Latest news with #Jaecoo7
Top Gear
22-07-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Jaecoo 7 SHS
The Jaecoo 7 has made a jaeconfident start to its life of Top Gear Garage service. Cabin quality (sorry, jaecabin jaequality) is top drawer for its price bracket, while economy (jaeconomy?) from the hybrid set-up is proving equally impressive. Despite not adding any extra electric juice to the 7's regular petrol diet, I've been regularly returning over 50mpg, which I reckon is pretty tidy from a bluff, weighty SUV. There are, however, a few Jaecoo jaequirks I'm still struggling to wrap my head around… Advertisement - Page continues below Nor an ignition barrel. To start the 7, you simply get in and flick the column-mounted gearshifter into D or R. At the end of your journey, tap it back into P and get out. We've seen this on plenty of full EVs, but it's the first time I've encountered it on something with a combustion engine. It's a genuinely strange sensation to leave the 7 with petrol motor still running, and trust it'll shut itself down when you lock it from the key fob. ADJUSTING THE WING MIRRORS IS A PAIN (THOUGH LESS OF A PAIN THAN IT WAS) There are no physical switches to adjust the 7's wing mirrors. Instead, you must navigate to a relevant page from the central touchscreen, at which point the two touchpads on the steering wheel assume control of the mirror angles. This page is tough to locate, buried deep within one of the Jaecoo's submenus. If you need to adjust your mirrors quickly, this is inconvenient. Advertisement - Page continues below However! I recently discovered you can programme the steering wheel's 'star' button to act as a shortcut to the mirror menu: just press and hold it to assign it a new function. This is handy. Though not as handy as actual buttons.
Top Gear
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Jaecoo 7 SHS - long-term review 2025
'What the hell is that?' asks the delivery driver, screeching his van to a halt mere inches from the Jaecoo 7's rear. This is, I think, the seventh time I've been asked this question – or ruder variations thereof – in the two days the Chinese interloper has been parked in front of my house. To be honest, right now I'm unsure how to answer that question. Not least because I'm not certain of the pronunciation of 'Jaecoo'. (Jai-coo? Jay-coo? J'atchoo?) Advertisement - Page continues below Google 'Jaecoo 7 rivals' and you'll find reference to everything from the Dacia Bigster to a Range Rover, which is quite the spread. So what does the 7 rival? And whatever it does rival, does it… outrival them? That's what it's here to answer. What the Jaecoo 7 isn't – to the surprise of my many interrogators – is an EV. Though, yes, it's a new Chinese arrival (Jaecoo is a sub-brand of state-owned Chery, and arrives in the UK alongside sister brand Omoda), no, this one's not electric. At least not fully electric: the 7 comes in either pure petrol or plug-in hybrid guise. We've gone for the latter, grandly dubbed the Super Hybrid System (SHS). This sees a 1.5-litre turbo petrol supplemented by an additional e-motor on the front wheels fed from an 18kWh battery, offering a total output of 201bhp and an official 56 miles of electric-only driving. That's a more substantial e-range than many PHEVs. Could come in handy. Could just be an even-heavier second powertrain to lug around. The 7 also isn't, despite the name, a seven-seater. Room for five only here, within an SUV similar in footprint to the Hyundai Tucson, VW Tiguan and BMW X1. Judged by the attention it's garnering, the 7 is more visually distinctive than any of that crew. Wearing optional Amazonite Blue paint, first impressions are… it looks tidy, right? The merits of that cheese-slicer grille will be, I suspect, a matter of personal taste, but the surfacing is smart and the detailing is neat. There's more than a hint of Evoque and Velar about its straight-edged profile. It looks, to me, quite expensive. Advertisement - Page continues below It isn't. At least not by modern SUV standards. The 7 range starts at a smidge over 30 grand, with this plug-in hybrid weighing in at £35,000 with all the trimmings. That looks like strong value if the 7 can mix it with premium offerings like the Audi Q3 and X1, fair value if it's up there with the Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage… and a bit on the pricey side if it's playing in the Bigster/MG HS ballpool. We shall see.
