One of the reasons I love being a motoring journalist as my side hustle is that I get to go on road trips. When I get into a car and embark on an unknown, scenic route, all the craziness from the outside world dies down. I become super present. Once I switch on the ignition, it’s just me and the steering wheel. Cars don’t generally talk back unless you ask them to.

Last week, I’d been having a particularly challenging time when I arrived in Joburg to test drive the all-new Jaecoo J7, the high-end sub-brand of the Chinese manufacturer, Chery. I was frazzled and scattered, with far too much inner chatter racing through my head. But once I set off on the launch route out of Jozi towards Muldersdrift, everything changed. I suddenly found myself hyper-focused on the premium SUV that might just be the car to finally convince the SA public that Chinese cars are not only here to stay but also highly desirable.

Because of its incredibly aggressive pricing, it might not be that hard a task for Jaecoo to seduce cash-strapped customers to choose the J7 over far pricier German and Japanese counterparts, despite it being launched in the midst of an economic depression. March’s National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) numbers showed its eighth consecutive month of decline, making it clear that customers are cash-strapped when it comes to buying new wheels.

The J7’s slatted grille and stacked headlights. (Photo: Jaecoo)

Read more in Daily Maverick: Cash-strapped? You might have to sell your car — here’s how to get the best price

The luxury segment housing brands like Audi, BMW and Mercedes has more than halved in the last decade. Because of attractive pricing and continuously improving products, Chinese brands like Chery and GWM have on the other hand been showing unprecedented growth in a downward spiralling market.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Chery on top: Chinese manufacturer posts record 2023 sales in South Africa

I remember the days well when I got into my first GWM (Great Wall Motor) car in 2009 — a tiny, ugly, little hatch. The idea that there would ever be an uptake of these inferior-quality cars was laughable. But a lot has changed in the last three or four years. A slew of Cherys and Havals now grace our roads and said Chinese brands are regularly seen listed in the Top Ten Sellers in SA.

The Jaecoo J7 made its global debut at a glittering reveal at Auto Shanghai in 2023. The “Jae” stands for “jaeger” the German word for “hunter” and “coo” stands for “cool” without the “l”. It’s been positioned by “mother” brand Chery as an “urban off-roader”. Jaecoo has been particularly strategic in choosing top people to work on the brand. The chief engineer is Peter John Matkin, who gleaned vast experience from his time at Jaguar Land Rover. Jaecoo’s chief designer is Chris Rhoades, who Chery plucked from Mercedes-Benz after he had spent three decades with the premium German brand.

South Africa is the first country in the world to receive right-hand drive units. Looks-wise the J7 is a proper head-turner with a rear that evokes the Range Rover Evoque and a front that is hard to ignore with its huge slatted front grille and checker-styled stacked headlights. It’s about the size of the Toyota RAV4 which is one of its competitors. (Others include the likes of the VW Tiguan, the Hyundai Tucson, the Subaru Forrester and Nissan X-Trail.)

The refined and minimalistic cabin of the J7. (Photo: Jaecoo)

Inside, it’s minimalistic with almost no buttons or knobs and all tech and drive systems are operated from either a 13.2inch (Vortex) or 14.8-inch touchscreen.

Under the bonnet, power comes via a 1.6l four-cylinder turbocharged engine, paired to a seven-speed automatic gearbox. It’s good for a respectable 145 kWs of power and 290 Nm of torque. There are three models in the line-up: the entry-level Vortex, the Glacier and the top of the range Inferno which has all-wheel drive.

The entry Vortex has a pretty extensive list of standard features, including a wireless charging pad, 360-degree panoramic camera system, seven airbags and wireless Android Auto/CarPlay. There’s also an “All Road Drive Intelligent System” in the top-of-the-range Inferno which offers seven drive modes including Sand, Mud, Gravel and Snow.

Handling

When it gets to the drive, the power felt pretty adequate during our Gauteng test launch — after all, it’s not a racer but a sensible family-sized SUV. I was impressed by its road holding and lack of noise on tar, as well as its ability to navigate gravel, mud and stony surfaces. There’s ground clearance of 200mm and the J7’s wading depth is 600 mm. I did about 150 kms overall and noted fuel returns were about 8.5 L/100kms.

My biggest bugbear was some overly enthusiastic safety systems which included being constantly reminded that I was “distracted” even when all I was doing was looking at the central screen to follow navigation via my Android Auto-enabled Google maps. (I promise I was not checking WhatsApps on the sly.) Later, I was told by a representative from Jaecoo that an imminent software update should sort this out. I also found the boot space somewhat small compared to its rivals.

The J7’s extremely competitive pricing however obliterates these irritations. Even the mid-range Glacier with its lekker heated and ventilated seats (my pick of the trio) is more than R200,000 cheaper than some of its competitors.

Once I got out of the car and stepped back into reality, I was once again back in High Stress City. I can’t wait for the next motoring launch to get some peace and quiet.

Pricing

J7 1.6T Vortex                    R549,900

J7 1.6T Glacier                   R599,900

J7 1.6T Inferno AWD        R679,900 DM