Jaecoo J7 PHEV

An in-demand model, Jaecoo Malaysia’s (Chery premium sub-brand) latest release, the all-new Jaecoo J7 PHEV, officially launched in Malaysia.

A Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), it underpins Jaecoo’s Super Hybrid System (SHS - 5th-gen Dedicated Hybrid Engine - DHE, Dedicated Hybrid Transmission - DHT, Dedicated High Voltage Battery - DHVB). 

Locally-assembled (CKD - Chery Plant, Shah Alam), Jaecoo Malaysia is offering the C-segment SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) in one variant (J7 PHEV 2WD - MYR 158,800).

Price (OTR, w/o insurance) covers a vehicle warranty (seven years/150,000 KM) and a PHEV system (battery, power motor/controller unit) warranty (eight years/160,000 KM, 1-1 battery replacement - <70% battery state of health - SOH).

Included is an early bird (valid till 2 March, 2025) package (10 years/1,000,000 KM vehicle/PHEV battery warranty, complimentary Vehicle-To-Load adapter - V2L).

Exterior colours (dual tone - Black roof - Moonlight Silver, Olive Grey/single-tone - Carbon Crystal Black/single-tone - Khaki White - first 100 units). Interior colour (single-tone - Black).

The all-new J7 PHEV has a polished and symmetrically-tiered dashboard, linked to a high-rising-bridge-style centre console (cooler box armrest, drive system buttons).

Soft-/hard-touched (dash, centre console, steering wheel, doors), it sees a single-tone scheme (Black) with Carbon Fibre (centre tier) and contrast trims (Silver).

Centre-staged is a floating-portrait-mounted centre display (infotainment), flanked by a floating-landscape-mounted driver display (instrument cluster).

Filling-up the spaces are protruding 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.

Equipped is a floating-landscape-mounted 10.25-Inch LCD fully-digital driver display (instrument cluster) with a windscreen Heads-Up Display (w-HUD).

Comfortably-bolstered, the interior sees leatherette upholstery in a single-tone (Black) with contrast stitching (White) colour scheme.

The front gets electric-powered (driver-six-way-adjust, passenger-four-way-adjust, driver-welcome/-lumbar, passenger boss switch, heating/ventilation) All-Sense seats. The rear gets a manual-operated (60:40 split-flat-fold) bolstered bench.

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

A five-seater e-SUV, the cabin offers generous space, providing the occupants (front, rear) with ample interior mobility. 

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

Mounted is a three-spoke-flat-bottom steering wheel. Single-tone (Black) leatherette with contrast trims (Silver).

Features are multi-switches (Bluetooth, media, voice command, vehicle settings), column-mounted gear shifter (right stalk) and column adjustments (tilt, telescopic).

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

Practical storage areas. E.g., side door/seat back pockets, centre console partitioned/caverned/cooler compartments, glove box and boot side wall pockets.

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

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

Included is a Vehicle-To-Load (V2L - 3.3 KW) charging function for powering of external appliances.

Accessing its electronic-powered tailgate (contactless - kick-sensor, remote/key fob), opens to 500-Litres (rear seats up) and 1,265-Litres (rear seats down) of load capacities.

Included is a cinema tonneau cover (foldable cover/screen projector).

Weighing in at 1,795 KG, the all-new J7 PHEV stands at 4,500 MM long, 1,865 MM wide, 1,680 MM tall, and with a wheelbase spanning 2,672 MM.

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

The front-end sees a straight-cut bonnet, mildly-formed quarter panels, a ‘Waterfall’ grille (vertical slats, Jaecoo script), and a sculpted-bumper (lower-centre air-intake, side cut-outs).

Accentuations, body clad (Black - side cut-out inserts, lower lip, fenders, side sills), body trims (Black-Chrome - grille/Black - side mirrors, window surrounds, lower doors, roof rails) and Jaecoo script (Chrome).

Commandingly-sleek, it continues the sharply-flowing silhouette, emphasised by symmetrically-clean and horizontally-cut curves.

The rear-end sees a floating roofline (upswept D-pillars, shark fin antenna), a roof-edge spoiler, an upright tailgate (centre trim bar, Jaecoo script, J7/PHEV emblems), muscular quarter panels and a covered bumper (diffuser - hidden exhaust).

Accentuations, body clad (Black - bumper, fenders, side sills/Silver - diffuser), body trims (Black - spoiler, shark fin antenna, tailgate centre trim bar, D-pillars, window surrounds, lower doors, roof rails), and Jaecoo/J7/PHEV script/emblems (Chrome).

