- The Plug-in Jaecoo J7 SHS hybrid offers up to 106 km of pure electric beach and 1200 km combined, making it one of the most flexible and effective compact SUVs in its class.
- With a premium style, a surprising quality of construction and a complete suite of features, the J7 SHS hits well above its price.
- Supported by an 8 -year warranty, 8 years of capped prices and 8 years of road assistance, the J7 SHS offers a serious long -term value proposal for Australian buyers.
Value of new cars appropriate in 2025, the type that makes a difference in your daily reader and your bank balance requires delivering several fronts: performance, functionalities, warranty and price.
Enter the Jaecoo J7 SHS: the rechargeable hybrid variant of the compact SUV of the Chinese brand which is now in the exhibition halls, seeking to shake the established Phev order.
Price from $ 47,990 AUD DIVEAWAY, it is in an ideal place between mainly trivial mass market models with fewer features and premium offers that require many more dollars.
Silent revoltion
Jaecoo is a newcomer to Australia. A high -end brand of the Chery group, it seeks to put an elegant international rotation on the compact SUV offering so much to the Australies.
But the Jaecoo J7 SHS does not only add technology for technology, a refreshing change in an era when certain cars resemble the warehouse of a bunch of trainees from Silicon Valley on Red Bull. Instead, Jaecoo's Super Hybrid System (SHS) offers what Australian drivers want: flexibility.
With an electric range of 106 km (NEDC), the J7 SHS exceeds most competitors at this price. For the context, the average journey of Aussie is 16.5 km. Thanks to the Pure EV option of the J7 SHS SHS hybrid system, which is equivalent to being able to lead to work and return for three days without burning a drop of gasoline. Above all, without the full commitment of the EV, it still makes many of us nervous about these longer journeys on the road.
In fact, Jaecoo claims a combined range of petrol and electric vehicle of around 1200 km for the J7 SHS. During a week of car testing, I barely scratched the surface of this capacity with all my city trips on Pure EV and a quick dash from Melbourne to Mansfield at the foot of Mt Buller, barely eating in the tank.
When the 18.3 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery needs load, our 7.2 kW charger did the job quickly. If you are engaged in EV mode as your defect, the J7 can recharge from 30 to 80% in just 20 minutes using a DC fast charger.
Under the hood: more than ecological references
The Jaecoo J7 SHS Motopropulser group combines a turbocharged four -cylinder fuel engine of 1.5 liter economy but energetic (105 kW / 215 Nm) with an electric motor evaluated at 150 kW and 310 Nm. In hybrid mode, the two units operate in unison to offer a lively but remarkably silent performance.
You can sometimes feel more than hearing the engine starting on the road open to keep the battery in charge or about 30%, you can choose the level via the full car adjustment application, but it is never invasive.
Around the city, the car is usefully quick to the lights. However, unlike certain “not so intelligent” hybrids, the power delivery of the J7 SHS feels sorted, smooth and linear during the cruise, with a decent thrust when you bury the right foot.
The performance does not end on the open road either. The acceleration of road speeds is appropriate, in fact, do not let this lack of noise fall asleep in a false feeling of security. The J7 SHS is, Umm… delivered… Sorry officer!
Premium aspirations, consumer price
Australia's new cars market has probably never seen so many new brands. However, Jaecoo managed to pass with the J7 SHS. Impressive, since until the arrival of the new J8 larger later this year, it is a group of one.
This visibility has a lot to do with the distance from the “Jelly-Mould” standard adopted by many electrified brands. Instead, the J7 SHS offers a more refined look, than the well -created design chief of Jaecoo, Steve Eum, describes as “paying tribute to classic SUVs with great proportions and great details”.
The J7 certainly has more than a suspicion of a certain British off -road brand, but its style and its premium sensation have a lot of potential customers looking twice.
The cascade grille and the checkered DRL gives the J7 a distinctive face which would not be in its place with a European badge. The elegant side profile, the refined surfacing and even these rinsed doors are alluded to a price well above reality.
It's a nice thing, a complete stop. And I'm not sure I have written this on any other Chinese offer.
Inside, the J7 SHS offers a good blow for Buck with a panoramic sunroof, a 14.8-inch touch screen, perforated synthetic leather seats, a double-zone climate and a Sony audio system with eight speakers. Add the heated and ventilated front seats, the head -up screen and the high definition 360 ° camera system, and you get equipment that would cost thousands of others in established competitors.
The overall interior quality level deserves to be mentioned. Many new brands get this important 70%factor, but when you look louder, gaps appear – literally. Not Jaecoo. The J7 SHS really surprised me, materials to touch gently where it counts, tight gaps and a feeling of constant quality throughout.
There is no approach “we have spent the budget on the parts you can see” which afflict new brands. And quality is more than deep in the skin. The perforated seats are comfortable for longer relays, although larger drivers can wish more support below half-time.
Technological division
The Jaecoo J7 SHS is not without its quirks. Some will be frustrated by dependence on the touch screen for climate controls. You soon learn to slide up to access the functions, but there are times when conventional buttons work.
Indeed, the centralization of so many functions via the main screen will oblige new owners to familiarize themselves properly. You can go deep enough, and there are several levels of personalization, good or bad, depending on the side of the technological division on which you sit down.
The 14.8 inch touch screen is reactive and visually impressive. Apple Carplay connected easily and worked perfectly, offering an interface familiar to those who prefer it. The audio system is a highlight, clear, balanced and with enough punch to do justice to your Road Trip playlist.
Alas, some other bases which require a fixing are not rather digital analog … For example, the rear fan is only one socket in the central console – a strange decision in a country where 40 ° C days are not uncommon.
Certain driving aid systems can be too zealous, sometimes dripping when you intentionally cross a line. I turned off the driver's attention instructor. A menu, a click, fortunately …
I would also love to see Jaecoo watching a local suspension carefully and a management setting. The rest of the car is impressive enough to justify the effort.
Property proposal
Where Jaecoo really strengthens his case is the property package. Chinese custom places a particular meaning on the figure 8.
Jaecoo jumped on this to defend an impressive after-sales package which combines an eight-year warranty with eight years of service at hidden prices and eight years of road help. This could be sufficient alone to switch the balance for buyers.
An informed alternative
The Jaecoo J7 SHS does not reinvent the wheel, but it certainly redefines what we should expect at this price, by a margin.
Compare it to other PHEVs such as the GWM Haval H6 GT or even the Outlander PHEV Troumed of Mitsubishi, and its value seems solid. Add the appropriate appearance and premium sensation of Jaecoo, and the bonus that the J7 SHS offers is clear.
After my visit behind the wheel, the Jaecoo J7 SHS really impressed me. It is a measure of the speed with which the new brands correspond and, in certain respects, accelerating past inherited marks.
For buyers who seek to immerse their toes in electrification without diving head in the full property of the EV, the Jaecoo J7 SHS, a convincing argument. He is not content to compete on the price, he is exaggerated. An authentic quality, thoughtful characteristics and a refined style make J7 SHS a clever alternative that deserves a more in -depth appearance.
