The Jaecoo J8 is an interesting beast. With looks reminiscent of European SUVs like the Jaguar F-Pace, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Range Rover Velar, it exudes a classy, high-quality visual appeal that only intensifies when you climb inside its plush and remarkably well-finished cabin - it just oozes quality.
But the there are two key facts about the J8 that almost seem to belie that feel of sheer quality - firstly is the fact that it is likely to be priced up against the Mitsubishi Outlander when it gets here and secondly is the fact that it actually seems to be impressively capable off the tarmac as well, something that the luxury European SUVs that aren't Land Rovers often only pay lip service to.
How do I know this? Well, at the recent Omoda Jaecoo event in China where we were lucky enough to snag brief drives in the Jaecoo J6 (that might be heading here) and Jaecoo J7 (that definitely is heading here), we also blagged a ride in the J8 over an on-seal/off-road course.
Okay, it was in a parking lot, we weren’t allowed to drive and it only consisted of three obstacles, but it was surprisingly illuminating none the less.
The first thing you notice clambering into the J8 is the sheer quality of the interior - seriously, if Omoda Jaecoo NZ manage to price this thing anywhere near the Mitsubishi Outlander it will raise more than a few eyebrows. And they seem confident that they will do just that.
Moving off it was hard to tell too much about how it drives due to the fact that we only crept about 50 metres to the first obstacle, which was a set of humps intended to show off axle articulation and the AWD systems torque vectoring system.
This was, as you tend to expect from modern 4x4s, utterly unchallenging to the J8, which maintained wonderfully stable composure throughout, while pausing on just two diagonally opposed wheels revealed an impressively rigid chassis.
Next up was a steep climb and descent over a metal ramp, and the J8 impressed here too.
While there was some scrabbling from the front tyres up the wet metal ramp, I would be prepared to put money on the fact that the tyres where to blame for that brief hiccup - they were a Chinese brand I had never heard of before, and Chinese tyres don’t have the best reputation for grip in wet conditions…
However, the electronics stepped in very quickly to tidy things up and not noticeably limit power, while coming down the other side was effortless and unflustered.
The third obstacle was the most impressive: a 30 degree metal side slope. In the rain.
To their credit, the tyres actually performed admirably here, and the J8 edged its way up to the maximum incline with a healthy disdain for physics. Again, the rigidity of the chassis was impressive, with not even a creak of groan from the body on the approach or descent either. Jaecoo says the J8 will handle side angles of up to 40 degrees and this certainly seems believable.
For a vehicle selling luxury and quality at a mainstream price, the J8 didn’t actually need to be particularly capable off road, but the early indications are that it certainly seems to be and a large part of this is no doubt due to the Chery T1X platform the J8 sits on.
Given the J8's display of impressive capabilities in the car park of a Chinese theme park, it came as no surprise to learn that the T1X was developed by Chery and Jaguar Land Rover (the two companies have a joint venture in China to build Land Rovers and Range Rovers).
The T1X is a modular platform that can support various body styles and engine configurations, with the only "fixed asset" being the steering wheel/front axle package. Everything else, including wheelbase and overhangs are variable, so it sits under a number of new vehicles coming from the Chery group of brands, including the smaller Jaecoo J7 that is heading to our shores as you read this.
Exactly how much JLR involvement was in the development of the T1X remains a mystery (as these things always do), but the superb composure of the J8 over the short course suggests that "quite a bit" would cover off the question of the amount of Land Rover expertise that went into the platform.
One potential fly in the mud, so to speak, is the J8’s not-so-impressive ground clearance of just 170mm that was listed in the specifications during the reveal.
If correct this will limit it off road, but like the rest of the vehicles we saw and sampled, we don't know the exact New Zealand specification of the J8 yet, meanwhile the smaller J7 (that also sits on the T1X platform) apparently has 200mm ground clearance and a wading depth of 600mm.
While the standard ICE J8 that is heading to New Zealand is powered by a 195kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder engine and an 8-speed automatic transmission, the PHEV version revealed at the Beijing Auto Show packs a "brand-new third-generation hybrid off-road platform" that uses a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine with a three-speed DHT (dedicated hybrid transmission) and two high-output electric motors at both front and rear, producing a combined 450kW/915Nm.
Of course the biggest key to success for the J8 will be how it drives on New Zealand roads, and that remains to be seen. But so far, we are very impressed...
