Half the price, this JMC Vigus certainly isn’t half the bakkie
Suppose you could say that the South African bakkie market is tribal. Dominated by legacy brands and their fiercely loyal buyers determined to still drive the bakkie brands their grandpas drove. So breaking into this tight cabal needs more than just aggressive pricing.
It demands compelling product to not just survive the harsh local climate and challenging terrain. It must look good, be stylish and work the part too. All that said, with every thoroughbred bakkie and its dog flirting with the million buck mark these days, there may just be some wriggle room for something cheap, new and exciting.
That’s precisely what the comeback JMC appears to be grabbing at. Enter the all-new Vigus, now backed by the giant Portuguese Salvador Caetano Group in South Africa. Sitting pride and place on the new range is the flagship JMC Vigus 2.5 TD 4x4 Automatic. A fully-stacked flagship package for, wait for it, under half a million. Or more succinctly put, half you’d expect to pay for a rival Hilux or Ranger.
Half price Vigus has fill size presence
Our test unit was the Vigus Outdoor Edition. With its thicker off-road rubber, off-road suspension, wide wheel arches, a rugged new front bumper and roof rack among its many add-ons. But for the purposes of this test, we’ll look past all that for now. We’ll explain later.
First off, the new Vigus certainly looks the part. Its so-called mecha-inspired front end delivers an imposing JMC branded gloss-black grille with sharp LED daytime running lights and subtle grey trim. The garish front bumper and roof rack in the pics are part of the optional Outdoor kit. We prefer it standard.
At 5,335 mm long, or just 15 mm shorter than a Ranger, Vigus carries full-sized presence. The low 750 mm bed height load bay had a neat liner in place on ours along with practical standard exterior tie-down hooks. All of which made our annual firewood gathering expedition an ergonomically agreeable experience.
Vigus has a surprisingly modern cockpit
Step aboard to a surprisingly modern cockpit. Vigus’ Lear seats are a certain standout. Unexpectedly good lumbar and lateral support make trips of any distance a breeze. Rear passengers also benefit this JMC’s broad 1470 mm width and unobtrusive drive tunnel.
Large 12.8-inch CarPlay and Auto touchscreen infotainment dominates the dash. Quick and responsive, it suffers a lack design finesse and half-job mandarin translation. Interface is quirky, too. All of which needs a little more development to compete with the best. When will the Chinese finally get all this right?
The centre dash also overpowers the eerie blue digital driver’s instrument cluster. It reminds us a bit of those old pre-windows 286 computers. It does the job. But it too really can use the space it has, better.
Hallelujah! Vigus has good old turbodiesel power.
That muscular bonnet shuts over JMC’s 123 kW 430 Nm 2.5-litre turbodiesel four-pot. Not quite at the level of some top end rivals, it certainly isn’t half the engine either. The tried and tested NB25 prioritises progressive, linear power delivery and bottom end grunt, which is around where you drive every day anyway. There’s already a healthy 310 Nm at 1000 rpm.
Turning BorgWarner four-wheel-drive with a proper low-range transfer case though an electronically selected shifter 8-speed automatic, performance well proves Vigus’ staunch bottom end claims. it delivered both better than expected road test data and an impressively punchy feel.
JMC claims 7.5 litres per hundred consumption. Which we matched without too much effort in a more country realm. Translates to beyond 1000 km highway driving, considering Vigus generous 75-litre fuel tank.
8-speed automatic transmission is a peach
The slick 8-speed automatic shifts smooth with a positive feel. Four-wheel disc brakes with 304 mm ventilated rotors up front are solid. Like any bakkie, handling is positive. JMC blames that on Vigus’ fortress-level 420-grade high-strength steel ladder frame, double-wishbone coil front and good old leaf-sprung solid rear setup.
True, there’s a bit of unladen bounce. But that disappears with even a light load. Heading further from the beaten track, Vigus’ 210 mm clearance, 27° approach and a 22° departure angles stand it in good stead. Load capacity is 910 kg and it will tow a 2500 kg trailer. A little off the mark, but then its a hell of a lot less than the price parity. And it does the job. Cabin insulation is impressive through all of that.
Before we close, allow us to address the elephant in the room. That Outdoor kit is a no-no. The heavy roof rack howls in the wind and makes the bakkie creak and groan. Lord knows how badly it affects fuel consumption. The grumpy tyres seem to always search for mud. And that chop shop fabricated front bumper… ugh.
That’s the wrong elephant!
Were you expecting a different elephant? Well that there isn’t. See, besides that kit and some Chinese cabinisms, this JMC Vigus does very little wrong. It has a proven drivetrain, a brilliant 8-speed automatic, capable BorgWarner 4x4 and among the best seats we’ve sat in for a while. Yip, it has more than enough going for it.
Significantly, however, this refreshing Chinaman is not trying to reinvent the bakkie wheel with some or other ridiculous hybrid or EV nonsense that will never work. It rather ploughs that good old turbodiesel furrow this market has long, and will always want. The one the South African bakkie buyer has come to know, appreciate and love.
So when he or she falls off his Toyota or Ford dealer floor chair when the rep reveals that trad bakkie’s price, he or she may very well sniff around looking for an alternative. And he or she may very well find this JMC is sitting in an impossibly sweet spot to resist.
See, the JMC does ninety percent of a Ranger or a Hilux’s job. If not more. But at half the price! So suddenly, that famous badge may not attract as many of its tribe as it once did. And that’s why the Vigus makes so much cents. Take a look. You may just be convinced. – Michele Lupini
Images & data: Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: JMC Vigus 2.5 TD 4x4 Automatic
Engine: 123 kW 430 Nm 2.5-litre turbodiesel I4
Drive: 8-speed automatic 4x4
Load Capacity: 915 kg
Braked Trailer: 2500 kg
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 4.43 sec
0-100 km/h: 11.09 sec
0-120 km/h: 15.74 sec
400m: 17.5 sec @ 125 km/h
80-120 km/h: 8.37 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 160 km/h
Fuel: 7.5 l/100 km
CO2: 203 g/km
Range: 1000 km
Warranty/Service: 5y 200K/4y 65K km
LIST PRICE: R499K (excluding Outdoor kit)
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