Mat’s Car of the Day: The Jaecoo 7 is a stylish customer with Range Rover looks for a bargain price
Car changing is a big deal
The Jaecoo 7 definitely serves looks above and beyond what you’d expect for its price tag, and you can snip one up with big savings buying through Carwow.
Jaecoo’s success story in the UK is seriously impressive – it’s gone from nothing to selling more cars than many long-established brands in just a matter of months. And a lot of its success is down to this car – the Jaecoo 7. It’s a budget SUV that looks anything but, with a stylish design that gives more than a flavour of the Range Rover Evoque.
As with any new model, you can get the best possible price buying through Carwow, but is the Jaecoo 7 a car you should really consider? Here are three reasons why you might want to put it on your shortlist, as well as three reasons why you might want to choose something different instead.
Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.
Three reasons to buy a Jaecoo 7
1. It’s a bargain
Even putting aside the styling, the Jaecoo has lots going for it – but the price tag is one of its most appealing aspects. It starts from less than £30,000, and even the most expensive model is still well below £40,000.
Compare that with what you’d spend on a Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen Tiguan or Ford Kuga, and it makes the whole package even more compelling. Especially when you look at the standard equipment included on a base-spec Jaecoo versus one of those cars.
2. You can have petrol or plug-in hybrid
The cheapest Jaecoo 7 is a front-wheel drive petrol, but you can add all-wheel drive to this if you’d like your car to be able to do some light off-roading – as befits its rugged styling.
The best engine, though, is the plug-in hybrid. It can do more than 50 miles on a charge, and the way that the system’s set up means the engine acts more like a generator – which means it’s even quite efficient when the battery’s discharged, so long motorway runs don’t have to be too thirsty.
3. It’s really practical
Good looks are all very well, but the Jaecoo 7’s boxy bodywork makes for a very useful interior volume too.
There’s lots of head- and legroom for rear-seat occupants, and those in the front seats have plenty of adjustability and lots of storage space for odds and ends. The 500-litre boot isn’t the biggest among alternatives, but it should still accommodate enough luggage for a family holiday with no problems.
Jaecoo 7 prices and deals
Even if you buy direct from the dealer with no discount, the Jaecoo 7 is very reasonably priced. The model range starts at less than £30,000, and the plug-in hybrid model we recommend is still very reasonable at just over £35,000.
You can even lease one for just £259 a month with a £3,395 initial payment, which is very good value.
And if you’re buying through Carwow, there are discounts available. The average saving is over £2,000, helping make this car’s already low list price even more palatable.
Three drawbacks to the Jaecoo 7
Nothing’s perfect, and while the Jaecoo’s low price makes a lot of things much easier to forgive there are still a few reasons why you might want to consider other models.
1. It’s not great to drive
This is a common thread with cars from Chinese manufacturers – they just don’t feel properly set up for British roads. The Jaecoo 7 isn’t very comfy over lumps and bumps, but it’s not sporty to make up for it – the body leans a lot in the corners.
The steering is also over-light and feels unnatural. You probably won’t notice it much if you’re sticking to low-speed stuff around town, but a Nissan Qashqai is much nicer from behind the wheel.
2. The petrol engine is thirsty
There’s a reason we recommend the plug-in hybrid Jaecoo 7 over the other models, and that’s fuel economy. The 1.6-litre petrol engine you get in the base model is reasonably powerful, but it drinks a lot of fuel.
Even the claimed figures are only around 38mpg for the front-wheel drive model or 35mpg for the all-wheel drive, but in the real world you’re more likely to see around 30mpg, which isn’t fantastic. The PHEV is much better, with around 50mpg real-world.
3. It might not be very reliable
Jaecoo hasn’t been around long enough for any real reliability data to come out yet, but early signs aren’t the best. Other Chinese car companies – such as MG and BYD – rank low in the Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, despite offering long warranties – because there are lots of niggly issues and because parts can take a long time to arrive for repairs.
Browse one of the several Jaecoo owner groups on Facebook and you’ll see many complaints about the same. Recurring issues are with the DAB reception and a worrying loss of acceleration when the battery is getting close to being discharged – not ideal. You might prefer waiting until Jaecoo has been around a bit longer to get its ducks in a row with regards to reliability and servicing.
Car change? Carwow!
Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.
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*Savings are made up of the maximum dealer discount off RRP – subject to dealership, location and trim. Prices correct at the time of writing.