The premiere of the JS3 compact cross took place in Moscow: relatively inexpensive in the current realities, aimed at a family audience and driving on city roads. A car with two-tier optics and a frameless grille will be brought to us from China and sold in two trim levels with a single “aspirated” engine. Prices start at 1,799,000 rubles and go up to 1,999,000 rubles, which is slightly less than what insiders predicted (from 2.1 million rubles).
JAC JS3 replaced the outdated S3 crossover. Sales of the latter actually ended in the summer, and in October S3 disappeared from the Russian JAC website. At that time, its price started at 1.4 million rubles – noticeably less than the initial cost of the new product.
The JS3 is longer than the outgoing S3: it measures 4,345 millimeters from bumper to bumper, or 20 millimeters more. The width and height are 1765 and 1640 millimeters, respectively, with a wheelbase of 2560 millimeters. But the ground clearance has become more modest – 155 millimeters instead of 170 for its predecessor, which can be a significant difference when leaving the asphalt. The JS3’s trunk can accommodate 600 liters of cargo, and the fuel tank capacity is 45 liters. The crossover has MacPherson struts at the front and semi-independent suspension at the rear.
Motor.ru
You can choose from two configurations. The entry-level Comfort comes with height-adjustable halogen headlights and LED daytime running lights, roof rails, electrically adjustable and heated side mirrors. The interior is absolutely black and upholstered in fabric. There is air conditioning, the seats are mechanically adjustable, and the rear seat backs fold in a 60/40 ratio.
Equipment Price in rubles Comfort 6MT 1,799,000 Luxury MT 1,899,000 Luxury CVT 1,999,000
An audio system with four speakers and a radio is responsible for entertainment, and two front airbags are responsible for safety. But there is a rich list of electronic assistants: it includes cruise control and six auxiliary systems, including ESP, hill climb assistant, tire pressure monitoring and a delay function for turning off the headlights (Follow me home).
In the more expensive Luxury, the headlights are also halogen with diode DRLs, and there are also two airbags. All windows can be closed with one touch and remotely, and the side mirrors automatically fold when the car is closed. The hood is soundproofed and the wheel size is 16 inches.
J.A.C.
J.A.C.
The interior, including the steering wheel, is trimmed with eco-leather, but also only in black. The air conditioning was replaced with climate control, a rear armrest was added, and the number of speakers was increased from four to six. The multimedia system is Russified, with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and with a 10.2-inch touchscreen “hovering” above the front panel.
Under the hood of the JS3 is a 1.6-liter naturally aspirated in-line four of the Euro-5 eco-class, producing 109 horsepower and 150 Nm of torque. It is combined with a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT, depending on the version, and the crossover has only front-wheel drive. Maximum speed is 180 kilometers per hour.
JAC JS3 may become an alternative to the outgoing Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster, once popular in Russia. And the closest competitor today will be our compatriot Livan X3 Pro, which also appeared quite recently – last summer. Also, the JS3 can compete with the “Russian” Kaiyi X3, the larger Haval Jolion or the Moskvich 3, which is also a JAC.
Speaking of “Moskvich”: JS3 may be reborn into the next model of the resurrected brand under the index 2. In the spring, the head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov published a video of a crash test of the model from a working trip to China, calling it “Moskvich”. When this will happen is still unknown. The next announced new products are Moskvich 5 and Moskvich 8.
Assembly of JAC JS3 has been established, including in Kazakhstan at the SaryarkaAvtoProm plant, but crossovers will be delivered to us from China. By the way, in both countries the model is known under a different name – S3 Pro. On the Kazakh market, for comparison, its price starts at 8.6 million tenge, which is approximately 1.7 million rubles. /m
