Citroen C5 X vs Jaecoo J7

What's the difference?

This is a new take on the Citroen station wagon, and it’s an impressive one at that. It may not tick all the boxes, but it is a comfortable and practical car, with stunning design, decent equipment and a pretty agreeable price tag.

Now, just get that plug-in hybrid version in at a reasonable price please, Citroen.

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

Based on our initial drive I certainly think the J7, especially the SHS Summit, does make a pretty compelling case to be on the consideration list for anyone looking to buy a mid-size hybrid SUV - plug-in or not.

It has a polished design, loads of tech and a fuel-efficient powertrain that provides adequate performance. But the real selling point is the price, which undercuts its key rivals to ensure it has your attention, especially in these days of increasingly expensive family vehicles.

And while the J7 certainly has appeal to design-oriented buyers and people that want something ‘cool’ or just different, the value it offers gives it mainstream appeal.

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

Citroen reckons the C5 X combines SUV, wagon and sedan design cues to make it a true crossover model. I reckon they’ve got a point, and while it’s certainly not as butch as some other crossover wagons out there, it’s not bashful, either.

I’m a massive fan of the assertive front end lighting design, the bold body lines that punctuate the bonnet and swoop backwards down the sides of the car, and the swooping roofline that dips away, almost like the iconic Citroen DS.

It’s quite a large car, too - at 4805mm long on a 2785mm wheelbase, it has a commanding presence, and it’s 1865mm wide (not including the side mirrors) and a rather sleek 1490mm tall. 

Of course it has some body cladding and black plastics to give that ‘rough and tumble’ appearance - and the rear features a couple of spoilers on the boot that help it cut through the air cleanly, and they look interesting as well.

Inside, there’s an almost-square steering wheel, which is interesting, and a pair of screens - a 12.0-inch touchscreen for your multimedia duties, and a 7.0-inch driver info screen. It looks and feels upmarket and pretty conventional in the cabin, so let’s see what the practicality is like.

Design is an interesting subject to discuss with the J7, as it manages to simultaneously have a bold and distinctive look from some angles and yet has clearly been inspired by some other, more famous, premium brands from others.

To be blunt, from certain angles - namely the side profile and rear three-quarter - the J7 could be mistaken for a Range Rover Evoque at a distance. Obviously taking inspiration from rivals is nothing new in the car industry and the Jaecoo designers have also managed to give the J7 its own look when you get a bit closer and notice the details.

The most noticeable of these is the ‘waterfall-like’ grille, that the brand says symbolises “the life force of nature”, but also gives it a front profile that can’t be mistaken for anything else. Especially with the prominent ‘Jaecoo’ badge large and proudly placed in the middle of the grille - leaving you in no doubt what this is.

Overall, I’d call the exterior look of the J7 cohesive and leaving a more premium impression that what we’ve seen with Chery.

Inside, Jaecoo has followed the modern trend of going digital, with a small digital instrument display and then a larger central touchscreen. It provides a clean, modern look that leaves a good impression.

The Jaecoo designers also focused their attention on the touchpoints, elements like the door handles and arm rests, to try and give them a more premium feel. The trims used inside are also a cut above what we’ve experienced on other Chery models, and while not at a true luxury level, do stand out for what is a mainstream SUV.

One other major element of the SHS interior design worth mentioning is the central console, between the front seats. That’s because it’s unique in the SHS, offering a completely different layout to the petrol-powered models. The SHS moves the gear selector to the steering column, freeing up more small item storage space and cup holders, as well as a split-opening central storage box (instead of a rear-hinged one).

The Citroen C5 X is almost as big as a Subaru Outback, and similar in size to a Kia Stinger. So it ought to have a bit of family-friendliness packed in.

Starting at the back, there’s a 545-litre boot capacity, with the kick-action, electronically controlled tailgate that you can also use the keyfob to open. It is a low, wide, quite squared-off aperture, meaning loading bulky items in should be a breeze. Just note that the roofline does taper down towards the rear, so bigger things will need to be pushed towards the seat backrests.

Or, if you’re really acting like a delivery van, you can drop the rear seats down to allow 1640 litres of cargo capacity. There are boot-mounted releases to drop the seats down, and there’s a floor mat in the boot, under which is a space saver spare wheel.

