From nowhere, Jaecoo’s become a significant player in Australia’s new car arena, so lobbing a three-row plug-in hybrid SUV into the mix should only strengthen its burgeoning appeal.
With a claimed 169km (NEDC) battery-only range, chunky performance numbers, sole high-specification Summit grade and $59,990 plus charges price tag, this new J8 SHS large SUV is tough to ignore.
But on-paper goodness does not a great car make.
Omoda Jaecoo, as it’s known, has shifted over 10,000 cars to Australians already, despite the brand only landing here a smidge over 12 months ago.
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Bulk of sales are of the Jaecoo J5 small SUV: a competent offering with snap-’em-up pricing of $25,990 drive-away for a petrol version, and $36,990 in-the-traffic for the EV model.
A self-proclaimed “mass-tige” (or prestige for the masses) brand, Jaecoo’s owned by Chery Motors and its current Aussie inventory includes the J7 medium SUV as a PHEV or pure petrol; a petrol-only five-seat version of the J8 large SUV, and the Omoda 9 PHEV biggie.
Our new J8 SHS is the first seven-seater offered by the brand, putting it on the shopping list of larger families.
The sub-$60k tag makes it close in price to an entry-level Hyundai Santa Fe three-row SUV, but the Korean is only a basic self-charging hybrid, and falls short of the J8 SHS’s glittery spec list.
I use the Santa Fe as an example to flush out your new car preferences. Do you favour wow-factor specification or drive experience? The big Hyundai’s a gorgeous thing to live with and drive, while our Jaecoo feels a rung or two down dynamically, but does so with a monstrously generous features list.
The J8 SHS is by no means a clunker to drive – in fact it’s rather lovely in some circumstances – but if Jaecoo would throw a few dollars at a local steering, ride and handling package (as Chery’s doing with its new Lepas SUVs), it could be a slam dunk.
Regardless, this J8 SHS feels the most convincing Jaecoo product to date. Some may amusingly dub them Temu Range Rovers due to their familiar/inspired-by front ends, but this obviously isn’t harming Jaecoo sales.
If you’re after a large plug-in seven-seater, Chinese rivals include the BYD Sealion 8 FWD (from $56,990) and sister car Chery Tiggo 9 SHS (from $52,990), while the Omoda 9 SHS five-seater now looks expensive from $61,990.
The Jaecoo buying proposition is strong.
There’s an eight-year warranty, reasonable servicing costs ($2315 for five years/75,000km), and a 34kWh battery that can be charged at up to 70kW on a DC fast charger – superb for a PHEV.
With a home wall box (reckon on $2000 fitted) for AC charging, the battery goes from 10-100 per cent charge in 5.5 hours.
Jaecoo’s claiming a 169km range using the generous NEDC method, so the fairer WLTP rating would be around 140km. On our limited test, our energy use in EV-only mode suggested 140km would be just about possible if you’re suburbia-based and using slower speeds.
The high voltage battery won’t run flat. The J8 SHS uses the petrol engine to recharge it on request, or does so automatically when it dips too low, ensuring performance doesn’t dip. Our total range (petrol plus battery) was showing 1100km when all was full… another winning tick.
The drivetrain is this J8 SHS’s standout aspect. Its 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine is backed by two front electric motors plus a larger rear one.
For stat lovers, the combustion engine offers 105kW/215Nm; the front axle scores a 75kW/170Nm motor; there’s a 90kW/220Nm motor integrated into the complex-sounding three-speed 3DHT (dedicated hybrid transmission), while the rear e-motor brings a chunky 175kW/310Nm.
Combined, the setup is good for 315kW/580Nm. The multi-pronged electric attack means this J8 is devilishly responsive and quick. A sub six-second 0-100km/h time’s mega for a big lump like this.
With so much range to play with, the daily commute or school drop off may as well be done in EV only. The Jaecoo’s expectedly smooth and quiet this way, although there’s marked road noise from the Michelin 20-inch tyres.
In town and on smooth highways our J8 SHS is easy, relaxed and plush. When the road and its surface become more challenging, holes emerge.
There’s adjustable damping, and in softest Comfort mode it’s a floaty big thing, and only in Sport mode does it settle a little. Even so, it feels lardy in tighter turns, rolls a fair bit and does not want to make quick direction changes. Grip from the tyres is decent, however.
Steering feel is too light for anything but in-town work, and you must have a ballerina’s delicacy on the throttle at times, or too much arrives too soon and the J8 lunges forward. There are three different regen levels, but none feel terribly strong.
But credit to the local Australian team, which has worked to better calibrate Jaecoo’s painfully nannying, over-enthusiastic driver aids. I still found myself turning them off, but there’s been an appreciated improvement.
My impression is many who sit in a J8 SHS at the showroom may not give a fig about the drive experience, as it’s brimming with tempting features to get you contract signing. There’s serious luxe on board.
Power door handles; quilted leather seats which are heated, ventilated and massaging; dual 12.3-inch displays; wireless CarPlay and Android Auto; Sony audio; 50W wireless phone charger; panoramic sunroof; power tailgate; ambient lighting and a lengthy safety suite including 360-degree monitor.
You can even choose from a trio of fragrances, filtering through the vents to disguise the smell of the kids’ spilled milkshakes.
There’s solid middle row space for extra occupants, and they’re on the spoilt list with that extending glass roof, heated and cooled seats, myriad air vents and multiple USB ports.
The third row feels more 5+2 rather than a proper seven-seater. The single-fold middle seat is on the traffic side (a safety black mark), it’s a real clamber to get in, and while leg room’s passable thanks to the second row on runners, head room’s lacking. It’s no good for tall adults, nor are there anchor points for a child seat, or third-row airbag coverage.
The PHEV battery means no under-boot space for a spare. A charging cable and tyre repair kit take up cargo room, but with rear seats down the boot’s a sizeable one.
On the grumbles front, the leather feels good but not great and some hard plastics lose prestige shine. An over-reliance on Everything Through The Screen is a modern day faff – the climate menu is busy, as are navigating all the sub menus for adjusting and selecting anything from suspension settings to how intense you’d like your cabin fragrance. There is much to learn.
Most strange is how much higher the driver’s seat is compared to the passenger’s, no matter how much you press the Mercedes-like door buttons adjusting the seats. And I’m not sure how much use the off-road mode and supplied rear diff lock will get in this very on-road feeling PHEV.
After a few hours’ drive and a decent poke through the cabin, it’s clear why Jaecoo expects its J8 plug-in to do well. Mega luxury kit and a pumping powertrain are superb at this price, and that pure electric range of well over 100km could help keep fuel bills very low for family users able to easily charge at home. With solar, running costs could be peanuts.
Those who prioritise driving joy and outright excellence from a chassis should look elsewhere, but if that’s not your bag, I’ve no doubt this J8 SHS very much will be at this price.
Jaecoo J8 SHS PHEV price and specifications
Price: $59,990 plus on-roads
Basics: PHEV, 7 seats, 5 doors, large SUV, AWD
EV Range: 169km (NEDC) – approx. 140km WLTP
Battery capacity: 34kWh
Battery warranty: Eight years
Energy consumption: 19.3kWh/100km (claimed)
Fuel consumption: 1.2L/100km ADR
Powertrain: 1.5L 4-cyl petrol turbo 105kW/215Nm
Motor: Front motor 1 75kW/170Nm; Front motor 2 90kW/220Nm; Rear motor 175kW/310Nm
Combined output: 315kW/580Nm
Transmission: Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (3DHT)
AC charging: 6.6kW
DC charging: 70kW
0-100km/h: 5.8 seconds
