It’s been 18 months since it made its first appearance here, but at last, the Jaecoo J8 has been launched in Malaysia. Capping off a protracted teaser period for the three-row D-segment SUV, we finally have full prices, specs and equipment.
Now, about those prices – CKD locally assembled in Shah Alam, the Jaecoo J8 starts at RM178,800 for the base five-seater 2WD model, rising up to RM198,800 with AWD and six seats. As is becoming standard practice for Omoda | Jaecoo Malaysia, these figures are way lower than the estimates of RM195,000 and RM220,000 respectively. A seven-year/150,000 km warranty comes as standard.
Early-bird buyers who put their orders in before this Sunday, July 21 will receive one year of free motor insurance under the Jaecoo Prime Protection programme, along with a ten-year, unlimited-mileage powertrain warranty and an exclusive off-road experience. Deliveries will kick off later this month.
Power comes from Chery’s usual 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine – shared with the Tiggo 8 Pro and Omoda C9 – making 249 PS and 385 Nm of torque. All that gets routed to the front wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox in a similar fashion to the C9, getting the car from zero to 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds. Keep your foot pinned and you will eventually reach a top speed of 200 km/h.
Despite supposedly having more grip, the all-wheel-drive version is marginally slower to complete the century sprint, taking nine seconds flat. As for efficiency, the J8 2WD has a claimed fuel consumption figure of 7.8 litres per 100 km on the WLTP cycle, while the AWD does 8.1 litres per 100 km.
Measuring 4,820 mm long, 1,930 mm wide and 1,699 mm tall – with a wheelbase of 2,820 mm – the J8 sits squarely within the class norm, being around the same size as the new Hyundai Santa Fe, the Kia Sorento and the Proton X90. All four are quite a bit shorter than the Mazda CX-8 (itself a stretched CX-5) in length and wheelbase but much wider.
But while the J8’s dimensions broadly follow the its Asian rivals’, its design is decidedly American. There are shades of Lincoln Aviator in the streamlined surfacing, front fender appliqués, blacked-out D-pillars and wraparound full-width taillights.
At the front, you’ll find Jaecoo’s “waterfall” grille with vertical slats, supersized to enormous proportions. The hexagonal aperture is flanked by slim trapezoidal LED projector headlights and framed by U-shaped black trim integrating the L-shaped air curtains, while a simple air intake sits underneath.
There are also flush pop-out door handles twin (fake, unfortunately) exhaust pipes, and the entire look is finished off by 20-inch turbine-style two-tone alloy wheels that come standard. Those rollers are wrapped in Maxxis Victra Sport 5 SUV tyres on the 2WD model and Michelin e-Primacy (odd for a petrol car) rubber on the AWD.
Inside, the J8 is very much reminiscent of past Mercedes-Benz models, specifically the W213 E-Class. As per that car, you get wraparound dash decor, three separate centre air vents (square rather than round here) and a widescreen display panel that houses twin 12.3-inch instrument and infotainment displays.
The Three-Pointed Star inspiration extends to the centre console, which features a volume scroller, a split-opening armrest and a wrist rest aft of a knob – although the latter is a drive mode selector rather than a screen controller. Ahead of this knob are twin smartphone holders, with the passenger side coming with a cooled 50-watt Qi wireless charger.
Other features include dual-zone auto air con with rear centre and B-pillar vents and rear fan speed controls (plus third-row ceiling vents on the AWD model), wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 256-colour ambient lighting system, a panoramic glass sunroof, smart card keyless entry via NFC, a dash cam function built into the infotainment system, a 360-degree camera system with a transparency function, a hands-free powered tailgate and a 12-speaker Sony sound system.
Exclusive to the AWD model is a head-up display, a built-in air freshener and electronic door latches that can be opened on the inside with the press of a button (the 2WD variant has regular door handles). The range-topper also gains headrest speakers for the driver, bringing up the total number of speakers to 14.
As we’ve mentioned, the 2WD model is a five-seater with a second-row bench, while the AWD model has six seats arranged in a 2-2-2 layout. Although nominally only having one extra seat, the higher-spec car’s second-row passengers sit on plush captain’s chairs with power adjustment and individual armrests.
The front seats are also powered on both models (as is the steering column), with heating and ventilation functions, driver’s side memory and shoulder switches on the passenger side. The AWD model adds massage to the first two rows and extends heating, ventilation and even memory to the second row.
The front passenger oddly doesn’t get memory, but they do sit on a “queen’s” seat with one-touch recline and a built-in ottoman. The pews are trimmed in faux leather on the 2WD model; you’ll have to spring for the AWD version to get genuine Nappa cowhide, complemented by a black microfibre headliner.
Luggage space is quoted at 738 litres for both variants, with the AWD model retaining 200 litres of cargo room with all seats. Fold the rear seats of the 2WD variant, meanwhile, and you get a total of 2,021 litres. Under the skin, the AWD model gains adaptive dampers, three off-road-specific drive modes (Mud, Sand and general Off Road) and a torque-vectoring rear differential, the latter with twin clutches sending up to 100% of rearward torque to the wheel with the most grip.
The 2WD’s rear seats (left) versus the AWD’s second and third row
As for safety, the J8 comes as standard with six airbags and a full complement of driver assists, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and a camera-based driver attention monitor. The AWD model gains park assist and driver’s knee, centre and rear side airbags (ten airbags in total).
The J8 is available in Carbon Crystal Black, Khaki White and Olive Grey, with AWD models gaining a black roof and privacy glass. Unlike the preview models which featured a tan interior, the retail units get a black cabin as standard.
GALLERY: Jaecoo J8 2WD in Malaysia
GALLERY: Jaecoo J8 AWD in Malaysia
GALLERY: Jaecoo J8 2WD official photos
GALLERY: Jaecoo J8 AWD official photos
