The seven-seat Jaecoo J8 has a petrol engine, two electric motors and 422bhp. Oddly, the best thing the engine can do is keep quiet.
The Jaecoo J8 is a plug-in hybrid, although you could quite easily drive one for a while and forget about the petrol part. This is because its 1.5-litre turbocharged engine spends much of its time behaving like somebody working backstage.
It switches on when required, generates electricity, contributes power when necessary and generally tries not to bother anyone, while most of the sensation from the driver’s seat comes from its electric motors instead.
This is a big, seven-seat SUV with leather everywhere, massaging front seats, ventilated rear seats, a fragrance dispenser and enough screens and cameras to make a small electronics shop nervous. So, perhaps it is fitting that the quietest component is the engine.
At 4.8 metres long, the Jaecoo J8 is substantial without wandering into full-size luxury SUV territory, while its 2.8 metre wheelbase leaves enough room to squeeze three rows of seats inside.
The styling does little to hide the bulk, but it looks expensive, and that increasingly is a very deliberate strategy among Chinese manufacturers. There are familiar premium-SUV design cues scattered around the body, but it stops short of looking like an outright imitation of anything in particular.
Open the door and the J8 makes its strongest argument. Nappa leather covers the seats, faux suede appears across the headlining and upper dashboard, and wood-effect trim helps break up the broad horizontal surfaces. It is an impressive first impression, particularly when you remember this is a brand that many Singaporeans had barely heard of not very long ago.
But, look closer, and you begin to find reminders that the J8’s premium ambitions have not been carried through with quite the consistency of more established luxury brands. Some trim pieces do not align perfectly, and details around areas such as the second-row USB ports could be finished more neatly.
The right-hand-drive conversion also betrays itself in odd places. The wireless charging pad and USB connections remain positioned towards the front passenger side, for example. The steering wheel also does not offer quite enough reach adjustment for every driving position, potentially forcing taller drivers to sit further forwards than they would prefer.
None of this is catastrophic, and nobody will return the car because a USB port lacks Germanic precision, but it will matter when the J8 spends so much time inviting comparison with genuinely premium cars. Once you dress for the job you want, people begin checking your tailoring.
The front seats have eight-point massage functions, while front occupants and two passengers in the second row get ventilated seats.
There is a 50W wireless phone charger, a cooled centre-console compartment, a three-mode fragrance system and a 14-speaker Sony audio setup. You almost expect somebody to hand you a warm towel after you buckle up.
The J8’s infotainment system is reasonably quick. Apple CarPlay connects promptly, and accessing the climate controls from CarPlay requires only a swipe upwards.
Jaecoo calls the J8 a seven-seater. Physics would probably call it a five-plus-two.
The third row is best suited to children or adults whose friendships you no longer value very highly. Even with the second row pushed forwards, space is limited. Access requires folding the second-row seats, whose mechanism needs both hands and also require more muscle than expected. Still, having the extra seats is useful for the odd situation.
With all seven chairs upright, boot capacity is a modest 200 litres. Fold the third row away and it expands to a much healthier 738 litres.
The J8 pairs a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with two electric motors, producing a combined 422bhp and 580Nm. Despite weighing roughly 2.2 tonnes, it reaches 100km/h in 5.8 seconds.
Although this is technically a plug-in hybrid, much of the actual driving sensation comes from the electric motors. The petrol engine acts primarily as a generator and supplementary power source, so pulling away from junctions and overtaking traffic feels smooth and immediate in the way EV drivers will recognise.
There is very little engine noise, very little vibration, and because the motors provide instant torque, the J8 manages to disguise its considerable mass surprisingly well. You press the accelerator and this large object simply gathers itself and goes.
The other reason the engine can afford to stay quiet is the battery. At 34.46kWh, it is enormous by traditional plug-in-hybrid standards. Jaecoo claims 134km of electric driving range, and it changes how you use the car.
Many older PHEVs offered enough electric range to complete a short commute if the planets aligned, the air-conditioning was off and nobody went anywhere after work. The J8 gives you enough to treat electric propulsion as the default.
If you can charge at home or at work, it is entirely plausible to complete several days of normal Singapore driving without troubling the petrol engine very much. Then, when you want to head into Malaysia, the engine is there.
No hunting for chargers. No carefully calculating whether the next R&R has a functioning DC unit. No family discussion about why everyone must stop for 45 minutes because Dad bought an EV. You simply keep driving.
There is, inevitably, a catch to having two electric motors and 422bhp. Singapore’s road-tax structure is not especially sentimental about your desire for effortless acceleration.
High-output electrified cars like the J8 can attract substantial annual road tax, and its combined output means you pay for performance whether or not you ever use all of it. A lower-powered single-motor option would make sense locally, though none is available.
At the time of writing, the J8 is listed at S$249,999. Nothing with four wheels in Singapore is inexpensive anymore, but relative to what else is available, it is a great deal of car.
The J8 feels less like a cheap alternative to something established and more like a new interpretation of what a large family SUV should offer. Lots of equipment, space, power, and one petrol engine working extremely hard to make sure you barely notice it exists.
For once, being ignored might be the highest compliment an engine can receive.
Technical Specifications
Jaecoo J8
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol, dual electric motors
Drivetrain: All-wheel drive
Power: 315kW (422bhp)
Torque: 580Nm
Battery: 34.46kWh
Electric range: 134km (claimed)
0-100km/h: 5.8 seconds
Boot capacity: 200 litres (738 litres with third row folded)
Length/Wheelbase: 4,820mm / 2,820mm
Price: S$249,999 (at the time of writing)
Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on YouTube and on TikTok!
