Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
“Jack and the Beanstalk” is a classic children’s story where a poor boy named Jack traded a cow for magic beans, which infuriates his mother, who throws the beans out the window into their garden. The next morning, Jack was surprised to find a giant beanstalk that reaches high into the sky, climbs it, and discovers a castle above the clouds that’s full of danger and treasures. Jack overcomes the dangers, gets the treasures, kills the giant that chased him down the beanstalk, and lives a wealthy and comfortable life with his mother thereafter. It’s a classic fairy tale of courage and wit with an obligatory happy ending.
“Jack and the Beanstalk” is a fairy tale that promotes courage, wit and a triumphant, happy ending.
This fairy tale played inside our heads while we were test driving the 2025 JAC T9 2.0 CTI Advance 4×2 that was lent to us by our good friend, William Uy, the Marketing Director of JAC Quezon Avenue. Like the poor boy Jack, JAC (Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group, the car company) is climbing the beanstalk – the tough but lucrative Philippine pickup truck market – with the T9, which was launched earlier this year. However, it has to face the giants – the popular turbodiesel pickup trucks that have already established a foothold in the local market – while it also has to compete with the villagers – the compatriot Chinese pickup truck models – that are also trying to climb the same beanstalk, err… break into the same market.
The JAC T9 has the widest (1,965 mm) and tallest (1,920 mm) body in the turbodiesel 4×2 pickup class while also being the most affordable at P1,318,000. (Note: The GWM Cannon is available as a 4×4 only while the BYD Shark 6 DMO, Foton Tunland V9 HEV and Radar RD6 BEV are electrified models.)
Jack’s Got The Beans
Similar to Jack after he got the magic beans, this JAC has the beans worthy of trading the family cow, err… family car for. The T9’s propelling magic comes courtesy of a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder diesel engine with four valves per cylinder (16V), double overhead camshafts (DOHC), and common rail diesel injection (CRDI) with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). The 168-horsepower output of the turbodiesel engine is multiplied by the 8-speed automatic transmission that allows it to reach highway speeds quickly and effortlessly. We noticed, however, that the slush box has a little whining noise that sounds like a distant police siren. Or perhaps, we’re paranoid after we’ve driven way past the speed limit. Oh, well…
2.0-liter inline-4 16V DOHC CRDI with EGR turbo diesel makes 168 hp and 400 Nm of torque.
An electronic gear selector with Manual Mode (M+/-) controls the 8-speed automatic transmission. Upper left switch toggles the Drive Mode to Normal, Economy, Sport or Snow.
With just the driver, a front passenger and an empty cargo bed, the 1,945-kilogram T9 can accelerate quite rapidly, thanks to 410 Newton-meters of torque (that 556 ft-lbs to you, non-metric Yanks and Brits) being delivered to the pavement by the meaty 265/60R18 tires wrapped around 18-inch 12-spoke gloss black alloy wheels. This amount of torque may not be enough to pull the stump of a giant beanstalk off the ground, but it is more than enough for the T9 to take a crew of five and 1,000 kilograms of cargo from Castle, err… Point A to Point B without sweating, or needing to exclaim, “Fee-Fi-Foe-Fum…”
The cargo box is around 1.5 meters long, around 1.6 meters wide, and about half a meter deep. It can carry a 1,000-kilogram load. That’s a factory-installed rollbar that comes with the T9 2.0 CTI Advance.
Meaty 265/60R18 Chao Yang SU318a H/T tires are wrapped around 18-inch 12-spoke 6-lug gloss black alloy wheels.
Nearly a Black Jack
The T9 features an attractive and well-proportioned 4-door crew cab body with a short cargo bed. The expansive black front grill and bumper façade gives this pickup truck a mean and macho visage that makes other road users look twice before crossing its path. The LED DRLs (daytime running lights) look like eyes squinting to focus on its target while the LED headlights provide the right illumination for driving in the dark and LED cornering/fog lamps automatically light up in the direction when you turn left or right.
The imposing black front grille and bumper facade with the blacked-out JAC emblem contrasts very nicely with our test unit’s shiny silver paint finish.
DRLs look like squinty gunfighter eyes while large black grille and bumper combo seems to say, “Get out of my way!”
The T9 is fitted with black fender flares that are visually augmented by black side step boards with an aluminum panel that’s embossed with the JAC brand. The black rear bumpers, which house the rear fog lamps, reverse lights and rear sensors, also function as a step board to reach into the carbo bed when the tailgate is closed. However, when the tailgate is open, it’s like climbing a high beanstalk to get into the cargo bed, which is finished with a durable spray-on black liner. With the black roll bar and gloss black wheels, all the T9 needs is a black roof to turn it into a Black Edition that most car makers now call their blacked-out variants.
The blacked-out trim, front bumpers, fender flares, step board, rollbar and rear bumpers neatly connect the ends of the T9 into a strong, cohesive design.
