Jaecoo J5 vs Lexus RX200T

What's the difference?

The Jaecoo J5 EV makes a strong first impression and a quieter long-term one. The J5 looks the part, feels comfortable and covers all the basics well, making it an easy choice for buyers who want an affordable, practical EV without too many compromises.

It’s a solid effort overall, though even at this lower price point a few more rear-seat features would be welcome - especially given this is the only grade currently available. However, it hits the right notes when it comes to ownership and value which will be its strongest pull.

Big, practical and comfortable, the Lexus RX 200T F-Sport deserves its place in the premium SUV pantheon. And don't let the little engine fool you, the turbocharged four-cylinder unit serves up plenty of poke to get the RX moving. But if it's fancy new technology that really excites you, prepare for mild disappointment, with the RX's in-cabin tech feeling a little underwhelming.

The Jaecoo J5 EV is a handsome-looking small SUV. Its suite of LED lighting, 18-inch alloy wheels and upright, robust silhouette give it plenty of presence, particularly for something positioned at the affordable end of the EV market. That said, originality isn’t really its strong suit. The design, especially from the rear, feels heavily inspired by a Range Rover. Imitation may be the highest form of flattery but Jaecoo could have pushed the design in a slightly more distinctive direction.

It looks good on the road, though, and inside, the J5 has a genuinely airy feel. Light-coloured synthetic upholstery and the expansive panoramic glass roof help the cabin feel open and welcoming, particularly from the front seats. The design is modern and tech-focused, with the large 13.2-inch display taking centre stage on the dashboard.

The overall layout is clean and undeniably premium in its presentation, though it doesn’t bring a great deal of personality with it. That’s becoming a familiar theme, especially in this part of the EV market, where minimalism and screens often take priority over character.

Angry, aggressive and very un-Lexus, with a jaw that looks like Ivan Drago somehow transformed into an SUV - that pretty much sums up the RX. 

Lexus is already on record as saying its designers had mistakenly tried to make their cars appeal to everyone in the past, and so they ended up boring and tame as a result.

Now they're happy if one person in 10 really loves them. Exactly where you sit on that scale is up to you.

Up front, that 'Spindle Grille' (shaped a little like the Predator’s mouth) serves up plenty of road presence, while the sharply angled fog-light housings and deeply domed bonnet give it a more powerful stance than perhaps is justified by its 2.0-litre engine.

Side on, the big and shining alloys, deep curve above the base of the doors and flared, squared-off wheel guards add plenty of personality to what could have (and in the past, would have) otherwise been a long and featureless stretch of metal.

Step inside and the cabin is premium-feeling, if a little busy, with the doors and dash covered in a combination of soft-touch materials and padded leather. The brushed aluminium-look central tunnel that separates the front seats is super wide, as it houses the  the cupholders, drive-mode selector and the strange mousepad that controls the entertainment system, but feels nice under the touch and becomes a kind of focal point in the cabin.

The Jaecoo J5 EV's cabin is spacious with both rows offering ample head- and legroom. A flat floor also helps the middle rear seat feel more usable than usual, which is always appreciated. Up front, the seats are very comfortable, with their added adjustment, heating and ventilation making a noticeable difference on longer drives. The rear seats are well padded with decent back support, so passengers in the second row shouldn’t feel short-changed.

Access to both rows is good with wide door apertures and an easy step in/step out height. My main quibble here is the keyless entry set-up. Unless you enable proximity unlocking through the multimedia system the doors aren’t truly keyless. Even then, the system can be inconsistent. That means occasionally having to reach for the key fob, which is frustrating when your hands are full.

Storage is one of the J5’s stronger suits. Up front, it’s easy to keep things neat thanks to a large glove box and a deep, if slightly narrow, middle console. There’s also a clever open shelf beneath a centre console that houses cupholders and phone storage, including a wireless charging pad. A small hidden pocket behind the media display adds to the storage count, although I’ll admit I regularly forget it exists.

Rear passengers get a couple of map pockets, drink bottle holders and cupholders. Beyond that, amenities are limited. There’s a single directional air vent and a USB-A port, but not much else to keep older kids or adults entertained.