Back seat occupants are decently catered for. I’m 182cm/6’0” tall and I managed to sit behind my own driving position with plenty of leg and foot room - however, the sunroof does create a bit of a hump in the ceiling that you might bump your head on, and those with big feet or small children might want to take note that the sills in the door openings are very tall. A child could easily trip over them if they were clambering in the back in a rush.

Children will be covered with a pair of ISOFIX child-seat anchor points in the window seats and three top-tether restraints, too. There are map pockets, door pockets with bottle holders, a pair of USB-C charge points and directional air vents, too.

However, it wouldn’t be a French car without some kind of quirky cup holder situation, and the back seat has none - there’s no flip-down armrest to speak of. But the seat is exceptionally cushy.

Front seat impressions are good - and cup holders are present. They’re big ones, too - large enough for a big cuppa or a bottle of water, even, And there are door pockets with bottle holsters as well.

There’s an opening centre armrest box with a USB-C charge point, and in front of the interestingly designed recessed gear selector and parking brake, there’s another storage spot with a wireless phone charger, too. Nice.

Seat comfort up front is very good, with lots of adjustability (eight-way electric for the driver, six-way electric for front passenger) and heated front seats as well.

Scoring a big tick from me is the fact there are physical dials and buttons for the air conditioning and ventilation controls. But they’re in that glossy black finish, which shows fingerprints so much that it makes you feel self-conscious of being a walking germ farm.

The big touchscreen multimedia system has a few buttons and knobs, too - though the menus on screen do take some getting used to. It is highly customisable, so if you bought one you’d set it and forget it, but on first impression I struggled to get to grips with some of the nuances of the menus.

It does, however, have wireless or wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (with the media-feed USB-C port under the controls) and it goes full screen, too, while leaving enough space for other crucial elements. The graphics are nice and high-definition, and the 360-degree camera display puts  the “surround” view units in Peugeot models to shame. 

There’s also a configurable driver info screen, and a crisp and lovely head-up display as well. 

From a space perspective the J7 offers up reasonable room for an SUV of this size, but falls short of the class-leaders in a few key areas. The front seats are nice and comfortable, and while the rear seats are well-appointed (with air-con vents and USB inputs) space is adequate rather than generous.

The same can be said about the boot, at least on the SHS grade. It’s on the smaller side for an SUV of this size, measuring 500 litres, compared to 542 litres offered by the RAV4 and 574 litres in the Sealion 6. And it’s even more disappointing when you factor in the lack of a spare wheel, with only a tyre repair kit under the floor.

Thankfully the 4WD offers the same space (500L) but gets a full-size spare, while the 2WD models have a claimed 584L and a temporary spare. 

As for the technology, the decision to go for the one big central screen for all infotainment provides a hi-tech, clean look but it does lead to some obvious compromises.

Namely, the lack of any physical buttons (save for the hazards, unlocking and EV function) is disappointing from a user experience perspective. As many brands have found, screens have a ‘wow factor’ and save on the cost of buttons but are more challenging to operate when you’re on the move and that’s the case with the J7.

Obviously having Apple CarPlay or Android Auto makes for a familiar experience, but if you have to dive into the extensive Jaecoo-specific menus it can become difficult and distracting.

The J7 line-up will consist of four grades initially, the 2WD Core, 2WD Track, AWD Ridge and SHS Summit, with the choice of two powertrains.

The range will begin at just $34,990 drive-away for the 2WD Core and $37,990 drive-away for the 2WD Track. These are powered by a 137kW/275Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and powering the front wheels.

The AWD Ridge is priced from $42,990 and has the same 1.6-litre engine, with the same performance but obviously powering all four wheels. The range is topped by the SHS Summit, priced from $47,990 drive-away. 

For context, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid (which isn’t a plug-in) is priced between $42,260 and $51,410, while the BYD Sealion 6 PHEV starts at $48,890 - so it’s clear where Jaecoo is hoping to woo buyers from.

Standard equipment on the J7 Core includes 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, a 10.2-inch digital instrument display and a 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, which incorporates wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Track trim level adds a power tailgate, front parking sensors, 360-degree surround-view monitor, heated front seats, ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control, plus a wireless smartphone charger and an eight-speaker Sony sound system.

Stepping up to the AWD Ridge brings torque vectoring all-wheel drive, 19-inch alloy wheels, a full-size spare, a panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, in-built dashcam and a 14.8-inch infotainment touchscreen.

