Jaecoo is the Chinese car success story of the year. So much so that it has become a household name within 12 months of arriving in Britain.
Its 7 went viral after being dubbed a ‘Temu Range Rover’, with the cut-price SUV now a sales hit, topping the UK registrations charts in the busy new-plate month of March.
To make hay on this unprecedented success, Jaecoo’s parent company Chery has introduced the Jaecoo 8 – an even larger family model available with six or seven seats.
In its eyesight are the Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, Volkswagen Tayron and Land Rover Defender – mainstream models it will undercut on price and look to steamroll in terms of value for money.
As is the case for Jaecoo and rival Chinese brands, the car is packed with features, tech and comfort – and also promises class-leading efficiency.
Freda Lewis-Stempel took the Jaecoo around the roads of Buckinghamshire and off-road on the West Wycombe Estate to see if it can outperform rivals at a fraction of the price.
Chinese newcomer and sales sensation Jaecoo has brought out its latest SUV – 8 SHS-P which comes as a six-seater or seven-seater. Freda Lewis-Stempel test drove it on launch last week
The six-seater or seven-seater: The interior differences and similarities between the two Jaecoo 8s
The Jaecoo 8 is a six-seater or a seven-seater, but Jaecoo doesn’t want it to be known as that.
Instead, Jaecoo is saying the 8 is a ‘4+2’ or ‘5+2’ – in other words, a six-seater or a seven-seater.
While we don’t think the Chinese car maker will be successful in persuading anyone to follow this naming approach, we do concur that there is a fair amount of interior difference between the six and the seven-seat options.
The six-seater is an executive car which is more premium-focused and aimed at customers wanting comfort and a chauffeur-style experience.
Individual comfort is prioritised with captain seats in the first and second rows (individual seats which offer superior comfort often like armchairs). These are electronically adjustable, heated and ventilated. They have massage function, too.
The six-seater (pictured) has four captain chairs with heating, ventilation and massage function. The seven-seater has a normal second and third row and heated and ventilated middle seats and massage front seats
Read More
Is this the best seven-seat family car on sale? It might have marmite looks but it’s cheaper and roomier than a Land Rover Defender
There are rear window blinds for privacy, ultra fine eco leather seats, suede headliner, electronic door release buttons and illuminated door scuff sills; these are the additions or differences between the ‘Executive’ six-seater and the standard features of the ‘Luxury’ seven-seater version.
Standard features you can expect on both include dual zone air conditioning, dual 12.3-inch screens, head-up display, a 14-speaker Sony sound system with two headrest speakers and intelligent voice command.
Also standard is a range of equipment you’d normally only get in premium German executive cars, such as a memory function driver seat, power-adjustable steering column and ambient lighting.
And this isn’t everything you get as standard, with the list a rather exhaustive compilation.
Both versions offer only 110 litres of boot space with all seats in use – less than a Santa Fe’s 179 litres – but this expands up to 728 litres (more than the Santa Fe) when the rearmost chairs are dropped flat.
With just the front seats in play, you get 2,021 litres – again more than the Hyundai, making this a brilliant Ikea option when collecting flat-pack wardrobes.
It uses Jaecoo’s eye-catching waterfall grill and has flowing lines, sculpted sides, a rounded front and full lightbars for added impact
Exterior design: Does it look flagship?
The Jaecoo 7 has become one of the most distinctive Chinese cars on British roads. And because the 8 uses that same waterfall grille, it’s definitely going to increase brand recognition, and fast.
The 8 is designed in a softer way than its smaller sibling, which shot to fame for looking not dissimilar to the Range Rover Velar.
But the 8 is more clean-cut than kooky.
It follows a modern, luxury design approach with more flowing lines, sculpted sides, a rounded front and full lightbars for added impact.
I’d say it’s more Audi Q7 than Range Rover Velar; more mature, but less urban cool.
Is the Jaecoo 8 a comfortable car?
Yes, though only for four or five people.
Both the six-seater and seven-seater are filled with soft touch materials, fake wood and artificial leather and chrome.
The seats are well-designed to be plush and supportive but firm and moulded where needed too, and the massage function gives that bit of R&R if you fancy it.
Those in the first and second rows of the seven-seater have plenty of space, and the spaciousness is amplified by the panoramic roof making the cabin light and airy.
I too had more than enough space in the six-seater’s captain chairs in the second row and could also squidge back into the third row in both cars.
However, my colleagues who are taller than me had no hope and ended up with heads bowed down in the third row of both cars and knees tucked up almost to their chins.
