Cool off-road
Jaecoo J7: Still China or already Land Rover?
China's roads are full of two things: Electric scooters and cars from joint ventures between Chinese and European companies. A lot of the know-how that the young Jaecoo brand is now putting into its SUVs comes from one of these. The first model to be launched on the Austrian market this year is the J7, in which the manufacturer aggressively refers to the relationship with Land Rover.
Specifically, it is the Range Rover Evoque that is often used as a comparison. That may be a bit far-fetched, but the Jaecoo J7 is certainly chic. Visually blessed with more character than many other Chinese vehicles that clog up the streets of Beijing and other major cities in the Middle Kingdom.
Jaecoo? Never heard of it!
The mother of it all is Chery, China's number three manufacturer and largest exporter. And: Chery builds Jaguar Land Rover models for the Chinese market. The off-road capabilities of the Jaecoo J7 are based on this long-standing collaboration. Chery only founded Jaecoo a year ago as a pure export brand. This means that the British company will not have any problems in China. Whether this would otherwise have an impact on JLR sales remains to be seen, even if the Jaecoo J7 makes a very solid impression.
At 4.50 meters long and 1.67 m high, the J7 towers over the Evoque and is almost exactly the same length as the BMW X1, while the wheelbase of 2.67 m lies exactly between the two. The design could be described as sporty and massive, more in the direction of the Range Rover Sport than the Evoque or BMW X1. In short, the exterior is ideal for European markets.
Popular or arbitrary
The interior of the Chinese car is also very well finished and pleasing to the eye. But nothing more - the design is a little arbitrary. A transverse 10.25-inch speedometer, a vertical 14.8-inch central touchscreen, supplemented by a head-up display. You have to make do with touch elements on the steering wheel, physical buttons are essentially only found on the left under the dashboard for the lights and a few on the center console. Two cell phones (one of which can be charged wirelessly with up to 50 watts) and two cups can be held there, while a handbag can rest underneath in the company of two different USB ports.
Four cylinders for two or four wheels
There is a choice of two drive systems: a combustion engine and a plug-in hybrid. However, all-wheel drive is only available (optionally) for the petrol engine.
The basis is the 1.6-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with just 147 hp, which is also used in the Omoda 5. Power is sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox with a slight start-up delay. If we are still talking about propulsion here, the turbo engine with all-wheel drive has to make a real effort: If a good 1.8 tons is already not a little for this performance, a full two tons of unladen weight can definitely be considered too much.
The plug-in hybrid has an easier time of it with its electric motor and the additional Bentiner, especially as it is only available with front-wheel drive and only weighs just under 1.9 tons. Its combustion engine is a 1.5-liter four-cylinder that was specially designed for the hybrid drive. Its 143 hp is supplemented by the 204 hp of the electric motor, which is located in the automatic transmission. With the 18.3 kWh battery, it should be able to achieve an electric WLTP range of 88 kilometers. It is charged with up to 45 kW direct current, but only 6 kWh alternating current.
And this is how the Jaecoo J7 drives
We were able to do a few short laps in the J7. It proved to be comfortably tuned, without any sporting ambitions. The steering has little feel, the chassis is soft. It won't be able to keep up with a Range Rover Evoque, let alone a BMW X1. On an off-road course, however, the suspension absorbed an astonishing amount and kept its composure in terms of comfort. Perhaps the set-up will be tweaked a little. A brand spokesperson announced that major model revisions will be made every two years, with smaller updates in between.
With the slightly larger Jaecoo J8, which is also due to come to Austria a little later, we were also on a torsion frame on which two wheels were temporarily in the air: In this "suspended" state, the doors jammed slightly. That wouldn't happen in a Land Rover.
One argument: the prices
A real argument in favor of the Jaecoo J7 will be the price. The following price ranges were mentioned: As a combustion engine it should cost between 34,000 and 38,000 euros, as a plug-in hybrid 44,000 to 48,000 euros.
Driving quote:
The Jaecoo J7 offers a lot of car for the money. You have to make a few compromises in terms of features, but you get a very handsome appearance for a relatively low price. Not a Range Rover, though.
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