Jaecoo has added a self-charging hybrid to its J5 and J7, utilising a version of the Chery Tiggo Cross Hybrid’s powertrain. These cars, recently launched in the UK and the Philippines, augment the J7 PHEV and offer an alternative for buyers who want an electrified model but balk at the thought of having to charge it.
Like the new Omoda C4 Hybrid, the J5 and J7 Hybrid bear the new (and slightly silly) Super Hybrid System – Hybrid (SHS-H) moniker. This differentiates it from the original Super Hybrid System in the J7 PHEV, which itself has been renamed the Super Hybrid System – Plug-in hybrid (SHS-P).
Shown at the recent Chery International Business Summit (IBS) in Wuhu – held at the sidelines of the ongoing Auto China show – the J5 and J7 Hybrid add a turbocharger to the Tiggo Cross’ 1.5 litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder petrol engine. This is the same mill found in the J7 PHEV, producing 143 PS and 215 Nm of torque and delivering a thermal efficiency of 44.5%.
The ICE juices the same 204 PS/310 Nm electric motor and 1.82 kWh battery found in the Tiggo Cross, but with a more powerful engine clutching in to help drive the front wheels at higher speeds through a single-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT), total power rises to 224 PS – although oddly total torque actually drops to 295 Nm. The PHEV is still the champ, however, with a system output of 279 PS and 365 Nm.
So equipped, the J5 Hybrid sprints from zero to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds – more than two seconds quicker than the petrol J5 – on its way to a top speed of 175 km/h. Jaecoo claims a fuel efficiency figure of 18.9 km per litre (5.3 litres per 100 km) and a total range of 980 km thanks to a 51 litre fuel tank.
The J7 version has the same powertrain but is of course heavier, meaning that its century sprint is completed nearly half a second slower at 8.3 seconds; its top speed, however, is higher at a quoted 180 km/h. Efficiency also drops only slightly to 18.8 km per litre (still 5.3 litres per 100 km), so expect its total range to be similarly close to the magic 1,000 km.
From the outside, the J5 Hybrid is largely similar to the Range Rover Evoque-inspired petrol version, with the sole difference being the 18-inch aero-optimised turbine-style aero wheels from the EV version. Inside, the car takes after the J7 PHEV by ditching the electronic parking brake lever (its operation is now completely automatic, so you can’t move the car unless you put your seat belt on). But it otherwise retains a 13.2-inch portrait infotainment touchscreen and yes, even the calculator-style monochrome LCD instrument display.
The J7 Hybrid, meanwhile, is nigh-on indistinguishable from the J7 PHEV and includes that car’s streamlined mirrors and 19-inch aero wheels; you’d have to clock the single fuel filler door identify it. The same is true on the inside with its column-mounted shifter and cleaner centre console being shared with the PHEV.
However, the Hybrid gains the ruggedly-styled door cards of the petrol J7. This means pistol-grip grab handles on the three passenger doors and conventional window switches – rather than the PHEV’s fiddly reverse-direction ones – on the driver’s door, along with mirror controls that are physical (joy of joys!) instead of being buried in the 14.8-inch touchscreen. And yes, there’s still a 10.25-inch colour instrument display.
Jaecoo also showed the J8 PHEV, a petrol-electric version of its three-row flagship. Beyond the obvious PHEV badging and dual flaps for fuel and charging, the car also gets the SHS-P powertrain under the bonnet – this time upgraded to the all-wheel-drive version also seen in the Omoda C9 PHEV.
This switches the single front motor with dual electric motors – a P2 integrated starter-generator making 102 PS and 170 Nm, as well as a P2.5 traction motor churning out 122 PS and 220 Nm. The J7’s single-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) has also been ditched in favour of a three-speed unit. This allows the combustion engine to help drive the wheels at lower speeds, increasing acceleration.
Finally, the rear wheels are driven by a 230 PS/310 Nm motor, providing all-wheel drive and a total system output of 537 PS and 650 Nm of torque. This enables it to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds – nearly a second slower than the five-seat C9 PHEV – although the top speed remains a bit low at 180 km/h.
With the same 34 kWh NMC battery, the J8 PHEV delivers a WLTP-rated pure electric range of 134 km (11 km less than the C9 PHEV), and with a 70 litre fuel tank, the claimed total range is over 1,100 km. By the way, the J8 you see here still gets the same design as the current model, and not the newly-revealed facelift that’s badged as the Chery Tiggo 9 (not the Tiggo 9 we’ll be getting soon – confused? Us too) in China.
The J8 PHEV was also recently launched in the UK, with Australia soon to get this and the J5 Hybrid. Malaysian Omoda & Jaecoo officials told us that the cars are being considered for our market. Would you like to see these three models come here? Let us know in the comments.
GALLERY: Jaecoo J5 Hybrid
GALLERY: Jaecoo J7 Hybrid
GALLERY: Jaecoo J8 PHEV
