South Africans love their bakkies, and although many would like some of the more premium offerings from the established brands, many new Chinese offerings have come onto the market to fill the price gaps left. One such Chinese brand is JMC, which has been offering the Vigus Pro for some time, and a new range of Vigus has now been added to its line-up. Is it all looks?
Related: JMC Vigus Double Cab (2026) - First Drive Review
Before we jump in, remember that you can sell your car quickly and easily on our website here. You can also search for new or used JMC models on AutoTrader here.
Pros
Attractive design
Good levels of noise insulation
Capable drivetrain
- Responsive infotainment system
Cons
Mostly hard plastics in the interior
Cargo tie-down anchors mounted on the outside
- Gloss black interior trim looks grubby after use
Styling
The new JMC Vigus range is rather attractive, with its more squarish front and rear body lines. And for some eagle-eyed viewers, it very much resembles a Ford Ranger in the silhouette and some other areas. Now, Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC) is Ford’s manufacturing partner in China, and this joint venture might have influenced some of the styling you will see on this model.
The squarish headlamps with LED daytime running lights flank the gloss-black grille, which features the bold JMC lettering. As big as it is, we appreciate that they went with a grey, subdued look rather than bright chrome. Down the sides, you will find 17-inch alloy wheels finished in a contrasting dark metallic grey. Up top, there are nice and prominent contour lines, while down low, there is a black side step for easy entry and exit.
At the rear, the brand has opted for a more traditional vertical taillamp design, which does give the impression that they were inspired by the Ford Ranger T6. The tailgate gets a rather good-looking "X" crease design, while lower down, you get a black bumper for easy stepping. The JMC branding and Vigus moniker are nicely centred and finished in chrome.
But there are some items we think could be different. The first is the tie-down anchors situated on the exterior body panel of the load bay. While having anchors is appreciated, these tend to bend the body panels when you try to secure heavy loads. That is why many brands now add them to the thicker interior metal of the load bay instead. And given the 915 kg payload achievable from the 1.55m-long, 1.6m-wide load bay, we think this would have been a better option.
Then there is the black vinyl surrounding the wheel well. While this might indeed mitigate some stone chips, we think moulded plastic covers would be better to achieve a higher-quality finish. But overall, we like the design, and at 5,335 mm long, 1,882 mm wide, and 1,834 mm tall, with a ground clearance of 210mm, we wouldn't mind one of these in our driveway, even in this bright Engineering Yellow.
Interior
The interior of the JMC Vigus 2.5TD gives an impression of a split personality. While the first impression of the interior design and the 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a digital driver instrument cluster, is more premium, the harder plastics and cloth interior then leans more towards agricultural.
While the dashboard and door cards are indeed made from harder plastics, JMC did include imitation stitching in the moulds to make them look like leather-clad. The same happens with the steering wheel: it has a leather pattern, but it is actually plastic. The refinement of the said plastics is good, though, as you can see, there aren't any obvious flashings or rough edges.
As for the tech, up top in the centre features the aforementioned 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system is snappy, and pairing smart devices was quick; however, when you are in the Apple CarPlay application, you can only adjust volume with the multifunction steering wheel, or exit the CarPlay menu and then only swipe down from the top to reveal an audio level adjuster. A manual rotary dial or allowing the system menu to be swiped while in Apple CarPlay would have been better.
If you want to charge your smart device, there are USB-C and USB-A ports below the physical HVAC buttons. The USB-C port on our test model wasn't working, but we understand that these test models are used hard and might not be the brand's fault; rather, they might be the result of previous misuse by a driver. Inside the binnacle for storing your smart device, there is a pattern to mitigate the sliding of objects placed; however, the hard plastics used meant our keys and phones still slid around.
The binnacle surround is finished in gloss black plastic, which might elevate the premium look inside the bakkie; however, we can imagine it will collect dust and scratches quickly in harder-working bakkies. As for space and comfort, we generally enjoyed the spacious cabin, and JMC did well to insulate it against wind and exterior noise. The seats are comfortable, and rear occupants will not feel cramped either.
We like the rubber mat beneath the footwell carpets, which makes cleaning up spills or mud easier. The interior feels well-put-together with no rattles or squeaks, and the alignment of the dash and door cards and spacing between trim pieces was of a high standard.
Driving impression
The JMC Vigus is a ladder-frame bakkie, and as such, you should expect a slightly harder suspension setup like most bakkies have. The suspension is a double wishbone with coil springs up front and leaf springs in the rear. With no load on the rear, there is a noticeable bounce, but not enough to be a deterrent. And, as mentioned above, the cabin is well-insulated, the seats are comfortable, and, for a vehicle in this price bracket geared towards hard work, it is very compliant.
As for the power, our test unit comes with a 2.5-litre, turbodiesel motor producing 123 kW and 430 Nm of torque. This is sent to the rear wheels via an 8-speed Schaeffler automatic transmission. The latter is rather smooth and very intuitive in the suburbs and on national highways. While the motor doesn't produce as much power or torque as similar-sized engines in other bakkies, this unit was ample even with some light loads on the back and the power delivery is linear with this engine and transmission combination.
Fuel consumption
In an era of fluctuating fuel prices, it is no surprise that consumers are hesitant to buy a diesel vehicle. But this combination returned respectable results, provided that in the majority of tests the vehicle wasn't loaded and we didn't aim to conserve fuel; rather, we drove normally.
Claimed average: 7.0 L/100 km
Real-world average: 7.8 L/100 km
*With the 75-litre tank, a range of between 950–970 km is achievable on a long run.
Safety
The JMC Vigus is equipped with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), and Electronic Stability Control/Program (ESC/ESP). Occupants can expect up to 4 airbags, which are made up of a front bag for each front occupant and front side airbags. This variant also has hill-start assist and hill descent control. For parking, you can expect a rear camera as well as rear park distance control, and our unit also had front park distance control.
Pricing
JMC Vigus 2.5TD double cab auto: R 459 900
*Includes a 5-year/200,000 km warranty and a 4-year/65,000 km service plan.
Quick rival comparison
| Model | Price | Power/Torque | Fuel Consumption (Claimed) | Service Plan | Airbags |
| JMC Vigus 2.5TD double cab Auto | R 459 900 | 123kW / 430Nm | 7.0 L/100km | 4yr / 65 000km | 4 |
| Foton Tunland G7 2.0TD double cab TL auto | R 469 900 | 120kW / 390Nm | 9.0 L/100km | 3yr / 50 000km | 2 |
| Mahindra Pik Up 2.2CRDe double cab S6 Karoo auto | R 466 349 | 103kW / 320Nm | 9.3 L/100km | 5yr / 90 000km | 2 |
| JAC T8 2.0CTI double cab 4WD Lux | R 449 900 | 104kW / 320Nm | 7.8 L/100km | 5yr / 100 000km | 2 |
*Note that the information in this table was correct at the time of writing this article; however, it can change at any time and without notice.
Verdict
Overall, we are fans of a bargain, and given what the JMC Vigus offers at this trim and price point, we do like it a lot. Sure, there are small refinements needed for the recipe, but nothing that would deter us from recommending the Vigus as an affordable option for those needing a bakkie. If you need a workhorse but want that added luxury for family use, the Vigus will tick a lot of boxes.
