Jetour T2 facelift revealed – sleeker, less rugged design; 2.0T gets 8AT, PHEV now with 782 PS, 245 km CLTC EV

Following early leaks, Jetour has revealed the facelifted T2, with the order books opened at the ongoing Chengdu Motor Show. The refreshed “box” SUV is once again offered in regular petrol and Intelligent Dual Mode (i-DM, known as Chery Dual Mode or C-DM in China) plug-in hybrid variants, featuring revised styling inside and out.

The T2 is known as the Traveller in China, and this latest version will be called the Traveller 7. Despite the new numerical suffix, this is still the regular five-seater rather than the longer seven-seater (the Traveller Plus). Instead, the 7 appears to have been tacked on to distance it from an all-new, more upmarket model called the Traveller 8, also debuting in Chengdu.

As previously reported, the T2 gains a more refined front end, with circular headlights replacing the square ones, making the car look even more like a discount Defender. These are joined together by a light strip that runs across the grille, pushing the Jetour script up onto the bonnet.

Jetour T2 facelift revealed – sleeker, less rugged design; 2.0T gets 8AT, PHEV now with 782 PS, 245 km CLTC EV

Meanwhile, the bumper – previously protruding a long way and made from unfinished black plastic – has now been made flush and painted in body colour, with a larger air intake and the dispensing of the pseudo-off-roader lights and tow hooks.

The rear end continues to feature its distinctive vertical four-point taillights, but with a new rear spoiler, smoother D-pillar trim (no more linear pattern) and a revised bumper design. The bonnet “grab handles”, wheel arch flares and rear bumper are also now in body colour, with the latter getting a simpler design and new auxiliary lights.

The theme of refinement continues on the inside. While the basic architecture appears to have been retained at first glance, look closely and you’ll notice that every part has been tweaked, dispensing with many of the current T2‘s macho design details. A cleaner dashboard is bookended by new, more integrated dual vertical air vents on either side, finished in chrome.

Jetour T2 facelift revealed – sleeker, less rugged design; 2.0T gets 8AT, PHEV now with 782 PS, 245 km CLTC EV

Similarly, the centre console has been made neater, although the T2 retains plenty of physical switchgear, including air-con controls and a rotary selector for the seven drive modes, plus an X-Mode button for the XWD all-wheel drive system. Dual smartphone holders with a Qi wireless charger also continue to feature.

Elsewhere, the new ten-way power-adjustable comfort seats feature a 12-layer construction and come with eight-point massage, while a 23-speaker surround sound system and 256-colour ambient lighting have also been added. Quilted upholstery adds to the plush-looking cabin, while the surfeit of chunky grab handles maintain a sense of ruggedness. A new steering wheel from the larger G700 – now with a round top – completes the look.

From launch, the T2 will only be offered in China with a 2.0 litre turbo four-cylinder engine, dispensing with the base 1.5 litre option. Outputs are not known, but it should offer the same 254 PS and 390 Nm of torque as the outgoing Chinese-market model, 9 PS and 15 Nm more than in other countries. More importantly, the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission has been replaced by an eight-speed automatic, hitherto reserved only for the top-spec model.

Jetour T2 facelift revealed – sleeker, less rugged design; 2.0T gets 8AT, PHEV now with 782 PS, 245 km CLTC EV

The plug-in hybrid has been upgraded, still with a 1.5 litre turbo four but with stronger dual motors that combined push out a faintly ridiculous 782 PS and 835 Nm. It’s now claimed to be offer 245 km of electric range on the CLTC cycle (up from 212 km currently; around 200 km WLTP) and a combined range of 1,400 km.

Safety-wise, all models come with highly-autonomous city and highway driving functions, although the systems come from different suppliers. The petrol variants will feature Chery’s own Falcon 500 technology, while the PHEV upgrades to Huawei’s Qiankun ADS5 system.

These upgrades come as the T2 notched cumulative global sales of over 550,000 units, contributing to Jetour’s total worldwide sales of 2.45 million units. Are you excited for the facelift, or do you think the refinement went too far? Let us know in the comments.