Alfa Romeo Junior vs Jaecoo J7

What's the difference?

The Alfa Romeo Junior is a cute car that’s charming and smile-inducing. It deserves to sell well but ultimately this will come down to whether the Australian public is receptive.

There is plenty of competition out there and if you're wanting something design-led, it's hard to look past this without spending much more money.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Jaecoo J7 SHS Track enters the medium SUV segment with a sharp drive-away price and generous equipment list. The ongoing ownership benefits add strong value but the on-road driving experience needs some finessing and the cabin doesn't quite hit every mark for practicality. Although it's ‘on track’ to make waves in this corner of the market, it hasn't yet carved out an iron-clad niche for itself. It's worth a look but it's not class-leading.

This is such a cute and tiny car with Alfa Romeo trying its hardest to sandwich all of its hallmark design traits in. It’s certainly a busy design on the outside which I don’t love right now, but I imagine I’ll grow to like it with time.

At the front there’s a special grille as standard that features Alfa Romeo script, plus an offset license plate and cool matrix LED headlights with the company’s ‘3+3’ lighting signature.

Around the side the 18-inch alloy wheels have a flower petal-like design, hidden second-row door handles, as well as a hidden serpent (Biscione) easter egg that’s laser etched into the C-pillar.

The rear of the Junior is my least favourite angle. It tries too hard to look more like a hatchback than a crossover SUV with the slanted rear window and the big black slab where the tail-lights are.

The twin exhaust pipes are a cute look, however, especially given the engine doesn’t scream performance credentials on paper.

Inside there’s an obvious attempt at making the cabin look and feel driver-oriented and sporty.

I like the seats which have a red section that runs down the backrest and onto the seat base. It helps break up the black finishes nicely.

Speaking of, however, there's a sea of black finishes throughout the rest of the cabin. I’d like to see some more silver or chrome accents as the glossy piano black may not age well.

There is interior ambient lighting around the cabin with a customisable colour, which looks great in low-light situations. It particularly pops in the large circular air vents which flank the dashboard and are shaped like cloverleaves.

If you look closely you may notice the Junior shares a lot of its physical switchgear with the related Jeep Avenger. Examples include the steering wheel buttons, gear selector, starter button and the physical climate control switches.

While there’s an argument to say that this cheapens the feel of the Junior, I’m thankful there is physical switchgear in this car to begin with. Plus, the Junior does look different enough as it is.

The J7 is, in essence, a scaled-up version of its smaller sibling, the J5 - a car my family affectionately dubbed the “Temu Range Rover” during our week with it. The resemblance remains.

The squared-off proportions, upright grille and slim lighting signatures lean heavily into that premium off-roader aesthetic, and there’s no doubt the look will appeal to buyers chasing presence without the associated price tag.

Compared to the J5, the J7 carries a touch more personality. 

There’s a small racing-flag accent panel along the flanks, flush-fitting door handles and a set of 19-inch aerodynamic alloy wheels that add some visual flair.

Inside, the cabin is cleanly executed with its pared-back styling and the 13.2-inch central display dominates the dashboard. This makes it the visual anchor of the interior as physical buttons are minimal and most functions are accessed via the media screen. That screen-led design will divide opinion, but it does create a modern aesthetic.

The synthetic leather upholstery feels convincingly premium, and the materials do enough to lift the ambience beyond what you might expect at this price point.

The front seats in the Junior are very comfortable for longer drives. The driver’s seat in particular offers six ways of electric adjustability and a massage function. You don’t see features like that very often on a tiny SUV.

Ahead of the driver there’s a leather-wrapped steering wheel. It’s surprisingly slim which makes it nice to hold. There are also paddle shifters on the back which could be more pronounced.

As standard there’s a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster which emulates analogue dials for the tachometer and speedometer. While the screen is high-res and clear, it’s interesting that Alfa Romeo chose to emulate dials in a digital way rather than just have physical ones, especially because you can’t change their appearance.

There’s a section in the middle that has a few different informative pages you can cycle through. I’d love to see more configurability given there’s limitless possibilities with a screen.

Moving across there’s another 10.25-inch screen for the central multimedia system. It certainly makes up for the lack of configurability in the digital instrument cluster and you can create and customise five different home page screens with a vast array of widgets. It’s fairly clever though at some point it feels like overkill.

There aren’t many menus or sub-menus to get lost in, however, the home button took me a while to locate. It’s above the touchscreen in a small pod of physical buttons alongside the hazard lights and door lock switch.

