JAC T6

JAC T6: which version to buy

If you are choosing a JAC T6, you are not choosing between generations. The catalogue lists one generation (from 2018-08-01, no end date), one body (Pickup double-cab), and four versions, all named 2.0 MT except the last, which is 2.8 MT. The useful question is which of those four drivetrains matches the job: peak horsepower, low-rpm torque, all-wheel drive, or the lightest kerb weight.

If you are choosing a JAC T6, you are not choosing between generations. The catalogue lists one generation (from 2018-08-01, no end date), one body (Pickup double-cab), and four versions, all named 2.0 MT except the last, which is 2.8 MT. The useful question is which of those four drivetrains matches the job: peak horsepower, low-rpm torque, all-wheel drive, or the lightest kerb weight.

All four share a 6-speed Manual gearbox, a 76 L tank, a 150 km/h top speed, front Disc / rear Drum brakes, independent spring front suspension and dependent leaf-spring rear, and a front, longitudinal four-cylinder turbo engine. 0–100, city / highway / combined consumption, CO2, wheel sizes, compression ratio, and bore × stroke are not measured on every version. Those blanks are the same for all four, so they do not decide the purchase.

T6 versions compared (same generation)

Two of the three 2.0 MT diesels are easy to mix up: 136 hp is AWD; 139 hp is RWD. The gasoline 2.0 MT is the only 177 hp row. 2.8 MT is the only 2771 cc row.

Engine: power per litre and torque where you use it

Specific output (hp per litre of displacement):

• 2.0 MT 177 hp Gasoline: 177 ÷ 1.997 ≈ 88.6 hp/L
• 2.0 MT 139 hp Diesel RWD: 139 ÷ 1.999 ≈ 69.5 hp/L
• 2.0 MT 136 hp Diesel AWD: 136 ÷ 1.999 ≈ 68.0 hp/L
• 2.8 MT 120 hp Diesel AWD: 120 ÷ 2.771 ≈ 43.3 hp/L

The gasoline 2.0 MT makes 41 hp more than the next-strongest diesel 2.0 MT (139 hp) and 57 hp more than 2.8 MT. It also makes peak power much higher in the rev range (5000 rpm versus 3600 rpm on all three diesels). If the catalogue number you care about is horsepower, 2.0 MT 177 hp is the only answer.

Torque per litre:

• both Diesel 2.0 MT rows: 320 ÷ 1.999 ≈ 160.1 Nm/L
• Gasoline 2.0 MT: 290 ÷ 1.997 ≈ 145.2 Nm/L
• 2.8 MT: 250 ÷ 2.771 ≈ 90.2 Nm/L

The two Diesel 2.0 MT versions make 30 Nm more peak torque than the gasoline 2.0 MT (320 versus 290) and 70 Nm more than 2.8 MT (320 versus 250). Their torque band starts at 1600 rpm and ends at 2600 rpm. Gasoline torque is 1800–4000 rpm — later to arrive, longer to stay. 2.8 MT torque is 1800–2800 rpm at a lower peak.

The 2.8 MT engine is 774 cc larger than the 1997 cc gasoline unit and 772 cc larger than the 1999 cc diesels, yet it is the weakest of the four on both hp and Nm. Extra displacement here does not buy extra catalogue output.

Fuel and emissions that actually differ:

• Gasoline 2.0 MT: 95, Euro 5, multi-point injection listed
• Diesel 2.0 MT 136 hp and 2.0 MT 139 hp: Diesel, Euro 5, injection system not measured
• 2.8 MT: Diesel, Euro 4, injection system not measured

If Euro class is a filter, 2.8 MT is the only Euro 4 row; the other three are Euro 5.

Weight per horsepower and what AWD costs in kilograms

Kerb mass per horsepower:

• 2.0 MT 177 hp AWD Gasoline: 1930 ÷ 177 ≈ 10.9 kg/hp
• 2.0 MT 139 hp RWD Diesel: 1815 ÷ 139 ≈ 13.1 kg/hp
• 2.0 MT 136 hp AWD Diesel: 1990 ÷ 136 ≈ 14.6 kg/hp
• 2.8 MT 120 hp AWD Diesel: 1815 ÷ 120 ≈ 15.1 kg/hp

The gasoline 2.0 MT is the lightest truck per horsepower. 2.8 MT is the heaviest per horsepower even though its kerb weight matches the RWD diesel at 1815 kg.

What all-wheel drive does to mass, using the two Diesel 2.0 MT twins (same 1999 cc, same 320 Nm, 3 hp apart):

• 2.0 MT 136 hp AWD kerb 1990 kg versus 2.0 MT 139 hp RWD kerb 1815 kg → AWD is 175 kg heavier
• Gross: 2830 versus 2715 → AWD is 115 kg heavier fully laden
• Payload from the two measured masses: RWD 2715 − 1815 = 900 kg; AWD 2830 − 1990 = 840 kg. The RWD 2.0 MT therefore has 60 kg more payload on the catalogue arithmetic.

