Jaecoo E5 review

Hmm… uninspiring, that’s the word we’re looking for. With the caveat that anyone genuinely interested in buying one of these will look at the sweeping touchscreen and synthetic leather and think ‘Wow, this isn’t bad actually’.

And look, you can’t begrudge the E5 its budget materials because it is, after all, a budget car. So let’s accept the plastics (even the squeaky stuff on the steering wheel) for what they are and leave it at that. It’s mostly screwed together acceptably anyway.

It’s the complete absence of flair or detailing that does it (or doesn’t do it) for us. Where’s the attention to detail? Where are the neat touches that make you desperately want to own one? Even a cheap-and-cheerful Frontera manages this. Go and ogle a Renault 4 to see what a design team can do with care and investment.

You’re not fans, noted. How’s the tech?

Patchy. The touchscreen is clear and quick-witted, but like so many manufacturers before it Jaecoo has fallen into the trap of embedding virtually all of the functionality into the menus. And navigating those while you’re trying to drive is a nightmare.

That includes the climate controls, but at least you can get to those quickly at the bottom of the screen or with a single swipe up while Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are engaged. Could be worse.

As is the way these days there’s an overbearing number of safety systems that beep, bong and boop at you, though these are far from the worst we’ve experienced. You can turn them off, or tailor how they engage with you, on the screen.

There’s also a voice assistant that you can activate with a button on the steering wheel or by declaring ‘Hi Jaecoo!’ and barking instructions. It’s very hit and miss, and like all voice control systems likely to go unused if you’ve got company or are fed up with its inconsistency.

Pull up to a junction and the 3D camera will engage on the screen to help you hunt for oncoming cars. Fine, but then when you pull out you get a warning to tell you that it will deactivate again above 18mph. Pointless.
The digital instrument display works well. You could argue the font is a tad small, that’s about it.

Practicality time. Will this be a good family steed?

Space-wise, it ought to be. The E5’s trump card is the room it affords to passengers, and if you’ve gone for the Luxury trim then the panoramic roof floods the cabin with light. Must be like driving around in a greenhouse.

Jaecoo bangs the drum about its 35 interior storage compartments (go on, see if you can find them all): the box under the central armrest is fine but a bit deep and narrow; the space beneath the centre console is useful, but a little tricky to access. Here you’ll find one USB and USB-C port apiece. There’s a frunk beneath the bonnet to stash away charging cables.

In the back the outermost seats are fine for adults, but stretching out is tricky because it means wedging your feet under the front seats. At least there’s some padding down there.

The boot is 480 litres, with some of that beneath a flat floor. So you can keep lesser-used items down there and still be able to slide heavy stuff in with ease. There are netted pockets beside both rear wheelarches for odd bits and bobs. Chuck the seats down (they don’t quite go flat) and space climbs to 1,180 litres – the same as you get in the petrol 5.