Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
I don’t usually gush about electric vehicles (EVs). Sure, they are chockful of technology, are utterly efficient in converting electrical power into motion, and they operate quite silently. And perhaps, this is where my inner gearhead gets to argue with the engineer in me. After owning and driving muscle cars, sport sedans and SUVs with big V8 engines under their hoods, I found myself anticipating the engine sound that accompanies the rush of acceleration and the excitement of zooming at highway speeds. Modern EVs may be quick and fast but they’re just so quiet…
However, a week with the 2025 JAC Ytterby PRO 505 changed me. Driving this winsome five-door compact EV reminded me of the old adage “Silent waters run deep”. At stoplights and crawling traffic, it garnered the same attention and double-takes from other drivers, commuters, pedestrians and passers-by as my classic cars. At parking lots, some people come up to me to ask questions about it. I even found some of my neighbors, most of whom have seen me drive home more expensive vehicles, gawking at it every time I drive it out of our garage. I realized that there are times when winsome looks win over rumbling engine noises to get attention.
Black & Beige Can Be Attractive
Our Ytterby test drive unit was lent to us by the dealer principal of JAC Quezon Avenue, William Uy, who was also able to drive it extensively. Over lunch at FRAICHE along Sto. Domingo Street in Quezon City, William gushed about the features, functions and technologies of the Ytterby and how he loved driving it around. My wife Shawie and I found the factory beige finish appropriate for the car, especially with its bug-eye “Angel Eyes” LED headlights in front, that gave it an attractive and winsome classic car vibe.
The black roof and pillars contrasts nicely and divides the car into two sections, drawing the eye to the lower body and the interior while masking the tall roof. The 5-spoke two-tone 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels shod with 205/55R17 tires fill up the wheel wells nicely, although we think that the body-colored portion of the wheel causes a bit of visual imbalance, looking somewhat like it was left unpainted. Thankfully, the slab-sided two-box body is tidy and uncluttered, with just a few contours and a visual design cue that connects the headlights to the rear taillights. The back of the car is apt with a neat and simple hatchback design.
Technological Jargon for Engineers
For the benefit of our readers who are not inclined towards technical jargon, I’ll try to make this as simple as possible. The power source of our Ytterby PRO 505 is a 51.5 kilowatt-hour (kWh) cellular battery array that can be fully charged from zero to 100% in nine hours using a common 220V AC (alternating current) household outlet at 6.6 kilowatts. If you’re in a hurry, a fast-charge direct current (DC) charger can charge the battery array from 30% to 80% in just 30 minutes. The charging status of our Ytterby was set at a maximum of 80%, which most EV manufacturers recommend to avoid overheating the battery. To sum it up, a fully-charged battery will allow us to drive up to 505 kilometers between charges.
When we got the car on a Tuesday afternoon, the battery had 23% charge. We plugged it in overnight and woke up to an 80% charge on Wednesday morning. We drove from Quezon City to Alabang via the Skyway, where we tested the 134 horsepower output of the Permanent Magnet Synchronization Electric Motor. The Ytterby effortlessly cruised up to the Skyway’s 80 km/h speed limit and zoomed easily beyond 100 km/h when we needed to overtake slower traffic. We set the Energy Recovery to “Strong” so the Brake Regeneration slowed the car without stepping on the brakes, which helped recharge the battery and extend the range a bit more.
Like a mobile device, we charged the Ytterby overnight using the included 6.6 kW charger plugged into a 220V AC outlet.
The next day, we left Quezon City for Alabang with an indicated 80% battery charge and 403 kilometers of range.
We adjusted the settings to Economic Driving Mode and Strong Energy Recovery to maximize the range.