Rectangular LED taillamps provide a retromodern look. Large stamped and body-colored JAC logo at the tailgate is subtle and tasteful.
Jacked Up Inside
With a wider and taller body than other midsized pickup trucks in its class, the T9 feels roomier than the most popular Japanese pickup truck. The driver’s seat features power adjustment fore-and-aft but does not have seat height adjustment, which drivers with longer or fatter legs might find confining. The 2-spoke multi-function steering wheel has a subtle D-shape to compensate, while the metal ring at the top center, like the steering wheel markers in race cars, reminds the driver when the wheel is straight and true. Behind the wheel is a 7-inch color instrument screen while a 10.4-inch touchscreen mounted in a portrait position provides the infotainment controls.
Seat material feels like leather but isn’t. Driver’s seat has power adjustment but no height nor lumbar support adjustment. Cockpit is spacious and ergonomic.
2-spoke multi-function steering wheel has a subtle D-shape with a flat bottom to increase driver’s legroom. 10.4-inch portrait-mounted touchscreen dominates the dash, which looks neat and modern. The outward visibility is almost unimpeded.
The front passenger has to manually adjust his/her seat but once settled in and belted tight, he/she will enjoy a great view of the passing surroundings. Red latches under the seat front hold the factory-supplied fire extinguisher.
While the automatic aircon settings are displayed on the touchscreen, it is thankfully controlled by actual switches and not just by icons on the screen, which makes it more intuitive to adjust temperature and fan speed without taking your eyes off the road. A couple more switches for the defrosters and traction control reside on the center console at the right side of the gear selector, while on its left side sits the electronic handbrake with auto hold and the selector for the Drive Modes – Normal, Economy, Sport and Snow. We crawled through Metro Manila BER-month traffic in Sport mode and got an average fuel mileage of around 8.7 kilometers per liter. We could have gotten a higher fuel mileage if only we remembered to put the Drive Mode in Economy.
Rear bench seat accomodates 3 people in reasonable comfort with ample leg room, rear A/C vents, and a USB port. Ditch the 3rd backseat passenger to use the folding center armrest with deep cupholders.
The infotainment system is controlled thru this 10.4-inch touchscreen monitor. A/C settings are on the screen but thankfully, the controls are manual, which are located near the bottom of the screen.
Reverse camera and rear sensors plus the large screen helps with easily backing this 17.5-feet-long pickup truck into a tight parking slot.
Jack Takes On The Giants
The T9’s combination of light weight, mid-range power, great torque, and smooth operation makes it easy to drive, even with one hand. It may be a bit of climb to get inside but the view from within is great! It’s the only pickup truck in its price range with a multi-link rear suspension. It comes with a factory-installed roll bar/chase rack that looks aftermarket and will cost extra with other pickup trucks in this class. Our test drive unit’s Silver finish complements the blacked-out trim, which visually connects the front of the vehicle to the rear, and makes for a natural cohesive design.
The T9 offers a relaxed driving position and a commanding view of the road ahead.
Even when viewed from the back, the black trim, front and rear fender flares, rollbar and black bumpers neatly ties in all the styling elements into a natural, cohesive design.
The factory-installed rollbar/chase rack looks like an aftermarket option. External tie down tabs are large and convenient for those wearing gloves while securing items unto the cargo bed.
When driving through a dark tunnel or when dusk approaches, the headlights turn on automatically and comes with beam leveling and “Follow Me Home” functions. The front doors even project a blue “JAC” light when you open them to make sure you don’t step on any small fairies while getting in or out of the T9. And when we found out that the suggested retail price (SRP) of the JAC T9 2.0 CTI Advance is only P1,318,000, which is the lowest in its class, we began to suspect that Jack may have actually taken the “goose that lays the golden egg” away from the giants, if you get our drift.
A blue and white JAC logo is projected unto the floor when the front doors are opened.
With a suggested retail price of P1,318,000, the JAC T9 2.0 CTI Advance is the lowest-priced yet fully-loaded 4×2 AT pickup in the market today.
After spending a week-and-a-half with the T9, we believe that this JAC, like our boy hero Jack, has what it takes to steadily climb the tall beanstalk (the local pickup truck market), slay the giants in its way (especially with the T9’s accessible price) and enjoy the rewards and benefits (profits plus market share). Unlike Jack’s mother in the story who threw out the magic beans, the powers that be at Astara Philippines and JAC Motors Philippines will have to sow, grow and cultivate a different set of beans with their JAC dealership network, and together, grow these beans into a tall, strong and resilient beanstalk of loyal JAC customers. Along the way, they will have to face the existing giants with extra-ordinary courage and wit, to eventually achieve that obligatory happy “ever after” ending of getting a sizable chunk of the local market. As the song goes, “Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you…”
