With Range Rover vibes and luxury features for a keen price, the electric Jaecoo E5 seems like a bargain. Is there a catch, or is this the new EV SUV value king?
James Morris covers the rapidly growing world of electric vehicles.The Jaecoo E5 joins an increasingly large selection of Chinese electric SUVs on the European marketThe European market is awash with Chinese EVs now, and it’s starting to get harder to differentiate between them.
The UK has become particularly attractive, due to the absence of tariffs and increasingly bullish take up of electrification. So the arrival of yet another brand from China, with yet another midsize electric SUV, might not seem too exciting. But theJaecoo E5: Average Drivetrain, Premium Feel The drivetrain specifications are relatively nondescript. There’s a 204PS motor with 288Nm of torque driving the front wheels allied to a 61kWh LFP battery. This is enough for a 0-62mph sprint of 7.7 seconds and 248 miles of range – all quite mediocre. These are figures that EVs had a few years ago, and many have now surpassed. There are two choices of trim – Pure and Luxury. So far, so run of the mill.However, like Jaecoo’s first car on the UK market, the 7, the E5 has strong Range Rover vibes. The rear is particularly evocative of the Evoque . The front is a bit more “mini Discovery”. The overall impression is classy on a budget. You could complain that this is a throwback to when Chinese cars were rather plagiaristic of Western designs , but the E5 makes it work. Looking at Jaecoo 7 sales in the UK, the company’s styling seems to be hitting a chord with the British buyer, too.MORE FOR YOU The sense of class continues inside. Jaecoo has made some bold claims about the upholstery design of the E5. Having driven the car a fair bit I’d have to admit the claims are not unwarranted. The seats are rather comfortable. With the Luxury trim the driver’s seat is electrically adjustable, too, although not on the Pure and the passenger side is manual only on either. Incredibly, with the Luxury trim both front seats are heated and ventilated. The latter is not something you’d expect from a car in this class. You also get wireless smartphone charging on the Luxury trim, which is even ventilated so your phone doesn’t overheat.Space in the back is more limited. If you’re six feet tall sitting behind someone who is six feet tall in front, the passenger won’t have a lot of kneeroom, although their headroom will be fine. The large panoramic sunroof included with the Luxury trim does alleviate this somewhat, however, and if you have children in the back, they will be absolutely fine. This is a car well suited to a young family.Rear luggage space is acceptable if not stunning. With the rear seats up, the capacity is a solid 480 liters, including the sizeable area under the floor. However, this only extends to 1,180 liters with the rear seats dropped forward. These have a 60/40 split, so you can balance between cargo space and passengers. However, the capacity is less than that offered by a Volkswagen ID.3, for example. The floor is at least quite flat, keeping your transportation options open. There’s a 12V socket in the rear, too, should you want to power a device in the luggage area. With the Luxury trim, you get a powered tailgate, further adding to the sense of this being a product with surprisingly premium features.Jaecoo has other ideas about how you might want to use the rear storage space than just shopping and the odd family trip. The company’s marketing push has been going big on the pet applications for the E5 and a variety of optional extras are offered for dog owners. The Luxury trim even includes a Pet Mode, which regulates climate control when you’ve left an animal unattended in the car, alongside displaying a message so passersby know this. Or the pet, if it has magically acquired the ability to read. The technology is adequate in other areas too. The 8.8in instrument display makes no pretense of having analog dials. But there’s plenty of information, although some of the numbers and text are a little hard to see if you’re a bit shortsighted. The drive controls follow Mercedes and earlier Teslas by using a steering wheel stalk. There are no discrete air conditioning controls, with the bottom of the 13.2in infotainment hosting touchscreen buttons instead. The screen supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and in these modes the climate buttons disappear, requiring a swipe up to reveal, which gives even more reason for at least some standalone switches.The infotainment screen has a portrait orientation. The Settings menu style and layout bear an uncanny resemblance to Tesla’s, but that’s no bad thing as this is a very clear and easy interface to navigate. You even get some fun cosmetic features to play with, including ambient lighting color. There’s a connected satnav, although of course you can use your phone instead if you want. Other features are accessed through a grid of icons. Another extra feature of the Luxury trim is Camping Mode. This includes a Vehicle to Load ability, where you can power external devices using an adapter attached to the CCS charging port. Camping Mode also activates external speakers in the front bumper, so you can play music from the car to enliven your campsite or picnic or annoy the nearby wildlife. There’s a panoramic parking camera included with both trim levels, alongside adaptive cruise control. The Luxury trim adds an eight-speaker audio system upgrade. So in top trim spec you get a lot of tech for your money.Although the Jaecoo isn’t particularly rapid by EV standards, its 7.7 seconds to 62mph is fast enough and the overall experience is comfortable. The steering feels more solid than you would expect for a car in this class. As the size isn’t huge, the E5 is great for urban driving and tight village streets. It feels perfectly composed at A-road and motorway speeds, too. Overall, while this is no driver’s car, it’s perfectly pleasant and the ride quality won’t cause any complaints from your family either. Interestingly, there’s an internal combustion engine version of the Jaecoo 5 and that feels underpowered where the E5 doesn’t. As already mentioned, the WLTP range of 248 miles is underwhelming, and charging speeds are not exactly state of the art either. The AC charging goes up to 11kW and there’s that Vehicle to Load ability, albeit no Vehicle to Grid. But DC charging maxes out at 80kW, so it will take at least 30 minutes to go from 10 to 80%, and you’ll need to do this every couple of hours on a motorway. That means long distances aren’t out of the question but won’t be as painless as many more expensive EVs now available.But you can forgive this. The most surprising thing about the Jaecoo E5, considering its generally decent quality, is the price. The company claims its aim was to offer its cars at the cost level of the class below what they actually are. As such, the entry-level Pure BEV trim comes in at £27,505 , while the Luxury upgrade is £30,505 . These are both very competitive prices, and pits the E5 against the entry-level, although the Long Range versions are more expensive. The internal combustion version is even more keenly priced at £24,505 , but that car’s gutless engine makes it feel less of a bargain than the electric version, despite its £3,000 cheaper price., the Jaecoo E5 slots in below. The range and performance may be mediocre, and this is not an absolute bargain basement vehicle, but the price is still keen, the features impressive and the looks easy on the eye. This could make it a popular choice, enabling it to follow in the footsteps of the Jaecoo 7’s solid UK sales figures.
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