Most of you, by now, would understand how much Australia loves a ute. Every week it seems like there’s a new model, with the 2025 JAC T9, available in the Oasis and Haven trims, the latest to enter the fray.
Up against the likes of the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, SsangYong Musso and GWM Cannon, the T9 comes from long established Chinese brand JAC (1964), who have a reputation for manufacturing reliable light and heavy-duty trucks.
Its first offering (this time round); the T9, is marketed as a tough ute that’s built to work as hard as you do. Under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder common rail turbocharged and intercooled diesel engine (try saying that 10-times quickly).
That’s paired with an 8-speed ZF gearbox, strapped to a part-time 4WD system that pushes out an average 120kW of power and 400Nm of torque. Delivery can be altered through four different drive modes, including Eco, Normal, Sport, and Snow.
These modes for the most part only adjust the way the T9 Haven puts down its power, with Snow delivering a controlled bottom end, allowing you to navigate softer terrain. Sport is designed to push the ute to the limit, at least speed-wise, which tops out at 150km/h.
Braked towing capacity is 3,200kg, which isn’t too bad against a swag of rivals who offer 3,500kg. For a big ute with a decent hauling capability, the engine itself is an interesting thing. It feels a little like something you’d buy on AliExpress (and in fact you can).
Now that might sound harsh but let us elaborate. The motor only takes up about 1/3 of the engine bay, with plenty of room for a larger donk (a future plan perhaps). A new powerplant is only a couple of thousand dollars online too.
That would make swapping it out an affordable option. Now hear me out a little further. The JAC T9 comes with a 7-year warranty, meaning you wouldn’t have to shell for a new engine for at least that length of time. It’s oddly comforting to know you can do it though.
Visually, the hard-working ute has a fierce stare, with sharp LED headlights and an aggressive grille emphasising that toughness we mentioned earlier. A complete contrast is found inside, with its soft, premium quilted and diamond stitched leather interior.
The seats are comfortable, whether your navigation rough terrain or heading to a job site, and on top of that, the cabin has an amazing glass house that affords a decent physical outlook so you can keep an eye out for hazards.
This is supported by a 360-degree parking camera, which is integrated into the 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The latter houses the usual Apple CarPlay and Android Auto combo, and controls for the 64-colour ambient lighting offering.
More importantly, it’s here you’ll find the off switch for the intrusive driver monitoring system. Below the screen is a set of climate controls, although there’s no physical volume knob for the audio.
The aforementioned mood lighting includes three preset modes (Static, Breath and Musical Rhythm). Other niceties include heated front seats and wireless phone charging. There’s just one zone for the air conditioning.
For the tradies, or anyone really, the centre console cubby has a cooler box that can handle four 250ml cans. You’ll also have no issue fitting full size adults in the back, with the T9 Haven offering ample leg room for everyone.
If it’s let down anywhere though, it’s in the build quality. In our test vehicle, there were a few noticeable uneven gaps in the alignment of the exterior panels. The spray-in tub liner looked average as well, leaving us a little disappointed.
While not a deal breaker, it does stand out. On the road, the 2025 JAC T9 Haven’s ride feels smooth for the most part. It does move around a little over bumps (with no weight in the tray), with a significant amount of body roll in corners.
That’s especially so for rear passengers, with one telling us it felt worse in the second row. We reckon that would go away with a couple of bags of cement in the tray. To evaluate its off road capability, we headed for our test loop.
Located in the back of the south western Sydney suburb of Oakdale, it’s here we got to see the T9’s off road credentials. It did well, navigating the mildly rough terrain with ease, articulating through the mounds and troughs of the uneven surfaces.
It proved capable in both 4H and 4L, and even in 2H mode. Toward the end of the run, we put the JAC to the test by driving it up a muddy mound and even then, it handled it with ease, without needing to engage the extra driving modes.
For us, that was genuinely impressive. Despite its 3100kg GVM (about the same as a mini-excavator) and 5.3m length (that’s essentially 1.5 Fiat 500s), it feels quite light on the road, and makes for an easy daily driver.
While far from perfect, it’s good enough that we’d tell our tradie mates to buy one. A simple and affordable ute, the T9 Haven is priced at $46,929 drive away, and that’s hard to argue with, in terms of value.
JAC backs it with a 7-year unlimited kilometre warranty and identical capped price servicing and roadside assistance. You can find out more online, or by talking to your local dealership.
To get a low rate finance quote, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One. To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was supplied by JAC Auto Australia for independent review purposes.