Auto Express
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Car Deal of the Day: Get the Range Rover look for (a lot) less with the Jaecoo 7 for £244 a month
Imposing styling Packed with standard equipment Only £243.85 a month Jaecoo is another Chinese brand new to the UK car market, and if you go by recent sales figures, it's starting to become a popular choice among Brits. Little wonder with deals like this, because, for well under £250 a month, you can get the Jaecoo 7 SUV that has Range Rover-like looks, is packed with technology, and is very affordably priced. Advertisement - Article continues below This deal, from Select Car Leasing, through the Auto Express Find a Car service, sees you taking the keys to a brand-new Jaecoo 7 for just £243.85 a month. This three-year deal requires a £3,280.20 initial payment, while mileage is capped at 5,000 miles a year. This can be tweaked to 8,000 a year for just over £8 extra a month. The Jaecoo 7 has the same underpinnings as the similarly cheap Omoda 5 – featured last week as a Deal of the Day – but parent company Chery feels the Jaecoo is a cut above. That probably explains why Jaecoo has seemingly looked to Range Rover for some styling inspiration, with the 7's rear end having more than a hint of Range Rover Evoque about it. The slim headlights, boxy dimensions, and large grille all give the car added presence, too. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below This deal gets you the entry-level (and curiously old-fashioned-sounding) Deluxe model. But, like with many Chinese new entrants, base-spec doesn't equal poverty-spec like on some rival European offerings. Deluxe brings a 13.2-inch touchscreen, 10.25-inch digital driver's display, wireless smartphone charging, a 360-degree camera system, heated front seats, ambient lighting, a full-length panoramic sunroof and more a whole heap of advanced driver-assistance systems. Powering the 7 is a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox. It packs 145bhp and gets the aspirational high-rider to 62mph in a very leisurely 10.3 seconds. Fuel economy is a decent 37.7mpg claimed. The car's ride and handling are outshone by the majority of European rivals, but if styling and equipment at a cheap price are high on your list of requirements, the Jaecoo 7 could be worth a look. The Car Deal of the Day selections we make are taken from our own Auto Express Find A Car deals service, which includes the best current offers from car dealers and leasing companies around the UK. Terms and conditions apply, while prices and offers are subject to change and limited availability. If this deal expires, you can find more top Jaecoo 7 leasing offers from leading providers on our Jaecoo 7 hub page. Check out the Jaecoo 7 deal or take a look at our previous Car Deal of the Day selection here… Find a car with the experts Car Deal of the Day: Super sci-fi Kia EV6 for an exceptional £260 per month Car Deal of the Day: Super sci-fi Kia EV6 for an exceptional £260 per month Our Deal of the Day for 31 May is an extremely attractive price for this extremely capable electric family car Nissan Qashqai vs Dacia Bigster: big-selling SUV faces a brand-new threat Nissan Qashqai vs Dacia Bigster: big-selling SUV faces a brand-new threat The Bigster is Dacia's largest model yet. How does it compare with the ever-popular Nissan Qashqai? Car group tests 31 May 2025 2026 Land Rover Defender updates look subtle, but they fix one huge annoyance for owners 2026 Land Rover Defender updates look subtle, but they fix one huge annoyance for owners Land Rover has introduced new, larger white-painted steel wheels for models with big brakes, fixing one massive irritation with the previous generatio…
The Independent
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
New Chinese car brands unveil models including cheaper version of Range Rover Evoque
