–– EV DIARY ––
Suttie’s seven days with a... Jaecoo 7 SHS
Our man Al gets behind the wheel of this SUV, one of many new alternative-powered vehicles to arrive from China
Jaecoo 7 1.5 SHS Luxury
List Price
BiK
23g/km
CO2
mpg
52.2
mpg
MONDAY
With plenty already on the road, I was beginning to feel like I’d missed out on the Jaecoo 7 until one took up residence outside this morning for the week. It’s an imposingly handsome mid-size SUV that makes a Range Rover Evoque look a bit effete – and the J7 has some neat details, such as its pop-out door handles as you approach the car and no need for the drudgery of pressing a start button before setting off.
TUESDAY
First impressions of the J7 are good. It’s easy to see why it has lots of showroom appeal, on top of Jaecoo’s keen pricing and equipment strategy. The big infotainment screen in its portrait orientation looks good, there’s a lofty driving position, decent all-round vision and a clean-cut style to the cabin overall. There’s also good space front and back and even the plug-in hybrid model’s smaller boot is plenty big enough.
WEDNESDAY
More time behind the wheel today and things are less impressive. Worst offender by far is the steering feel, or almost complete absence of any. I’m more than happy to accept this type of car doesn’t need to be the last word in dynamic ability but, jeez, some hint of what’s happening at the front wheels would be useful. It makes turning into a corner a guessing game that I don’t want to play.
“First impressions of the J7 are good. It’s easy to see why it has lots of showroom appeal, on top of Jaecoo’s keen pricing and equipment strategy”
THURSDAY
Another day, another question mark over who signed off the Jaecoo 7’s driving dynamics. This time it’s the ride quality that would have me hauling someone over the coals at HQ. The car pulls off the unusual feat of being way too soft yet jarring over any interruption in the road surface, coupled to excessive lean in corners. Combine that with the woeful steering and it’s a driving mess.
FRIDAY
Pottering about town, where the J7 does a reasonable job, it’s easy to place when parking. The 1.5-litre petrol engine is refined and the single-speed gearbox makes it smooth when accelerating. I’ve not had the chance to plug in and charge up, but the Jaecoo 7 switches to EV power whenever it can and drives as well as any of its PHEV rivals in this setting.
SATURDAY
An irritation that has built over the week with the J7 is its column-mounted gear selector. In short, it doesn’t always swap from Reverse to Drive in one simple push. This can leave you languishing in Neutral when you think you should be driving in your chosen direction. At best it’s a minor annoyance, but at worst can let the car start rolling when you should be pulling away.
SUNDAY
There is a good deal to like about the Jaecoo 7 – its looks, lengthy equipment list, efficiency and roomy cabin. However, it feels like a car that was signed off when 95% ready, rather than going for that final push to make it ideally suited to UK roads and driving conditions. Sort the suspension, steering and gear shift and it would be serious threat to established rivals.
