Lexus LX450D vs Jaecoo J5

What's the difference?

If you're in the market for the best-of-the-best SUV wagon, then you could do a lot of worse than get in a LX 450d. It looks good, is packed with standard features and is supremely comfortable. The 450d also has an suite of safety tech worthy of the hefty price-tag and it works well as a daily driver and has plenty of touring potential, even though we doubt it'll ever get anywhere near achieving those claimed fuel-consumption figures with real-world usage. Sure, you could instead climb in a second-hand, well-looked-after, never-been-off-road LandCruiser 200 Series and spend the money you save, by not buying this new Lexus, on aftermarket and camping gear, camping fees and also hiring a team of four people to follow you on mopeds everywhere and constantly tell you what a great driver you are – but that's not the point with vehicles of this ilk. They may not be aimed at hard-core off-roading buyers, but they are cushy, classy, and cityified – and, in that respect, they're incredibly well-built for purpose.

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.

It has that signature Lexus jagged space-age grille, chunky shoulders and beefy back end that suit a luxury SUV dreamed up by folks craving a significant presence and plenty of attention for their product.

Bulky side-steps, an upswept raked profile, scalloped side panels and moon roof all top what is a cool combination of eye-friendly design factors. It's a slick mix of low-level cool and high-end style.

Take a look for yourself and make up your own mind whether you like it or not.

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.

It certainly feels like Lexus designers and engineers have maximised every last millimetre of interior space; there is stacks of room inside with plenty of real-world usable storage spaces, including cup-holders, door pockets and spots for keys, phones and other stuff.

The heated steering wheel, stylish analogue clock, wireless charger, Lexus climate concierge (coordinating all four-zone temperature controls), cavernous centre-console cooler box, and rear-seat entertainment system are all nice touches but pretty much assumed at price-points lower than this one.

The 12.3-inch high-definition media touchscreen is clear and bright and easy to operate, but the Remote Touch Interface, the control near the shifter, is very annoying to use. The toggle/selector is too sensitive, skipping past your actual choice over and over again, while you try to manipulate it just so, so it lands on the option you wanted.

The second-row seating is plush and the seat sections are easily slid forward and tilted.

Lexus claims the 450d offers 909 litres of cargo space if there are five occupants; and 1431 litres if there are only two occupants. If you have some casual weekend touring in mind, with a spot of camping, then this Lexus should cope with your gear, no worries.

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.

We’re testing the only Jaecoo J5 EV variant available at the moment, ahead of petrol and hybrid versions due to arrive later this year. Right now, it’s being offered with a limited-time drive-away price of $36,990. Once that offer expires, it reverts to a $35,990 MSRP, which sees it tie with the BYD Atto 2 Premium as the most affordable EV in its segment.

Step up from there and you reach the J5’s sister model, the Chery E5 Ultimate, priced from $40,990 MSRP. The MG S5 EV Essence 62 sits close by, starting from $40,490 MSRP.

On paper, the J5 hits a few more notes than its key rivals and that’s worth acknowledging. There’s a solid list of premium-style features, including electrically adjustable front seats with heating and ventilation, a panoramic glass roof, powered tailgate and synthetic leather-style upholstery.

Technology is similarly generous. You get a large 13.2-inch touchscreen multimedia display paired with an 8.88-inch digital instrument cluster, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 360-degree camera system is standard, as are two USB-A ports, a single 12-volt socket up front and a wireless charging pad.

That said, there’s only one USB-C port in the entire cabin, and no charging ports or power sockets in the boot, which feels like an odd omission in an electric SUV. Accessing the vehicle-to-load function also requires an adapter via the external charging port, rather than a more user-friendly internal outlet.

Despite its sharp pricing, the J5 is offered in just one high-spec grade and that raises expectations. In that context, the rear seat feels a little underdone. It misses out on several amenities you’d reasonably expect in a flagship-style model. While that’s not unusual for an EV at this end of the market, it still feels like a missed opportunity to stand out.

The Lexus LX 450d has the LandCruiser's 4.5-litre twin-turbo direct-injection V8 engine, producing 200kW@3600rpm and 650Nm@1600-2800rpm. All of that power and torque arrives evenly and smoothly, helped no end by a slick six-speed sequential-shift transmission.

It has a full-time 4WD system, dual-range transfer case and off-road tech that includes multi-terrain anti-skid brakes, crawl control and a four-camera multi-terrain monitoring system with back guide and panoramic view. 

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'.

Lexus claims the LX 450d will achieve a 9.5L/100km figure from combined-cycle driving (that's 4.9L/100km more frugal than the LX 570 is capable of). Lexus reckons, based on that figure, that the diesel LX has a potential range of almost 1000km on a full tank (93 litres) of fuel.

We recorded 12.7L/100km during daily driving (city and suburbs) and 13.5L/100km with some light off-roading thrown into the drive mix.

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.

It’s supremely comfortable and very quiet, wth that customary cocoon-like enclosed sensation that you only ever truly get in a vehicle this far away from cheap.

The 450d is 5080mm long, 1980mm wide and 1865mm high. It has a 11.8m turning circle. It has an official kerb weight listed as between 2510kg and 2740kg.

For something with so many kegs onboard, it’s capable of punching off the mark with a respectable bit of pace; handy for city-street bursts to slip through traffic gaps.

It never feels cumbersome; it actually feels quite light on its toes. In fact this Lexus tends to be more than a little bit floaty at times. You can select different suspension settings – comfort, normal or sport – to suit your preference.

Visibility is generous all-round with clear sightlines in all directions; besides, the reversing monitor with 360-degree view helps if your views are hindered.

Steering is generally active but it does exhibit quite a lot of under-steer on twisting country roads. It has paddle-shifters if you’re that inclined.

The LX 450d rides on 20-inch alloys and 20-inch Dunlop Grandtrak PT2As (285/50F20 112V) – a combination which is fine for bitumen-based outings, but we’d ditch it for rubber with more sidewall to allow for greater freedom to adjust tyre pressures to suit rough terrain.

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.

The J5 hasn’t been assessed by ANCAP yet and is unrated but it has a good suite of safety equipment included. There are seven airbags, intelligent seat belt reminders, ISOFIX anchors, three top-tether anchor points, front/rear parking sensors and a 360-degree view camera system.

There’s also blind-spot monitoring, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, forward and rear collision warning, side exit assist, a driver monitoring system, autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. The J5 EV misses out on emergency call capability.

Most of the driver assist systems aren’t intrusive, although the driver attention monitoring can ping more than it’s needed and the adaptive cruise control is best without the assisted steering on.

Warranty is 4 yrs/100,000km. Service intervals with indicative pricing (exc GST) are: six months/10,000km: complimentary; 12 months/20,000km: $535.56; 18 months/30,000km: $598.11; 24 months/40,000km: $800.32; 30 months/50,000km: $502.44; 36 months/60,000km: $676.23.

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.