New Chinese car brands Omoda and Jaecoo – part of China's Chery automotive group – have unveiled a new model each at the Shanghai Motor Show, just a year after their launch in the UK. Jaecoo, the more premium of the two brands, has unveiled the new Jaecoo 5 – a battery electric vehicle that will also be available as a petrol model. The Jaecoo 5 looks like a scaled down version of the Jaecoo 7, a car with a striking resemblance to the Range Rover Velar. So it's no surprise that the car looks very much like the Velar's smaller sibling, the Range Rover Evoque. While the look of the Jaecoo 5 might be like an Evoque, the price won't be – we'd expect it to be around the £35,000 mark. That puts it slightly above the price of the Omoda 5, with which the new Jaecoo shares its tech. That tech sharing means we can expect a 61kWh battery and a range of around 250 miles, making it competitive against some similarly priced rivals, although behind the likes of the new Skoda Elroq and newly crowned World Car of the Year, the Kia EV3. As with the Omoda 5, the Jaecoo 5 is also expected to be available with a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a hybrid also possible in due course. Our guess is that the petrol Jaecoo will cost around £27,450 – putting it between the Omoda 5 petrol and cheapest Jaecoo 7 model. Although the styling of the Jaecoo 5 is very similar to the Jaecoo 7, the front end is slightly more aerodynamic making it look even more like a Range Rover. Inside, the look is very generic with a portrait-orientated touchscreen sat above twin wireless charging pads on the centre console. A second digital display sits in front of the driver. Following a very similar theme, the new Omoda 7 is bigger than the Omoda 5 and shares its tech with the Jaecoo 7. That means a plug-in hybrid system that Omoda calls intelligent super-hybrid technology with a small battery and 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine for a claimed total range of 745 miles on a full tank and full charge. Design-wise, the Omoda 7 looks very much like a slightly stretched version of the Omoda 5, but with additional LED lighting at the front, a more pronounced kick up of the window line towards the back at the side, and a longer rear overhang for a bigger boot. We'd expect the Omoda 7 to be priced just below the Jaecoo 7 that comes with the SHS (Super-Hybrid System) so a starting price of around £32,500. Both the new Jaecoo 5 and Omoda 7 will be in showrooms in August, but they'll be beaten by a new flagship Omoda model that wasn't at the Shanghai Motor Show. The Omoda 9 is already shown on Omoda's website with a starting price of £44,990 for a model that also uses the SHS plug-in hybrid system. Little else is known about the new car other than the price, its claim of 93 miles of EV range, its massive 660-litre boot capacity, 4.7 metre length and 700 mile-plus total range. It can be ordered now in a choice of five colours and is set to arrive before the other newcomers in June of this year.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Test-Driving The 2025 Jaecoo 7 Super Hybrid System SUV
Despite being a new brand to the market, Jaecoo has entered with a healthy amount of curb appeal. Let's place tariffs and the turbulent status of the automotive industry aside for a moment to take a look at this new model from the Chinese manufacturer Jaecoo. For obvious reasons, the brand hasn't launched in the US but it's made its way to the UK and other right-hand drive markets as a joint brand under the Omoda and Jaecoo name. Omoda is the compact SUV marque while Jaecoo is targeting the premium off-roader segment. While the brands are new entrants to the European market, they're owned by parent company Chery. Unlike many Chinese manufacturers only exporting electric cars to Europe, Omoda and Jaecoo offer a range of petrol, hybrid and electric models to capture a bigger chunk of the market. This review focuses on the Jaecoo 7 plug-in hybrid which the brand calls its 'Super Hybrid System'. The Jaecoo 7 features a prominent 'waterfall' grille detail. Usually, a family SUV means a trade off in driving enjoyment for practicality but the Jaecoo 7 is a refreshing deviation from this trend. The car is equipped with a 1.5 liter engine paired with an 18.3kW battery pack for a combined power output of 201 bhp. It might not sound like a lot but the way the car lays down power is impressive enough to achieve 60 mph from a standstill in 8.5 seconds. Another refreshing difference in the Jaecoo 7 is its hybrid system. Since it has a decent sized battery, at any speed it's keen to respond with ample power. This gives you the confidence to overtake at highway speeds and driving at whatever pace you want feels comfortable. Typically, a plug-in hybrid means lugging around a depleted battery after its electric-only range is exhausted. The Jaecoo 7 can drive for up to 56 miles just using the battery but on longer journeys, or if you don't have access to charging, it defaults to a standard hybrid system and always maintains a minimum level of charge. If driven conservatively, it can achieve up to 745 miles on a single tank of fuel and a fully charged battery without needing to recharge in