Cocooned in a Cool, Neat and Unique Interior
We arrived in Alabang, fresh, cool and relaxed with my wife’s initial range anxiety erased since we still had 67% battery charge despite the heavy traffic we encountered along Balintawak before we got into the Skyway, the long queue at the Del Monte toll plaza, and the unusual number of slow vehicles on the Skyway between Makati and Alabang. Of course, it helped that we were cocooned inside a unique interior with comfortable two-tone leather seats, uncluttered cockpit, stalk-mounted controls and multi-function steering wheel, easy-to-understand 6.2-inch LCD instrument screen, large 15.6-inch central touchscreen infotainment display, and smart climate control system with rear outlet and PM 2.5 pollen filtration.
The cockpit has a minimalist design with all the gear selector on the right stalk, AC and music controls on the steering wheel, and important settings on the 15.6-inch touchscreen.
The front seats have adequate bolsters, are comfortable for long drives, and supportive around curves.
The rear bench seat has a 60/40 folding seatback to expand the Ytterby’s cargo capacity.
Tinted panoramic sunroof is a cool touch. During our weeklong test drive, we stored the manually-removable cloth shade to fully enjoy our drive in the Ytterby.
The driver’s seat features 6-direction electrical adjustments, comes with heating and ventilation, and has a memory feature where it reverts to the position set by the driver after the door is closed. There’s a front central armrest with a storage underneath and a single cupholder that folds into the front central console. We plugged a USB with thousands of our favorite songs and enjoyed the music thru the 8-speaker sound system. Shawie charged her mobile phone on the wireless charger while I played around with the 64-color ambient light controls. We both enjoyed the view of the skies provided by the large panoramic sunroof, which came with a manually-removable shade.
Minimalist dashboard was paired with a shiny black diamond-pattern accent piece to spruce it up.
Now you see it, now you don’t. Large single cupholder folds neatly into the front center console for easy access to the USB ports and 12V outlet.
6.2-inch LCD instrument display behind multi-function 2-spoke steering wheel monitors vital EV operations with a cute snow bear-like mascot.
Vital adjustments can be made on the fly with the 15.6-inch touchscreen display…
… including the 64-color ambient light display…
… and various safety and driver assistance systems.
Capable, Practical & Safe Daily Driver
The more time we spent with the Ytterby, the more we like it. With a torque rating of 175 Newton-meters and a curb weight of just 1,445 kilograms (plus the combined weight of me and my wife), the Ytterby accelerated strongly when pressed, easily outpacing some of the vaunted sports sedans we encountered along the tollways. Its independent suspension system, with McPherson struts in front and torsion beam at the back, worked well with its 2.6-meter wheelbase, to provide a ride that’s smoother than expected, handling that’s like a go-kart, and a turning circle that’s tight as anticipated.
The Ytterby zips around town effortlessly…
… and handles like an electric go-kart.
After driving around Alabang for several hours attending meetings, a photo shoot, and then dinner with our daughter Vette, the Ytterby still had 64% charge for our evening drive back home to QC.
ABS anti-lock front and rear disc brakes help the regenerative braking system stop the Ytterby quickly. Its EPS electric power steering with force adjustment makes it easy to drive at even at crawling speed, and Shawie found it easy to park and maneuver around tight spaces since it’s just around 4 meters long and 1.8 meters wide. To prove its practicality, we folded the 60/40 rear seats flat to carry my guitars in their cases and then, we left one seatback up to accommodate Shawie at the backseat while our guitar-loving son Chevy gets to ride shotgun in front with me.
Rear design is clean and uncluttered with a tailgate that opens wide enough to get large items in.
Rear parcel shelf covers items in the 250-liter trunk from prying eyes. It can be removed to carry taller items like luggage bags. We always carried the plug-in charger in the trunk during our test drive.
With the 60/40 rear seat folded, the cargo space is greatly enhanced. Lifting one of the rear seatbacks can accomodate a thrid passenger in addition to the cargo.
Who Knew EVs Can Be So Much Fun?
