Jaecoo J7 Summit SHS plug-in hybrid review
Just what is a Jaecoo? We take a deep dive into the range-topping plug-in hybrid Jaecoo J7 that promises the world for the price of a country
If you’re reading this review and wondering what a Jaecoo J7 actually is, you’re not alone, because the sub-brand itself seems a little confused.
Jaecoo is fathered by Chery, a Chinese state-owned carmaker that you may be familiar with from the Omoda 5 and Tiggo 7 Pro, but Jaecoo promises a higher level of premiumness — if that’s a word — and rugged capability.
The name Jaecoo is apparently a combination of ‘Jäger’, the German word for hunter, and ‘cool’. Apt, then, that it’s about the same exterior size as the Tiger Iguana — the Volkswagen Tiguan.
And although Jaecoo promises to be more upmarket than the likes of Tiggo and Omoda products from Chery, in truth the brand’s first model, the J7, retains a remarkably low sticker price.
The car we have here is the most expensive plug-in hybrid version, using what Jaecoo calls a ‘Super Hybrid System’ pairing a turbo-petrol engine with generous 18.4kWh battery for a 1200km combined driving range claim. Impressive, especially at $47,990 driveaway.
To recap, the J7 is a medium SUV that promises at least some off-road performance — more on that soon with the AWD Ridge — and premium cabin for less than an equivalent Mitsubishi or Toyota. But does it deliver?
What are the J7 PHEV’s features and options for the price?
While the J7 starts at $34,990 driveaway the top-spec Summit plug-in hybrid is a fair amount more money, at $47,990 on the road.
But you know what? That’s still seriously cheap for a vehicle that has both a combustion engine and a battery that obliges 90km (WLTP, 106km NEDC) electric-only driving range. See a list of rivals below, including price and electric driving range, for context.
- BYD Sealion 6, 92km (NEDC) — $52,990 + ORCs
- Haval H6 GT PHEV, 180km (NEDC) — $53,990 driveaway
- Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (ES/Exceed), 84km (NEDC) — $57,290/$69,290 + ORCs
The J7 Summit isn’t poorly equipped, either, with the below standard features — justifying the comparison to high-spec rivals.
- 19-inch aero alloy wheels
- LED headlights with auto highbeam
- Auto wipers
- Keyless entry with proximity
- No start button
- Power tailgate
- Vinyl upholstery
- Six-way power driver’s, four-way power passenger’s seat
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- Air-conditioned centre storage box
- Dual-zone climate control
- 10.25-inch digital driver’s display
- 14.8-inch multimedia touchscreen
- Eight-speaker Sony sound system
- Wired + wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
- Head-up display
- Panoramic sunroof
- Power door handles
- 360-degree camera
- Front and rear parking sensors
Safe to say, the J7 plug-in hybrid offers stellar on-paper value, and providing you’re okay with its slightly smaller exterior dimensions compared to the anonymous-looking BYD Sealion 6, it might be the best offering of the lot.
How does the J7 PHEV drive?
Spec sheet value is just one element — an impressive one — but rarely the whole story of any car. And this is where we arrive with the Jaecoo J7. Aside from blissful quietude at low speeds, the Jaecoo J7’s cost cutting is obvious as soon as you turn a wheel and much of it comes down to calibration.
The plug-in hybrid system has a 150kW/310Nm electric motor that does the bulk of the heavy lifting via a single-speed front axle. The 105kW/215Nm 1.5-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder works to keep the battery charged but also drives the front wheels directly.
Jaecoo isn’t forthcoming with combined peak outputs, but the 1794kg (tare) J7 never feels fast, even though it has enough grunt to light up the front wheels in the wet, which is amplified by the unpredictable power delivery.
Editor Jez Spinks said the J7 “hesitates at roundabouts like it has a bad old DSG gearbox” and he’s right. It’s tricky to trust when nipping into gaps.
The grabby brake pedal suffers from a similar, digital feel, making it difficult to drive the J7 smoothly around town. There is some adjustability to regenerative braking but no one-pedal mode.
It’s a similar story with the steering feel. The J7 plug-in hybrid’s steering sorely lacks self-centring, so when coming out of a 90-degree corner the driver needs to manually unwind the last bit of lock like a SEGA rally arcade machine — it’s not pleasant.
Things don’t improve at speed, where the steering’s on-centre dead-zone makes the Jaecoo J7 tiring in the countryside.
Another problem for the J7 PHEV is tyre noise. It isn’t louder than your average mid-sizer, but the pitch of the note is very intrusive above 80km/h.