the meantime. Driving anything but economically, I managed 560 miles before a low fuel warning pinged up. On the road the plug-in hybrid system makes for a smooth driving experience. For the most part, engine noise is subdued with barely a noticeable difference when the car is in EV mode or relying on the engine. Since the hybrid system always keeps around 20% in reserve, any time you tackle a hill there's plenty of electric oomph to make the driving experience seamless. Depending on preference, you can also adjust the level of regenerative braking to suit the scenario. It wouldn't be a modern car if it didn't come with a whole suite of safety systems but you'll be glad to know they can be turned off with relative ease. At the bottom of the screen there's a shortcut button to the car's settings where you can turn off things like the driver monitoring system which, inevitably, bings at you while you're looking for its off button. Legislation means all its safety features activate every time the car turns on but on short journeys that don't involve highway driving, the safety kit is fairly unintrusive. The interior design is dominated by crisp screens. Inside, it's apparent from conception the Jaecoo 7 was designed to carry passengers in comfort. As standard, a panoramic sunroof bathes the interior in light and since all versions come with the sunroof, it doesn't cut into headroom in the rear. The car's boxy shape means there's plenty of head and shoulder room for rear passengers and loads of legroom too. One of my favourite touches is the blind spot monitoring system in the rear passenger compartment. If the vehicle is stationary and another car or road user approaches the vehicle, an orange light appears next to the door handle to warn the occupant. When it's not illuminated, it's perfectly disguised as part of the door trim. It feels like such an accessible warning that would prompt even a child to stop and check before opening the door, a great subtle safety feature for anyone sitting in the back. In the front, the huge portrait screen is obviously the main attraction. Its functionality is iPad-like with a swipe down notifications screen, applications and swipe up climate controls. If you're used to using a tablet or smartphone, the interaction feels very intuitive and easy to navigate. When it's connected to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto it's a great continuation of your personalized preferences. Parking is a doddle with multiple camera angles and sensors. When you approach a turn and use the indicator, a split screen display of three different camera angles appears to show you where the car is in relation to the curb and its surroundings. You can also choose whether you want to see a 360 degree view of the car or just its wheels. This feature is designed to give you a better understanding of where your wheels are when you're off roading. The only unnatural aspect of the design is its lack of an on/off button. As soon as you get in the car it's ready to go and when you lock the car it turns itself off. It takes a little while to break the habit of looking for an on button but this helps to keep controls in the cabin to a minimum. Jaecoo appears to take styling inspiration from the likes of Range Rover In the UK the Jaecoo 7 can be had in three different specifications. The entry-level Deluxe trim starts from just over £30,000 ($39,800) and comes with a 1.6-liter engine, 13.2 inch central infotainment screen and heated front seats. For an extra £4,000 ($5,300) the Luxury trim adds a head up display, a larger 14.8-inch screen, ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel and an eight speaker Sony sound system. The plug-in hybrid SHS version tops the range only available with the Luxury trim adding all the tech goodies you could want for just over £35,000 ($46,400). Value like this is virtually unheard of and it's not the kind of value that only justifies itself on price alone. Jaecoo presents a credible rival for established brands thanks to its focus on tech, a great hybrid system and luxury features. For example, its panoramic sunroof would usually be a huge extra cost on the options list from any other brand. Despite its familiar looking rear end, it's no Range Rover but it doesn't pretend to be, it prioritises usability, comfort and enjoyable driving, all of which combine to make it incredibly likeable. Price as tested: £35,165 ($46,570) Engine: 1.6-liter petrol plug-in hybrid Power: 201 bhp Torque: 229 lb-ft 0-62 mph: 8.5 secs Top speed: 112 mph