Underneath the touchscreen there’s a wireless phone charger, plus USB-C and USB-A charger ports.

The engine start button is mounted prominently on the centre tunnel with the lightswitch-like gear selector directly behind it. It’s mounted a little too close to the centre armrest which means craning my arm like a T-Rex to use it.

Other amenities up front include a deep console area with configurable cupholders, a sliding centre armrest with a cubby, as well as a tiny glovebox.

It’s very clear the second row of the Junior isn’t the focus. At 182cm tall I need to splay my legs on either side of the driver’s seat in my desired driving position. Despite this, toe room and headroom is adequate, even with the optional sunroof.

The second row isn’t a place anyone would want to spend too long in. Kids would likely suit better, plus there are top-tether points on all three rear seats and ISOFIX mounting points on the outboard rear seats.

Amenities are limited to a single USB-C port in the second row. There are no air vents or centre armrest. You need to make your own entertainment.

At the back there’s a hands-free power tailgate, which is rare for a vehicle of this size. Once it’s open, the available boot space is decent, especially for such a small car. There’s 415L of boot space with the rear seats upright.

The area itself is fine. There’s no load lip which allows you to get things in and out with ease, plus there’s a two-tier boot floor, allowing you to stow items under the floor away for prying eyes.

In terms of boot-related amenities there’s a 12V socket, a light and some hooks. It’s fairly standard back there.

Unfortunately there’s no spare wheel as standard in the Junior line-up. Instead there’s a tyre repair kit which is not super handy if you have a tyre blow out.

Thankfully you can purchase a space-saver spare wheel for the Junior Ibrida for $314 as a genuine accessory. It would be better if this came as standard given there’s the space for it.

Up front, the J7 Track delivers where it matters. The electric front seats offer heating and ventilation functions and feel supportive over longer drives. There’s enough width and shoulder room to avoid feeling hemmed in.

Access is good with wide door apertures and an easy step-in, step-out height from both rows. In the rear, the available space is generous, and the thick seat padding and supportive backrests will make longer journeys quite comfortable. The flat floor also means the middle seat isn’t automatically the punishment position for an adult.

Storage has been thoughtfully considered. Up front, the large centre console shelves make it easy to keep clutter contained, while the dual-opening middle console is deep enough to swallow a small handbag. There’s also a small side pocket beside the driver that’s ideal for keys or a garage remote.

Rear passengers will enjoy four device pockets, as well as a couple of map pockets. There are two cupholders and drink bottle holders in each row, as well as good-sized bins in each door.

With all rows in use, the boot has up to 500L of capacity, and the flat loading floor makes it easy to slide larger items in and out. Overall, it’s a usable and practical space for gear storage but you'll notice the lack of a powered tailgate as there isn't a dedicated handhold on the outside of the lid to easily open the boot.

There's also no charging ports or power outlets in the boot, which feels unusual for a plug-in hybrid. You have to make do with a tyre repair kit rather than a spare wheel but that's not unusual in this corner of the market.

The individual charging options are functional with a single USB-A and C port offered in each row and a 12-volt socket up front but you miss out on a wireless charging pad in this grade. The multimedia touchscreen is responsive and the layout is fairly intuitive to use. However, the lack of physical controls for simple adjustments like side mirror positioning or climate control can become frustrating. Some functions are just better served by buttons.

The wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto operate smoothly and the CarPlay has maintained a steady connection this week. The built-in sat nav is also easy enough to use.

There are two plug-in hybrid grades in the J7 line-up and we’re testing the entry-level Track here, priced at $43,990 drive-away. It’s a strategic price point because aside from its close relative, the Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid, which undercuts it at $39,990 drive-away, the Track is the second-most affordable option among its immediate rivals.

By comparison, the GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV lists at $51,990 drive-away, while the MG HS Super Hybrid Excite comes in at $52,696 drive-away. The BYD Sealion 5 undercuts them all as the most affordable plug-in hybrid in the country right now, starting from $33,990 before on-road costs.

It’s worth noting that the H6 GT is offered in a single, well-specified grade, and its higher price reflects that broader equipment list. Even so, the J7 starts from a strong position before you get into its features.

For a base variant, the Track gets some good stuff like electric front seats with heating and ventilation, synthetic leather upholstery, remote start with pre-entry climate control and a full suite of LED exterior lighting. That’s the sort of kit you’d expect to climb trim levels for.