Technology is fairly straightforward, although almost everything is accessed through the touchscreen. The multimedia system is crisp and responsive, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto working well, however it misses out on built-in satellite navigation and any meaningful apps. That said, there is a karaoke app tucked away in the system, which will undoubtedly delight someone, somewhere.

Charging options up front include a USB-A and USB-C port, along with a 12-volt socket. There’s also a USB-A port near the rear-view mirror, which is handy if you’re planning to install an aftermarket dash cam.

Jaecoo pitches the J5 as pet-friendly, with upholstery designed to be easy to clean and resistant to wear. In practice, I’d say that claim comes with caveats. Jaecoo clearly hasn’t met my son or my German Shepherd, and it took a fair bit of elbow grease to properly clean the cabin. Staying on top of messes will be key if you want the interior to keep looking fresh.

The boot offers up to 480L of capacity, which is strong for the class, and the flat load floor makes it easy to slide items in and out. There are no power ports or sockets, which feels like an odd omission for an EV. You also get a repair kit instead of a spare tyre, despite there being enough space to accommodate one. A 35L frunk adds some extra storage flexibility, and the powered tailgate is a welcome inclusion.

Australia’s laser focus on small and city-sized SUVs has been so intense that’s it’s easy to forget the joys of our bigger cars. Stretch out in the 4890mm long and 1895mm wide Lexus NX and it all comes flooding back. 

There’s plenty of space for up-front riders (even with the football pitch-sized centre console), as well as two cupholders and extendable pockets in each of the front doors. The cubby that splits the front seats is ridiculously deep, too, and is home to two USB connections, a power outlet and and aux-in point.

Step into the back seat and you’re greeted by plenty of space in each of the window seats, although the central stack that houses the air vents and another power outlet does jut out into the legroom of the middle-seat passenger. There are two bonus cupholders hidden in a pulldown divider that drops from the middle seat, and two ISOFIX attachment points, one in each window seat in the back.

Rear seats in place, the RX serves up 453 litres of luggage space, although you can stretch that to 924 litres by folding the backseats flat.

You’ll part with $86,551 for the Lexus RX 200T F-Sport - about $12k more than the non F-Sport model. And that’s not chump change. But your money does buy you 20-inch alloy wheels, proximity unlocking, LED head and tail-lights, roof rails, a powered boot and a huge powered sunroof.

In the cabin, you can expect leather seats, dual-zone air-con and push-button start, while technology is handled by a nav-equipped 12.3-inch screen that partners with a 15-speaker Mark Levinson stereo that's standard on this F-Sport-stamped model (the cheaper version makes do with a smaller screen and fewer speakers).

The Jaecoo J5 EV is powered by a single electric motor sending 155kW/288Nm to the front wheels. That’s enough to see it sprint from 0-100km/h in a claimed 7.7 seconds. Those figures stack up well relative to the J5's positioning in the segment.

This isn’t a performance-led EV and it doesn’t pretend to be. Instead, the J5 delivers its power in a way that feels competent and predictable rather than 'exciting'.

There was a time not so long ago when the thought of fitting a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine to a near two-tonne SUV would be truly torturous.

But turbocharging has become so clever that the smallest engine in the RX range never feels underpowered. It'll serve up 175kW at 5600rpm and 350Nm at a low 1650rpm - enough to push the big Lexus from 0-100km/h in just 9.2 seconds. That power is fed through the a six-speed automatic and sent to the front wheels.

The Jaecoo J5 EV uses a Type 2 CCS charging port and can accept up to 10.3kW on AC power via a three-phase connection, along with DC fast charging speeds of up to 130kW. On a suitable fast charger, Jaecoo claims a 30 to 80 per cent charge can be completed in as little as 28 minutes. That’s a solid result for this segment, with only the MG S5 EV offering higher DC charging capacity and quicker top-up times.

The J5 has a 58.9kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery and a 402km (WLTP) driving range. Both its sister model, the Chery E5, and the MG have slightly longer ranges. It's not surprising but it means it's an EV better suited to the city where you can keep it regularly topped up.

