2025 Jaecoo J7 review: Petrol AWD and plug-in hybrid

If you thought we’ve got enough medium-sized SUVs for the Australian market, you might be right. But you’d also be wrong.

While there has been a constant slew of new makes and models arriving into the Australian market, the 2025 Jaecoo J7 is yet another medium SUV from China that will be vying for Australian attention and dollars.

We’ve been on a hot run of fully-electric SUVs in recent times, but Jaecoo is changing the tune with the J7. Along with old-fashioned non-hybrid petrol power, the Jaecoo J7 is also arriving with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Jaecoo—a mashup of Jaeger (German for hunter) and Cool —i s a new spin-off brand from Chery that aims to provide a range of SUVs for the Australian market with a different look and feel and a slightly more premium approach.

However, Jaecoo isn’t getting a big jump up in price like you’d expect from so-called premium positioning. 

Starting from $34,990 drive-away in its most basic form, the J7 comfortably undercuts most competitors in the medium SUV space. This trim level is the two-wheel-drive J7 Core, but buyers will be tempted to spend up to $42,990 drive-away for the top-spec all-wheel-drive J7 Ridge

At the top of the J7 tree, and perhaps the most alluring choice of all, is the J7 Summit, which reverts back to front-wheel drive but picks up a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Whereas petrol-powered variants have a 137kW/275Nm 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine matched with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the plug-in hybrid uses a slightly smaller 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which is matched to two electric motors and an 18.3kWh battery pack.

This gives a claimed 90km electric-only driving range, a combined driving range of 1200km, and lower levels of fuel consumption.

The petrol-powered J7 has a claimed consumption of 7.0 litres per 100 kilometres, while the hybrid has a claimed consumption of 1.0L/100km. That’s an impressive number, but it’s worth noting that this number is affected by how much battery you’re using and how regularly you recharge.

For reference, we were using around 5.4L/100km on our initial short drive in the plug-in hybrid, and only had limited time behind the wheel of the non-hybrid variant.

It’s also worth pointing out that the two variants we were exposed to on our first drive were the two highest spec-level offerings: the all-wheel-drive J7 Ridge and the plug-in hybrid J7 Summit.

On the inside, it’s difficult to not be impressed by how much sheer car and specification you get for your money in both instances.

The interior layout is perhaps feeling a little derivative and similar to many designs we are seeing these days – clean and wide and simplified with precious few physical buttons adorning the dashboard.

It’s certainly dominated by the central infotainment display, which is a big 14.8 inches in size for these top-specification models.

Although, we do fall into the trap here of having a screen that does all of the heavy lifting of interface controls. With no panel of physical buttons to lean on, we have to do things like climate controls, fan speed, mirror controls and just about everything else are to be found within the pixels.

Well, there is a group of buttons down near the two cupholders for things like driving modes and hazard lights. But the menu set-up of the infotainment display, and the layout of common functions, can be a little bit confounding and confusing.

There’s good storage available, with a good-sized centre console and an extra nook underneath the floating-style central stack and wireless charging area.

Materials and build quality feel good as well, especially when you consider the value quotient that Jaecoo is playing at. The seats look good and feel comfortable, with the regular range of adjustment matching to the tilt-and-reach steering wheel.

In the second row, you’ve got a decent experience overall for a medium SUV. However, it’s not as big overall in terms of raw size as you get with other medium SUVs.

For reference’s sake, the Jaecoo is 4500mm long overall, which is shorter than the Toyota RAV4 (4600mm), MG HS (4655mm), Haval H6 GT (4727mm) and BYD Sealion 6 (4775mm).

The J7 rates a little low for width as well, and you get the sense that fitting three adults into the back of this SUV would be a little bit tight. Three child seats could be a challenge as well.

The second-row seat is noticeably low down, and a sloping roof line does prohibit visibility somewhat in the back. There isn’t a lot of glass, and young kids might not enjoy craning and peering out the window so much.

In fact, rearward visibility from the driver’s seat isn’t terrific, and can be a challenge for those who like to use their neck and turn their shoulders when looking for space and hazards. Although, our top-spec models did have a good 360-degree camera system fitted.

In the boot, you’ve got a decent amount of space on offer, especially in two-wheel-drive petrol variants. The all-wheel-drive model gets less (thanks to a full-sized spare wheel), as does the hybrid (thanks to additional powertrain components). 

Let’s talk about the non-hybrid driving experience first, because it’s the least impressive of the two. A relatively small turbocharged petrol engine – matched to a grabby and reactive dual-clutch automatic transmission – isn’t the best unfortunately, and can feel less than smooth in the search for response against your throttle inputs. 

It’s mostly noticeable – as is often the case – around town and on hills, where the search for torque can make for an odd impromptu surge forward, and some stodginess when you’re trying to park.

But once you’re rolling, the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol provides decent motivation and progress. Although, it can sound slightly gruff when the nose is to the grindstone.

The pick of the range is certainly the plug-in hybrid variant, from a driving point of view. There’s 150kW and 310Nm available from the electric side of the equation, which feels balanced and smooth on take-off. The 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine chimes in and out inconsequentially, either charging the battery or driving the wheels directly.

One trick that Jaecoo has nailed here is that the car is calibrated to hold onto a certain amount of battery capacity at all times, instead of letting it run down to nothing. Although the electric-only driving range could technically be larger, this means you're not left with a heavy, underpowered car with a flat battery.

Electric power is maintained at around 25 per cent, which means you've always got that motivation available and not leaning on the 1.5-litre petrol engine instead. It's a smart move, and makes for a much better end product in the real world.

Although, the real-world implementation of the driver assistance features could do with some extra fettling. Things like driver monitoring aren't as bad as some others we have experienced recently (here's looking at you, Deepal), but it still can be a little intrusive and overbearing.

In terms of overall power and performance, this isn’t as scintillating as what you get in Haval’s plug-in hybrid H6 GT. But it’s plenty punchy enough.

Ride quality is good overall, providing a nice level of absorption across rough surfaces and patchwork bitumen to take the edge off and leave occupants feeling nicely cosseted. Only on the larger bumps and sharper edges do you feel things get shaken up into the cabin.

Steering response and weighting are certainly relaxed, not feeling overly sharp or responsive to driver inputs. The vehicle steers well enough through corners, however, feeling measured and stable against fast directional changes. It’s not a sporting experience by any stretch, but feels well dialled nonetheless.

Altogether, the J7 provides a driving experience that mostly belies the low asking price and high level of standard equipment on offer. Using the existing Chery T1X platform, engineers have managed to eke out an extra level of ride comfort and refinement for this model, while keeping things balanced overall. 

It's a nice and modern interior experience, with plenty of technology at the ready. And importantly, the price is still sharp enough to put the established players on notice.

It’s impressive, and is enough to warrant a closer look at the Jaecoo brand.