Words: Richard Edwards
Published 21 July 2026
Jaecoo has been on a run. The brand’s J7 is the top-selling model in the UK, and in New Zealand the J5 EV arrived mid fuel-price crunch and promptly found itself near the top of the electric sales charts. The J8 SHS now takes over as the brand’s flagship. It is also Jaecoo’s first seven-seater, and after a day with it, the strongest argument yet that the Chery group’s premium brand has earned the label.
New Zealand cars arrive in September. Pricing and final local specification are still to be confirmed, so everything here is based on the Australian car, where the J8 SHS lands in a single high-spec Summit variant at A$59,990.
Where it sits
On size, the J8 splits the difference almost exactly between a Mitsubishi Outlander and a Toyota Highlander. It measures 4,820mm long on a 2,820mm wheelbase, and Jaecoo has pitched it upmarket rather than upsized. The chrome waterfall grille, projector LED headlights and 20-inch alloys on Michelin rubber give it real presence in the metal. The power-retracting door handles will divide opinion, and this reviewer remains unconvinced by the breed, but they suit the look.
Roy Muñoz, chief commercial officer for Chery Motor Australia and New Zealand, describes the positioning as “mastige”, mass prestige, “providing levels of tech and comfort that you would traditionally pay more for”. Within the group’s three-brand structure, Chery is the family value play, Omoda the technology and fashion brand, and Jaecoo the more adventure-oriented offering.
“Our customers have been asking for a 7-seat SUV and we’re more than happy to meet their demands with the compelling J8 SHS,” says Muñoz.
The Super Hybrid System
SHS is Chery-speak for its dedicated hybrid architecture, and in the J8 it is the full-fat plug-in version. A purpose-built 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 105kW and 215Nm works with two front electric motors of 75kW and 90kW, integrated into a three-speed dedicated hybrid transmission, plus a 175kW motor on the rear axle providing all-wheel drive. Combined output is 315kW and 580Nm, enough for a claimed 5.8-second sprint to 100km/h in a seven-seat family SUV.
The battery is a sizeable 34kWh NCM unit, good for a claimed 169km of electric range on the lenient NEDC cycle used in Australia. Based on our day with the car, 120 to 130km of real-world electric running looks realistic, which would still be multiples of what the segment’s established plug-in players offer. AC charging runs at up to 6.6kW, with DC fast charging at up to 70kW. Total combined range is quoted at over 1,000km from the 70-litre tank.
Braked towing capacity is 1,600kg, which the petrol J8 notably lacks (that 2.0-litre turbo variant is sold in Australia but has not been confirmed for New Zealand).
On the road
Refinement is where the J8 caught us off guard. The mechanically similar Omoda 9 we have driven previously could feel a little clunky in its transitions between electric and petrol drive, but over roughly 150km of mixed urban and rural driving at the Australian launch we did not catch this drivetrain handing over power once. It is seamless to the point of feeling like an EV, though to be clear it is a proper hybrid, not a range-extender; the petrol engine can and does drive the front wheels, it just prefers to stay in the background.
The way the car deploys its power is worth a mention. In gentle driving the J8 leans on that rear motor, and there is a distinct rear-driven feel to steady-state cornering, despite most of the system’s total output sitting over the front axle. Push harder and the front end joins in, without any of the balance issues a powerful part-front-driven SUV can serve up.
The continuous damping control suspension is a highlight. The days of soft, squishy Chinese SUVs are done; the mid setting strikes a very good ride and body-control compromise, and even Sport stops well short of harsh. Unusually, switching modes is something you feel rather than take on faith, with the car physically shifting beneath you as the suspension and powertrain reconfigure, and steering, suspension and powertrain settings can all be adjusted independently. The steering itself is direct without pretending this 2,275kg family wagon is a sports car.
Economy over our day, with plenty of acceleration testing, worked out around 4.0L/100km against a claimed 1.2L/100km NEDC combined. For buyers who charge regularly, the daily commute goes electric and the weekend run to the bach happens on minimal fuel.
The driver assistance suite deserves its own paragraph. It is not a particularly ambitious system, and Jaecoo makes no claims that it is, but it does what it says on the tin. Where plenty of brands are still fumbling their lane-keeping and driver-monitoring calibration, the J8’s systems were well judged all day, and its traffic sign recognition was close to flawless, a rarity. The lane-centring function held its line confidently even on roads with marginal markings. We wish more systems were this honest about their remit.
Inside
The cabin is where the money has clearly gone. Quilted leather seats, heated, ventilated and massaging up front, heated and ventilated in the second-row outboard positions, door-mounted seat controls in the Mercedes-Benz style, a suede-type headliner, and a 14-speaker Sony system with two speakers in the driver’s headrest so navigation and calls need not be shared with the whole car. There is also a 50W cooled wireless charger, a head-up display and dual 12.3-inch screens, and the panoramic roof runs back over the second row.
It is a restrained space too. There is no towering tablet dominating the dash, and a bank of physical climate shortcuts sits below the screen. The design reads as timeless rather than chasing 2027, and that will suit a good chunk of this car’s likely buyers.
The second row is excellent, sliding and reclining with its own vents, shades and USB ports, plus boss-seat controls for the front passenger chair. The third row is strictly occasional; this is Outlander-plus packaging rather than Highlander-rivalling space, and adults will not thank you. Boot space is 200 litres with all seven seats up, growing to 738 litres with the third row folded, though the floor is stepped and sloped enough to compromise bulky loads. There is no quick-release or power folding for the third row, an odd omission at this level.
A few other quirks are worth knowing. There is no connected app, no over-the-air updates and no onboard data connection, which will bother some buyers and quietly please others.
On safety, the curtain airbags do not extend to the third row, where children will typically sit, and ANCAP has not yet rated the car. Chery group’s recent record with the safety body has been strong, but that result is worth watching.
Cabin noise suppression is acceptable rather than class-leading, with some roar from the big Michelins on coarse chip and a touch of wind noise at the front at highway speed.
What will it cost?
Jaecoo New Zealand is not yet saying. Our pick is a sticker somewhere between $65,000 and the high $60,000s, which would park the J8 SHS alongside a mid-spec Outlander PHEV while offering multiples of the electric range, considerably more power and equipment, and an extra pair of seats. The 8-year warranty, battery warranty, capped-price servicing and roadside assistance package carries over the brand’s ownership pitch.
There is more coming from the wider group, too. Muñoz confirms the Omoda brand gains the Omoda 4 and Omoda 7 in Australia in early 2027, “and New Zealand likely follows suit”, while acknowledging the two brands’ positioning to date has been inconsistent across the Tasman and that a clearer step-up between Chery and its premium siblings is the plan from here.
On this first taste the J8 SHS drives better than it has any right to at the money we expect it to ask, and the cabin backs that up. Whether it lands as the segment bargain it could be now depends on a number Jaecoo has not written down yet.
Jaecoo J8 SHS Summit, at a glance
Powertrain: 1.5T petrol, three electric motors, 3-speed dedicated hybrid transmission, AWD
Output: 315kW / 580Nm
Battery: 34kWh NCM
EV range: 169km (NEDC)
0-100km/h: 5.8 seconds
Boot: 200L / 738L (VDA)
Towing: 1,600kg braked
NZ launch: September 2026, pricing TBC (A$59,990 in Australia)