Jaecoo says that the third row is hardly ever used in cars, which is true, but in the occasion you do want to use the 8’s extra seats then anyone in the last row needs to be no taller than 5’3 or be prepared to be well and truly squished.
Not great when you consider the Santa Fe does better as a working six or seven-seater.
The cabin is full of eco and soft-touch materials, wood accents and chrome finishes. It has two 12.3-inch screens and no physical buttons
Tech and safety: What do you get for your money?
The Jaecoo 8 is expected to receive a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating soon but has not yet been officially tested.
It comes with ten airbags, 19 advanced driver assistance systems (easy enough to turn off which is appreciated) and 85 per cent high-strength steel for better body rigidity and impact protection.
The 540-degree camera with transparent chassis review is a godsend when parking. You won’t be shortchanged with safety features or assists.
I was disappointed, though, that Jaecoo uses the older Chery 7 dual screens rather than the slicker 15.6-inch central screen and 10.25-inch driver display found in the Chery 9 (also a seven-seater) which is fast, glossier and more responsive. It would be that bit more luxe too.
I was also incredibly disappointed to find no physical buttons on the dashboard. This makes trying to do anything – from adjusting the aircon to turning off assistance aids – a distraction and a frustration.
The shortcuts are a fiddle too – more of a circumnavigation than a shortcut.
The haptic controls for front and rear window heating down by the drive mode selector are something at least, but not much.
The SHS-P engine and motor produce 422bhp. It offers an 83-mile EV-only range and a total range of 700-plus miles when combined. It drives better than the Jaecoo 7 but not fantastically
How does it drive?
The big selling point of the 8 and the drive is its hybrid powertrain: the 1.5-litre DHT SHS-P (Super Hybrid System Plug-in) engine combines with a 34.4kWh battery to produce 422bhp and offers an 83-mile EV-only range and more than 700 miles with a full tank and 100 per cent charge.
Its EV-only range outdoes most of its PHEV rivals, including the Volvo XC90, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe. You can also fast charge from 30 to 80 per cent in 20 minutes, which is faster than all three legacy models listed.
Chery hybrid systems are impressive and it was easy to switch between EV and hybrid mode, as well as the different driving modes.
Sport felt the most composed unsurprisingly, and I was impressed by the off-roading modes and functions like Hill Descent Control which do a much better 4×4 job than the average buyer will ever actually require. It went happily through a lake to make use of the 600-metre wading depth.
On-road, the 8 didn’t enjoy potholes or uneven road surfaces, of which there are a lot in the UK, and the steering was very light and floaty, making the driving experience a bit wishy-washy.
In the corners, especially when not in Sport mode, you could really feel the heftiness of the car.
I was impressed by the 8’s off-roading capabilities: We went through a lake to make use of the 600m wading depth
Comfort on smoother stretches of country roads and on high speed roads though was good, although noise cancelling could be improved.
I also, unlike some of my taller colleagues, like the driving position which is nicely adaptable for smaller drivers, and offers good visibility over the road.
The Jaecoo 8 has an impressively small turning circle too, which makes it a great car if you’re going to be doing town driving, especially in the seamless EV mode which glides around urban areas.
The 0-to-62mph acceleration time of 5.8 seconds is useful too, especially when overtaking and outpaces the Santa Fe, but it isn’t the most consistent on delivery – you get a bit of a delayed lurch out of the gate when you put your foot down.
The takeaway is that the 8 overall drives much better than the 7. However that doesn’t make it perfect.
With fuel costs rinsing people at the pumps, low running costs like the Jaecoo 8’s have never looked so appealing. As has saving thousands of pounds upfront for a premium family SUV
Cars & Motoring verdict: Will the Jaecoo 8 be as big a seller as the 7?
Jaecoo continues to undercut its rivals and bring very price appealing options to drivers.
The 8’s Luxury trim costs £45,500 and the Executive is £47,500. The Kia Sorento is £56,155 and the Hyundai Santa Fe is £58,950, while the Land Rover Defender goes for at least £82,990.
Even if you only use it as a flexible five-seater 99.95 per cent of the time, the 8 is an impressively packed offering which will get you from A to B on the daily in style and enough comfort.
You could be spending only a few pounds a week in charging costs if you only venture around in EV mode and then maximise that long range fuel efficiency when you need it.
With fuel costs rinsing people at the pumps, low running costs like the Jaecoo 8’s have never looked so appealing.
Factor in its price tag, premium fit and kit, and pleasing design and it’s a large SUV that most people will be happy to have on their driveway, even if it isn’t the most fantastic example of a seven-seater.
