How to beat the petrol pump queue: The Jaecoo J7 SHS

It is at times like these that the NEV adopters of the likes of the Jaecoo J7 SHS are smiling a little more than they usually do when it comes to the ever-rising cost of fossil fuels. The bottom line is that the only way you are going to beat the petrol pump queue is by not being in it.

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And that means you either stay at home, or you make use of a vehicle that does not consume fuel. Nobody would have predicted that Donald Trump‘s ego would mean you having to queue for hours at a petrol station to beat record-high petrol and diesel price increases.

And this is while we can still get petrol and diesel down here on the tip of Africa. Can you imagine what will happen if a peace deal between the United States (US) and Iran is not struck any time soon? It will be absolute chaos for us.

Hidden door handles create a streamlined, flowing surface for a touch of modern sophistication. Picture: Supplied

Stay out the petrol pump queue

The Jaecoo J7 SHS is the first plug-in hybrid for the brand in South Africa, and I got to spend a week testing whether it is as fuel-efficient as they claim. The SHS in the name stands for Super Hybrid System. And this means you have a car powered by a conventional internal combustion engine and a high-output electric motor.

Under the bonnet sits a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 105kW of power and 215 Nm of torque. But you also have a 150kW/310Nm electric motor that provides plenty of immediate punch, and both feed into a shared single-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT).

Design convenience with its Wireless Charging capability and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration. Picture: Supplied

255 kW without the fuel bill

So, whilst the Jaecoo J7 SHS might look a lot like a normal J7, it offers a full 255kW of power and 525Nm of torque. Now, this would normally mean performance at the expense of fuel consumption. But in this case, it doesn’t.

The 0-100 km/h time is brisk at 8.5 seconds, and the top speed is more than enough at an electronically limited 180 km/h. So, you have performance. But the 18.3-kWh battery housed beneath the floor offers you around 90km of pure electric driving, and this reduces fuel consumption dramatically. Even more so than claimed.

Advanced LED headlights deliver exceptional clarity and optimal visibility. Picture: Supplied

I beat the queue

Simply put, like in my case, because I don’t travel miles upon miles each day for work, I didn’t use fuel. So, I could easily do well more than 1200km before I went near a petrol station. All I had to do was make sure the car was charged every night. Just like any normal owner of a plug-in hybrid car would.

My wife, on the other hand, travels around a bit more, and she often finds herself with around 30% of battery left before the end of the day. Then the car would engage the petrol engine to maintain the battery’s charge level.

Doing this before putting the car on charge at home at night resulted in a fuel consumption of 7.0 litres per 100km, and a range of around 700km. So, unfortunately, she would find herself queuing at a petrol station.

I also told her to try the ‘Force Charge’ mode. This is where the car uses the engine once again to get the battery charged back up to 80% (or less, depending on what you set the number at) and keep it there.

Enjoy a polished interior while staying fully charged and connected. Picture: Supplied

Rather charge at home

But using a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine to drive a medium-sized SUV and charge a small 18.3-kWh battery is not a bright idea when fuel is heading towards R30 per litre and electricity at home only around R4 a kWh.

Obviously, if you also jump on the accelerator often and use all the combined fuel and battery power and treat your J7 SHS as a hot hatch and not so much a family SUV, then your expected consumption numbers will go out the window, too.

To sum up, the Jaecoo J7 SHS has a bit of a split personality. If treated one way, the car will literally use no fuel, and then, when provoked or treated not quite like you should treat a plug-in hybrid, it will turn on you and use fuel like it’s from the Middle East. You choose correctly, you benefit.

Turn heads with 19-inch aero-optimised aluminium wheels. Designed for style and performance. Picture: Supplied

Pricing

The Jaecoo J7 SHS is priced at R689 900, which includes the following:

• five-year/75 000km service plan;
• seven-year/200 000km warranty;
• 10-year/200 000km warranty on certain electric drive components;
• 10-year/one million km engine warranty;
• 10-year/unlimited-km power battery pack warranty for the first owner, which reverts to 10 years/200 000km for subsequent owners.

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