 kW. They also have Jetour’s “XWD”, their intelligent all-wheel drive system.
All models include Level 2 ADAS safety systems, providing Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Centring. In short, the car will accelerate, brake, and steer for you. I must admit, I have driven cars where the lane centring is quite aggressive. I usually switch this feature off as soon as I get in because, on our roads, you have to swerve for potholes—I don’t want to play tug-of-war with a car that bounds me from doing exactly that. Fortunately, in the T2, this feature stays off even after you restart the vehicle. However, it still has a small beeping fit if you stray over the centre line.
All models are equipped with a massive 15.6” centre screen and a 10.5” instrument cluster. Thankfully, Jetour still retained physical buttons for the dual-zone climate control. A panoramic sunroof is also standard. What gave me the confidence to choose the slightly technical Tonteldoos detour was the 220 mm ground clearance and 700 mm wading depth. While there have been reports of the T2’s gearbox overheating when the going gets tough, the T2 doesn’t claim to be a conqueror of the Richtersveld. Its AWD system, though capable, is likely designed for the occasional snow or sandy track.
The cabin is incredibly spacious, and the materials feel premium everywhere you touch. The centre console is dual-level. The top level houses the gear lever, four functional buttons, and space for two phones (one with wireless charging). The bottom level is dedicated to storage with additional USB sockets. Under the armrest, there is another storage compartment that can direct air from the climate control to keep items cool on the go. Everyone in the car has ample space, and while I noticed a few fitment issues on the exterior, it didn’t detract from the overall feeling of a quality product. The seats are electrically adjustable, supportive, and perfect for South African conditions, featuring a cooling function.
The rear tailgate houses the spare wheel and swings out to one side, revealing a decent-sized boot with a retractable screen to hide your belongings from prying eyes. The floor is flat, though it sits quite high, so lifting heavy items requires some effort. There is even more space under the floorboard. Neatly built into the tailgate are two cup holders for when you are relaxing in the bush. Oddly, the one cup holder has a Bluetooth sign on it! The T2 even has a bottle opener bolted to the tailgate, a very thoughtful touch for the local market!
The T2 has several drive modes, where you can actually feel the difference in engine characteristics. Sport mode felt a bit too enthusiastic for city driving, while Eco-mode was a bit underwhelming. Normal mode is the sweet spot. It also features Rock, Snow, and Mud modes, along with an “X-mode” that acts like “Auto” on a camera, adapting to the terrain automatically.
We departed Pretoria early on Human Rights Day, heading towards Middelburg on the N4. With Adaptive Cruise Control and Eco-mode engaged, we sat back for the long haul. Just outside Middelburg, we stopped at the old Meijer’s Bridge, a beautiful sandstone structure from a time when practicality didn’t require a boring design.
Near Stofberg, we saw the damage trucks can do to road surfaces, but the T2 soaked up the unevenness with ease. The Tonteldoos turnoff looked daunting after recent rain, but it was mostly just freshly graded soil. Even on a steep uphill with deep ruts and one deep mud patch, the T2 was unfazed, tip-toeing through without drama. Here, I appreciated the 520-degree cameras on the vehicle. Sometimes your vision is obscured by the bonnet, and it is reassuring to get a visual representation of the terrain in front of the car. This can also show you a bird’s-eye view of the car to ensure you are parked neatly within the lines in a parking lot.
In the village of Tonteldoos, we grabbed something to drink and then headed to Dullstroom. This part of the road is in a better state, but you can see the effects of the rain everywhere. As we turned into Dullstroom, the T2 felt at home. With lots of SUVs around, the Jetour did not look out of place.
We grabbed some lunch and then embarked on the long trek home. We hit a serious cloudburst outside Dullstroom, and even the standing water did not faze the T2. All in, we did a 500 km round trip with an average fuel consumption of 8.8 l/100 km. But don’t let that fool you. We drove in Eco-mode for most of the trip, but if you swing the car into Sport mode and drive enthusiastically, that number will edge closer to 10 l/100 km.
I was reading an opinion piece by Liezel Jonkheid, Founder and Director of the Consumer Psychology Lab, where she states that “Price matters. Value matters more”. The Jetour T2 asserts the notion that, compared to its rivals, buyers are starting to question the higher price they are paying for the established brands. The Jetour T2 comes with a 10-year / 1 million km engine warranty for the first owner, a 7-year / 200 000 km warranty and a 5-year / 75 000 km service plan. All this for less than R700 000! Small wonder it is also a finalist in the 2026 South African Car of the Year.
If this style of car is what you are looking for, the Jetour T2 makes a compelling case for itself. It is spacious and can handle most terrain with ease. It also costs a lot less than the competition. Despite the fuel consumption being on the high side for some, I would certainly recommend it. Judging by how many of them I saw on the road, I am not the only one sharing that sentiment.
If you want to find out more, you can visit: Jetour South Africa
