I am a traditional enthusiast. I like analogue dials and gauges, a good yet simple sound system - the less complexity, the better. So when a certain JAECOO arrived with a massive screen and a litany of tech, I was somewhat hesitant. It's not too uncommon in modern motoring, made almost ubiquitous by Chinese manufacturers, it’s a formula which can be overcomplicated for somebody like me who just enjoys the drive of a car over the infotainment screen real estate. This JAECOO J7 seems to have both…colour me impressed.
JAECOO’s plug-in hybrid J7 SHS has raised the bar, meeting the mark of European legacy brands as far as design, perceived build quality and powertrain technology is concerned. And then of course, on the tech front, this J7 has the largest screen I have ever seen in a car. We did a little research and as it turns out, specific to digital infotainment screens alone, this is the largest single screen available in a car offered on the South African market at the moment. More on that a bit later but suffice to say, the J7 in this plug-in hybrid form is the one to have if you’re trying to tick as many boxes as possible. Hybrids are all the rage now.
The cabin is a tech-geek’s dream; it’s modern and quite minimalistic with a 14.8-inch screen taking up all of your attention. Here you will find all of your vehicle controls and functions. The mirrors are adjusted through the screen as is your climate control and volume adjustment, the latter through a few swipes which can be frustrating and hard to find. The driver can also operate the volume control through the multi-function wheel but it’s one of those user experiences that can be improved. Simple controls for simple functions are best in my opinion. Apart from that, it feels like this car was built for the connected lifestyle we all live. Space for two devices in front, charging ports are generous and connecting phones to the system is fairly simple.
What also impressed me was the amount of light drawn into the cabin. It's bright and modern, offering that premium feel JAECOO is communicating. The trim material, ambient lighting and surfaces reinforce that premium character, with little presence of scratchy plastic and simple yet thought-out aesthetic touches in what is quite an intricate design. The faux-leather seats are incredibly comfortable, the sound system pumps, and its AI assistant is always watching from the top left corner of the screen, ready to answer any random questions we might have had. All of this adds to the character and modernity experience. AI assistance is one of those features that doesn’t quite have much use in the current landscape but I expect that its growth, intelligence and function will grow exponentially.
Fuel consumption was an early concern in most Chinese cars. The commonly used 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine was pretty much the only option, and it loved sipping fuel in large quantities. In a bid to fix this, JAECOO has gone and added three letters to the J7, SHS, or Super Hybrid System, which is the brand abbreviation for its PHEVs. It means that this J7 SUV now has the range to back up all its other boasts. When I first hopped on board, I did a double take at the four-figure range beaming back at me.
It read 1,150km from a full tank, and considering it is a mid-sized SUV, I was keen to see how quickly I could bring that number down. But after a week of rather enthusiastic driving, the range dropped minutely after each drive. I put 638 kms on the J7 SHS over a week and handed it back with half the original tank without even trying to preserve fuel. We can thank the Chery brand's impressive new hybrid technology for this. The Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV has effectively the same powertrain.
The JAECOO J7 SHS favours EV driving, and with a full charge you will rarely hear the engine turn on, even at highway speeds. When the engine feels the need to support the charge, the transition is almost silent and unnoticeable. Combined, the 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine and a single electric motor produce 255kW and 525Nm, which are some pretty healthy numbers, all of which are sent to the front wheels. 105kW and 215Nm come from petrol power, whilst the remaining 150kW and 310Nm are produced by electricity.
The EV-focus allows for instant throttle response, impressive pickup and go and one of the more lively driving characteristics I have experienced in a non-performance SUV. It is fun to drive at low speeds thanks to instant torque and provides a smooth on-road ride quality that excels on gravel roads too. It is softly sprung to deal with road shock and vibrations, but maintains a good rigidity in its body roll, which allows you to carry a considerable amount of speed through corners with a touch of positive feel through the steering and brakes.
On a full charge you can drive up to 90km in EV mode and when the range anxiety kicks in, the engine lights up to not just drive the wheels but also to recharge the batteries. It does the 0-100km/h run in about 8.5 seconds but that rate of acceleration slows down drastically at higher speeds. Its 0 - 50km/h experience is way more thrilling than its 100 - 150km/h.
This PHEV system is intuitive, so much so, in fact, that once the charge gets down to the 25% mark, the engine takes over. Not necessarily in its drive dynamics, as the electric motor delivers consistent power even on a dwindling charge, but rather uses combustion to regenerate charge to assist the hard-working motor. With a full charge I was averaging around 4.8l/100km and it jumped up to around 6.5l/100km when the charge was nearly depleted. This further won my heart over and allowed my theoretical pocket to breathe a sigh of relief.
The JAECOO J7 SHS flagship comes in at R689,900. It is specced to the nines, with all the usual ADAS safety bells and whistles, a panoramic sunroof, and one of the more impressive PHEV systems we have driven. Without pinning it against its similar Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV sibling in both performance and cost, the J7 SHS competes with the BYD Sealion 6 at a similar price point. Only the PHEV tech on the J7 produces 95kW and 125Nm more. Other considerations are the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid GX-R E-Four which is a mid-range offering with much less power than the J7 at R763,800. The RAV4 is a brilliant platform with its own PHEV tech, only it's nearly R100k more, less powerful and offers less range than the JAECOO. What a conundrum that consumers have to face…a deeply trusted brand that on paper, doesn’t offer as much and comes at a higher price? Or a totally new brand that has so much more on offer for better money?
The J7 SHS is an impressive car. It feels as though it fits the premium label, without the prior concerns of heavy fuel consumption and poor throttle calibration. It's fun, it's comfortable and it's frugal. Personally, the screen-heavy approach isn’t to my liking but that doesn’t take away from its features. Its rounded, almost Euro-inspired styling, exciting launch off the line and its planted chassis speak to the driver in me, whilst the cabin, comfort and tech left my wife rambling on about wanting one, two weeks after it left. Is it a BMW X3 competitor? As an all-round product, not quite, but considering that it costs almost half the price of an X3, the JAECOO J7 is a really good consideration.
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