Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM

The cabin layout of the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM is very similar to the X70 Plus, but the carmaker has executed a couple of changes to give it a different and more premium feel.

The cabin of the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM can be had in one of the two colour choices for the upholstery – Coral White and Marble Grey colour options come with dual-tone Mocha/White theme, while Jade Green and Pebble Grey colour options feature the dual-tone Burgundy/Black theme. Both the colour options for the upholstery look unique and give the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM an opulent feel on the inside. 

The cabin also features repositioned cup holders to accommodate the new 50W wireless charger and 60W Type-C charging ports. The X70-derived cabin has a long rectangular panel that houses the dual 10-25-inch screens for the instrument console and touchscreen infotainment system, which sits behind the tilt-and-telescopic adjustable steering wheel.

The waterfall-like lower centre console has a premium-looking touch-sensitive panel for the climate control setup, with two rounded physical knobs. This console also has a wireless charging pad and the stubby transmission lever placed side-by-side, with the buttons for seat arrangements placed on the door panels. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Premium-looking dual-tone upholstery choices for the cabin

Con: Touch-sensitive control panel for climate settings is hard to operate while in motion

Features and Technology

The standard, fully-loaded variant of the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM, which is on sale in the Philippines, is one of the best-equipped mid-size crossovers on sale. The long list of comfort and convenience features offered in the X70 Lightning i-DM includes a panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, front powered, heated and ventilated seats, a powered tailgate, dual-zone automatic climate control with rear AC vents and a PM2.5 air filtration system.

The Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM also takes care of the occupants with the top-notch electrical wizardry on offer, which includes a 10.25-inch full-TFT instrument console, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, an 8-speaker Sony audio system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charger, type-A and type-C USB charging ports, a powered tailgate and ambient lighting. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: One of the most heavily equipped crossover SUVs in its segment

Con: Graphical resolution of the infotainment system could have been better

Boot Space and Storage

Jetour hasn’t revealed the official boot space figures of the X70 Lightning i-DM, in both cases of third-row seats up and after folding down the third-row seats. However, it is pretty evident that the boot space with third-row seats up is too less, which though becomes much more usable and spacious after folding down the third-row seats. 

Being a three-row SUV, the practicality of the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM is further enhanced by the plenty of small storage spaces in its cabin. The list includes a front centre armrest (which also features a cooling function), a standard glovebox, storage pockets and bottle holders in all four door panels, front seatback pockets, an armrest with cup holders in the second-row seats and a sunglass holder. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Several storage spaces in the cabin 

Con: Negligible boot space with third-row seats up

Compared to the X70 Plus on which it is based, the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM has tweaked front and rear profiles, which do give it its own identity and a fresher look. The overall stance and size of this seven-seater crossover SUV is impressive, with the heightened front bonnet and tall side profile giving it a more SUV-ish appearance.

At the front, the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM has a redesigned grille, which has chrome-studded inserts, vertical side chrome garnish and tapered lower edges finished in chrome. The upper lip of this grille has a glossy finish, while the headlamps on the sides look similar to those of the X70 Plus, featuring auto on-off LED projectors with LED DRLs. The corners of the front bumper have vertically aligned LED fog lamps sitting within inverted L-shaped gloss black inserts. 

The Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM has an SUV-like stance when viewed from the side, with it riding on 19-inch machined alloy wheels, which fit the wheel wells nicely and make the SUV look proportionate. The rest of the side profile looks very similar to the X70 Plus, including chrome finish for the window surrounds, angular rear quarter glass, silver roof rails and electrically adjustable and foldable outside rearview mirrors. 

There are a few minor tweaks over the X70 Plus for the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM, with the crossover SUV having combination LED tail lamps with continuous LED inserts and an LED light bar connecting the main tail lamps. The sides of the tail lamps have a wraparound design, with the SUV also featuring a tailgate spoiler and a sporty-looking rear diffuser. The Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM is offered in four colour options – Pebble Grey, Jade Green, Marble Grey and Coral White. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Imposing road presence

Cons: Headlamps could have had a more modern design

The Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM claims a pure electric range of 110 km from its 19.34kWh lithium-ion battery, once it is fully charged. This Li-ion battery takes 25 minutes to charge from 20 to 80% using a fast DC charging port. In a full tank mode, the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM can deliver a maximum range of 1200 km, which is one of the highest full-tank ranges among all the mid-size crossovers on sale in the Philippines right now. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Impressive fuel efficiency in electric and hybrid driving modes

Con: Pure electric efficiency could have been more

Riding on 19-inch wheels, the overall handling of the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM is pretty decent, which could have been even more precise had the steering not been too light at higher speeds. The MacPherson independent suspension with coil springs at the front and multi-link independent suspension with coil springs at the rear offers good comfort levels, with the low-speed ride quality feeling well-composed. There are three drive modes on offer too – Eco, Comfort and Sport, which further tweak the driving experience depending on the throttle response. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Supple low-speed ride quality

Con: Steering responses could have been better at higher speeds

The Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM has the most advanced powertrain setup among all the versions of the X70 on sale in the Philippines – a plug-in hybrid system which is a combination of a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, two electric motors (one at the front and one at the rear) and a 19.34 kWh lithium-ion battery. 

While the 1.5-litre petrol engine churns out 154 bhp of maximum power and 220 Nm of maximum torque, the electric motors generate a combined power output of 271 bhp and a combined torque output of 395 Nm. Paired to a 2-speed hybrid automatic transmission, this powertrain is capable of giving the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM a sprint time of 7.7 seconds for the 0-100 kmph run. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Impressive power and performance in the full hybrid mode

Con: The engine feels slightly noisier at higher speeds

Besides having plenty of comfort and convenience features, the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM is also heavily equipped with almost all the essential and advanced safety and driver assistance features one expects from an SUV of this class.

The active and passive safety features of the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM include eight airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, traction control, electronic stability control, hill start assist, hill descent control, rollover mitigation system, electronic parking brake, tyre pressure monitoring system, 360-degree parking camera, front and rear parking sensors and park assist. 

The long list of advanced driver assistance features in the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM include adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert, rear collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, lane change alert, door open warning, high beam assist and traffic jam assist.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Covers almost all the grounds of safety with a best-in-class safety equipment list

Con: ADAS can feel too intrusive at times 

Competitor Comparison

There are very few seven-seater mid-size crossover SUVs that pose a direct challenge to the Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM. Some of them, all of which are Chinese, include Chery Tiggo 8 Pro, DFSK E5, Geely Okavango, Kaiyi X7, Changan X7 Plus, JAC JS8 Pro, and Maxus D60. There are some five-seater crossovers and SUVs available at its price too, including Volkswagen Tharu, Chevrolet Trax, GWM Haval H6, Hyundai Tucson, Changan Uni-T, BYD Sealion 6 DM-I, and BAIC B30e Dune.

Conclusion and Final Verdict

The Jetour X70 Lightning i-DM might be new to the ever-expanding crossover SUV category in the Philippines, and has a relatively weaker brand recall and after-sales support. However, as a product, this plug-in hybrid crossover tries to make a mark with its best-in-class comfort, convenience and safety equipment lists. This crossover also has a very advanced powertrain setup and the practicality of three rows, which further increases its desirability.