Jaecoo J7

First previewed over half-a-year ago, Jaecoo Malaysia’s (Chery sub-brand) first offering, the Jaecoo J7, officially launched.

A C-segment SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle), it underpins Chery’s T1X platform and is based on the Chery Tansuo 06 (China market).

Locally-assembled (CKD - Chery Plant, Shah Alam), two variants are available (J7 2WD - MYR 138,800, J7 AWD - MYR 148,800).

Prices (OTR, w/o insurance) cover a standard warranty (seven years/150,000 KM), a free service package (five-year), and 24/7 free towing (seven years/150,000 KM).

Also included is an early bird package (10 years/1,000,000 KM engine warranty) for bookings made by 21 July, 2024.

Four single-tone exterior colours (Moonlight Silver, Carbon Crystal Black, Khaki White, Model Green).

The 2024 Jaecoo J7 has a polished and symmetrically-tiered dashboard, linked to a high-rising bridge-style centre console (cooler box armrest, aircraft-style gear shift).

Soft-/hard-touch panelled, it sees a single-tone scheme (Black) with Carbon Fibre (centre tier) and Silver trims (AC vents, door panels, centre console).

Centre-staged is a floating-portrait-mounted infotainment (13.2-Inch - J7 2WD, 14.8-Inch - J7 AWD), flanked by a floating-landscape-mounted driver display (10.25-Inch).

Filling-up the layout is a set of turbine-designed air-conditioning vents (sides), and heightening the mood is an ambient lighting system (rhythmic 64-colour).

Inclusively, the layout is neatly-designed (driver-centric, user-friendly) with all the buttons stealthily-embedded into the panels.

Fitted is a floating-landscape-mounted 10.25-Inch LCD fully-digital instrument cluster with a windshield Heads-Up Display (w-HUD).

Luxuriously-bolstered and comfortable, the five-seater’s interior sees leatherette upholstery in a single-tone (Black) scheme.

The front gets electric-powered (multi-way, driver welcome/lumbar, passenger chauffeur mode, heating/ventilation, memory) All-Sense seats. The rear gets a manual-configured bench seat (60:40 split-flat-fold). 

Included are armrests (front - centre console, rear - centre seat fold-out), a headliner (Grey), a panoramic sunroof (tilt/slide, sunshade), and rear privacy glass (J7 AWD).

Courtesy of Chery’s T1X platform, the cabin offers ample space, providing the front and rear occupants with plenty of interior mobility. 

Generous head-, shoulder-, and leg-room.

Mounted is a three-spoke flat-bottomed steering wheel. Single-tone (Black) leatherette with accentuating trimmings (Silver).

Features are multi-switches (Bluetooth, media, voice command, vehicle settings), and column adjustments (tilt, telescopic, tiptronic). 

Drive is aided by an Electric Power Steering (EPS) system. 

Numerous storage areas. E.g., side door/seat back pockets, centre console partitioned/caverned spaces, a glove box and boot side wall pockets.

Provided are four cup holders (two - front, rear) and four bottle holders (one - side doors).

Installed are three USB ports (one-front, two-rear), two 12 V sockets (front, boot), and a wireless charger (front - active cooling).

Accessing its electronic-powered tailgate (contactless - sensor, key fob), opens up to 424-Litres (rear seats up) and 1,349-Litres (rear seats down) of load capacities.

Weighing in at 1,939 KG, the 2024 Jaecoo J7 stands at 4,500 MM long, 1,865 MM wide, 1,680 MM tall, and with a wheelbase spanning 2,672 MM.

Robustly-premium with sharply-flowing contours, its boxy exterior radiates both a business- and family-esque outlook.

The front-end sees mildly-sculpted bonnet/fenders, a ‘Waterfall’ grille (Black-Chrome - vertical slats), and a lower-centre air-intake.

Accentuations, body claddings (Black - lower lip, fenders, side sills) and body trimmings (Black - side mirrors, window surrounds, lower doors, roof rails).

Commandingly-sleek, its flowing silhouette furthers the premium design with symmetrically-clean and horizontally-cut curves.

The rear-end sees a floating roofline (Black upswept D-pillars), a roof-edge spoiler (Black), muscular fenders and a dual-exhaust-integrated bumper.

Accentuations are body claddings (Black - diffuser, fenders, side sills) and body trimmings (Black - window surrounds, lower doors, roof rails).

Boxy, the ‘Natural Daylight’ dual-tier headlamps are bumper-integrated, with upper-separated LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL). Installed are full LED units.

Features are sequential turn signals, automatic On/Off/high-beam (Intelligent Headlamp Control - IHC) and welcome lights. Paired to the set are LED fog lamps.

The ‘Crystal Diamond’ tail lamps are in a lightbar design, framed symmetrically-boxy with wrapped-around edges. Installed are full LED units.

Features are sequential turn signals and welcome lights. Paired to the layout is a set of LED fog lamps (bumper corners).

