The T9 Goes Electric, and Gets Seriously Dirty
There are plenty of places to test a new ute. A smooth tarmac road, a motorway, or even a gravel track (if the manufacturer is feeling adventurous). But when JAC decided to let us loose in its new T9 PHEV, it chose something rather more entertaining, the forests around Chengdu, on a custom off-road course covered in wet, slippery red clay.
Or (as I prefer to say), exactly the sort of place where a ute has to prove whether all those clever electronic systems are in fact actually clever.
Familiar T9, but with a few important tweaks
The JAC T9 has already established itself in New Zealand as a tough-looking, value-focused ute, but the PHEV represents the next step for the model.
Externally, it retains the broad-shouldered, chunky appearance of the existing T9. It’s a proper ute, with the stance and proportions you’d expect from something designed to work rather than merely look adventurous outside the local café.
But there are some subtle changes. JAC has listened to feedback from markets such as New Zealand, with the PHEV gaining features including telescopic steering adjustment and an easier-to-use tailgate. There will be a few cosmetic tweaks (such as the JAC embossed tailgate will become a black badge), but they have yet to be confirmed.
The telescopic steering wheel might sound like a small thing, but I can tell you first-hand that it makes a surprisingly big difference. Being able to properly position the wheel relative to the driver means a better driving position, particularly for taller drivers.
Continuing on with the interior, it’s familiar but a bit smarter The cabin is clean and contemporary, with a straightforward layout that doesn’t require an engineering degree to operate. There are still physical controls where you’d expect them, complemented by large digital displays.
The infotainment system is similarly easy to understand too, with the digital displays providing the information you actually need when you’re off-road. And that becomes particularly useful when you’re staring down the sort of terrain that makes you somewhat nervous.
The T9 PHEV has a comprehensive surround-view camera system, which is genuinely useful away from the road. Being able to see what’s happening around the vehicle (and, crucially, where the wheels are relative to ruts, rocks and slippery terrain) gives you considerably more confidence.
The infotainment screen also comes with a complete energy management tab that lets you see where and when the energy is flowing, set up battery recharge levels, regen, the list goes on. For those that have piloted a PHEV, the information will again be familiar, but it will be new territory for traditional ute owners – thankfully you can easily set up and ignore.
The simplicity continues with the drive-mode controls. You just push the off-road button and the electronics get to work. For the driver, the job is refreshingly easy, steer and control the throttle, which, frankly, is exactly what I want from an off-road ute.
The big story – The plug-in hybrid power
Of course, the reason we were in Chengdu was about what’s underneath the T9 PHEV. JAC has replaced the conventional diesel powertrain with a 2.0-litre petrol engine combined with two electric motors and a 31.2kWh battery.
The headline numbers are good, with the combined system output being around 360kW, with a massive 674Nm of combined torque. The battery provides an EV driving range of around 105km, while total hybrid range is claimed at up to 1,005km (both NEDC).
It’s a substantial step away from the traditional diesel ute formula, but the clever bit isn’t the amount of power, it’s the way the electric motors are integrated into the drivetrain. The T9 PHEV uses a dual-motor electric setup, with one motor driving the front axle and another providing drive to the rear. The system uses a four-speed transmission designed around a more traditional hybrid arrangement.
That matters because the JAC T9 PHEV is still expected to do ute things. Towing 3.5-tonnes and carrying 900kg+ loads. Plus it needs to venture off-road, get muddy, climb things, and generally behave like a vehicle that expects its owner to ask difficult questions of it.
Electric torque changes the off-road experience
We didn’t get chance to take the T9 PHEV on the tarmac, so I can’t comment on its on-road prowess, but off-road, the ute’s performance was genuinely interesting and in a very good way.
Firstly, no diesel rattle on start up, some may find this unnerving (I guess petrol ute owners won’t), but the cabin is quiet and somewhat serene, even when the 2L shows its face.
Anywhat, it had rained the previous day, so the wet red-clay course outside Chengdu meant that the surface was slippery enough to make even relatively modest inclines interesting. To add to the excitement, the road tyres (yes road tyres) had minimal tread pattern at the outer rim – not what I was expecting to be honest. Consider the Ante upped.
Oddly, (or maybe not), the T9 PHEV simply got on with it. In fact there were plenty of moments where a conventional powertrain could have been tempted into spinning a wheel or two, but not the PHEV.