Official energy consumption is listed at 14.3kWh/100km. After a mix of longer drives and urban running, my average settled around 15.4kWh/100km, which is a respectable result overall and broadly in line with expectations.

Lexus claims a 8.1 litres per 100km on the claimed/combined cycle (though we returned a much less happy number - one that started with an 11...).

Emissions are pegged at 189g/km of CO2 on the combined cycle, and the big Lexus' 72-litre fuel tank requires 95RON fuel.

The Jaecoo J5 EV has plenty of power on hand, with good pick-up when you need it for hills or overtaking. It feels responsive enough for everyday driving, without ever feeling aggressive or overly eager.

Steering is light, and the suspension leans towards the softer side. Around town that works well, offering a comfortable ride. On faster roads or through corners, however, it can feel a little unsettled, and the J5 isn’t particularly convincing on the open road.

Visibility out the front and sides is strong and the driving position gives you a fairly commanding view of the road, which makes day-to-day city driving straightforward.

There are three levels of regenerative braking, but even on the lowest setting it can feel abrupt. Some passengers reported feeling queasy and maintaining a smooth, consistent speed can be tricky as the car has a tendency to lurch.

Parking is generally easy thanks to the J5’s compact footprint and a clear 360-degree camera system. That said, the aggressive regen braking can make low-speed manoeuvres, particularly reversing, more challenging than necessary, as it’s hard to get the car to creep smoothly.

Your love for the RX will likely depend on your priority list. Do you want the latest gadgets, a seamless multimedia interface and the kind of cool technology you can show off to your passengers?

Well, um, perhaps best keep looking, then. The in-cabin tech here feels a little off the pace now, and that cursed mouse-style controller still frustrates the bejeezus out of me.

But if a smooth, easy and quiet drive sits atop your list, then the RX 200T will grab you in all the right places.  Probably most impressive, it doesn't feel overly large and cumbersome, and is equally at home in the cramped inner city as it is eating up kays on the freeway.

The gearbox is silky-smooth seamless, switching between cogs without you even noticing, and the cabin is commendably quiet - especially when you're coasting though the ‘burbs - locking the worst of the outside word out of the cabin. The ride has clearly been engineered to iron out small, sharp road imperfections, but you can bounce around a bit in the cabin over speed bumps.

There was a time not so long ago when the thought of fitting a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine to a near two-tonne SUV would be truly torturous.

You can spice things up a little by selecting Sport or Sport + via the central dial and, while there’s no noticeable change in exhaust, the accelerator gets noticeably more sensitive and the gearing more aggressive; more wiling to hold a lower gear for longer, squeezing the most out of that little engine. 

It can feel a little heavy when you first brake into a corner, but beyond that the steering is smooth, predictable, and without a lot of dead-air play. It’s not a sports car by any measure, but it doesn't feel like you’re constantly dragging a big, heavy SUV around, either. 

But be warned, it’s not the most engaging of drives. This is not a car you'd ever wake up excited to run out to. It’s comfortable, capable and engaging enough, sure, but it never really stirs your emotions.

There's no shortage of cushioning safety in the RX, with 10 airbags as standard. They join a parking camera, front and rear parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert.

Lane-departure warning and assist, blind-spot monitoring, active cruise and AEB join the list, too. All of which were enough for the Lexus RX to nab the maximum five-star crash rating when tested in Europe - a score that has since been adopted by ANCAP in Australia. 

Ownership is one of the J5’s stronger points. The number eight is associated with good fortune in Chinese culture and Jaecoo has clearly leaned into it here!

It's offered with an eight-year/unlimited km warranty, eight years battery cover and roadside assistance, plus eight years of capped-price servicing where workshop visits average a low $190 per visit (which is very good).

Servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000 kilometres and for now the service network is fairly small, with around 50 centres nationwide. They’re mostly found in major cities, which is something to keep in mind depending on where you live.

Expect a four year/100,000km warranty, with a trip to the service centre required every 12 months or 15,000km. And when the car does have to go back for a service, Lexus has received much praise from owners for offering a choice between a loan car, or a pick-up and delivery service from your home or office.