What is this? Some kind of Chinese attempt at a Hilux? Well, in a way, yes. But in many more ways, this JMC Vigus Pro is actually something quite different indeed. Yes, in a segment packed to the rafters with big names and even bigger egos, this left-field alternative to the more established pick-ups tries to slip into the conversation with a straight face.
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On paper, it’s a relatively simple proposition: a budget-leaning, work-ready pickup from a brand most buyers still have to Google. But the reality is that JMC isn’t exactly a newcomer. In fact, it’s been building commercial vehicles since before most lifestyle-ute buyers knew what a diff lock was. Quietly, and granted, perhaps not to the level that they are known now.
And there’s another key component to this equation: JMC and Ford’s long-standing joint venture. But we’ll get into that a little bit later.
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It’s Not Exactly Pretty, Is It?
Well, no. The front end is aiming to be aggressive, with that big chunky grille and those high-set headlamps. I’m guessing the nose is aiming to be a bit more shock and awe, perhaps trying to detract from its budget origins.
But arguably, it does the opposite, with lots of plastic with questionable proportions and integration into the overall aesthetic. Still, at least it isn’t entirely bathed in chrome.
The profile isn’t reinventing anything, though the squared-off arches and tidy rear quarter give it a faint whiff of old-school Ranger, and that’s probably not by accident. Build quality is surprisingly decent, too. It won’t win awards, but panel gaps are consistent, the doors shut with more conviction than expected, and nothing feels dangerously thin or rental-fleet cheap.
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With 225mm of ground clearance and decent approach and departure angles, there’s probably some off-road capability with the Vigus Pro, too. Meanwhile, the rear tray is a usable 1,475mm x 1,475mm, making it slightly smaller than the Hilux’s. However, there are external tie-down hooks on either side of the bed, and the wheel arches don’t manage to encroach into the bed space too much either.
What About The Interior?
Photos: Mohamed Shan / Carscoops
Well, things start to fall down a bit here. In the last couple of decades, the pickup class has been accepted by some as an alternative to a conventional car, with a dose of practicality, thanks to a focus on more car-like qualities like ergonomic interiors, good infotainment, and some soft-to-the-touch materials.
The Vigus Pro tries with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, but the multifunction buttons are the kind of industrial-wearing hard plastic, devoid of positive feedback, that you’d expect on, well, a pickup of three decades ago, maybe.
In fact, the interior is mostly full of hard plastics, which, although screwed together well enough to avoid rattles and squeaks, don’t do much to soften the industrial workhorse vibe. The infotainment system is similarly dated, but it is at least simple to navigate and has both a reverse camera and proximity sensors.
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There aren’t many standout amenities either. The air conditioning is the manual kind (not climate control), you get four electric windows, and remote central locking — things that may have been bonuses in the 80s, but make tough selling points in the here and now.
Why Do I Feel The Vigus Isn’t For The High Tech Crowd?
Photos: Mohamed Shan / Carscoops
Because it really isn’t. This is a truck that isn’t competing on features, but rather the bang for your buck that you can get for some well-known hardware. I mentioned the Ford connection earlier, and the JMC Vigus Pro borrows the turbocharged 2.0-liter “Puma” Duratorq diesel engine, which develops 140 hp (141 PS / 104 kW) at 3,600 rpm, and 340 Nm of torque between 1,500-2,600 rpm.
Those figures put it squarely in the range of other pickups like the 1.9-liter diesel Isuzu D-Max (150 PS and 350 Nm of torque), and the 2.4-liter diesel eighth-generation Hilux (150 hp and 400 Nm of torque). Additionally, power is channeled to an eight-speed gearbox from another reputed OE supplier, ZF. Making it a hat trick of internationally-acclaimed brands, the 4×4 system has apparently been developed by Borgwarner to boot. Oh, and there’s a locking rear differential from Eaton.
Is That Supposed To Add To Its Credibility?
Well, yes and no. See, JMC is still going to be a relatively new brand to most. Unlike other Chinese propositions (mostly EVs), they’re never going to win customers over with tech — because frankly, there is none here.
Instead, JMC needs to win on price, and by marketing a scaled-down consortium of recognized parts suppliers, they may be able to instill some confidence in buyers that it won’t break down the moment it rolls off the lot.
But it actually does more than that. Get behind the wheel, and the Vigus Pro does drive like a polished product, far less crude than what its interior may have you believe. The Ford powerplant may be decidedly old-tech, but it provides good, pliable torque pleasingly low in the rev range.
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The eight-speed ZF box is creamy smooth too, as you’d expect from a company that supplies everyone from BMW to Bentley. Rather than hunt around, it acts as the perfect middleman between the engine’s unstressed nature and the pickup’s desire to move swiftly. Push the pedal to the carpet, and you’ll get a quick kickdown, with the ‘box always able to keep the engine in its desired low-rev high-torque state, until you absolutely floor it.
Meanwhile, the chassis is well damped too, absorbing potholes well up front, but perhaps needing a bit of weight over the rear to tame the bounce-prone leaf springs out back. Noise isolation leaves something to be desired, particularly wind and engine notes.
So, What’s The Takeaway Then?
Well, it’s easy to write off the JMC Vigus Pro as an also-ran in the pickup category – and to be honest, for the majority of readers who will likely never sight one (unless something drastic happens to US trade policy), that’s exactly what it’ll be: a footnote.
But to me, who has been exposed to a vertible onslaught of new-age new-energy, radar-guided, tech-laden, screen-heavy EVs from China, this truck is something of a stark contrast. The new energy vehicles, with their undoubtedly impressive advances, do grab the headlines.
But the Chinese auto industry isn’t just about that. There’s still a market for cheap-as-chips pickups like the JMC, especially in emerging markets. That’s perhaps why, rather than shying away from its shared parts from fairly generic OE suppliers, JMC embraces the fact that it’s using tried-and-tested hardware.
This example was tested in Sri Lanka, an island nation notorious for its prohibitively high import taxes on cars. That means it sells for LKR16.75mn. That’s the equivalent of $54,200, which sounds ridiculous, until you realise Mitsubishi’s double cab starts from around $74,000.
No matter how you spin it, that’s a massive difference in any economy. If we look at a more sensibly priced market, like South Africa, the Vigus Pro is on sale for a much more palatable R499,000 ($29,500). A similarly spec’d Triton (2.4 GLS 4×4 Automatic) is R749,990 ($44,300).
For bean counters, the numbers speak for themselves. Is it better than something like a Hilux or Mitsubishi’s Triton? Objectively not, not in any way. Does it offer something competent at a far lower price point? A resounding yes. And that is where the JMC’s strength lies.