Cabin noise in general is quite high in the Jaecoo J7, where you can hear the suspension clunking away over big and small bumps alike. It’s harsh around town, too, with small bumps crashing into the stiff-legged J7’s cabin.
Thankfully for the Jaecoo J7, there’s a ‘but’, because underneath these layers of inconsistency and lumpiness it feels like there’s a good primary ride, while respectable road-holding from the 235/50 R19 Kumho Ecsta tyres smothers some of its shortcomings.
Visibility is poor with a high bonnet line and thick C- and D-pillars, though this is offset with a cool 360-degree camera system that allows you to ‘see though’ the underside of the Jaecoo J7.
What is the J7 PHEV’s interior and tech like?
The Jaecoo J7’s exterior — pop-out door handles and all — is clearly inspired by Evoques and Velars. Inside, though, the inspirations are more disparate.
Vents from Volvo, touchscreen, gear selector stalk and faux twin wireless charging pad from Tesla, and Mercedes-Benz lookalike screens and speaker grilles, the Jaecoo J7 doesn’t cut its own shape.
Again, it’s a shame, because Jaecoo appears to know how to screw cars together. The construction is sturdy and the materials chosen are rather plush, with squishy plastics on top of the dash and door cards.
Premium, though? Not quite. Body colour is visible all around the inside of the window shuts, there’s a tinniness to the way the doors close and the seats have sweaty, shiny vinyl upholstery parading as perforated leather.
This is a bigger question than a car review, but there’s an unhealthy obsession with trying to copy leather. The J7 would be a more pleasant place to sit, and more fit-for-purpose if its chairs wore hard-wearing non-shiny textiles instead.
On the topic of seating, the J7 gets impressive-for-the-price heating and ventilation (accessed through the touchscreen, like the HVAC) but the six-way power driver’s seat has lumpy adjustment and a bulbous top third that pushes the back forward. The passenger’s seat is set too high as well
The central, portrait-oriented touchscreen is large and bright yet the graphics are anonymous, and interacting with the screen is often laggy. Plus, key functions are buried in difficult-to-understand sub-menus without sensible shortcuts
In the back, the Jaecoo performs well for its compact size. There’s plenty of space for two adults in the back, though the middle seat is seriously uncomfortable. It folds out into an armrest with two cup-holders, and there are two more bins in the doors for drinks.
As in the front, the build quality and materials are pleasant, though without ventilation the upholstery gets baking hot beneath the standard sunroof.
Amenities in the Jaecoo J7’s back seats include map pockets with device holders, USB-A and -C charge points, bright LED lighting, and (strangely) a singular adjustable air vent. Visibility is okay, but compromised by the high beltline and massive oblong headrests.
The Jaecoo J7’s back seat has three top tether anchors and Isofix points for two outboard seats.
The trade-off for a generous rear seat is a small-for-the-class boot, which measures 340 litres to the cargo cover or 500L to the roof. You have to lift items quite high into the boot, but once done it is fairly smart with six tie-down points, a 12-volt socket, cargo cover, shopping bag hooks and extra storage beneath the boot floor for charging cables.
The Jaecoo J7 Summit plug-in hybrid does not have a spare tyre, but an inflation kit is provided.
Is the J7 PHEV a safe car?
The Jaecoo J7 is yet to be evaluated by safety body ANCAP, but its European relation awarded the plug-in version five stars against the latest criteria.
The J7 fits eight airbags, including front centre and driver’s knee airbags.
It was awarded 81 percent for adult occupant protection, 80 percent for child occupant protection, 80 percent for vulnerable road user protection and 80 percent for safety assist.
In the real world, parent company Chery has copped heavy criticism for over-active lane-keep and driver monitoring aids. The J7’s tuning is better, in a sense, because the systems are less intrusive. You can also permanently disable the speed limit assist chime.
However, at times when we hoped the lane-keep assist would step in and help, it didn’t, which means the system needs further real-world tuning. The adaptive cruise control was tiring to use as well, pulsing its speed constantly while choosing inconsistent following distances.
Below is a list of active safety features fitted to the Jaecoo J7.
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Lane-keep assist
- Lane-departure warning and prevention
- Adaptive cruise control with stop and go
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert with braking
- Speed limit assist
- Driver attention monitoring
What are the J7 PHEV’s ownership costs?
To ease nerves about a new brand name, Jaecoo offers a solid ownership package including an eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and an equal period of free roadside assist.
Service pricing is also capped for eight years, with maintenance due every 12 months/15,000km. Total cost over five years for the plug-in hybrid is a reasonable $1895 averaging $279 annually.
