Start with what the Refine M5 is: a 4-door van / 4-door minibus with Petrol engine, built from 2002 to 2025, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. What it meant takes a little longer.
The story
The JAC Refine M5 (Chinese: 瑞風, Ruifeng M5) is a light commercial, 4-door van built by the JAC Motors in China from 2002 to 2025. The Refine M5 marked the starting point of the Refine sub-brand under JAC, with the van originally being called the JAC Refine MPV, Refine I, and Refine M1.
The original first generation model is a rebadge model based on the first generation Hyundai Starex, with the post-facelift model starting to differentiate from the Hyundai van styling wise. The second generation was launched in April 2011 originally as the Refine II Hechang. In late 2012, the name was changed to Refine M5 to sit under the Refine MPV series.
What is underneath
The engine is Petrol engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 1950 kg. Drive goes through a 5-speed Manual transmission / manual / 4-speed Automatic transmission / automatic. The wheelbase is SWB: 2810 mm / LWB: 3080 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Kia Sorento, the Mazda Mazda6, the Honda Accord. Nearby in the JAC Group catalogue sit the Heyue A20 and the Heyue A30.