JAC Hunter vs Kia Tasman

What's the difference?

The JAC Hunter is not yet perfected, but it’s a big step up from its diesel-powered sibling, the T9. The plug-in hybrid driveline not only has the potential to reduce running costs (provided its tech is used intelligently) but also provides an alternative to owners who are still gun-shy about the perceived problems of modern turbo-diesel engines.

The big improvements have been wrought in the chassis department, where thousands of kilometres of local testing and validation have achieved a much better car to drive than previously.

We still have our reservations about the calibration of some of the safety systems, and some of the ergonomics involved, however.

Of course, in the end, the success or otherwise of many brands like JAC and vehicles like the Hunter will come down to how the market reacts to the sudden influx of new names and badges. And in that context, purchase price will surely be a major factor. At which point the sub-$50,000 Hunter starts to shine a little brighter.

Ute buyers prepared to look beyond the Tasman’s polarising appearance will discover a competent all-rounder. It has its faults like any ute but boasts high standards of engineering, build quality, interior design and performance that make it a worthy new competitor in this space.

That’s nothing terribly subtle about the JAC’s appearance. The big, bold grille and front graphics are sure to remind you of the full-sized US-built pick-ups, and in the hero colour of Ochre, our test car never failed to make an impression.

It’s big, it’s impressive and JAC has made a deliberate effort not to simply churn out another obviously Chinese dual-cab. That said, it doesn’t really break new design ground, either, but that won’t bother too many ute buyers who have already shown their preference for convention over novelty (Kia Tasman, anyone?).

But there’s another side to the Hunter’s design story and that’s a degree of local input from a dedicated engineering team that knows local conditions and how to tame them. Plenty of time went into the suspension and steering tune (mainly through careful damper specification and validation) to make the vehicle work better in tough Aussie conditions. At least two other countries (one being New Zealand) have already picked up `our’ suspension tune for their own markets.

The Tasman is claimed to have more Australian input than any previous Kia model and it certainly has a distinctive ‘Australianised’ competence in the way it performs (see Driving).

It also follows a reassuringly conventional engineering path with its turbo-diesel drivetrain, body-on-ladder-frame-chassis, twin wishbone/coil-spring front suspension, leaf-spring live rear axle, four-wheel disc brakes and electric power-assisted rack and pinion steering.

The Tasman is no shrimp either, as it shares the same 3270mm wheelbase as the market-leading Ford Ranger and is slightly longer and wider.

Work-focused light commercials are often armoured with unpainted plastic in areas prone to bumps and scrapes. The Tasman S 4x2 follows convention here too with dark grey plastic prominent at the front, rear and along the sides, where unusual ‘eyebrows’ are positioned above the wheel-arches which every onlooker we spoke to said looked better in body colour.

The S 4x2 shares the same 206mm ground clearance, 800mm wading depth and approach/ramp breakover/departure angles as its S, SX and SX+ 4x4 siblings. However, they also share a shallow approach angle of only 20 degrees, which is considerably less than its previously-mentioned rival 4x2 models.

The lower ‘spoiler’ section of the front bumper seems largely responsible for this, as it looks too close to the ground and vulnerable to damage from a farmer’s rocky creek-bed crossing or a tradie’s rugged worksite.

The black and grey interior is a functional and spacious design (see Practicality) which looks and feels more upmarket than typical base-model offerings. It has the coolest doorhandles we’ve seen in a ute, which although made of a composite material look like machined steel, complete with a lathe-like knurled finish on the finger-pulls.

There’s also soft-touch surfaces on the door armrests to optimise elbow comfort plus contrasting hard-surface finishes including honeycomb and diagonal patterns, two-tone fabric seat trim with exposed stitching and neat embossed grooves across the seat-facings.

As a dual-cab ute, the JAC seems to work pretty well. The tub is about line ball with its competitors in size terms and will accept a standard pallet between the wheel arches. The tray features a spray-on tub liner which means water can’t get underneath it and start the rusting process, but the edges of the spray pattern are a bit rough and ready where it meets the painted tub sides.

There’s a light for the cargo area and four tie-down points that would be more effective if they were mounted closer to the floor instead of half way up the tub side. And since the JAC has a smaller EV battery than a full electric vehicle, there’s room under the tray floor to mount a full-sized spare tyre.

Payload for the Hunter is 915kg, and despite the hybrid driveline, the JAC can haul the full 3500kg towed (braked) load that has become the industry standard.

The Hunter also features vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality, too, allowing it to power worksite tools and camping gear.

The rear seat is, again, pretty typical of this type of vehicle. There’s good foot room under the front seats, but knee room is a fraction tight and headroom ditto. The seat cushion is also pretty flat and the backrest angle won’t suit bigger folk. But you do get a set of air vents in the rear, reading lights, grab handles and a pair of USB charge points. On the more expensive Hunter X grade we’ve yested here, there’s also a 220-volt power socket in the rear.

