- First drive review of the Jaecoo 8
- New flagship SUV with a plug-in hybrid powertrain
- 7-seater as standard
- Also available with 6 seats
- Lease the Jaecoo 8 with Select Car Leasing
(Our author Matt with the Jaecoo 8)
It's big, it's bold, and it's here to take on the big guns from Audi, BMW and even Land Rover - and we've been putting the Jaecoo 8 through its paces.
The all-conquering Jaecoo 7 has already done much of the heavy lifting for the Jaecoo brand, with one being sold every 83 seconds in the UK.
Now, its larger, posher sibling has arrived, aiming to build on that momentum.
The Jaecoo 8, the brand’s latest flagship, sits in the large SUV bracket at 4.8 metres long, 1.93 metres wide, and 1.7 metres tall — roughly between a Kia Sorento and a Hyundai Santa Fe. It’s also larger than the Omoda 9 and shares Jaecoo’s Super Hybrid System, combining a 34.5kWh battery with a petrol engine.
But before taking to the road, testing the car’s muck and river-wading abilities was a must via an off-road course in the West Wycombe Estate.
Looking at it, you wouldn't think this would be a car comfortable in Land Rover territory — and I'm not talking about the school run — but it's been fitted with an array of off-road tech, including locking differentials and hill descent control.
Of course, its ground clearance is still too low to do any proper mud-plugging.
It handled our route through rough terrain with ease, climbing steep slopes, picking through rutted tracks, and wading through deep water without fuss.
But the real question was how it would cope on the road. Switching into a cleaner Jaecoo 8, it was time to head out on a 30-minute route through West Buckinghamshire.
Moving from the Jaecoo 7 to the Jaecoo 8 feels like upgrading from a stylish boutique hotel to full-on luxury resort treatment; the 7 is already refined and well put together, but the 8 turns everything up — bigger screens, softer materials, and lighting that feels oddly invested in your emotional wellbeing. Its interior is smart, indeed.
Like the Jaecoo 7, the control layout is still a bit of a weak spot, with almost everything routed through the central touchscreen, which, in this case, feels a bit like trying to pilot the RMS Queen Mary using a smartphone.
Adjusting the climate control can be difficult on the road, though there are customisable shortcuts that let you turn off the various annoying ADAS controls.
That said, the Jaecoo 8 isn’t too intimidating to drive, despite its size. I saw plenty of the West Buckinghamshire countryside during the outing thanks to the car’s large windows, mirrors and commanding driver’s seat view. There are also plenty of sensors and cameras to keep you out of trouble around town. Similarly, the car’s soft suspension soaked up Bledlow Ridge’s deep drain covers, like that of a much more expensive product.
When a national speed limit sign appeared, it felt like the right moment to test the system properly. The 428 bhp hybrid setup responds instantly, and despite the car’s size, it pulls forward with surprising urgency. Yet it’s at its best when settled — cruising at 60mph, seats massaging away the miles, the drivetrain quietly switching between electric and petrol without fuss.
It’s wild to think that we now live in such times where 428 bhp and efficiency can be used in the same sentence. With a fully discharged battery, the Jaecoo 8 will still achieve around 50mpg, but it’s better to make use of the car’s battery.
When charged, Jaecoo claims it will return 83 miles, although in real-world driving, it's closer to 70 miles.
By the end of the drive, it was clear the Jaecoo 8 isn’t trying to reinvent the SUV — it’s trying to out-equip it.
BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz products now face fierce competition from Chinese car manufacturers. And it’s not like the cars are being sold with a poor warranty, either.
Jaecoo backs its products with a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, meaning if something goes wrong, you’re covered. Likewise, Jaecoo now has over 120 dealers, operated by big brands like Arnold Clark and Ancaster Group, with plans to expand further in the coming years.
At first, I struggled to believe the stories about people moving from Range Rovers to Chinese cars, like the Jaecoo 7, but I now understand why people do it. In times when fuel prices are in the stratosphere and an Audi Q3 now costs £52,000, many want the most for their money, and the Jaecoo 7 and 8 offer more for less than some German counterparts.
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