Overview

We know what you’re thinking – what is a Jaecoo? It might sound like a budget clothing brand, but this new Chinese carmaker has come out of the Chery, which is the country’s fourth largest carmaker. The Jaecoo 7 is the firm’s latest step in its master plan to follow in the footsteps of MG and BYD to enter the mainstream car market – and is doing it with what it hopes will be one of the best plug-in hybrid SUVs for the money.

The first surprise is that this vaguely upscale-looking SUV is not electric, like so many other newcomers to the market. Alongside sister brand Omoda’s new cars, Jaecoo has been developed in Europe, and has been engineered to cater for the tastes of British buyers. Although the interior is pleasing to look at and sit in, giving a good account of itself in the quality stakes, and with interesting styling on the outside, some of the details don’t quite hit the mark – not least that oversized grille.

The second surprise is that the 7 comes in at a price that puts it directly against the Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Karoq and Kia Sportage, as well as plug-in hybrid rivals such as the MG HS, Citroen C5 Aircross and the larger Skoda Kodiaq. This is despite looking to all intents and purposes like an alternative to a Range Rover Evoque or Volvo XC40. That should put it in good stead when customers come knocking on the showroom window for a closer look.

To find out if it’s worth your time, I’ve been driving the 7 around the Surrey back lanes for some first impressions at the brand’s UK launch event. And if you’re interested, you can find out how we test cars here.

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What’s it like inside

Considering its sub-£35k price tag, the Jaecoo 7 looks and feels very nice inside, with a genuine aura of luxury thanks to clever use of materials and trims. The dashboard is a minimalist affair with a padded panel bedecked by a couple of screens with a small bank of physical controls below that. The centre console is well finished as are the door panels – complete with fake exposed screw heads, like a Land Rover Defender.

The 14.8-inch centre infotainment screen in the Luxury model is worthy of note, too. It’s easy to control, the menus are responsive and smartphone integration is fast and seamless. There’s plenty of personalisation available, too, with a swipe down screen for user-defined shortcuts – such as turning on and off the driver-assist systems.

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The driver’s seat is well-shaped and supportive and electrically adjustable, and offers good forward visibility. There is plenty of legroom and headroom up front, feeling airy and spacious – helped no doubt by the panoramic glass roof panel. In the rear, there was plenty of room for my 6ft 2in driving partner – so fitting the family in should be a cinch. Oh, and the petrol car’s gear selector is one of the most strangely-shaped items I’ve ever encountered!

There’s ample storage space between the seats, and in front of the lower console are USB-A and USB-C sockets, as well as a 12-volt power socket. Oh, and a wireless charging pad with room for two phones (but just charging for one). The glovebox is well-sized, too, and there’s a smaller flip-down cubby to the right of the steering wheel.

Opening the standard-fit electric tailgate, the plug-in hybrid’s boot is well shaped, and measures 410 litres with the rear seats up. It’s deep and inside the boot are three shelves to put stuff on if that’s your thing. Seats down, the boot capacity increases to 1,335 litres. If you want more boot space, buy the petrol version – you get 500 and 1,423 litres respectively.

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Engines

There are two power units available – a straight petrol and a plug-in hybrid version, known as the SHS. The entry-level petrol 1.6-litre turbo develops 145hp and is available with front- or four-wheel drive. It’s not particularly quick, with a claimed 0-62mph time of 10.3 seconds (front-wheel drive) and 11.8 seconds (four-wheel drive), and the maximum speed is 112mph for both. The WLTP fuel consumption figure is 37.7mpg for the front-wheel drive version and 35.3mpg for the four-wheel drive model.

On the road, it feels quick enough to keep up with the flow, although we’ve yet to try it at motorway speeds thanks to a limited test route. It’s been designed to maximise efficiency, which might explain a lack of refinement when pushed – drive it hard and it sounds coarse and unpleasant, but at least it’s well insulated, so it won’t annoy you too much.

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Far better is the SHS plug-in hybrid model – and well worth the price premium over the pure petrol version. This model mates a smaller 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine with a high efficiency dual electric motor and 18.3kWh battery pack. Combined power output for this set-up is 204hp, which results in a livelier (if still not particularly rapid) 0-62mph time of 8.5 seconds and a modest maximum speed of 108mph.