Practical touches are scattered throughout. The centre console is air-cooled, the driver’s seat has a memory function, there are steering wheel-mounted controls and dual-zone climate control comes as standard. Then there’s the built-in karaoke app. Entirely unnecessary, but mildly amusing, however, you will need to supply your own microphone!

Technology feels well-considered as there’s wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in satellite navigation, a large 13.2-inch multimedia display and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. The 360-degree camera system is clear and complemented by front and rear parking sensors.

You do miss out on a powered tailgate and some charging options as there’s no internal vehicle-to-load (V2L) AC outlet and no charging ports in the boot. Still, as a base offering, the J7 Track presents as a neat package.

The Junior Ibrida is powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine with 48V mild-hybrid assistance.

In the six-speed dual-clutch transmission is a 21kW electric motor that’s fed by a 0.9kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

It’s worth noting that this is the exact same engine set-up that features in a growing number of Peugeot models locally, including hybrid versions of the 2008, 3008, 5008, 308 and 408.

Total system outputs are 107kW and 230Nm which is far from class-leading. Alfa Romeo claims the 0-100km/h sprint takes 8.9 seconds.

Both plug-in hybrid grades of the J7 share the same powertrain, pairing a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a single electric motor. Combined outputs sit at a healthy 255kW and 525Nm which is the same as its Chery cousin and makes it more powerful than its MG rival but the GWM Haval H6 GT has bigger outputs.

However, once the EV battery is depleted and the system leans more heavily on the petrol engine, the outputs drop significantly to 105kW and 215Nm. This shifts the J7 from feeling spritely to serviceable on the open road.

Power is sent exclusively to the front wheels, and towing capacity is rated at 750kg unbraked. That’s enough for a small box trailer but it won’t be hauling any serious weekend toys.

The Junior Ibrida has a claimed fuel consumption of just 4.1L/100km, which is solid for a mild-hybrid vehicle.

There’s a 44L fuel tank which requires a minimum of 95 RON premium unleaded petrol.

During our 200km drive loop on the launch which consisted of mixed and spirited drive, we returned an average of 5.4L/100km. However, during one section with fewer twists and turns we saw an average of 4.0L/100km, which is incredible.

Using our as-tested fuel consumption there’s a theoretical range of 815km.

The J7 Track has a Type 2 CCS charging port and accepts up to 6.6kW on AC power and up to 40kW on fast DC power. On that type of DC charger you can go from 30 - 80 per cent in as little as 20 minutes which is great for when you’re on the go. You can shop and charge without much fuss.

The 18.3kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery supports an electric-only driving range of up 90km (WLTP). That sits below its Haval and MG rivals with their respective WLTP ranges of 153km and 120km. Overall though, the J7 has a theoretical driving range over around 1200km, which is great. Of course, you will only see that type of range if you regularly charge it.

Jaecoo claims a combined fuel cycle usage (urban/extra-urban) of 1.0L/100km but my real-world usage has come out at 5.0L/100km even after regularly charging it. However, it's worth noting that I do a lot of longer, highway driving which is where plug-in hybrids are typically less efficient.

Jaecoo recommends a minimum 91 RON unleaded petrol to be used for the J7.

Starting up the Junior Ibrida, the turbo three-cylinder engine roars to life with an off-beat, thrum-y sound.

If the engine is bone cold, it’ll stay on to get the fluids up to operating temperature. Once this happens it will happily switch off.

Initial acceleration is typically done on electric power alone and if you don’t press the accelerator too hard it’ll stay in EV mode at city speeds. It’s very electric-heavy for a car that’s technically only a 48V mild-hybrid.

At many points the engine switches off at speeds up to 80km/h, especially if you’re travelling on flat ground. Even at 100-110km/h, it’ll switch off if coasting.

Something to note is the electric motor is part of the six-speed dual-clutch transmission which means you can sometimes feel gear changes even when driving in EV mode. You do get used to this.

A positive of the electric motor being in the dual-clutch is it helps iron out awkward pauses and jerks that this type of transmission typically presents. It’s still not perfect though.

If you press the accelerator harder or the battery charge gets lower, it’ll inevitably fire up the three-cylinder engine. It makes a rorty note during acceleration which is fun to listen to.

The transition from electric to petrol is generally seamless. There can be a slight shudder when the three-cylinder first fires up at low revs, but I’ve experienced much worse in other cars.

There’s only one setting for regenerative braking, which is fairly strong and almost one-pedal-driving like. It takes a bit to get used to the feeling. You do still need to put your foot on the brake pedal to come to a complete stop.

