What’s new in the Jaecoo J8 2025: A detailed overview

Saudi Arabia : Jaecoo, which was founded in 2023, is a completely owned subsidiary of the considerably larger Chery Automobile brand. The new Jaecoo J8 is one of only two SUVs that the Chinese company is selling in Saudi Arabia. It’s also the costliest car the brand has for sale in KSA.

The Jaecoo J8 2025 is a midsize SUV that's built on the automaker's T1X platform. It's basically a rebadged Chery Tiggo 9 underneath. It’ll compete with cars from the segment like the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento – they also happen to be of a comparable cost and size. Price being such a crucial factor, does the J8 impress?

Variants and Price

Saudi customers of the Jaecoo J8 2025 will be offered a minimum of two variants. The base variant could be the Luxury, which is likely to cost upwards of SAR 120,000. Meanwhile, the fully loaded Flagship variant of the J8 could be priced at up to SAR 150,000.

Some markets also get the Premium variant of the J8, which strikes a good balance between what it offers and how much it costs. As far as the latter aspect is concerned, this mid-tier variant of the new Jaecoo J8 could retail for around SAR 130,000.

For comparison, the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento start from SAR 127,000 and SAR 142,024, respectively. At present, Jaecoo KSA has showrooms in locations like Al Khobar, Jeddah, and Riyadh. Buyers can also avail a 6-year/250,000 km manufacturer warranty along with their new J8 SUV, offering an added layer of protection.

Exterior

The Jaecoo J8 2025's exterior design is another crucial factor that helps it. It looks like the Chinese carmaker spent a lot of money on styling, and it shows. The front of the J8 is both elegant and bold, with thin LED headlights, a streamlined hood, a hulking big grille, and sculpted air intakes.

People who pay attention will notice design elements that look like they were taken straight from the Lincoln Aviator. The J8 has motorised, flush-fitting door handles that are all the craze right now, plus chrome embellishment above the front fenders. Its 20-inch alloy wheels feature a two-tone finish, and the all-black pillars highlight the J8's sloped roofline.

As you head towards the back of the J8, you'll notice design cues borrowed from a couple of European brands. You may have noticed similar styling characteristics on the back ends of many Land Rover and Audi cars. Regardless, the rear end of the J8 is tastefully done and looks clean and modern.

 The general profile of the J8 is skewered more towards upmarket elegance than sportiness. That's no bad thing, and the SUV manages its proportions well. The J8 is 4,820 mm long, 1,930 mm wide, 1,710 mm tall, and its wheelbase is 2,820 mm. The J8's generous wheelbase opens up more space on the inside, which benefits its occupants and allows for a large boot. The latter measures 738 litres in the 5-seater version, shrinking to 200 litres in the 7-seater.

Interior

The new Jaecoo J8 has a premium-looking interior that's also feature rich, adding more crucial factors in its favour. This midsize SUV is obviously targeting those buyers in Saudi Arabia who don't mind splurging a little. A starting price tag of more than 120,000 riyals is the first sign of that, with an interior check confirming that notion. Most of the surfaces that are frequently interacted with feel premium, which is another positive sign.

The J8's Flagship variant gets Nappa leather seats and an Alcantara headliner, which highlights this SUV's high-end aspirations. Jaecoo has also included comfortable padding to the front headrests, which even come with built-in speakers for the 14-speaker Sony audio system. There's also contrast stitching, along with piano black plastics and satin silver trim.

Some of the noteworthy onboard equipment includes a dual-pane panoramic sunroof, a flat-bottom-steering wheel, multi-colour LED cabin lights, and rear sunshades. Customers could choose the new J8's interior in either a sporty, all-black theme or a more calming beige and black scheme. The latter definitely makes the J8's cabin feel more spacious visually. The design of the centre air-con vents looks suave, whilst the dual-zone automatic climate control works well.

There are dual 12.3-inch screens and an AR head-up display. The voice command feature of the new J8 allows drivers to adjust the windows, sunroof, multimedia amenities, and the climate control system. There's also seat ventilation & heating, multiple USB outlets, a 50-watt wireless charger, and an air fragrance & purification system.

Among these many features, one that truly stands out is the electrically controlled extension on the front seats of the J8. This means that the front-seat passenger can stretch out fairly decently, with the base of the seat providing a good deal of support for the legs.

Engine and Performance

The Jaecoo J8 2025 has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which develops 261 hp and 400 Nm of torque. The entry-level model only has front-wheel drive (FWD), whereas the other two have all-wheel drive (AWD). The Flasghip AWD variant of the J8 features torque vectoring; this improves the handling characteristics quite measurably.

The J8 FWD is the most economical, capable of achieving 12.5 kmpl or 8 L/100 km. Meanwhile, the J8 AWD version manages 12 kmpl or 8.3 L/100 km, which isn't much worse. The turbo-petrol motor of the new J8 is paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The J8's suspension is equipped with Continuous Damping Control (CDC), which isn't common in cars in this segment. The base J8 comes with Eco, Normal, and Sport modes.

Meanwhile, the J8's all-wheel drive variants get three terrain modes as well –namely Sand/Mud, Snow, and Offroad. The midsize SUV weighs upwards of 1.7 tonnes, with its primary mission being comfort. Therefore, a 0–100 kmph time of 8.5 seconds feels sufficient. The Jaecoo J8 has a certified wading depth of 600 mm, but it isn't built to handle genuine off-road tracks.

The new J8's electronically controlled CDC suspension mentioned earlier is capable of changing the ride quality swiftly and continuously, constantly adjusting for added comfort. The CDC system further ensures the SUV remains planted to the road as the speed increases. It also keeps the J8's body level under hard acceleration or sharp braking by minimising roll and pitch.

Safety

The new Jaecoo J8 comes with important electronic safety features like an electronic stability program and a tyre pressure monitoring system. Basics like ABS with EBD and parking sensors are covered, while surround-view cameras and up to 10 airbags boosts the J8's safety. The electronic parking brake of the J8 can hold it in place, courtesy of the auto-hold feature.

Being a pricey car in 2025, the Jaecoo J8 gets ADAS, or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. The J8's other add-on safety tech include adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure prevention, lane change assist, and emergency lane keeping. It also has equipment to warn drivers of rear-end collisions, blind spots, crossing rear traffic, and rear cross-traffic braking.

Finally, there's Traffic Jam Assist, Driver Monitoring System, Door Opening Warning, and Intelligent Headlamp Control. The Jaecoo J7 received five stars from both Euro NCAP and ANCAP. However, there are no official ratings for the new J8. Since the J8 and J7 are both built on the same platform, their crash-safety scores are probably going to be identical.

Conclusion

The Jaecoo J8 2025 has several things going for it; an eye-catching design, decent performance, a comfortable ride, and a stylish interior with a lengthy features list. Jaecoo’s warranty package is yet another aspect that hold great promise.

If you can make peace with the high price of the new J8, it could prove to be a rather well-packaged family SUV. Then again, do take a test drive before signing on the dotted line.