Off-Roading with Jaecoo J7 – More Than A Luxury SUV!

We recently tried the M4TREC’s off-road challenge with the Jaecoo J7 to see how good its off-roading capabilities are!

It’s not so often that we get the chance to go off-roading on a proper off-road course, but that’s exactly what Jaecoo Malaysia gave us earlier this week with the Jaecoo J7 off-road driving experience.

Aimed to showcase the true off-roading prowess of its maiden premium SUV model, the Jaecoo J7 off-road driving experience took place at the renowned Malaysia 4WD Training and Experience Centre (M4TREC) in Semenyih. Here, the J7 has been put through six courses meticulously designed to truly test the SUV’s off-road prowess.

THE CAR

A little recap on the J7’s specs, this C-segment SUV is available in two full-ICE variants for our market, namely the front-wheel drive (FWD) and the all-wheel drive (AWD) versions. Sticking with the latter for now, the J7 AWD harnesses a 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbocharged petrol engine developed by Chery’s Kunpeng powertrain arm.

The J7's 1.6-litre turbocharged mill is mated to both the 7-speed DCT and Jaecoo's proprietary ARDIS AWD system.

Rated at 194 HP and 290 NM, said engine is mated to a 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox, which in turn helps to facilitate power delivery to all its four wheels via Jaecoo’s proprietary All Road Drive Intelligent System (ARDIS) AWD setup.

Featuring seven terrain driving modes, which include snow, sand, and mud, Jaecoo claims the ARDIS AWD torque intervention offers a reaction time as low as 0.1 seconds during challenging conditions. 

On top of the intelligent AWD system, the Jaecoo J7’s body design features decent approach, breakdown, and departure angles, not to mention its healthy 200 MM ground clearance—all allowing this SUV to traverse through some rough off-roading terrain with ease. More so, Jaecoo claims that the J7 is capable of wading through waters as deep as 600 MM.

Helping drivers off-road the J7 easier is the 540-degree camera view displayed on its 14.8-inch infotainment screen. On top of the wide camera view, said infotainment unit also comes with both a three-dimensional (3D) and a transparent view of the car’s surroundings.

THE CHALLENGE

All of the aforementioned off-roading features and equipment would be very essential for the Jaecoo J7 to pass the M4TREC’s strenuous off-roading challenge, which features six different courses. This infamous off-roading challenge has become the de facto proving ground for off-road enthusiasts to test out the capabilities of their machines in a safe, controlled, yet still challenging environment.

Course 1: Roller Ramp

The challenge started with the Roller Ramp course, which was designed to demonstrate how quickly the AWD system distributes torque across four wheels while maintaining stability, as well as the effectiveness of the vehicle’s traction control.

Thanks to the smart ARDIS AWD system, we found that the J7 passed through this course with relative ease; the only thing we needed to do was apply the throttle constantly, and the AWD system immediately kicked in.

Course 2: Frame Twister

Next in line was the Frame Twister, where the course features several huge mounds positioned alternately to test the axle articulation, not to mention the whole car’s structural stiffness and integrity. Aside from its decent axle articulation, the J7’s AWD system also helped it pass this course in flying colours.

Course 3: Slide Slope

The third course was the Slide Slope, featuring a pretty steep ridge with its slope tilted at a 28-degree angle. Designed to demonstrate the car’s ability to maintain stability when driving on tilted surfaces as well as its traction control, the J7 also managed to overcome this obstacle in a secure and composed manner, where we didn’t experience any sensation that the car might tip over due to the steep slope.

Course 4 & 5: Water Wading & Deep Water Wading

The off-road challenge continues with the two water wading challenges, with the first one featuring a shallower depth of 150 MM, and the second one much deeper at 550 MM. With the J7 featuring a decent ground clearance of 200 MM and riding on sizable 19-inch alloy wheels, it managed to pass both water-wading courses pretty well.

However, we’ve been prompted by the instructor to turn off the A/C as a safety precaution to prevent any water from being sucked inside the car’s innards. But nonetheless, the J7’s decent water-wading capabilities were proven in these two challenges, which is essential for off-road vehicles to ensure navigation through various terrain types with confidence and reliability.

Course 6: Ridge Crossing

The final and perhaps the most gruelling course in this challenge was the Ridge Crossing, where the J7 is required to cross over the same ridge used on the Side Slope challenge. We’re quite surprised to learn that the J7 managed to traverse such a steep ridge, again, thanks to its decent 21-degree approach and 29-degree departure angles. 

Similar to the previous courses, this one highlights the importance of an off-roader having decent approach, breakdown, and departure angles, as well as a healthy ground clearance, in ensuring that the vehicle can traverse through any steep inclines and rugged terrain without risking any damage.

VERDICT

Passing all the courses in flying colours, it is evident that there’s more to the J7 than its handsome and luxurious facade, as this C-segment SUV is truly a capable off-roader. Although some may argue that the majority of customers won’t even use the car for off-roading activities, we’d reckon that it is good to know the capabilities that the J7 harnesses, which can be useful in some dire or emergency situations.

With its registration of interests (ROI) already open since earlier this month, the all-new Jaecoo J7 is poised to make its local debut later in Q2 this year, with a tentative price tag of RM150,000 for the FWD model and RM160,000 for the AWD one.

Now you've seen its off-roading capabilities, are you tempted to cop the Jaecoo J7 for yourself?

So folks, what do you think of the Jaecoo J7? Could this sub-RM200,000, off-road-ready C-SUV come on top of your list against the likes of its more familiar yet less off-road-capable adversaries? As usual, don’t forget to hit the comments below with your thoughts…