Gasoline 2.0 MT AWD sits in the middle on kerb weight (1930 kg): 115 kg heavier than either 1815 kg row, 60 kg lighter than Diesel AWD 2.0 MT. Its payload is 2720 − 1930 = 790 kg — 50 kg less than Diesel AWD 2.0 MT and 110 kg less than Diesel RWD 2.0 MT.

2.8 MT kerb is 1815 kg (same as RWD 2.0 MT). Gross weight for 2.8 MT is not measured, so payload cannot be calculated for that row.

Ground clearance, tank, wheels

Clearance:

• both Diesel 2.0 MT: 216 mm
• 2.8 MT: 207 mm (9 mm less than the 2.0 diesels, 9 mm more than gasoline)
• Gasoline 2.0 MT: 198 mm (18 mm less than the 2.0 diesels)

If the purchase is for ruts and load ramps, the two Diesel 2.0 MT versions are the high-clearance pair. The gasoline 2.0 MT is the lowest of the four.

Tank: 76 L on every version — range cannot be ranked because consumption is not measured.

Wheel sizes: not measured on every version.

Performance and mpg: what is measured, what is not

Top speed is 150 km/h on 2.0 MT 177 hp, 2.0 MT 136 hp, 2.0 MT 139 hp, and 2.8 MT. There is no faster T6 in this generation.

0–100 is not measured for all four. City, highway, and combined fuel use are not measured for all four. CO2 is not measured for all four. You cannot pick a T6 on mpg from this dataset; any ranking by economy would be invented.

What you can rank is the work the engine is asked to do per kilogram, above.

Dimensions and weight (chooser’s view)

Heaviest T6 on the kerb: Diesel 2.0 MT 136 hp at 1990 kg. Lightest kerb: 1815 kg, shared by RWD 2.0 MT 139 hp and 2.8 MT. Highest gross: Diesel AWD 2.0 MT at 2830 kg. Highest calculated payload: RWD 2.0 MT at 900 kg.

Which T6 to buy

There is no later generation to wait for in this catalogue: production of generation 1 is listed from August 2018 with stop empty. Body choice is also empty — every version is Pickup double-cab. The decision is the four powertrains.

Buy 2.0 MT (177 hp) if horsepower is the spec you will use. It is the only Gasoline T6, the only 177 hp / 130 kW row, the only engine that peaks at 5000 rpm, and the best kg/hp figure (≈10.9). You take AWD, Euro 5, a 1930 kg kerb, 790 kg calculated payload, and the lowest clearance (198 mm). Torque is 290 Nm, 30 Nm behind the 2.0 diesels.

Buy 2.0 MT (136 hp) if you want diesel torque and AWD together. Same 320 Nm as the RWD twin, same 216 mm clearance, Euro 5, but 175 kg more kerb weight than RWD 2.0 MT and 50 kg more calculated payload than gasoline 2.0 MT (840 versus 790). It is the heaviest T6 (1990 kg) and the second-worst kg/hp (≈14.6). Peak power is 136 hp at 3600 rpm — 3 hp below the RWD diesel, 41 hp below gasoline.

Buy 2.0 MT (139 hp) if payload and mass matter more than AWD. It is the only RWD T6. It ties the lightest kerb (1815 kg), has the highest calculated payload (900 kg), shares the highest clearance (216 mm), keeps 320 Nm and Euro 5, and is 3 hp stronger than the AWD 2.0 diesel. What you do not get is AWD.

Buy 2.8 MT (120 hp) only if you specifically need the 2771 cc diesel with AWD at 1815 kg. It matches RWD 2.0 MT on kerb weight while keeping AWD, sits at 207 mm clearance, and is the only Euro 4 T6. On the numbers that usually sell a larger diesel, it loses: 120 hp and 250 Nm are the lowest outputs, ≈43.3 hp/L and ≈90 Nm/L are the lowest specific figures, kg/hp is the worst (≈15.1), and gross weight is not measured.

Short rule from the arithmetic

Same name 2.0 MT is not the same truck: 177 hp is gasoline AWD; 136 hp is diesel AWD; 139 hp is diesel RWD. 2.8 MT is not a step up in power or torque from the 2.0 diesels — it is 16 hp and 70 Nm down from 2.0 MT 136 hp, and 19 hp down from 2.0 MT 139 hp. If the job is “most newton-metres and most millimetres of clearance,” the two Diesel 2.0 MT versions are the pair; split them on AWD versus 900 kg payload. If the job is “most horsepower per kilogram,” 2.0 MT 177 hp is alone. If the job is mpg or 0–100, this dataset does not measure either, so those criteria cannot choose a T6.