Sleek and Boxy, the ‘Natural Daylight’ dual-tier (top - DRL, bottom - main) headlamps are framed slim and slightly-inward-tilted. Installed are full LED units.

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

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

Features are automatic On/Off, sequential turn signals (LED) and welcome lights. Paired to the set are fog lamps (LED).

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

Equipped are ventilated (front) and solid (rear) disc brakes. 

Drive is aided by an Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold system and a regenerative braking system (One-Pedal-Driving).

Sporty, it surges on a set of 19-Inch Aero-Design (dual-tone - Silver-Black) aluminium-alloy rims, wrapped in 235/50 R19 (front, rear) Kumho Ecsta PS71 tyres.

The all-new J7 PHEV features the following suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Grouped are 540-Degree Around View Monitor (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 High Beam Control (IHC), Departure Ahead Inform (DAI), 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 eight airbags (driver-passenger, driver-knee, front-sides, front-rear curtains), 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).

Installed is Jaecoo’s Intelligent Drive Modes system, featuring Power Modes (EV - Electric Vehicle, HEV - Hybrid Electric Vehicle), Power-Saving Modes (INITIAL, SMART, FORCED) and Drive Modes (NORMAL, SPORT, ECO).

Installed is a floating-portrait-mounted 14.8-Inch touchscreen (infotainment), supporting Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (wireless), navigation, Intelligent Voice Assistant, USB and Bluetooth.

Entertainment is channelled via a Sony Premium Audio setup (eight speakers).

The all-new J7 PHEV harbours a Plug-in Hybrid (petrol-electric) powertrain (PHEV).

Underpinned is Jaecoo’s Super Hybrid System (SHS), featuring three mechanisms (5th-gen Dedicated Hybrid Engine - DHE, Dedicated Hybrid Transmission - DHT, Dedicated High Voltage Battery - DHVB).

Fused (DHE) is a 1.5-Litre in-line four-cylinder 16-valve Turbocharged Gasoline Direct-Injection (TGDi) DOHC Deep Miller Cycle engine (141 HP/105 KW, 215 NM), with a transmission-integrated electric motor (201 HP/150 KW, 310 NM).

Total system output reads at 342 HP/255 KW and 525 NM.

Incorporated is a single speed automatic transmission (DHT).

Power is transmitted to the front wheels, via a Two-Wheel Drive (2WD) system.

Acceleration from 0 to 100 KM/H is done in 8.5 seconds. Top speed is 180 KM/H.

Juicing-up the e-motor and completing the hybrid setup (SHS) is BYD’s Blade Battery Technology (Lithium Iron Phosphate - LFP - 106 cell modules, 18.3 KWH) battery pack (DHVB), enabling a 106 KM of pure electric driving range (NEDC).

The combined driving range (petrol-electric) is 1,300 KM (NEDC).

Charging via AC (Type 2 - 6.6 KW/3.3 KW) takes 3.33/8.0 hours for a 0% to 100% State-of-Charge (SoC). Charging via DC (CCS2 - 40 KW) takes 20 minutes for a 30% to 80% SoC.

Fuel tank capacity is at 60-Litres, and combined fuel consumption is rated at 4.77 L/100 KM.

Included is a Vehicle-To-Load (V2L - 3.3 KW) charging function for powering of external appliances.

The all-new J7 PHEV features these conveniences.

E.g., Smart Entry system (keyless entry, automatic engine Start/Stop), 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, gear shifter, EPS), rear-view mirrors (exterior - automatic-dimming, BDS, heating, memory/interior - automatic-dimming), Intelligent Voice Assistant, wireless charger (active cooling), panoramic sunroof (tilt/slide, sunshade), electronic-powered tailgate (contactless - sensor, remote/key fob), Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning (rear air-vents, PM95 air-filter), electric-powered (driver-six-way-adjust, passenger-four-way-adjust, driver-welcome/-lumbar, passenger boss switch, heating/ventilation) All-Sense seats, centre console cooler box, armrests (front - centre console, rear - centre seat fold-out), privacy glass (rear), interior lighting (ambient, cabin, boot), cinema tonneau cover (boot - foldable cover/screen projector)parking sensors (four - front, rear), parking cameras (reverse - dynamic guidelines, panoramic - 540-degree), multiple drive modes, safety-layered glass (acoustic windscreens, heat-insulated) 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 (rear) suspensions.

The e-SUV is comfortably-spacious and is suitable as 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.

Part of the acoustic measures implemented is the safety-layered glass (acoustic windscreens).

The all-new Jaecoo J7 PHEV is a great business- and family-oriented car, offering space and style in one solid 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 all-new J7 PHEV is surely a head turner on Malaysian roads.