22-07-2025
Jaecoo 7 SHS
The Jaecoo 7 has made a jaeconfident start to its life of Top Gear Garage service. Cabin quality (sorry, jaecabin jaequality) is top drawer for its price bracket, while economy (jaeconomy?) from the hybrid set-up is proving equally impressive. Despite not adding any extra electric juice to the 7's regular petrol diet, I've been regularly returning over 50mpg, which I reckon is pretty tidy from a bluff, weighty SUV.
There are, however, a few Jaecoo jaequirks I'm still struggling to wrap my head around…
Advertisement - Page continues below
Nor an ignition barrel. To start the 7, you simply get in and flick the column-mounted gearshifter into D or R. At the end of your journey, tap it back into P and get out.
We've seen this on plenty of full EVs, but it's the first time I've encountered it on something with a combustion engine. It's a genuinely strange sensation to leave the 7 with petrol motor still running, and trust it'll shut itself down when you lock it from the key fob. ADJUSTING THE WING MIRRORS IS A PAIN (THOUGH LESS OF A PAIN THAN IT WAS)
There are no physical switches to adjust the 7's wing mirrors. Instead, you must navigate to a relevant page from the central touchscreen, at which point the two touchpads on the steering wheel assume control of the mirror angles.
This page is tough to locate, buried deep within one of the Jaecoo's submenus. If you need to adjust your mirrors quickly, this is inconvenient.
Advertisement - Page continues below
However! I recently discovered you can programme the steering wheel's 'star' button to act as a shortcut to the mirror menu: just press and hold it to assign it a new function. This is handy. Though not as handy as actual buttons.
