What's the difference?
Jaecoo has entered the medium SUV space with the J7, pairing a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a sharply positioned price tag. On paper, it’s a compelling formula; electrified efficiency without the 'premium'.
But the J7 doesn’t arrive in a vacuum. It sits above its smaller sibling, the J5, and goes head-to-head with some increasingly polished rivals - the mechanically related Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid, GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV, MG HS Super Hybrid and now the BYD Sealion 5. And all of them are chasing the same buyer.
So the question isn’t just whether the J7 is good value. It’s whether it carves out a clear identity of its own in a segment that’s quickly filling up.
If you’ve clicked on this thinking, “What’s a Farizon?” you're probably not alone.
Farizon is yet another sub-brand of Chinese giant Geely which owns brands like Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Smart and Zeekr, among others.
This new brand is an electric commercial vehicle specialist that arrived in Australia earlier this year thanks to Saudi Arabia-based distributor, Jameel Motors. Sales are currently only offered in Queensland through Farizon’s website, though a dealer network is being developed with a priority of the eastern seaboard.
The Farizon SuperVan is the company’s first offering in Australia, alongside an electric light truck called the H9E. This electric mid-size van is a rival to the likes of the LDV eDeliver 7, Peugeot E-Expert and Volkswagen ID. Buzz, as well as the forthcoming Ford E-Transit Custom.
How does it stack up? Read along to find out.
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.
You’d think Farizon would be onto a winner given it has created a van with cool looks and the packaging benefits that come with a dedicated EV architecture. However, the SuperVan left a sour taste in my mouth.
There are good bones here, but Farizon has a long way to go with fixing the electric motor whine and safety systems.
It’s great the company is aware of the SuperVan’s shortcomings and is currently working on software updates, but it begs the question, why wasn’t it good in the first place?