The big advantage we’re spun about plug-in hybrids are low running costs, and the Jaecoo J7 is no different. The Jaecoo J7’s combined ADR fuel consumption rating is just 1.0L/100km, for a miserly 31 grams of carbon per kilometre. That’s almost as good as an EV, right?
As always, your mileage will vary — massively — with a plug-in hybrid depending on your charging schedule and route. Our typical 200km mix of suburbs, rural roads and motorways revealed a combined 3.6L/100km figure mixing petrol and electric propulsion.
That isn’t bad, and nor is the real-world 80km electric-only range you’ll get from the car — if that is a little short of the 90km WLTP rating. Jaecoo claims the J7 will go a combined 1200km from a full tank and electricity stores, which would require you to average 5.0L/100km.
This would be achievable in favourable conditions, with occasional stops and starts, and average speeds of between 60-90km/h. On the motorway at 110km/h, though, the petrol engine chews through petrol at more like 8.0-9.0L/100km, so don’t bet on driving Sydney-Brisbane without a fill-up.
The J7 plug-in hybrid is able to charge its 18.4kWh battery at up to 40kW (DC) with a 30-80 percent session taking 20 minutes. Slower AC charging will take just under three hours with a 6.6kW maximum rate from 25-100 percent — as a PHEV, the J7 never lets its battery go fully flat.
The honest verdict on the J7 PHEV
There’s plenty to get buyers into Jaecoo dealerships, such as cheap pricing, impressive electric-only range, strong warranty promises and decent service pricing as nice dangling carrots.
Plus, there’s the look of the thing. To some it may look like a Range Rover knock-off, but others may appreciate the bluff aesthetics. Inside, the build quality is equal to a Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid yet technology blows that rival away.
And yet, it all comes undone when you start digging deeper. The Jaecoo J7 needs steering, drivetrain calibration and suspension revisions, because under the woolly unpleasantness is a chassis that seems to have potential.
Here’s hoping a mid-life update will address the J7’s shortcomings. The Jaecoo J7’s main selling point isn’t personality or prowess, but a cheaper price than rivals.
Overall rating
Overall rating
6.5
Haval H6 GT plug-in hybrid 2025 review
6 months ago
John Law
Road Test Editor
Part of a fresh breed of plug-in hybrid family cars, the Haval H6 GT PHEV has its eyes on Outlander and Sealion 6, but does it succeed?
Good points
- Huge EV-only range
- Plenty of poke
- Sharp pricing
- Loads of equipment
Needs work
- Slow, small-screen multimedia system
- Vague steering feel
- Small boot for its size
- Elevated motorway fuel consumption
The GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV is part of a new breed of Chinese plug-in hybrid SUVs that promise the world. With 180km of NEDC-rated electric driving range, a 0.8L/100km fuel consumption sticker, and a 1.5-litre petrol engine to back you up when the electrons run dry.
Following up on early adopter Mitsubishi Outlander’s recipe, the Haval H6 GT PHEV packages five seats into the apparently eco-friendly SUV with its Porsche Cayenne Coupe-like shape.
The H6 GT PHEV was pipped by the BYD Sealion 6, another plug-in rival from China, and the floodgates look set to open starting with the Jaecoo J7 and facelifted non-coupe Haval H6 later this year, followed by a similar variant of the new Leapmotor C10.
Think of the H6 GT as the first toe in the water for Haval, then. A good place to start as the more adventurously styled mid-sizer has found reasonable success, accounting for about a third of H6 sales in Australia.
Finished in a rather deep shade of Atlantis Blue — adventurous and worth it — the H6 GT may very well be to some people’s tastes. Not ours, though.
The big issue isn’t the silhouette, but the fussy details such as that wiggly roof spoiler, the overly busy rear diffuser and those 2000s (Max Power/Sex Spec)-style clear taillights.
What are the H6 GT PHEV’s features and options for the price?
Despite the H6 GT’s outgoing appearance, the price for its sole variant trim — called Ultra — is more than agreeable at $53,990 driveaway, handily undercutting the BYD Sealion 6 Premium ($52,990, before on-road costs) and Mitsubishi Outlander Aspire PHEV which is about $70K on the road.
A new entrant, the Jaecoo J7 PHEV, is cheaper again at $47,990 on-the-road, but it makes do with just front-wheel drive. With the Haval only available in one trim, it’s loaded up with everything GWM’s got.
