New Jaecoo J7 local pricing and specs announced

Chery's latest sub-brand Jaecoo has entered the South African market with the launch of its new J7 SUV. 

Endowed with styling cues that borrow much from the l Range Rover and Jeep, the bold J7 is powered by a 1.6l four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine producing 145kW and 290Nm of torque. It is meshed to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

While the entry-level Vortex and mid-tier Glacier variants are front-wheel driven, the flagship Inferno model benefits from Jaecoo's All Road Drive Intelligent System distributing torque to all four wheels. Armed with seven driving modes, this system is complemented by 200mm of ground clearance and a wading depth of 600mm. 

Specification levels are generous across the J7 range, with the Vortex featuring standard niceties such as power-adjustable front seats, an electric tailgate, 10.25" digital instrument cluster, 13.2" touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration, 360° panoramic camera system, wireless smartphone charging, 18" alloy wheels, LED headlamps, front fog lamps, automatic windscreen wipers, seven airbags and front radar.

The Glacier ups the ante with 19" alloys, a 14.8" touchscreen, inter-seat airbags, panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats (with a memory function), head-up display, an integrated dashcam and a raft of extra driver-assistance features. Some of these include automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, traffic-jam assist, lane-departure warning, intelligent high beam control and rear cross-traffic assist.

Aside from all-wheel drive, the range-topping Inferno gets additional goodies including a heated leather-trimmed steering wheel and privacy glass to cut out harmful UV rays. 

“The J7 offers outdoor-loving customers something entirely new: far more toughness than a typical urban SUV but also more comfort and technology than traditional off-roaders,” says Jaecoo South Africa's national brand and marketing manager Shannon Gahagan.

“Add lofty levels of standard specification, a potent powertrain and highly competitive pricing and you can see why we believe the J7 will take the local market by storm.” 

Pricing for the new Jaecoo J7 range is as follows:

• J7 1.6T Vortex: R549,900;
• J7 1.6T Glacier: R599,900; and
• J7 1.6T Inferno: R679,900.

Pricing includes a standard five-year/70,000km service plan, five-year/150,000km mechanical warranty and 10-year/1-million kilometre engine warranty.