Jaecoo brings the 'cool' to the SA SUV market
Sara-Jayne Makwala King speaks to Daily Maverick motoring journalist Melinda Ferguson who reviews the latest cars on the road and keeps us updated with motor industry news. This week’s car: Jaecoo J7
Jaecoo J7 Photo: @Jaecoosa/X
Remember the name Jaecoo.
This Chinese brand of luxury vehicles have just hit South African and are set to take the SUV market by storm.
Jaecoo is sub-brand of the popular vehicle brand Cherie, the third largest automobile manufacturer in
China.
The name Jaecoo is is a combination of the German word 'jäger', which means 'hunter' and the English term 'cool' and it's meant to capture the essence of the brand’s philosophy on outdoor adventure and urban driving.
The Jaecoo J7 just dropped this week and have launched three versions: the Vortex, Glacier and Inferno.
"I think it's going to fly. It's the most impressive, luxurious and well-specced vehicle. We are the first country to have the right hand-drive. So it's an exciting entrance into the South African market."
-Melinda Ferguson, Daily Maverick motoring journalist
Jaecoo J7 falls into the same category as other big SUV's like the VW Tiguan, Hyandai Tucson, Toyota Rav 4, Subaru Forester or the Haval H6.
Ferguson believes Jaecoo is trying to capture the German car market and have roped in the expertise of prominent designers and engineers from classic British and German vehicle brands to develop this series of cars.
"It reminds me of the Range Rover and has the same back like the Evoque. It's got this slatted grill and this boxy, sleek design."
-Melinda Ferguson, Daily Maverick motoring journalist
And she's not just a pretty face. Under the hood is just as good.
"We used a 1.6 litre, 4-cylinder turbo charge petrol engine. It's paired with a very good 7-speed automatic gearbox and offers 145 kw of power and 219 nm of torque. We took it around Joburg into the Lion Park and we did a lot of muddy, sandy roads. It did very well off-road. No road noise and plenty of power on the acceleration."
-Melinda Ferguson, Daily Maverick motoring journalist
But the big question - will it cost you your left kidney?
Surprisingly, no.
The JV starts at R549 000 for the Vortex, which compared to a Polo GTI at the same price - is a steal.
"When you see what it costs, compared to the competition, this is a very aggressive move."
-Melinda Ferguson, Daily Maverick motoring journalist
Scroll up for the full conversation.