The front of the cabin is also home to charge points and grab handles, but from there it falls away a bit in practicality terms. That’s largely due to the way the interior and the vehicle’s functions are centred around the centre info screen with its menu-driven approach. Even re-setting the trip meter is a multi-toggle process and relies on buttons with no clear explanation of their function.

Some of the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are a bit sketchy, too, with lots of bells and flashing lights to warn you (mainly) of your incorrect lane position and a perceived lack of driver attention and concentration. The JAC is not the worst we’ve experienced in this department, but it’s far from good enough.

The other hassle is the actual driving position. Although the Hunter has both tilt and reach adjustment for its steering column, the relatively high floor of the cabin mans you sit flat on your backside with your legs sticking straight out ahead of you. In a sports car, this is fine. In a dual-cab ute… not so much.

The high floor even makes getting in and out of the car more difficult than it should be, as you can’t just step inside. Instead, you need to dive in head first, swivel around and hope the side steps (that are also in the wrong location for a taller person) haven’t plastered mud all over your Hard Yakkas.

With its 2126kg kerb weight and 3250kg GVM, our test vehicle has a mighty 1124kg payload rating which is the largest available in the Tasman fleet. And up to 100kg of that can be carried on the roof.

Like its 4x4 siblings, the 4x2 model is rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer but with its 6200kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) the payload would need to be capped at 574kg (a reduction of 550kg) to avoid exceeding the GCM.

Although few (if any) owners would need to tow 3500kg, it’s important to be aware of these numbers if you did to avoid overloading. Even so, almost 600kg of payload would still allow for a crew of five and their gear when towing the maximum trailer weight, so this is a useful set of numbers for many working roles.

Internally the load tub is 1573mm long, 1600mm wide and 543mm deep with a load volume exceeding 1.3 cubic metres. And with 1186mm between the rear wheel-housings, it can carry either Aussie or Euro pallets.

The tailgate can be opened remotely and its hinges provide opening/closing assistance. There’s no standard tub-liner but it comes with four load-anchorage points positioned at around mid-height.

There’s ample cabin space for the driver and front passenger plus storage including a bottle-holder and bin in each door, a single glovebox and a centre console with a large open tray at the front with USB-C ports, two cupholders in the centre and a large box at the back with an internal 12v socket and padded lid which doubles as a comfy elbow rest.

Rear cabin access is enhanced by doors that open to almost 90 degrees and Kia claims the rear bench seat offers best-in-class legroom, headroom and shoulder-room. Even so, it would still be a shoulder squeeze for three big Aussies (like all dual cabs short of a full-size US pick-up) so a limit of two would be preferable for long trips.

Rear storage includes a bottle holder and bin in each door plus pockets on the front seat backrests and a slender pocket on the rear of the console ideal for storing phones. A couple of USB ports would be handy here too, but we are talking base-grade.

There’s also no fold-down centre armrest at this level but the bench seat's 60:40-split base cushions can swing up and be stored vertically if more internal cargo space is required, or to access a full-width bin that can store heaps of stuff away from prying eyes.

The Kia Tasman range offers a choice of cab-chassis and ute body styles and five model grades comprising S, SX, SX+, X-Line and premium X-Pro.

Our S 4x2 test vehicle represents the bottom rung of the model ladder, for those not needing the all-terrain capabilities of its S 4x4 sibling and other Tasman models. However, it does share the same 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel and eight-speed automatic transmission, for a list price of $42,990.

That's more than competitive with equivalent dual-cab ute rivals like the Ford Ranger XL Hi-Rider 2.0L auto 4x2 ($43,530), Toyota HiLux Workmate Hi-Rider 2.4L auto 4x2 ($44,820) and Isuzu D-Max SX High-Ride 2.2L auto 4x2 ($44,200). Our example is also finished in 'Steel Gray' which is a premium paint option that adds $700 to this price.

The S 4x2 comes standard with 17-inch black steel wheels and 265/65 R17 tyres with a full-size spare, automatic LED headlights/daytime running lights/tailgate-mounted rear stop-lights, front/rear parking sensors, rear bumper corner-steps, body-coloured/heated door mirrors, body-coloured doorhandles with pocket lights (front doors only) and more.

Accessing the cabin using the smart key reveals a premium steering wheel and gear knob, remote start, six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control, 12v socket and USB-C ports, tyre pressure monitoring, integrated trailer brake controller, reversing camera and more.

There’s also a six-speaker audio system and what Kia calls the ‘Integrated Panoramic Display’ which in one expansive digital screen combines a configurable 12.3-inch driver’s instrument display, 5.0-inch climate control display and 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen display.

