Jaecoo's New Flagship Just Raised the Bar for Family SUVs

Limited Time Offer: Jaecoo J7 Available now available from $37,990 from Ingham Great Lake

Jaecoo has built its reputation fast. The J7 is now the UK’s top selling model in its class, and the J5 EV has climbed New Zealand’s electric sales charts since launch. The brand’s new flagship, the J8 SHS, arrives with an even bigger claim to make: seven seats, genuine off road pedigree and cabin quality that punches well above its likely price.

That pedigree is no accident. The J8 sits on Chery’s T1X platform, developed jointly with Jaguar Land Rover, and early testing over articulation ramps, wet metal inclines and a 30 degree side slope showed a chassis with real rigidity and composure, the kind of poise more commonly associated with premium, luxury four wheel drives.

The production SHS variant has since confirmed just how capable the finished car is. Its plug in hybrid system pairs a 1.5 litre turbo petrol engine with three electric motors, delivering 315kW and 580Nm combined, enough for 0 to 100km/h in 5.8 seconds. A 34kWh battery offers a claimed 169km of electric range, with real world figures closer to 120 to 130km still comfortably ahead of most rivals in the segment.

On the road, automotive journalists note that the powertrain switches between electric and petrol drive simultaneously and the adaptive suspension strikes a genuinely impressive balance between comfort and control. Inside, quilted leather, heated and ventilated seats, a 14 speaker Sony system and a restrained, screen light dashboard all point to a cabin built to feel expensive.

New Zealand cars land in September, sized between a Toyota Highlander and a compact seven seater but offering considerably more electric range, power and equipment than most in that bracket. For buyers eyeing a seven seat family SUV with genuine off road credentials, the J8 SHS is well worth a closer look when it arrives at Ingham Great Lake Taupo this spring.