Jaecoo J5 Summit

Overview

SHARP driveaway pricing is the way to go at the bottom end of the new car market where a few bucks either way can be a deal breaker or not.

Jaecoo’s just released turbo petrol-powered J5 small SUV caters directly for budget conscious new car buyers as it’s pitched from an affordable $25,990 for the entry Track model and $29,990 for the high spec’ Summit (driven), both driveaway.

The BEV version of the J5 lists for $36,990 d/a.

Petrol-powered competitors include the GWM Haval Jolion from $26,990 d/a related Chery Tiggo 4 from $23,990 d/a with the non-turbo MG ZS at $22,990 d/a, and the turbocharged MG ZS from $25,990 d/a.

Channelling Range Rover styling cues and larger Jaecoo models, the J5 cuts a sharp profile on the street and looks like a pricier model that it actually is.

Inside is the same story with a minimalist look to the multi material dash dominated by a large portrait style centre screen and small driver’s instrument pod, a couple of dials and multi-function wheel.

Jaecoo is pushing hard with this model equipping it with generous levels of standard equipment even on the base model Track variant that scores 18-inch alloy wheels, LED projector headlights, automatic headlights and wipers, automatic high-beam assist, acoustic front side glass, and a 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen.

The J5 Track further includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster, six-speaker audio system, intelligent voice control, adaptive cruise control, 360-degree camera system, remote engine start, remote climate-control activation, and selectable drive modes.

Stepping up to the J5 Summit adds a panoramic glass roof, powered sunshade, powered tailgate, heated front seats, ventilated front seats, synthetic leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, 50W wireless phone charger, eight-speaker audio system, and a soft-touch dashboard and door trims.

Despite NVES imposts, and in effort to garner a larger slice of the new car pie, Jaecoo offers a cheaper petrol-powered J5 because it recognises that not every customer is ready to make the switch to EV today… and pay more for the privilege.

It’s a canny move as the larger proportion of new car sales Down Under remain ICE-powered.

Both variants are powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 108kW/210Nm driving the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Fuel consumption on 91RON standard unleaded petrol is rated at 7.5 litres per 100km.

It rides on a 2620mm wheelbase and provides accommodation for five occupants.

Cargo capacity is rated at 480 litres with rear seats upright and 1284 litres with rear seats folded.

On the safety front we find seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, emergency lane keeping, adaptive cruise control, lane departure systems, and comprehensive driver-assistance technologies.

As per all Jaecoo models the J5 is backed by an eight-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with eight years roadside assistance and an eight-year capped-price servicing program.

Service intervals are scheduled every 12 months/15,000km with total servicing costs across eight years claimed at $3326.

Driving Impressions

On approach, the J5 Summit driven presents as a handsome, squared-off small/medium wagon with pleasing lines across the entire body to the sides, front and rear with the toothy grille a standout.

Inside is similarly easy on the eye apart from the cheesy ambient lighting giving a disco (theque) appearance… for some reason.

Few old school switches or dials are provided which means rifling through screen menus to find and activate stuff which is extremely distracting unless there’s a co-pilot on hand.

The seats are comfortable, touch surfaces tactile, and the interior colour scheme inoffensive.

Of particular note is the large rectangular windscreen that affords an excellent unimpeded forward view aided and abetted by relatively high mounted front seats. Visibility in all directions from the driver’s seat is similarly impressive.

Three peeps can squeeze into the second row and the load space behind is generous but not flat when the seats are folded.

The demister seemed to only work on maximum fan velocity which was at times annoying.

We experienced a number of screen/phone dropouts or Waze with no map only guidance that reset to fully connected randomly, usually after the car had a rest and was switched off.

Ride and dynamics are surprisingly sporty for such a vehicle across suspension, with multi-link rear no less, and strong brakes though the steering was truly awful giving a notchy off-centre action that was exacerbated if you left the ADAS engaged, particularly lane keeping and lane centring.

Personally, I am at a loss to understand why anyone would want to drive under such conditions that could be likened to a pinball machine as you wander along in your lane from side to side.

In any case, we turned all the ADAS off (a two-minute pre-drive chore) but were surprised to find some features randomly reset to on.

The J5 runs unknown Chinese brand tyres but they proved tenacious through turns and generated minimal road noise into the bargain.

The CVT is dozy, especially in hard driving as the engine revs up and down the scale in unison with the transmission with modest speed changes.

That became really annoying in short order but not as annoying as the difficulty we had in setting the car into a steady freeway pace.

It was a matter of on and off the throttle trying to keep it at a steady 110km/h, but the car obviously thought that was only a ballpark figure fluctuating between 100-115km/h at times and requiring constant correction. Cruise control may have been a better option…

The punchy little donk delivers decent performance off the line and under certain driving conditions subject to the CVT’s co-operation and we saw mid 7.0-litre/100km fuel economy, a higher figure than expected but liveable.

However, let’s get real here and look at what you get for the money which is pretty much an entry level spend these days,

The handsome J5 is extremely well equipped and good to drive around town for family duties and can be pressed into service for a long haul.

It looks well built across paint, panel gaps, fit and finish though some squeaks and rattles were evident. The J5 looks a whole lot more car than the price might suggest.

It just needs a sympathetic tweaking to make the drive experience more rewarding and the tech more accommodating; which wouldn’t take much at all really.