Bosch has also had his fair share of exposure to the J7 after seeing it in Shanghai for the first time a year ago. In October he went one further and experienced the car from the rear seat during a little off-road drive at Cherys factory in Wuhu .
Last month, he had his first taste from the drivers seat during a drive through the Lion Safari Park outside Lanseria. The Jaecoo J7 impresses Bosch, with a more comprehensive on-road still required for us to make a proper judgment.
Jaecoo J7 makes an impressionNow Jones has finally had the chance to do that and its a thumbs up all the way from the veteran car man. While there are typical Chinese safety bells and whistles that irked him, overall he rates the Jaecoo J7 as a very good offering.
Jones felt that the brand made good strides in terms of throttle calibration and fuel consumption. These are two areas the Chery and Omoda products have been found wanting a bit.
The Jaeco J7 line-up consists of three derivatives all powered by a 145kW/290Nm, 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine. The mill also serves in Chery models and on the Omoda C5 .
Seven-speed dual clutch transmission drives power to the front wheels on the entry level and mid spec models. The top of the range sends the drive to all four corners.
PricingPricing starts at R549 900 for the Jaecoo J7 Vortex and goes up to R679 900 for the flagship Inferno. The pricing is inclusive of five-year / 70 000km service plan, five-year / 150 000km mechanical warranty and 10-years or 1-million km engine warranty.