Essentially, one of the biggest advantages of the hybrid system is the immediacy of electric torque. There isn’t the same sense of waiting for an engine to build torque or a transmission to find the right ratio, you apply throttle and the electric motors respond almost instantly.
That makes throttle control particularly effective off-road. Instead of trying to bully the terrain with a large diesel engine, the T9 PHEV can deliver its torque smoothly and precisely and on slippery surfaces, that matters.
The four-wheel-drive system constantly manages the distribution of power between the front and rear axles electronically. Rather than relying on a conventional mechanical connection between the two axles, the system uses the electric motors and control electronics to determine where the drive is needed. It sounds complicated, but from the driver’s seat, it’s wonderfully simple. Point it where you want to go and squeeze the throttle.
And as if the T9 PHEV wasn’t capable enough, it has front and rear locks if you really need them. Yep, for more serious situations, the T9 PHEV also has locking functionality, including a centre locking function. Interestingly, during our drive we didn’t actually need to deploy them, that says quite a lot.
The electronic all-wheel-drive system was able to keep the ute moving through the slippery sections without requiring the more aggressive intervention of the locking systems. There were ruts, muddy sections and slippery climbs where the vehicle looked like it should have been making considerably more fuss, instead, it just kept crawling forward. (Oh did I mention it has a crawl mode too? Again, we didn’t need to use it).
And that’s one of the most impressive aspects of the T9 PHEV off-road, it doesn’t make you work unnecessarily hard.
A surprisingly agile ute
Another unexpected benefit is the turning circle. Despite being based on the same basic platform as the conventional T9, the PHEV feels noticeably easier to manoeuvre. That was particularly apparent on tighter sections of the course, but it’s something owners will appreciate every day in shopping-centre car parks and tight urban streets too.
It may sound like a mundane observation after talking about 360kW and 674Nm, but anyone who has tried to park a large ute in a cramped car park will understand why this matters. The T9 PHEV feels more nimble than its dimensions suggest.
And then there’s other bit of fun
Once we emerged from the worst of the mud and ruts, the character of the T9 PHEV changed again, it’s quick. There is an immediacy to the acceleration that the diesel version simply can’t replicate.
Put your foot down and the T9 responds immediately, delivering a hefty shove of torque without waiting for the diesel engine to spool up. On the final winding section of track, it was almost rally-car-like in the way it could pick itself up and launch towards the next corner. For something designed primarily to be a working ute, it is remarkably entertaining, and yes, I was grinning.
Keeping some charge in reserve
The hybrid system is also designed to be intelligent about how it manages its battery. In its automatic setting, the T9 PHEV aims to maintain around 20 percent battery charge. That isn’t wasted energy. It effectively keeps some electric power in reserve so the system can still provide instant electric assistance and all-wheel-drive capability when required.
Drivers can also adjust the battery-management strategy depending on what they’re about to do. Hitching up a trailer or wanting more electric assistance later, you can retain more charge for when you need it. It’s a sensible approach because it recognises that a plug-in hybrid ute has a rather different life to a commuter EV.
So, is the T9 PHEV a serious off-roader?
Based on this first drive, absolutely. But more importantly, it feels like a different interpretation of what a modern ute can be. The conventional diesel T9 formula is familiar: engine, gearbox, four-wheel drive and a set of mechanical systems designed to get you through difficult terrain.
The T9 PHEV adds a digital layer to that formula. Electric motors provide instant torque. Electronics manage front-to-rear drive distribution. Regenerative braking recovers energy. The battery provides genuine EV capability for everyday driving, while the petrol engine remains available when longer range or heavier-duty work demands it. And then there’s the sheer amount of power. 360kW and 674Nm is serious territory for a ute.
Yet the most impressive part of the T9 PHEV isn’t the headline numbers, it’s how accessible that performance feels. You don’t need to be an off-road expert to make progress. You don’t need to constantly think about which wheel is spinning or which axle needs more torque. The electronics quietly get on with much of the complicated stuff.
All you need to do is steer, pick your line and control the throttle, which, when you’re bouncing through wet red clay in the forests outside Chengdu, is exactly how you want it.
Tarmac Takeaway
The JAC T9 PHEV is still a ute at heart. It’s still big, practical and designed to work. But with its plug-in hybrid powertrain, impressive EV range, massive combined torque and sophisticated electric all-wheel-drive system, it adds a new dimension to the formula.
There are some meaningful changes here, and they could make the T9 PHEV one of the more interesting electrified utes heading towards New Zealand.