On a sunny and lazy Saturday afternoon, Chevy and I decided to have fun and jam with our guitars. Instead of playing inside our house and plugging our amplifiers to the wall sockets, we decided to play in our open garage and plug our amps into the supplied VL cable (vehicle-to-load), which turned this JAC EV into our impromptu 220V power supply while its 8-speaker sound system blasted the music we played to. We played for around three hours, attracting some neighbors who peeked into our garage to admire our newfound Ytterby “power bank” and “mobile sound system”. The neighborhood kids eventually went in and became our impromptu audience, alternate singers and back-up dancers. We had a ton of fun!
My son Chevy on his custom-made Fender Jazz electric bass guitar and me on my vintage Fender Stratocaster jammed in our open garage using the Ytterby as the power source for our amps, and its 8-speaker sound system for the music we played to.
While I was cleaning up after our fun jamming session, I checked on the Ytterby’s remaining power and was surprised that we only consumed around 7% of the battery charge while sapping 220V for our amps and blasting music through its eight speakers for almost 3 hours! And it still had enough juice to go to visit Vette in Alabang and head back home without recharging. While driving around town on Sunday, the info system displayed an energy consumption of 9.4 kWh per 100 kilometers after all the ruckus we made the previous day and after the weeklong drives we made on highways, tollways, and city streets.
Our average energy consumption during our use of the Ytterby was only 9.4 kWH per 100 kilometers.
Sense & Sensibilities, Pesos & Centavos
To put it in perspective, Meralco charges us an average P12.2901 per kWh and multiplying that with 9.4 kWh per 100 km, brings us to around P1.16 per kilometer. Think about it: It cost just a peso and sixteen centavos to travel a kilometer! Since we’ve done several Long Term Tests here in Power Wheels Magazine (Please click the black strip on top to select the section), we can compare it to the fuel costs per kilometer of our previous test vehicles and even with the motorcycle that we’re currently using:
2010 Foton MP-X – 8.17 kilometers per liter (km/L), P5.50 per kilometer
2011 Kia Soul – 7.56 km/L, P6.97 per kilometer
2014 Suzuki Ertiga – 7.68 km/L, P5.65 per kilometer
2016 Suzuki Ciaz – 8.96 km/L, P5.01 per kilometer
2022 Harley-Davidson Softtail Breakout 114 – 19.37 km/L, P3.39 per kilometer
2025 JAC Ytterby PRO 505 – 9.4 kWh/100 km (10.64 km per kWh), P1.16 per kilometer
Please click this to learn more about the results of our Long Term Tests reviews.
Astara Philippines, the distributor of JAC Motors here in the country, priced the 2025 Ytterby PRO 505 at just P1,320,000 to make it accessible to most consumers. However, a more accessible version, the Ytterby Air 405, is also available at a lower P1,195,000, with 41 kWh, 94hp, 135 Nm of torque, 405-kilometer range, lighter curb weight, 16-inch tires, and of course, less amenities. While we think that the Air 405 variant is ideal for those who spend more time driving around the city than on the highways, we feel that the PRO 505 is more suited to our needs. And yes, we’d like one in beige, because we find that it looks classier that way, which gives us more excuses to gush about it even more.
SPECIFICATIONS
Vehicle Type: 5-door compact EV
Price: P1,320,000
Motor: Permanent Magnet Synchronization
Battery: Cellular Array, Lithium Iron Phosphate
Cooling: Liquid
Battery capacity: 51.5 kWh
AC charging time: (SOC 0% – 100% @ 6.6 kW) 9 hours
DC charging time: (SOC 30% – 80%) 0.5 hours
Charging standard: CCS2
Maximum power: 134 hp
Maximum torque: 175 Nm
Autonomy CLTC Range: 505 km
Wheelbase: 2620 mm
Length: 4025 mm
Width: 1770 mm
Height: 1560 mm
Minimum ground clearance: 130 mm
Curb weight: 1445 kg
Trunk space: 250 liters
Front suspension: Independent, McPherson struts
Rear suspension: Independent, torsion beam
Front brakes: Ventilated discs
Rear brakes: Solid discs
Steering system: Electric power assist with Force adjustment
Wheels: 17-inch 5-spoke Aluminum Alloy
Tires: 205/55R17