The two-tone (Black-body-colour) side mirrors are electronic-powered (auto-fold, adjust), with turn signals, Blind Spot Detection (BSD) indicators, and heating/memory/automatic-dimming functions.

Equipped are ventilated (front) and solid (rear) disc brakes, featuring coloured (Red) brake callipers. 

Drive is aided by an Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold system.

Aerodynamically-sporty, it rides on a set of 19-Inch multi-spoke (Aurora Design) dual-tone (Silver-Black) aluminium-alloy rims, wrapped in 235/50 R19 (front, rear) Cooper Evolution CTT tyres.

The 2024 Jaecoo J7 features the following suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Grouped are 540-Degree Panoramic Camera (AVM), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Blind Spot Detection (BSD), Curve Speed Assistance (CSA), Departure Ahead Inform (DAI), Door Opening Warning (DOW), Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK), Front Collision Warning (FCW), Integrated Cruise Assist (ICA), Intelligent Evasion System (IES), Intelligent Headlamp Control (IHC), Lane Changing Assistance (LCA), Lane Departure Prevention (LDP), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Rear Collision Warning (RCW), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Rear Cross Traffic Braking (RCTB), and Traffic Jam Assist (TJA).

Others include Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD), Multi Collision Braking (MCB), Speed Limit Reminder, Brake Assistant System (BAS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC), Hill-Descent Control (HDC), and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). 

Passive safety includes seven airbags (driver, driver knee, passenger, front side, front-rear curtain), seatbelts (anchors, reminders, pre-tensioners), ISOFIX (two - rear outer seats), parking sensors (four - front, rear), parking cameras (rear - dynamic guidelines, 540-degree panoramic), door ajar warning, emergency brake signal, Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold, and security alarm (anti-theft, immobiliser).

Variant J7 2WD gets three drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sports).

Variant J7 AWD upgrades to the All Road Drive Intelligent System (ARDIS), featuring seven drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sports, Sand, Mud, Snowfield, Off-road). 

Installed is a floating-portrait-mounted touch screen unit (13.2-Inch - J7 2WD, 14.8-Inch - J7 AWD), supporting Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (wireless), navigation, Intelligent Voice Assistant, USB and Bluetooth.

Entertainment is channelled via an eight-speaker Sony Premium Audio setup.

The 2024 Jaecoo J7 harbours a 1.6-Litre inline four-cylinder 16-valve turbocharged direct-injection DOHC petrol engine, producing 194 HP (145 KW) and 290 NM. 

Fitted is a seven-speed DCT (Dual-Clutch Transmission) automatic transmission.

Variant J7 2WD transmits power to the front wheels, via a Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) system.

Variant J7 AWD transmits power to all four wheels, via an All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system.

Acceleration from 0 to 100 KM/H is done in 9.2 seconds (J7 2WD) and 9.9 seconds (J7 AWD). Top speed is 205 KM/H (J7 2WD) and 180 KM/H (J7 AWD).

Fuel tank capacity is at 57-Litres, and combined fuel consumption is rated at 7.0 L/100 KM (J7 2WD) and 7.7 L/100 KM (J7 AWD).

The 2024 Jaecoo J7 features these conveniences.

E.g., Smart Entry system (keyless entry, engine Start/Stop button), remote engine ignition (key fob - cabin cooling), walk-away-auto-lock, automatic headlamps (On/Off/high-beam), automatic wipers (rain sensing, intermittent), steering wheel (multi-function, column adjustments, EPS), exterior/interior rear-view mirrors (automatic-dimming, BDS, heating/memory), Intelligent Voice Assistant, wireless charger (active cooling), panoramic sunroof (tilt/slide, sunshade), electronic-powered tailgate (contactless - sensor, key fob), Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning (rear air-vents, PM95 air-filter), electric-powered (multi-way, driver welcome/lumbar, passenger chauffer mode, heating/ventilation, memory) All-Sense seats, cooler box armrest, rear privacy glass (J7 AWD), interior lighting (ambient, cabin, boot), parking sensors (four - front, rear), parking cameras (reverse - dynamic guidelines, panoramic - 540-degree), and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

Installed is a dual-zone automatic air-conditioning system, featuring a set of rear air-vents. Incorporated is a PM95 air-filtration system.

Propping-up the chassis is a setup of MacPherson strut (front) and multi-link independent (rear) suspensions.

The SUV is comfortably spacious, safe and suitable for a daily driver. The ride quality is firm and well-balanced, with a smooth engine power and transmission delivery. 

Good sound insulation, covering all the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) aspects. The cabin experience is refined, alienated from most of the outside noises.

The 2024 Jaecoo J7 is a great business- and family-oriented car, offering space and style in solid one build.

Commandingly-postured, its shell envelopes a luxuriously refined interior, ranging from many advanced connectivity and safety systems.

Ultimately, its build quality is satisfactory, bargaining good looks and mechanics. The 2024 Jaecoo J7 is surely a head turner on Malaysian roads.