First Drive: Jaecoo continues new model offensive with 5

If the 7 is the Chinese version of a Range Rover Velar, think of the 5 as a budget Evoque: smaller, cheaper, and cuter. We’re driving the electric version, but there’s also a petrol-powered option if plugging in isn’t for you.

The interior gets a similar look and feel too, copying the 7’s gigantic portrait touch screen in the centre of the dash. The E5 is Jaecoo’s first fully-electric car as well, with the 7 only available as a petrol or plug-in hybrid.

Less speedy are the charging speeds, with the E5 maxing out at 80kW peak rate on a rapid charge. That’s a smidge slower than the Ford and Vauxhall, while a Skoda Elroq can manage nearly twice that. Helpfully though, it will accept 11kW from a ‘slow’ AC charger, which the likes of the MGS5 EV cannot.

The regular petrol-powered model gets a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine and a seven-speed automatic gearbox – a setup shared with various other Jaecoo, Omoda and Chery models. We’ve not driven it in the Jaecoo 5, but having encountered it in some other cars, it’s not a combination we’d particularly recommend.

Probably of more importance is the ride comfort, which isn’t half bad – at least as EVs of this size go. Pleasingly, it’s also very smooth to drive: something that isn’t necessarily a given in an electric car these days. Brake pedal feel is pretty good, with regenerative and regular braking power merging nicely into one, and none of the harsh jerkiness you get from lots of EVs.

Jaecoo hasn’t dialled out much – if any – of the usual electric car wheel spin if you’re over-exuberant with the throttle pedal, but at least the E5 manages not to torque steer too badly under hard acceleration. All in all, it’s a very pleasant thing to pilot around town or in traffic – just don’t expect it to feel at home on twistier roads.

To our eyes, it’s the regular petrol-powered 5 that pulls this off more successfully – it gets the trademark Jaecoo ‘waterfall’ front grille, while the E5 has a less imaginative blanked-off panel instead. But either way, it’s not a bad-looking thing.

What you won’t find is much in the way of personalisation. Aside from the five different paint colours, there’s no other way of choosing how your E5 is styled. Both trim levels are absolutely identical on the outside, even down to the 18-inch alloy wheels, which are shared across all petrol and electric Jaecoo 5s.

These screens do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to the interior styling – everything around it is really quite plain. Material quality is reasonable for the price, though the cheapest ‘Pure’ trim level does away with soft-touch plastics in a lot of noticeable areas.

And while that big touch screen looks crisp and works well enough, is it too much to ask for a few physical buttons? Things like changing the aggressiveness of the braking regen involve lots of baffling menus, where most EVs just have wheel-mounted paddles or buttons to adjust it on the go.

What’s hard to fault is the space on offer: the E5 is very roomy both front and back, with head room particularly impressive. Jaecoo has also put storage spaces absolutely everywhere it can, so in addition to the big door bins, you’ll find cubby holes both in and under the centre console, as well as behind that enormous touch screen.

Boot space is also good at 480 litres – larger than an MGS5 EV and most other rivals – and Jaecoo has helpfully included a small ‘frunk’ storage area under the bonnet too.

Upgrade to ‘Luxury’ and you’ll get electrically-adjustable front seats that are both heated and ventilated, an electrically-operated boot lid, panoramic sunroof and some jazzy multi-coloured ambient lighting.

There’s also a whole host of features tucked away in the menus of the centre display. There’s pet mode, which – a bit like Tesla’s dog mode – lets you leave the climate control running for your furry friend while you’ve parked and locked the car.

Then there’s camping mode, which not only allows you to power things like a fridge – via an adaptor – but also lets you play music through an external speaker in the car’s grille. Jaecoo will even sell you a pair of microphones to turn the car into a giant karaoke machine, should you feel the need.

Verdict

The E5 is a surprisingly appealing thing. Whether or not you’re enticed by its looks, it’s pleasant enough to drive, roomy inside, and absolutely brimming with equipment. However, it’s not short of rivals, and most feel more polished – both to sit in, and to drive – for quite similar amounts of cash.