The SHS Summit matches much of the specification of the Ridge, but gets unique 19-inch ‘aero’ alloy wheels, a head-up display and perforated synthetic leather seats.

All models are equipped with ‘Hello Jaecoo’, the brand’s voice-activated assistant.

Yes it’s almost 2023, but the Citroen C5 X model launching right now isn’t bringing anything new or exciting to the table in terms of what’s powering it.

Instead, it runs a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine that is also used in other Citroen and Peugeot models. No hybrid tech, no electric version yet….  But Citroen has stated it is keen to bring a plug-in hybrid model to the market. Hopefully, it comes soon.

The petrol motor used here is the brand’s PureTech 180 with Stop & Start, and it’s good for 133kW of power at 5500rpm and 250Nm of torque at 1650rpm. This isn’t a small car, but it is relatively light, weighing in at 1439kg (tare mass). 

However, it has a pretty small engine with low outputs for this type of vehicle. For context, the 508 from Peugeot has 165kW and 300Nm.

The C5 X has a standard fit eight-speed automatic transmission, and despite some SUV pretences, it’s a two-wheel drive, with power sent to the ground via the front wheels only.

That much-anticipated plug-in hybrid (or PHEV) uses the same petrol engine but adds an 81kW electric motor to the mix, for a combined output of 168kW of power and 360Nm of torque. Grunty.

The J7 range has a choice of two powertrains, an internal combustion engine and the plug-in hybrid.

The 2WD and AWD are powered by the same 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that makes 137kW and 275Nm. It’s paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, with the only major difference between the two models (obviously) being the driven wheels.

The SHS combines a newly-developed 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which makes 105kW, with a 150kW electric motor and a single-speed transmission.

Despite the electric motor, the SHS isn’t what you’d call ‘fast’ with a 0-100km/h time of 8.5 seconds, which the 2WD can reportedly better by taking just 8.1 seconds.

If you see a brand-new Citroen C5 X in the showroom or on the street you’ll note that the sticker on the windscreen shows an official combined cycle figure of 6.0 litres per 100 kilometres. For a petrol engine, that’s impressive.

Now, whether you get near that will be determined by how you drive. Lots of city and urban driving could result in a higher figure - but it does have start-stop tech for the true traffic grind.

On the launch drive, which included a mix of different driving situations, I saw an on-display return of 8.5 litres per 100 on the trip computer.

Fuel tank capacity is 52 litres, meaning a driving range of 866km if you can achieve the official figure, or 611km if you average what I did on the launch drive.

Can’t wait for the plug-in hybrid version of this car; it has claimed efficiency one-fifth of the petrol version launching initially - yep, it sips a claimed 1.2L/100km… but of course that relies on you making sure you actually charge it up and use the 50km of EV driving range it is said to offer. We’ll cover it off in more detail when the vehicle launches locally, likely sometime in 2023.

The SHS is equipped with an 18.3kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery that provides a claimed 90km of electric-only driving range and helps the J7 achieve a claimed fuel consumption figure of just 1.0L/100km.

Jaecoo also quotes an EV-only range of up to 106km, but that is on the NEDC cycle, which is not as relevant for real-world driving than the WLTP test cycle that returns the lower figure. Even with the lesser number, 90km of EV-only driving will be more than enough for most people to do their daily commutes.

Jaecoo claims the SHS has a theoretical driving range of 1200km, thanks to its 60-litre fuel tank. However, to achieve that economy you need to run the J7 in its hybrid state, so somewhere closer to 1000km is more realistic - if you have a really light right foot.

As for the petrol-only models, the 2WD uses a claimed 7.0L/100km and the AWD 7.8L/100km.

If comfort is your main priority when it comes to your new car, then the Citroen C5 X (or any Citroen, really) should suffice.

The brand says that comfort is one of its defining features - a pillar of why Citroen exists, if you will - and as the flagship model in the brand’s lineup, this should represent the ultimate in comfort. 

And it does. 

The seats - with triple-layer foam - play a big part. They’re wider than most seats and, while they don’t hold you in place like the buckets in a sports car, this isn’t a sports car. 

It also has acoustic glass front and rear to help make it feel more serene and ‘cocoon-like’ inside. There’s barely any wind noise, and just a touch of road roar over coarse-chip roads, but it’s far from noisy in the cabin.

Further, it glides along with relative comfort over bumpy sections of road, with the so-called Suspension with Progressive Hydraulic Cushioning all-but eliminating road surface intrusion into the cabin. 

