New Jaecoo 5 BEV revealed as Ford Puma Gen-E and Jeep Avenger rival

The Jaecoo 5, a new boxy compact SUV and Ford Puma rival, has made its public debut at the Auto Shanghai motor show. It’s due to land in the UK in August, and customers can expect a choice of petrol and pure-electric versions.

The Jaecoo 5 BEV will be the brand’s first electric SUV, and will offer approximately 250 miles of range, which is on par with some rivals such as the Ford Puma Gen-E, Jeep Avenger and Suzuki e Vitara. However, other competitors, particularly the Kia EV3 and Skoda Elroq, can cover more than 370 miles on a charge, in the right guise. 

So far, the electric J5’s range is the only technical detail to be confirmed, but we know that it will use the same platform as the Omoda E5, so it’s likely to feature the same powertrain too. That includes a 61.1kWh battery, a 201bhp front-mounted e-motor and 80kW maximum charging speed. 

In addition to this BEV, there will also be a petrol version of the J5, likely using the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine and eight-speed dual-clutch transmission from the Omoda 5. A hybrid will probably follow later using the same engine, but with assistance from an electric motor.

The styling of the Jaecoo 5 is similar to the Jaecoo 7 that launched in the UK earlier this year, with the petrol version featuring the same ‘waterfall’ grille as its big brother. However, the front end appears to be less upright on the J5, while the headlights and bumper have been simplified. Meanwhile, the Jaecoo 5 BEV features a blanked-off front end with a different bumper design, which presumably helps improve aerodynamics and range.   

Inside, the Jaecoo 5 features a large portrait touchscreen that flows into the centre console, and a slim instrument panel embedded in the dashboard. Other details we can spot include a two-spoke steering wheel, a column-mounted gear selector, lots of ambient lighting and the almost complete lack of physical buttons. 

We expect the Jaecoo 5 to start from around £27,000, considering that the larger Jaecoo 7 is available from just over £29,000 and the closely related Omoda 5 starts from around £25,000. The J5 BEV, meanwhile, will probably cost from closer to £35k. 

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