Following a teaser campaign, Jaecoo has officially launched in New Zealand and two J7 models have gone on sale. As promised by the sub$40k price indication, the J7 EX kicks things off at $37,990 before ORCs.
And what better way to launch a new off-road brand to the market than by having a day out at the Kauri Bay Boomrock AWD facility? That’s precisely what Omoda’s sister brand Jaecoo did, the team bringing a fleet of its J7 EX+ 4wd vehicles for motoring journalists to sample in the hills above the Hauraki Gulf, between Clevedon and Kawakawa Bay.
A pity the weather didn’t exactly play ball, meaning even more of a test for the off-road creds of this new sub-brand of the Chery Group. With persistent rain falling over the previous 12 hours, we were expecting a little mayhem but impressively there was none of that. What made it all the more surprising was that the EX+ vehicles we drove were all running road tyres.
Two new Jaecoo J7 models have gone on sale today, the EX which is a front driver with Eco, Normal and Sport modes, and the EX+ AWD model which has an off-road mode. It also features dedicated mud, sand and snow settings. We used mainly the mud setting which allows for a little bit of wheel spin to clear the treads of mud when necessary.
The off-road trail itself comprised formed tracks at the Pukerau facility, a few clicks east of Kauri Bay Boomrock. An accompanying Defender tried a little off-track sortie which didn’t end so well. It soon became bogged and was hauled to safety by an EX+ it was meant to be shepherding.
We were at the tail end of the convoy, which added a little extra bog challenge. The track became sketchy and was essentially just wet grass that quickly became slick mud. Within sight of the summit, we ground to a halt, the tyres filled, spinning and grip gone. Reversing back onto wet grass, the treads quickly cleared and we summited with the rest of them, all oblivious to our plight handily.
The AWD system worked splendidly. While we touched down a few times – GC is 200mm – it was soft and no issue. Approach and departure angles of 21 and 29 degrees, respectively, meant no bumper grounding either. J7 can traverse water crossings up to 600mm in depth.
If there’s one thing we’d wish for it was a means of shifting manually. That way we could have selected lower gears for descents, or perhaps a hill descent control facility is needed. All in all though, it copes with light duty off-roading admirably.
Most examples of EX+ won’t ever be tested in this way – it’s meant mainly for the urban jungle. However, it it’s good to know it has an actual degree of off-road competency should the opportunity arise. Braked towing ability is a claimed 1300kg.
The vehicle itself we have already driven in J7 EX guise. You can read about that in the latest issue of NZ Autocar. What wasn’t known at the time of writing was the price which was announced yesterday. Introductory pricing for the first two months has the J7 EX at $37,990 and the EX+ at $43,990. From 1 October 2024, the RRPs will rise by $1000.
The J7 is available in five different colours (green, silver, grey, black and white) and is covered by a seven-year warranty with seven years of AA roadside assistance. Vehicles are now out with the 11 nationwide dealers who stock both Omoda and Jaecoo models in their showrooms.
For more on the Jaecoo J7 EX models, check out the September issue of NZ Autocar.
