JMC recently relaunched in the South African market under new management, led by Salvador Caetano, and brought with it a new version of the Vigus double cab that has undergone some development. This comes at a time when the LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle) market is thriving despite economic challenges. This is where the Vigus double cab is intended to thrive, considering its competitive price point. Rigorous R&D on the new Vigus has been conducted globally, and some testing has even been done here in little old South Africa. The Vigus also boasts a host of technical partners, too.
Related: New 2026 JMC Vigus double cab unveiled.
Styling
The styling of the Vigus here is Mecha-inspired with a squared motif applied around the bakkie. The front end features large, bold 'JMC' lettering on the grille, flanked by the headlights. The rest of the bakkie is more traditional, with contours to highlight the fenders and body cladding on the front bumper and wheel arches. The rear liftgate takes some style liberties, being sculpted, and is joined by the traditional vertical bakkie tailights. It's a safe bet, styling-wise, rather than avant-garde. The 4x4 models on our launch day came equipped with pumped wheelarches, steel bumpers, and tow hooks, adding to the aggression factor and improving the approach and departure angles. However, some beefier side runners would do justice to.
Interior and space
Inside the Vigus range, the cabin is fairly standard with plastic interior trim, cloth upholstery and a urethane steering wheel. It's not intended to be a luxury statement, but something geared to handle mostly workhorse duties and some leisure, too. In both the Auto 4x2 and 4x4, there's a 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with vehicle information and smartphone connectivity, ala Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. This is omitted in the entry-level version in favour of just a radio, but at the very least, we could have gotten an infotainment system with a smaller screen that includes essential features. The Entry-level 4x2 manual and the top-of-the-range 4x4, in my eyes, are adequately equipped for the price point and feel well screwed together. The load bin has been improved, with dimensions of 1.55m length, 1.6m breadth, and a volume of 1.34 m³. The load bin payload is 915 kg, and it has tonneau cover hooks.
Powertrain
Much of the technical partner prowess is found here. Propelling the Vigus range is a 2.5-litre turbodiesel 4-cylinder engine making 123 kW and 430 Nm (410 Nm for the manual variant). The manual variant uses a 6-speed Magna gearbox while the Automatic is an 8-speed Schaeffler unit. Handling the 4x4 McGuffins is BorgWarner. In the 4x4 variant, you have a low range and an Eaton centre-locking differential. The engine has been bench-tested for durability's sake for countless hours, and I'll say it feels refined.
The Drive
On road
The Powertrain on the Vigus feels decent. Power delivery is more linear; the 8-speed auto shifts decently, the Magna gearbox is fine, and I found the gear ratios to be short. The suspension setup is double wishbone with coil springs up front and leaf springs in the rear for the whole range. The ride quality is what you'd expect from a ladder-frame bakkie, but without a load in the rear, there's noticeable bounce, and the front end does feel a bit floaty with some vague steering. Again, though, for the price point, it does what it says on the tin.
Off the beaten path
I was pleasantly surprised with how surefooted the Vigus 4x4 variant was on the rough stuff. It did all the usual 4x4 obstacles without a fuss. The official approach angle is measured at 27° whilst the departure angle is 22°.
Claimed fuel consumption for both manual and auto is rated at 7.0L/100km
Notable Safety
NCAP - Not Publicised
- 4 airbags(Auto), 2 airbags (Manual)
- ABS, EBD, ESC, ESP
- Hill launch assist
- Hill Descent Control
- Rear Parking Sensors
- Reverse Camera (Auto)
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring (Auto)
Pricing
| Model | Price |
| JMC Vigus 2.5TD double cab manual | from R399 900 |
| JMC Vigus 2.5TD double cab auto | from R459 900 |
| JMC Vigus 2.5TD double cab 4WD | from R499 900 |
The Vigus range purchase price includes a 4-year/65 000km service plan and a 5-year/200 000km warranty.
*Pricing stated here was correct when publishing and is subject to change without prior notice.
Verdict
For what's on offer, the JMC Vigus is a decent vehicle for its price point. It does the job as intended and has the kind of technical partners and testing that give a feeling of reassurance. It doesn't feel like a hodgepodge of parts slapped on and feels well put together. Some screws could use some tightening in the handling department, but it's not a write-off. I imagine we'll see plenty of these in workhorse fleets and the 4x4 variant tackling the rough stuff.