The suspension has hydraulic cushions at the ends of the springs and dampers (but before the bump stops) that are designed to delete the little bumps in the road surface, while also helping lessen the impact of larger imperfections like potholes. And, with the launch being held in Sydney on yet another wet day, the suspension did a spectacular job. 

You can still feel the 19-inch wheels moving around a bit when you sink into a pockmark, but the way it feels from the driver’s seat is very good. I didn’t get to play passenger on this launch drive, but the seat of the pants vibe I got was that all occupants will be cosseted nicely. 

That tendency towards relaxed movement is reflected in the handling of the car, too. It’s not a corner carver. You can engage Sport mode - which adapts the powertrain (engine and transmission calibration and sensitivity) and also the steering weight, if you really want to.

On the engine - it is perky enough in Sport mode and can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.1 seconds, according to Citroen.

This powertrain should really be categorised in the ‘comforting’ rather than ‘compelling’ category. It’s not a bad engine - but you can feel the weight of the car is holding it back, and it particularly feels a bit sluggish from a standing start. I also noticed a bit of vibration through the car under full-throttle acceleration, too. 

But honestly, unless you were trying to duck through a gap in traffic, you’re not likely to spend much time with your foot pinned to the boards in this car. 

I love and admire that this isn’t a car designed to be sporty. It isn’t trying to be that. The PHEV version will be more of a driver’s tool, with an adaptive suspension system and more power and torque. But honestly, I’d be happy with the C5 X as it is, because it’s just a lovely car.

This is one area where the entire Chinese car industry, not just Chery/Jaecoo, have a ways to go to become not only competitive but genuinely stand out. Dynamically the J7 is average, not bad, just very ‘mid’ as the kids say. It doesn’t do anything particularly badly, but nor does it do anything particularly well.

The steering is nice and light, which will be good for navigating traffic and car parks, the ride lacks control but isn’t uncomfortable and the performance of the SHS powertrain is smooth but not spectacular, at least from a performance perspective.

This might sound like a ‘motoring journalist’ argument, but we’ve seen in the past when brands, specifically Hyundai and Kia, hired local experts to fine-tune the ride and handling of vehicles it resulted in a better experience and helped translate into sales.

With some more fine-tuning to improve the ride, and therefore the comfort, the J7 could be near the top of the class not only in terms of value but also the driving experience.

Safety across the range includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. However, notably the 2WD Core is equipped with seven airbags, but the Track, Ridge and SHS models all have an additional driver’s knee airbag, something to be mindful of if you’re on a budget.

However, having active safety systems, and having active safety systems that are well-calibrated and usable are different things, especially given the sub-par experience we had with the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and its erratic lane keeping assist.

Thankfully, part of the more premium Jaecoo experience is a smoother, better calibrated safety system. The lane keeping was much more capable of holding the J7 in the centre of the lane, providing a more seamless driving experience.

The driver attention system also seemed well calibrated, capable of tracking eye movement through sunglasses, and didn’t seem as hyperactive as many of these systems can be.

However, given the complex nature of the central infotainment screen, there is a chance you’ll set the attention alert off if you have to start looking through the various menus. That’s obviously a good thing, to keep your eyes on the road, but adding some physical buttons for the air-con and stereo would feel like a better, safer solution.

The J7 hasn’t been crash tested by ANCAP but Chery’s previous models have received five stars, so anything less would be a shock result given the premium positioning of the brand. Chery knows which boxes ANCAP likes ticked, so don't be surprised if it gets top marks from the safety body.

Buy a Citroen and you get a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, as well as five years roadside assist and a five-year capped price servicing plan.

The C5 X isn’t cheap to maintain, with the average service cost sitting at more than $560 - that’s based on service intervals of 12 months/15,000 kilometres. 

Jaecoo is giving would-be buyers every reason to take a chance on a new name. The J7 will be covered by an eight-year warranty, which again, adds to the premium experience as that’s an extra year to what Chery offers.

Jaecoo is also offering eight years of capped-price servicing and roadside assistance for J7 buyers. The vehicle will require annual services, but you’ll be paying $3372 to keep the SHS maintained those first eight years. 

Naturally, the less-complex 2WD and 4WD models are slightly cheaper, with the 2WD servicing tallying $2952 and the 4WD setting you back $3332.