With the combination of the petrol engine and electric motor, acceleration is far from break-neck but it’s far from slow. The fact it doesn’t have much power actually makes this car more endearing, especially because it’s rewarding to drive.

The steering in the Junior is communicative and direct. It's a joy to take corners in as the feel errs more on the lighter side. It almost has a Mini-like go-kart feel as the car feels so nimble.

Additionally, the ride is composed and settled, even at higher speeds on rough roads, which is rare for small vehicles. This is likely because the Junior only has 18-inch alloy wheels with a decent amount of tyre sidewall, rather than the low-profile 20-inch units that are offered in the Veloce Elettrica overseas.

On the highway the Junior’s cabin is surprisingly quiet. You can’t hear the three-cylinder once you’ve reached your set speed and there’s also minimal wind/tyre noise.

Lastly, the safety systems do a good job at working but not being annoying. The worst culprit is the intelligent speed limit assist which chimes when you go over the signposted speed limit.

If it does grate you too much, you can easily switch it off in a dedicated advanced driver assist system (ADAS) menu that can be reached via a shortcut button near the hazard lights. It’s as easy as that.

This is where the J7 Track feels less resolved. It's not fundamentally flawed by any means but it's not as polished as it could be.

With a charged battery, acceleration is strong and immediate, and there’s enough punch for hills and confident overtaking. Even when the battery is running low, the drop in output doesn’t feel as dramatic in real-world conditions as the standalone engine figures might suggest. You won't win any drag races but it remains competent. It just loses some of the initial punch when accelerating.

Steering is light, which makes urban manoeuvring easy, and the suspension leans toward the softer side. Around town, that translates to a comfortable and compliant ride. Push it harder through bends, though, and the body control starts to feel a little loose.

Highway refinement is another area where there’s room for improvement. Road noise becomes noticeably more present at open-road speeds, although it remains quiet around town.

Visibility out the front and sides is good, and the driving position gives you a fairly commanding view of the road. I don’t feel like there are any large blind spots from my driving position.

There are three levels of regenerative braking, and running it in the strongest setting does a good job of harvesting energy. However, even on the lowest setting, the braking response feels abrupt. At low speeds when the system tends to remain in EV mode, the transition can feel lurchy.

The 360-degree camera system is clear and outside of the heavy-handed regen braking, the J7 is straightforward to park. Just be prepared for passengers, especially opinionated children, to comment on the body movement.

The J7 plug-in hybrid variant has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2025 and scored well across its individual criteria with an 81 per cent for its adult protection, 85 per cent for child protection, 80 per cent for vulnerable road user and 84 per cent for its safety assist.

Passive safety items include eight airbags including a front centre airbag and drivers’ knee airbag. Families will like that there are two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top-tether anchor points but realistically, two child seats will fit best. There are also manual child-safety locks on the doors, powered locks for the rear windows and intelligent seatbelt reminders for all five seats. Parking is easy with the front and rear parking sensors and 360-degree view camera system.

Active safety includes forward and rear collision warning, lane keeping aids, lane departure warning and prevention, blind-spot detection, side exit assist and a relatively unobtrusive driver monitoring system.

Other highlights include emergency lane keeping, which will activate when there’s no response from the driver and the rear cross-traffic alert also gets assisted braking. The lane keeping can oversteer at times and the adaptive cruise control is best without the assisted steering on. The J7 misses out on emergency call capability but otherwise, the safety equipment feels pretty robust.

There’s autonomous emergency braking with car, pedestrian and motorcyclist detection and is operational from 4.0 – 85km/h and up to 134km/h for car detection but it is more typical to see that top figure closer to 180km/h.

Like other Alfa Romeos, the Junior is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

There’s also five years of roadside assistance as standard. An additional 12 months of coverage can be added for the lifetime of the vehicle every time you service at an authorised Alfa Romeo dealer.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. The first five services are capped and total $3105.84, which averages out to around $620 each.

This seems pretty expensive for such a small car, but it's only a touch pricier than the Lexus LBX.

It’s clear maintaining this vehicle with its dual-clutch automatic transmission and mild-hybrid components is costly in the long run.

The Chinese lucky number '8' is heavily featured in the ownership as the J7 is offered with an eight-year/unlimited km warranty, eight years of battery cover and roadside assistance, plus eight years of capped-price servicing where services average just $422 per visit. That's an impressive suite of terms for the class.

Servicing is well-spaced at every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres and for now the service network is still fairly small, with around 50 centres nationwide.