2025 Jaecoo J8 review: Australian first drive

It’s fair to say that, at Drive, we are being asked for our advice on challenger brands at unprecedented levels.

Historically, only the domain of the primarily budget-focused, challenger brands like Omoda Jaecoo (formerly Chery) are now firmly in the sights of a broad cross-section of Aussie new car buyers. There are many reasons for this, budget still one of them, but solid warranties, sharp pricing and sharp servicing costs, and healthy standard inclusions also play their part. 

And, it's for those reasons, the Jaecoo J8 looks likely to make an impact in the hyper-competitive large SUV segment. Like medium SUVs, every manufacturer wants a part of this segment that appeals to family buyers in our market. The two-grade lineup starts beneath the $50,000 threshold, with the J8 Track 2WD starting from $49,990 before on-road costs. The J8 Ridge AWD starts from $54,990 before on-road costs. 

For the moment, the range is five-seat only, although a six or seven-seat option could join the range if customer demand requires it. Our pricing and specification guide has all the details for the launch, but it’s worth noting Jaecoo’s strong eight-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty here, too. That’s the sort of security you’re looking for when it comes to considering a brand that is new to our market. 

At rest, the J8 cuts a stylish figure. Signature Jaecoo styling is immediately evident, like the grille, while there’s also body-coloured wheel arch cladding and LED headlights. SUVs can tend to look like blobs out on the road, but the J8 features enough styling tricks to ensure it will stand out in the crowd, if that’s what you’re looking for. This segment is bulging in terms of rivals, think Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-80 and Toyota Kluger, just to name a few. 

If you’re looking at engine capability rather than styling, the J8 is powered by a 2.0-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which generates 183kW and 385Nm, working through an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

Jaecoo quotes fuel use at 8.3L/100km for the entry grade, while the Ridge uses 8.6L/100km per the claim. The AWD version gets Michelin tyres, while the entry-grade gets Maxxis rubber. On paper then, those numbers position it well within the segment. However, and this might be an issue for some of you, there is no tow pack available, and no tow capacity listed at the time of testing, either. 

Given the increase in value, and the leaps forward that brands like Jaecoo have made as their product line matures, we’ve come to expect a certain level of quality and execution inside the cabin. The J8 is well-appointed, finished to a high level, and features a choice of materials that looks a cut above the price point. 

The driving position is good, with solid visibility all around the J8, and pillars that aren’t so thick they block the view forward or backward. Even in the more affordable grade, you get full leather trim, and heated and cooled front seats with massaging functionality. Given this SUV is being aimed squarely at family buyers, second-row space is key, and even with two six-footers in the front row, there’s room for the same height occupants in the second row. Plenty of you want three-row capability, so that could be a limiting factor for you, with five-seat layouts only from launch. 

The seats in the second row aren’t like park benches either. Especially the outer two, which are sculpted enough that you sit into them rather than slide around on top of them. On the subject of the second row, the entry-grade gets eight airbags, so it misses out on the lower, hip-position airbags in that row. The upper grade gets ten airbags. 

While the J8 misses out on a third row, that lack of seating complexity and provision for folding and storing means you get a generous space for luggage. It’s accessed via an electric tailgate, standard on both variants. Jaecoo claims 738L for boot capacity with the second row in use, out to a whopping 2021L when you fold that row down. 

After our brief test, we can say the wireless charging works well, and the smartphone link – Apple CarPlay for me – was rock solid once plugged in. The connection is wired and wireless for both model grades. The central touchscreen – 12.3 inches and the same size as the interactive driver’s display – was responsive and sharp in terms of visibility. We didn’t get to dig right into it, but the functions we did cycle through were easy enough to access and responsive. 

The J8 even has such features as Park Assist – where it will reverse itself into a specific spot – and we can attest after a short test at launch, that it works. It’s a feature historically reserved for more expensive vehicles, but in an effort to squeeze as much standard equipment in as it can, Jaecoo has added it to the much more affordable J8. 

20-inch wheels are also standard, and that was something we were keen to assess. Could the J8 deal with choppy road surfaces with a big, some would say sporty, wheel and tyre combination? It can, too, and once out of Sydney on the drive down into the Southern Highlands, the J8 soaked up the typical rural patchwork without banging, crashing, or feeling uncomfortable. That was true either as driver or passenger and the ride control was impressive. We’ll test it over the urban network of speed humps and potholes of course once we get our hands on it post launch. 

While the outputs for the 2.0-litre engine aren’t eye-opening, it’s now common for large SUVs to feature what once would have been considered small capacity engines. The 2.0-litre unit under the Jaecoo’s bonnet is capable of dealing with regular daily driving expectations as well as a longer highway cruise at 100km/h. At idle, and at cruising speed, it’s quiet and refined, and you only hear it get to work when you nail the throttle pedal. It’s an enthusiastic note as it nears redline, but we didn’t find it harsh or too loud. And, when you do need it to get cranking, you won’t feel like the J8 is left wanting for power. 

The eight-speed auto is a good one, especially in stop/start traffic, where it allows the J8 to toll along without hesitation or jerkiness. It’s not as sharp as the best eight-speed autos when you’re pushing a little harder, and it takes a split second longer to shift – either up or down – when you’re making it work a bit harder, but that’s a minor point to note in the overall driving experience. 

Whether you want the FWD or the AWD version is a personal choice, but you don’t ‘need’ AWD, in that the FWD, even when pushed on a country road is secure enough that you don’t worry about road holding. If you’re trying to spend as little as you possibly can, the FWD J8 Track is all you need. 

There’s no doubt that the Jaecoo J8 is priced at a point that will capture the attention of new car buyers in our market that is not just competitive, but also affected by the escalation in day-to-day living costs. However, perhaps even more importantly, it has the style to match the initial pricing appeal. It’s a good-looking large SUV, and it drives exactly the way buyers in this segment will want it to. 

A lack of tow capability and no six or seven-seat option might deter some of you, but for those of you who don’t need either, the J8 is worthy of consideration.

With the adoption of a solid eight-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, there’s a sense of security before you take the plunge. It would seem obvious to me that not all the challenger brands can succeed long-term in this market, but Jaecoo looks set to be one of them. 

Trent Nikolic has been road testing and writing about cars for almost 20 years. He’s been at CarAdvice/Drive since 2014 and has been a motoring editor at the NRMA, Overlander 4WD Magazine, Hot4s and Auto Salon Magazine.

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