The H6 GT PHEV feature highlights include:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Full LED exterior lighting
- Power tailgate with kick-to-open
- Keyless entry with push-button start
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen
- Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Head-up display
- Voice control
- Eight-speaker sound system
- Artificial leather and suede upholstery
- Eight-way driver; four-way passenger power seat adjustment
- Heated and ventilated seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Wireless charging pad
- Five USB ports including for dash cam
- Panoramic sunroof
- 360-degree camera
How does the H6 GT PHEV drive?
First thing’s first, we have to tackle the outputs. GWM’s literature says a huge 321kW and 762Nm; more than really rather quick cars like an Audi RS3. The Haval H6 GT PHEV’s claimed 0-100km/h sprint is a stunning 4.9 seconds — equalling the smaller Cupra Formentor VZx.
In practice, the H6 GT PHEV feels less punchy than its heroic numbers suggest. That may be down to the PHEV’s 395kg weight penalty (2075kg) over the petrol version, but the powertrain’s unique plug-in set-up also contributes to the way the car responds.
Up front, the petrol engine and electric motor work together to drive the front wheels through a two-speed transaxle, as in the regular H6 hybrid. Out the back, the 135kW rear motor runs its own race with a two-speed transmission. There’s no driveshaft connecting the front and rear axles in GWM’s Hi4T system.
Plus, because Haval’s focused on making the bulk of the power with electric motors — the petrol engine is a 110kW/230Nm turbo-petrol 1.5L four-cylinder — response is affected by drive mode, battery state-of-charge and the speed you’re travelling.
The H6 GT PHEV can charge its battery using regenerative braking. A pseudo one-pedal mode means that you can drive most of the time without pressing the left pedal but it isn’t as natural as a battery electric car. The brake pedal’s blending of regen’ and caliper braking is a little clumsy, too.
Back to the weight and you can feel the H6 is battling its extra kegs. Although down low, you can’t escape how mass affects crucial elements like ride and handling. The PHEV has a stiffer edge than its petrol counterpart and, especially at the rear, never seems to settle on small bumps.
Larger hits like speed-humps and depressions are cleared remarkably well, albeit with audible clunks from the suspension working away.
Similarly, the H6 GT PHEV is a capable handler with reasonable enough grip from its Michelin Primacy 4 tyres and safe, gentle understeer at the limit. Sadly, although nicely weighted, the electric power-assisted steering system is entirely uncommunicative.
Weight can be added to the wheel by selecting Sport mode, but doing so is a faff through the touchscreen that — oddly — also flashes the hazard lights three times.
What is the H6 GT PHEV’s interior and tech like?
As one of the first Chinese car makers to go big in Australia, the H6 GT was an early example of a Range Rover Evoque-inspired cabin with steering wheel and floating touchscreen above the dash. This now seems to be ubiquitous, just look at the Jaecoo J7.
In H6 GT Ultra trim, the PHEV retains the same hardware and layout today, and with the sheer speed of touchscreen size growth, is a little old hat. Not just visually, but the 12.3-inch multimedia screen has more content than it knows how to handle.
From Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (cabled only, via regular USB on passenger’s side of the centre console) to the climate controls, vehicle settings, volume control, drive modes, seat heating and ventilation, you’re constantly tapping forwards and back. Doesn’t help there’s lag in the software, either.
Trying to find the ventilated seat adjustment is a total pain as well, and the auto programming of the HVAC/seat/steering wheel temperature control just isn’t good enough to trust.
There are some pseudo-helpful pull-down menus — that you wouldn’t know about unless you accidentally touched the wrong spot — but they’re still overwhelming. Voice command worked quite well, at least, for particularly tricky functions like, erm, opening the sunroof blind.
Storage is good, though, with a flying centre console that opens up space for tissue boxes and small bags below. Door bins accept a 600mL bottle and there’s covered storage under the centre armrest.
Seats have long been a shortcoming of the H6 line-up with insufficient under-thigh support and plasticky upholstery. There was a distinct mothball-like odour in the H6’s cabin, too. Still, it’s impossible to deny the sheer level of equipment on offer.
And the H6 GT PHEV is practical, the floor unaltered by the large battery beneath. Room is generous for adults and it’s a wide space, though the squab suffers the same under-thigh issues as the front seats.
A pair of air vents and two more USB charge points are some nice creature comforts. The H6 GT PHEV has Isofix ports on the outboard seats and a trio of top tether anchor points on the seat back.
That sloping roof and high boot floor (to aid packaging the AWD hardware) don’t aid the H6 GT’s practicality, revealing a piddly (for its 4727mm length) 392-litre boot. For context, a standard H6 has a 600L boot. The battery gubbins also rob the PHEV of a spare tyre, and there are no other niceties in the H6 GT PHEV’s boot.