On the road, the plug-in version puts in an assured performance. The drivetrain’s response feels particularly polished, with smooth response and instant acceleration when demanded. Despite the additional 59hp on tap over its ICE counterpart, it doesn’t feel that much quicker, just more effortless and less strained at revs. We didn’t get chance to test the full extent of the car’s battery-only driving range, but judging from our short drive, it should be easy to better 30 miles even in cold driving conditions.

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Plug-in hybrid range and charging

Jaecoo says its energy-saving transmission offers a maximum EV efficiency of 98.5%, helping to achieve an overall system efficiency of 92%. The quoted WLTP electric-only driving range figure is 56 miles, and the petrol fuel consumption is stated as 403mpg. We’ll be real-world testing this as soon as we get one in for a longer evaluation, although WLTP testing shows it will do 47mpg once the battery is depleted.

The plug-in hybrid can be charged on the public network at speeds up to 40kW, allowing it to go from 30 to 80% in 20 minutes – which makes longer trips on electric much more feasible, as long as you don’t mind paying a premium for public fast charging. Do it home on your wallbox and it’ll take six hours 30 minutes. It also has Vehicle-to-Load (VTL) capability thanks to a 3.3 kW charging plug.

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What’s it like to drive?

In short, not bad. The Jaecoo 7 sits within a relatively small footprint, with a length of 4.5m putting alongside the Nissan Qashqai as a reasonably city-friendly package. Good job, too, as you won’t be buying this car to get your kicks on the A66. This first drive was compromised by a limited test route, so I’ll concentrate on how it is in urban conditions.

I spent the most time behind the wheel of the SHS plug-in version, and the first impressions are mainly positive. After getting over how polished the drivetrain is and how well it shuffles between battery and its engine, it comes down to how it feels on the road. It’s a quiet car, with little road and wind noise to complain about.

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The ride is firm, but surprisingly well-damped, and although some might find it a little stiff legged to handle urban potholes, it was perfectly acceptable to me. Steering is light, quick and responsive in ‘Standard’ drive mode, and lacking in overall feel whichever of the seven modes it’s in.

I only tried the 1.6-litre petrol version in front-wheel drive form, and there’s a marked difference between this and the SHS in terms of overall refinement. There’s more engine noise as you’d expect, and it’s less eager to pull away from the lights. But once underway, it feels lighter on its feet with a little less bodyroll in bends.

However, the ride is a little firmer and more fidgety on rougher road surfaces, further underlining that the SHS is the one to have. But overall, it didn’t really put a foot wrong, and when judging a new car, I’m usually looking for things that annoy – and other than the lane-keeping assist being a little keen at times (and it is easy to turn that off), it didn’t really do that.

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What models and trims are available?

The Jaecoo 7 comes in two flavours – the entry-level model is the Deluxe and the range topper is the Luxury. What these names lack in imagination they make up for in value – with generous kit for your money. The Deluxe is available in front-wheel-drive form only, and that means it’s limited to the 145hp petrol engine.

There’s more choice if you go for the Luxury, as you can also plump for the same petrol engine allied with a four-wheel-drive system, or with the SHS plug-in hybrid set-up. This is the one you’d really want. There are a range of options and equipment packs if you choose to personalise your Jaecoo 7.

They’re all well-equipped, with items such as a panoramic roof, a fully-equipped infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, head-up display, heated and powered front seats, and a comprehensive array of safety kit including 16 driver-assistance systems. The main difference between Deluxe and Luxury is the size of the central screen (down to 13.2-inch for the Deluxe), premium Sony audio and the interior trim.

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What else should I know?

As is de rigeur for any new carmaker hoping to make a presence in the UK, the Jaecoo 7 is covered by a generous seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, with no mileage limit for the first three years. And as the new car is being rolled out, there are already 71 dealers serving these cars with the promise of more to follow.

Whether this will be enough to tempt cautious buyers out of more established brands remains to be seen – if anything is likely do that, it’ll be the car’s keen value pricing.

The Jaecoo 7 has some interesting qualities, not least its punchy cash price and PHEV refinement, but is that enough to see off its established rivals? Our verdict can be found on the next page.