2024 Jaecoo J7, J8 previewed - new upmarket SUVs brand guns for Honda and Mazda territory

There’s a new C-segment SUV on the block with the conclusion of preview event held for the JAECOO J7, a new model from an equally new and more premium-oriented offshoot of Chery. An unexpected addition here is the unveil of the JAECOO J8, its larger sibling also earmarked for local launch.

We'll be covering the J7 here most of all as there's still quite a lot of mystery surrounding the J8's local spec.

Given its size but also the expected positioning of the J7, we are not going to expect it to give the Proton X70 a run for its money, but perhaps that gulf might be shockingly narrow evidenced by during the launch of the sharply priced Omoda 5 and Tiggo 8 Pro.

Expect it to launch squarely, and intentionally, in the crosshairs of the Toyota Corolla Cross, Honda CR-V, and maybe even the Mazda CX-5.

Naturally, the design of the Jaecoo J7 - and Jaecoo J8, for that matter - is more focused on elegance and luxury. The brand seems to be rather open about its taking inspiration from British SUV marques, and indeed this two debut models very much resemble Range Rovers.

Its front end is very much defined by a large ‘waterfall’ front grille and split beam headlight and daytime running light arrangement.

There are automatically extending door handles that sit flush against the body during normal driving, also standard are 19-inch wheels which follow the Aurora aesthetic, something that Jaecoo says is applied to the J7 as a whole.

The interior is noticeably more plush than what we’ve seen from Chery, justifying its higher tier in pricing. Cabin highlights include a 14.8-inch central touchscreen that dominates the dashboard, a 50W wireless charger (that’s also ventilated to prevent overheating), and a very large panoramic sunroof roof. At the rear, boot access is aided by a powered tailgate to reveal 412-litres of cargo capacity.

Powering the J7 is the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol 4-cylinder engine that produces 195hp and 290Nm of torque that’s mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission sourced from Getrag with power reaching all four wheels via a standard all-wheel drive system with 7 selectable terrain modes. Jaecoo advertises it having a 0-100km/h sprint time of 8 seconds.

Jaecoo also promises the J7 will enter the market with a full suite of advanced driver aid (ADAS) and active safety features with no less than 21 intelligent driving functions.

A surprise appearance at the event came in the form of the Jaecoo J8, a larger model that’s available elsewhere in a 3-row, 6-seat configuration that also takes plenty of inspiration from a certain British SUV brand. We’re told this left-hand drive market unit is fresh off the boat from Russia, but that we can expect it to make its official Malaysian entry close to that of the Jaecoo J7.

There’s no confirmation on when the Jaecoo duo will hit our roads but the 7 is expected to launch before Q3 2024 with plenty of hype building by the brand in the meantime.