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By Jonathan Crouch

Jaecoo's 7 seems a better prospect in Plug-in Hybrid SHS form. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 50

Jaecoo's 7 mid-sized SUV is probably at its best in this PHEV guise, where it offers the kind of advanced engine technology missing elsewhere in the range. You'll need to like the looks, but if you do and don't mind trying something different, there could be something for you here.

Backgroundword count: 128

Premium Chinese maker Jaecoo has entered the mid-sized SUV segment with this car, the Jaecoo 7. The brand name's apparently derived for the German word 'jaeger', which means 'hunter' or 'cool', but what we're served up here is very definitely yet another taste of the Orient. The Jaecoo brand has a lot to say about its SHS or 'Super Hybrid System' PHEV set-up. And you can understand why because there's not a lot it can say about the other engine offered in the range, a deeply unremarkable unelectrified 1.6-litre petrol turbo unit that lags behind its rivals in efficiency. This PHEV variant though, is a very different proposition. So should you take a chance on an unknown brand and switch to something a bit different in this segment?

Driving Experienceword count: 232

This Jaecoo 7 SHS shares its Plug-in Hybrid powertrain with the BYD Seal U DM-i model we tried and liked recently. There's a 1.5-litre petrol engine mated to an electric motor energised by a 18.3kWh battery providing for a reasonable (though nowhere near class-leading) 56 mile EV range figure. This SHS model only comes in 2WD form but does have its share of clever tech - a so-called 'SHS' or 'Super Hybrid System' that uses the engine and the brake regen system to always keep the battery above 0% of charge. So even if you forget (or aren't able) to plug in, you'll still find the car reverting to electric motion around town. Though the petrol engine in this PHEV is at 1.5-litres slightly smaller than the 1.6-litre unit used in the conventional models, the SHS system's total output is of course vastly superior, rated at 204PS; enough to get the car to 62mphin 8.5s en route to 108mph. The car always starts under EV power and you can drive in pure electric mode up to motorway speeds - or with the engine and motor working together in unison. When the engine cuts in, it does so pretty seamlessly. It's a pity that Jaecoo isn't also offering the larger-battery version of this PHEV set-up, which in the 'Comfort'-spec version of the BYD Seal U DM-i can take you up to 78 miles.

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