Jaecoo J6 previewed in Malaysia – funky Land Rover Defender-lookalike EV with up to 279 PS, 501 km range

Jaecoo has been building momentum in Malaysia with a steady drip feed of teasers and information of its new, soon-to-be-launched J7. But Chery’s upmarket off-road brand is already looking forward to the future by previewing a couple of forthcoming models at the Malaysia Autoshow, including this – the all-electric J6.

First seen in China last year as the iCar 03 (iCar is yet another Chery sub-brand), it’s a compact electric SUV that’s slightly shorter than the Toyota Corolla Cross. It measures just 4,406 mm long but a massive 1,910 mm wide and 1,715 mm tall, while its wheelbase is a generous 2,715 mm long.

The tall and wide stance gives the J6 a quasi-4×4 appearance not too dissimilar to the Land Rover Defender. The visual connection to the latter is heightened by the boxy design, chunky wheel arch extensions, upright wraparound glasshouse, black roof and even the sideways-opening tailgate.

Adding a bit of funk to the styling are the tessellated “i” daytime running lights and taillights (a nod to the iCar brand), the former joining the slim headlight/grille bar. As promised, local cars will get the illuminated “i” front badge and the sizeable 40 litre rear storage “backpack”.

One promise Jaecoo didn’t deliver was a right-hand-drive show car, the unit seen here still being a left-hooker. Even so, we’re getting a very good look at what the J6’s interior will look like, with the Land Rover cues continuing in the available black-and-white colour scheme, large grab handles on the centre console and door cards, copious amounts of metallic silver trim and even exposed Allen bolt heads.

As befits a Chinese car these days, there’s tech aplenty, including a 9.2-inch digital instrument display and a huge 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 processor. You also get a 50-watt Qi wireless charger, a panoramic glass roof and an optional 12-speaker Infinity sound system.

Jaecoo has taken another book out of the Land Rover playbook by giving the J6 an all-aluminium structure, but beaten the storied British brand with an all-electric powertrain. Two versions of the iCar 03 are available in the Middle Kingdom, one with a rear motor producing 184 PS (135 kW) and 220 Nm of torque, the other adding a front motor for a total system output of 279 PS (205 kW) and 385 Nm.

There are also three sizes of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, including a 50.63 kWh unit (only offered on the RWD model) with a range of 401 km, a 63.69 kWh version with a range of 501 km (RWD) or 472 km (AWD) and an AWD-exclusive 69.77 kWh battery with a range of 501 km. All figures are on China’s lenient CLTC cycle, of course.

Unfortunately, charging speeds are fairly modest, with DC fast charging limited to 60, 80 or 85 kW depending on the battery size, all bringing the state of charge from 30 to 80% in 30 minutes. You also get just 6.6 kW of maximum AC charging power. Given Jaecoo’s upmarket positioning over here, we’re expecting to get the highest available specs and the most range.

The J6 should arrive in Malaysia some time after the J7, which is set to be launched here very soon (the car was tipped to go on sale in the first half of the year, and there’s just over a month left). Would you get this over a burgeoning pack of electric SUVs and sedans that are already here? Sound off in the comments after the jump.

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