With 428 hp, a 34.46 kWh battery, up to seven seats and a combined range of more than 1,000 km, Jaecoo’s new flagship posts figures rarely seen on a plug-in hybrid, at a price the competition cannot match. Antonio da Palma Ferramacho put it to the test. Watch his verdict.
After the Jaecoo 7, the subsidiary of Chinese group Chery is moving upmarket. The Jaecoo 8 measures 4.82 m long and 1.71 m tall, with a 2.82 m wheelbase that makes it look even more imposing than it is. The styling, sitting on 20-inch wheels, borrows from the segment’s benchmarks, with a hint of Audi in the headlights and Range Rover at the rear, without ever becoming flashy. The overall effect is solid and well executed.
Four motors and a record range
Under the strut-supported bonnet, the high-efficiency 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo engine is backed by electric motors on each axle: the Jaecoo 8 SHS-P is a four-wheel drive. Combined output reaches 428 hp with around 580 Nm of torque, enough to launch this large family SUV from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds.
The trump card is the 34.46 kWh battery, an exceptional capacity for a plug-in hybrid, giving more than 130 km of WLTP electric range and accepting AC charging at 6.6 kW as well as DC fast charging up to 70 kW. The quoted combined range exceeds 1,200 km, and the figures recorded during the test back this up: after 250 km, the on-board computer still showed 890 km remaining, with fuel consumption of 6.4 l/100 km, close to the 6.8 l quoted with a depleted battery.
Seven seats and surprising build quality
The cabin is reminiscent of certain Mercedes models, right down to the seat controls on the door panels and the Burmester-style tweeters. The front seats are heated, ventilated and massaging, the panoramic roof opens in two positions, and the test car offered seven seats with a perfectly flat floor. With the bench in place, the boot holds 738 litres. The only practical gripe: there is nowhere to store the charging cables.
In terms of ergonomics, the central touchscreen forces the driver to lean out of the seat to reach some controls, and physical shortcut buttons remain too scarce. The many audible alerts, which have to be deactivated at every start-up, are equally irritating.
Comfort first
On the road, the adaptive suspension clearly favours smoothness. Body roll remains well contained in corners, the brakes manage the transition between energy recovery and mechanical braking seamlessly, and the double glazing ensures excellent refinement. The heavily filtered steering, however, lacks feedback.
Priced at 55,000 euros with a full level of standard equipment, the Jaecoo 8 SHS-P ticks almost every box, concludes Antonio da Palma Ferramacho: well designed, practical, quick and offered at a particularly aggressive price.
Tags