Make no mistake, this is a complex vehicle under the skin. The driveline is made up of a 2.0-litre petrol engine with a turbocharger, feeding into an electric motor which drives the front wheels and a second electric motor between the rear wheels. This endows the Hunter with electric – rather than mechanical - four-wheel drive.

The transmission is a four-speed unit, but there’s no sense that there’s anything but a single ratio when driving the vehicle, nor is there any driver involvement in selecting what gear engages when.

The front electric motor acts as the transmission and there’s sufficient grunt on tap that JAC says the Hunter doesn’t need low ratios for off-road work. Traction, meanwhile, is taken care of by front and rear differential locks (optional in the Pro and standard in the X version) and there are five drive models including a rock-crawling function (as well as snow, mud and sand).

The battery pack is a Lithium-iron Phosphate unit with a capacity of 31.2kWh and is liquid cooled for efficiency and stability. The Hunter uses a Type 2 CCS charge plug and can charge on either AC or DC outlets.

The Hunter uses old-school body-on-frame construction and there are four-wheel disc brakes. Suspension is a little different for this type of vehicle with coils springs on an independent front end, but coil springs - rather than the more common leaf springs - supporting the live rear axle.

The Hunter is rated to tow the full 3500kg that has become the industry standard, while payload is a competitive 912kg, against a kerb mass of just over 2.5 tonnes. Which means that if you tow the full 3500kg, you have just 375kg of payload remaining which includes fuel, accessories and even the people on board. This is not unusual for this type of vehicle, but it needs to be pointed out in the interests of preventing dangerous overloading.

All Tasmans share the same 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel that produces 154kW of power at 3800rpm and 440Nm of torque across a 1000rpm-wide band between 1750-2750rpm, which showcases flexibility that's well suited to hauling and/or towing heavy loads.

This engine is paired with an eight-speed torque converter automatic offering the choice of sequential manual-shifting and five selectable drive modes comprising Normal (default), Eco, Sport, Tow and MyDrive with the latter allowing custom settings.

The bald numbers on the brochure make some pretty amazing claims but, as usual, the real-world efficiency of the Hunter is less impressive. That said, it’s still a vehicle that’s capable of being charged for free off a solar array and then covering a few days’ worth of suburban running without ever starting its petrol engine.

The official numbers, meanwhile, are 100km of range from a single full charge and a combined fuel economy figure of 1.6 litres per 100km.

The reality? Closer to 80km of EV range and a fuel consumption number of closer to 9.5 litres per 100km, including a fair mix of suburban, freeway and EV-only running.

The Hunter has a 77-litre fuel tank, so the range (despite the brochure’s 1000-plus kilometre claim) is going to be closer to 800km if you start with a fully charged EV battery.

The JAC’s EV battery is a 31.2kWh unit and can be charged via either AC or DC with 11kW of AC charging possible, and 50kW of DC charging. That equates to a DC charge time from 15 to 80 per cent of about 30 minutes, and an AC charge on a wall box at home from 15 to 100 per cent in 3.5 hours.

Kia claims combined average consumption of 7.4L/100km and the dash display was showing 8.3 when we stopped to refuel at the completion of our 591km test, which included suburban, city, highway and backroad driving of which about 120km was hauling its near-maximum payload.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, came in higher again at 9.6 which is still within the usual 2-3L/100km discrepancy between lab-based official figures and real-world numbers. That's also excellent sub-10L economy for a vehicle weighing more than two tonnes operating mostly in urban settings.

So, based on our own consumption figure, you could expect a realistic driving range of more than 800km from its 80-litre diesel tank.

The Australian input into the JAC Hunter’s steering and ride can really be felt. While there will always be a ride compromise in any vehicle designed to operate anywhere from empty to having almost a tonne in its tray, in the JAC that compromise has been blurred a little.

What that means in this case is that the vehicle now feels as though the front and rear end are working together, and not out on their first date. The steering, too feels neutral and pretty natural - although there’s not a lot of feel or feedback - with no need to clarify your instructions mid-corner.

Part of the JAC’s demeanour is to also exhibit fairly minimal body roll, which makes for a tidy response and a greater felling of control. The flip side is that, when unladen in particular, that roll stiffness translates into a tendency to lift its inside rear wheel in corners, allowing the tyre to spin and squeal earlier than you’d expect it to. Wet roads demand a little extra care. But the damping overall is actually very good, and there’s minimal road or suspension noise making it into the cabin.

The driveline seems less completely resolved. That starts with some vibration when the petrol engine kicks in and there’s a small degree of noise and hum, made all the more dramatic by the silence of the electrical running gear component.