With an adapter, the plug-in hybrid battery can be used in vehicle-to-load (V2L) applications, powering devices up to 3.3kW.
Is the H6 GT PHEV a safe car?
The Haval H6 wagon was awarded a five-star ANCAP score against 2022 criteria, leaving the GT technically unrated.
Some of the latest technologies, including speed sign recognition and driver fatigue monitoring feature, along with the usual suite (see below) we’ve come to expect. Mostly, the H6 GT’s aids are acceptable though the lane-keep assist is more of a hindrance than a help, and the adaptive cruise control makes heavy inputs.
The H6 GT PHEV safety features include:
- Seven airbags, including centre unit
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and junction assist
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert with brake
- Driver fatigue monitoring
- Lane-keep assist
- Traffic sign recognition
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Auto-park assist
- 360-degree camera
What are the H6 GT PHEV’s ownership costs?
The NEDC-based fuel consumption ratings are problematic and give little insight into the real-world energy use of plug-in hybrids. This car is a great example, because the catch-all claimed figure for the Haval H6 GT PHEV is a stunning 0.8L/100km, with 180km of electric-only range.
For a better idea on a longer run, we took the H6 GT PHEV on a mixed 200km loop, comprising urban, country and motorway driving and left the car to figure out how to best deploy energy sources.
The result was 3.4L/100km; probably more representative for someone who can charge a vehicle like this once a week. Driving around with the battery discharged saw this climb quickly to 5.4L/100km.
To motivate this two-tonne SUV at 110km/h on the motorway, the 1.5-litre petrol engine is working its absolute heart out and drinking 9.5L/100km in the process, so expect higher consumption on long trips.
Conversely, we found the Haval H6 GT PHEV’s electric-only range to be pretty impressive; expect closer to 150km than 180km but that’s still comparable to early electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3.
Combined EV and ICE driving range should be around 1000km thanks to the H6 GT PHEV’s generous 55L fuel tank.
The H6 GT PHEV has fast-charge ability, maxing out at 48kW DC, it can take the 35.4kWh battery from 30-80 percent SOC in 26 minutes. Using AC electricity, the rate is 6.6kW and a full rejuice takes around six hours.
GWM offers compelling after-sales support including a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. MG and Nissan promote 10-year warranties, but both are kilometre limited and the Nissan stipulates servicing at a main dealer.
The H6 GT PHEV comes with five years of roadside assist and five years of capped price servicing — though pricing is yet to be locked in for the latter.
The petrol H6 GT requires maintenance first after 12 months/10,000km, and theme every year or 15,000km at a total cost of $2080 for five years, or an average of $416 annually.
The honest verdict on the H6 GT PHEV
If you can score a cracking deal and like the looks, the H6 GT PHEV offers a slice of visual difference, especially in Atlantis Blue like this car.
Electric-only driving range is superb, too, so if you keep it charged by finding cheap electricity the H6 GT will save you plenty of cash on petrol. Conversely, if you’re not charging disciplined or like a long drive, it’s worse than a regular hybrid.
There’s work to do on personality, too. The H6 GT PHEV doesn’t have a discernible character and, with this styling, it should. Perhaps newly-employed chassis guru Rob Trubiani can help knock the H6 GT into something exciting to drive.
Our tip is to wait for the facelifted GWM Haval H6 plug-in. Its cabin is much-improved for both useability and practicalities, the wagon version has a bigger boot. Improvements to ride and handling on the way; if this gets matched with great value then watch out, BYD Sealion 6.
Overall rating
Overall rating
6.0
Drivability
6.0
Interior
6.0
Running costs
Good
Chasing more H6?
Often compared with
Jaecoo debuts in Australia with the J7 medium SUV, previewed here as a front-drive turbo-petrol
Overall rating
6.0
Drivability
6.0
Interior
6.0
Running costs
Good
$53,990
Details
Key specs (as tested)
Engine
Capacity
1499 cc
Cylinders
4
Induction
Inline
Power
321kW at 5500rpm
Torque
762Nm at 1500rpm
Power to weight ratio
155kW/tonne
Fuel
Fuel type
Petrol
Fuel capacity
55 litres
Consumption
0.8L/100km (claimed)
Average Range
6875km (claimed)
Drivetrain
Transmission
Automatic
Drivetrain
Four Wheel Drive
Gears
2SP
Dimensions
Length
4727 mm
Width
1940 mm
Height
1729 mm
Unoccupied weight
2075 kg
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