Cool cars still count
We buy the vast majority of appliances in our homes based on cold, rigid economic sense.
There is a bewildering number of toasters and washing machines that perform the same functions at different price points. Choosing one is a matter of asking things like “How many pieces of bread can it fit?” or “How much laundry can I put in?” or “Will this help lower my electric bill?”
But it’s a different story with cars – unlike a toaster or washing machine, people outside our homes can see what we drive (and even hitch a ride). Any car can get us from A to B, but these wheeled objects have likewise become symbols of our socioeconomic status, our taste and even our personalities.
Buying a car is actually more like buying clothes because we are more inclined to consider more than just cost and practicality. The notion of being “cool,” which is that intangible yet powerful feeling we get from impressing ourselves and others, suddenly becomes a factor (especially since a car is the second-most-expensive thing that we will ever own).
And when it comes to cool cars, very few can beat the recently launched 2025 Jetour T1 Lightning i-DM sport-utility vehicle (SUV).
Standout looks
While the vast majority of SUVs look like rolling tower blocks, this big Jetour is refreshingly singular.
The front end looks a bit like a Ford Bronco (no bad thing, mind you), although the T1 Lightning i-DM distinguishes itself by placing its powerful LED headlights and grill into a sleek, black cluster. But its the little things that really make this SUV cool, such as the crosshair-style LED turn signals, the blocky, matte-black bumper and the Knight Rider-style LED grill light.
The side profile likewise draws inspiration from the likes of the Land Rover Defender and the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado – the steeply raked windshield, prominent wheel arches, chunky door handles, protruding body cladding and body-color trim on the rear-quarter window all compliment the funky Electroplated Green paint on this test unit.
Meanwhile, the two-tone, 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 235/60-series tires lead your eye to the T1 Lightning i-DM’s creatively designed, matte-black fender trim and nicely integrated side steps (the latter a necessity because of this SUV’s generous ground clearance).
And when you look at the rear, you get a large tailgate spoiler and crosshair-style LED taillights that make this car unmistakably Jetour. The pert lower bumper likewise carries the clusters for the reversing lights and rear fog lights.
Enormous, stylish cabin
Despite being as large as a Toyota Fortuner, the T1 Lightning i-DM is actually a five-seater.
This not only means positively palatial passenger space, but also means no one has to be subjected to the indignity of folding themselves like origami to fit into an SUV’s cramped and near-claustrophobic third-row seats (for heaven’s sake, buy a van if you plan to regularly carry more than five passengers).
In addition, the Jetour’s unibody chassis means a lower floor than most traditional SUVs, resulting in superior legroom, headroom and shoulder room. And while reveling in the space, everyone gets to enjoy the T1 Lightning i-DM’s premium black leather upholstery (made of eco-friendly materials) with orange contrast stitching and piping.
But the real stars of the show are the big Jetour’s clear and responsive screens – these include a customizable 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster and a 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen operated by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 processor, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The latter likewise offers a superb view of the standard 540-degree camera system.
However, as with all Chinese cars, the T1 Lightning i-DM’s menus can be quite frustrating to navigate (for instance, adjusting the side mirrors requires you to use both the touchscreen and the steering-wheel controls). But at least the super-strong, dual-zone climate-control system has dedicated switches to literally make you cool.
Other awesome touches include the panoramic moonroof, the electrically adjustable and air-conditioned front seats with driver’s side memory, the 9-speaker Sony surround-sound system and the customizable ambient lighting.
Engaging yet economical
Happily, the T1 Lightning i-DM isn’t all show and no go.
Under its sculpted hood lays a 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine producing 154 horsepower and 220 Newton-meters of torque, which is mated to a 150-kW electric motor that produces 310 Newton-meters of torque. Although combined figures are not yet publicly available as of press time, there is certainly enough heave to get this 2,000-kilogram SUV going.
This big Jetour also has a 26.7-kWh battery pack that the carmaker claims can be charged from 30 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes with a DC fast charger. All this translates to a very useful battery range of around 100 kilometers, along with sensational fuel economy – we got 33 to 36 kilometers per liter in the city and 20 to 23 kilometers per liter on the expressway.
And because the T1 Lightning i-DM is a front-wheel-drive, unibody SUV, it doesn’t ride or handle like an elephant on a unicycle. The suspension feels supremely planted, helping this leviathan take fast corners with reasonable body roll and handle all kinds of bumps without punishing your back (Fortuner drivers, take note).
Maneuvering the big Jetour is also easy thanks to the light steering (which could do with more feel), while the powerful brakes are controlled by one of the best-feeling brake pedals in the market. The life-saving active-safety suite with adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, active braking and rear-cross-traffic alert is just icing on the cake.
Sensational SUV
All in all, the 2025 Jetour T1 Lightning i-DM is so cool that it’s really in a party of one.
At P1,898,000, you get a large, five-seat SUV with impressive driving dynamics, a spacious and lavishly equipped interior, advanced driver-assistance technology and, of course, looks to die for. It really has no direct rivals because it’s not only larger than similarly priced electrified crossovers, but also more capable of handling rough roads.
The fact that it also makes great economic sense because its plug-in-hybrid powertrain offers truly spectacular fuel efficiency, refined performance and lower running costs – that just makes this big Jetour even cooler.