But the real complaint lies with the throttle calibration. Despite all that alleged performance, the Hunter is a little tardy to get rolling from a green light. After a couple of seconds, the engine and motors seem to get the memo, and all chime in together to get things hauling.

But worse is the Hunter’s tendency in HEV mode to hang on to throttle input for a second or so after you’ve released the throttle pedal. It doesn’t actually continue to accelerate, but it doesn’t begin to slow down immediately either, holding what feels like a percentage of throttle opening, even though you’re already slowing down. To be fair, this is most noticeable during the process of full-bore acceleration and completely stepping off the throttle, but it remains an issue and is probably caused by the petrol engine taking its sweet time to kick in and out.

And then there’s the outright acceleration. Despite claiming 360kW of power and better than 1000Nm of torque, the Hunter never ever feels as though that’s the case. Its acceleration is most convincing when rolling on the power from about 70 to 100km/h when it hustles pretty hard, but below that, there never seems to be the performance such mighty numbers would suggest. It’s also true that you need to meet certain criteria to unleash that full potential, including being in both Sport and HEV modes as well as having lots of charge on board for the full wallop to be unleashed.

There’s no cabin side-steps but large handles on the A and B pillars assist climbing aboard. People of most shapes and sizes can find a comfortable driving position given its supportive seating, large left footrest and height/reach-adjustable steering wheel featuring a flat top to optimise forward vision and a flat base to provide ample torso room.

It exudes solidity in its engineering and build quality along with excellent steering feel, handling and braking. It also has energetic acceleration and all-round performance.

We trialled the sequential manual-shifting and selectable drive modes but spent most of our test in the ‘Normal’ default setting as it provides the best compromise. It’s also a low-stressed highway cruiser requiring only 1600rpm to maintain 100km/h and little more for 110km/h.

The unladen ride quality is firm, as you’d expect given its big payload rating, but it’s more supple than some other 4x2 one-tonners we’ve tested without loads.

To test its GVM rating we forklifted 890kg into the load tub, which combined with our crew of two equalled a total payload of 1070kg which was only about 50kg below its legal limit.

Under this weight, the large bump-stop rubbers fitted to the rear leaf-springs engaged with the chassis rails above them very early in compression, which eliminated the hard thuds experienced with traditional designs that ‘bottom-out’ over large bumps and through dips.

The Tasman proved to be a competent heavy load-hauler in ‘Normal’ drive mode, maintaining its hearty performance and sure-footed handling with more than one tonne on board.

It also made light work of our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, self-shifting down to third gear to easily haul this load to the summit.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually selected second gear, was equally strong until the engine reached 4000rpm on overrun (no redline is displayed) and promptly shifted up a gear.

These engine-protection protocols are increasingly common in light-commercial vehicles (both utes and vans) but can spring a surprise when you’re ‘leaning’ on the engine to restrain its payload during steep descents and it suddenly shifts up a gear and starts running away from you. Even so, the Tasman’s four disc brakes easily maintained the posted 60km/h speed limit for the remainder of the descent.

Overall, we struggled to find fault in the driving experience apart from one baffling oversight in cabin design, given the steering wheel’s rim blocks the driver’s view of the climate control screen located between the instrument and multimedia screens.

This is distracting for drivers, given climate control settings are among the most-adjusted cabin functions. Hopefully this will be corrected in future upgrades.

The Tasman S 4x2 and X-Line/X-Pro 4x4 models are yet to be ANCAP-rated, but other grades earned the maximum five stars when tested this year.

There’s a full suite of airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with multiple object detections, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, trailer stability assist, driver attention alert, smart cruise control, lane-keeping and lots more.

Junior tradies get ISOFIX and top-tether child-restraint anchorages on the two outer rear seating positions.

The Hunter has a pretty strong story to tell here, with seven years of warranty cover with no kilometre limit and no caveats for vehicles used for commercial purposes. There’s also eight years or 150,000km (which ever comes first) cover on the EV battery.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, and there’s capped-price servicing for the first seven years and free roadside assistance for the same period.

JAC is also offering a ute-for-ute deal on any Hunter ute that is sidelined for a warranty fix. Dealers will have loan vehicles in that case with the aim that no small (or large) business is negatively impacted through a warranty claim.

It comes with Kia’s excellent seven-year/unlimited km warranty, plus 12 months complimentary roadside assistance which is renewed each year for up to eight years if serviced by an authorised Kia dealer.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first. Capped-pricing applies to the first seven scheduled services up to seven years/105,000km totalling $3971, or a pay-as-you-go average of $567 annually. Alternatively, Kia offers pre-paid servicing packages with cost savings for three, five or seven-year terms.

There are currently more than 160 Kia dealerships across Australia, which also provide vehicle servicing.