We walked away suitably impressed by the range-topping AWD J7 we sampled in our first SA drive, but could the FWD Glacier be the pick of the litter?
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Jaecoo J7 1.6T Glacier Fast Facts
- Price: R599 900
- 0-100 km/h: 7.86 seconds
- Top speed: 200 km/h
- Power: 145 kW @ 5 500 r/min
- Torque: 290 N.m @ 2 000-4 000 r/min
- CAR fuel index: 8.40 L/100km
- CO2: 163 g/km
When CAR published its exclusive first local drive of Jaecoo’s range-topping AWD Inferno-spec J7 in the April 2024 issue of the magazine, we walked away suitably impressed with the newcomer’s combination of rakish styling, well-resolved road manners, and the value proposition it presented. While the firm had made some enthusiastic claims regarding the J7’s off-roading ability, we were somewhat sceptical of just how capable it would be. After all, for its many merits, the J7 wasn’t possessed of a towering ride height or vast levels of axle articulation, nor did its clutch-based, fore-aft torque pump AWD system look as though it would lend this car the sort of formidable terrain tackling chops that the similarly-styled (albeit far more expensive) Range Rover Evoque possesses. Sure enough, tackling some more challenging off-road obstacles soon had the J7 spinning its tyres in frustration and left the CAR team wondering if this model’s additional R80 000 outlay over the FWD Glacier model was entirely justified.
To recap, the J7 is the first local offering to come from Chery’s Jaecoo subsidiary. This brand, along with Omoda were founded last year with a view to marketing lower-volume, niche SUVs to export markets such as Europe, Russia and South Africa. Underpinned by the platform and running gear from the Tiggo 7, minus the clutch-based AWD mechanicals on this particular model, the Glacier is closely aligned with the Inferno in terms of overall specification.
Related: Jaecoo and Omoda Continue South African Market Surge
An interesting exercise is to go onto Jaecoo’s local website, download the J7 brochure, and see just how many matching dots there are in the Glacier and AWD Inferno models’ respective standard specifications columns. Barring the AWD features and one or two non-essentials such as the heated steering wheel and privacy glass, there’s virtually nothing separating them. That means an extremely generous level of standard kit, including such niceties as radar/camera-driven active driving assistance systems (lane keeping, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, and fore and aft crash mitigation features among the number), ventilated front seats, built-in dash camera, panoramic sunroof, and powered tailgate, to mention but a few.
Visually, there’s little to separate the Glacier from its halo-placed sibling. The compact SUV’s styling: replete with eye-catching cascade grille, stacked headlamp arrays, and clean lines that have drawn some favourable comparisons with wares from a certain Solihull-based premium marque are present and correct, along with the 19-inch alloys in a 10-spoke design. It’s a similar story inside, where the minimalist cabin still plays host to a 14.8-inch infotainment tablet and 10.25-inch digital instrument panel. Often, a variety of finishes and patinas such as that present in the J7 would result in a cabin that’s creaky and disjointed in appearance, but the level of perceived quality is good, and the overall effect is tastefully executed. From a practicality perspective, there’s plenty of leg- and headroom on offer for rear occupants, but the decision to accommodate a full-sized alloy spare wheel means the boot serves up a modest 240 litres of luggage space. Thankfully, there’s a handy 896 litres of utility space with the second-row seats stowed.
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In terms of its driving manners, the J7 puts forth a genuinely impressive showing. The Chery-sourced 1.6-litre turbopetrol’s 145 kW and 290 N.m outputs are very impressive at this price point, and it’s a mechanically refined unit that gels well with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Our performance testing saw the J7 breasting the 100 km/h mark from standstill in a very respectable 7.86 seconds and the broad peak torque spread makes the car feel pleasingly tractable. While our limited time with the AWD model in our April issue first drive precluded performance testing, the general consensus in the CAR team was that the lighter FWD feels a bit livelier, both off the line and in-gear.
Related: New Jaecoo J7 ready for an SA rumble
The J7’s ride and handling characteristics are similarly impressive. There’s perhaps a touch more assistance to the electric power steering than necessary, making it feel a little artificial at motorway speeds, but this can be firmed up via one of the car’s many sub-settings and the suspension exhibits good bump absorption while remaining respectably resistant to mid-corner wallow.
If there is a fly in the J7’s ointment, it resides in the driver monitoring system that’s fast becoming a mandatory feature on many Chinese cars destined for export markets. Scanning the driver’s head- and eye movements, it sends out an audio-visual warning when it determines their attention isn’t on the road. The unit in the J7 tended to be overly zealous in calling out drivers that were anything but laser-focused on the road ahead, especially when interacting with the infotainment system’s intuitive and function-rich smartphone-like interface. It’s a minor snag, but it does irritate when viewed against what’s otherwise a very satisfying driving experience. With this in mind, those returning to the earlier exercise of tallying up the respective J7 models’ standard specification will notice that the entry-level Vortex model realises a further R50 000 price saving over the Glacier. It’s still a generously equipped offering, and the bulk of the cost-saving specification omissions are in the active safety feature department – the same features that, while well-intentioned, can prove rather irksome on the move.
When looking at relative technological progress in the automotive sphere, over time products as well executed and keenly priced as the J7 are lifting Chinese cars out of the also-ran category, setting them squarely – and very competitively, we might add – against more established marques from Europe and Japan. Absolutely packed to the gills with clever tech and comfort features, pleasingly effortless to drive, and stylishly executed; Jaecoo’s first foray into the SA market is an impressive showing.
Find the full feature in the August issue of CAR Magazine.
