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By Jonathan Crouch

Rival brands may well have their sights set on this Jaecoo 8 SHS-P as it aims to redefine the value proposition for a premium seven-seat family SUV Plug-in Hybrid. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 58

The Jaecoo 8 SHS-P aims for the more premium end of the class for larger mid-sized seven-seat Plug-in Hybrid SUVs. It's a slightly posher take on this kind of family crossover than you get from its similarly-engineered Chery Motor Group segment cousins and, like them, delivers impressive recipe of performance, EV range, space and equipment for the money.

Backgroundword count: 180

If you're after a mid-sized family SUV with a Plug-in Hybrid powertrain, there are now quite a few ordinary mainstream brand options to choose from. But what if you don't want an ordinary option in this class? Well then, we might direct you to this car, the Jaecoo 8 SHS-P. Look at the stats here; 422bhp, 4WD and acceleration virtually as quick as a Golf GTI. Arguably more impressive though, is what you can achieve in this car when you're not flexing your right foot - up to 83 miles of EV range. Jaecoo is one of the portfolio of brands brought here by the Chinese Chery Motor Group and Jaecoo is a marque that's performed beyond its importer's wildest dreams with the first model it brought here, the mid-sized Jaecoo 7 SUV. As the name suggests, the Jaecoo 8 is the next size step up from that car, sharing almost everything under the skin with two other slightly less aspirational Plug-in Hybrid SUV Chery Group models, the Omoda 9 and the Chery Tiggo 9. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 294

We've now entered a new phase of PHEV development where the latest Plug-in Hybrids feature batteries bigger in size than those that were used with early EVs. They can go further than early EVs on a charge too, the Jaecoo 8 claiming an electric range of up to 83 miles between charges from its 34.5kWh battery. Which plays its part in contributing towards the kind of total driving range any EV owner could only dream about - in this case over 700 miles, enough to get from London to Berlin without stopping. As you might expect if you know anything about the background behind this car, the drivetrain is the same one used in the Chery Tiggo 9 and the Omoda 9 versions of the same basic design. Which means a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine mated to a couple of electric motors, one on each axle to create 4WD and generate 580Nm of torque. There's a Hybrid-specific 3DHT 3-speed auto transmission with 12 power delivery modes. Total output is a hefty 428PS, which is why 62mph can be dispatched in a hot hatch-like 5.8s. Jaecoo wants to talk about this car's adaptive terrain response system, but thanks to just 162mm of ground clearance, the off road stats aren't very impressive for a big SUV - an approach angle of up to 21-degrees and a departure angle of up to 23-degrees. Don't expect too much from the wading depth (up to 600mm, the same as a Land Rover Discovery Sport) or the braked towing weight - rated at up to 1,600kg. But likely customers will be more interested in things like cruising refinement (which should be excellent thanks to a standard Active Noise Cancellation system); and ride quality (aided by Continuous Damping Control adaptive suspension).

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