Jaecoo J8 Ridge AWD vs Kia Sorento Sport: Spec battle

There are plentifulness of antithetic reasons to bargain a full-size SUV these days.

Some are built for due four-wheel driving to grip the rugged outback oregon towing a caravan astir the country, portion others are simply designed to navigate the municipality jungle with capable country for ample families.

And past there’s the ever-growing breed of luxury soft-roaders that are fundamentally high-riding limousines.

There is thing for everyone, and (almost) each budget.

And 1 of the newest arrivals successful this conception is the Jaecoo J8, a full-size, five-seat soft-roader that offers a sensation of the champagne manner without an opulent terms tag.

So let’s spot however it stacks up connected insubstantial against 1 of the champion all-rounders and astir exemplary fashionable successful its class, the Kia Sorento.

How much?

The Jaecoo J8 is disposable successful conscionable 2 exemplary grades – the entry-level Track and the flagship Ridge – that are mostly defined by their drivetrain; the Track being front-wheel thrust portion the Ridge being all-wheel drive.

Other than a fewer added luxuries and a unsocial suspension strategy for the Ridge, they mostly stock the aforesaid level of instrumentality (which we’ll get stuck into below).

Kia, connected the different hand, offers 11 antithetic variants of the Sorento and the enactment of petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.

The petrol and diesel models tin beryllium had successful 4 trim levels – S, Sport, Sport+ and GT-Line – with prices starting astatine $50,880 positive on-roads for the entry-level, front-drive S petrol and topping retired astatine $65,790 for the GT-Line petrol. The diesel motor commands a $3000 premium crossed the scope and brings all-wheel drive.

The hybrid Sorento HEV and plug-in Sorento PHEV are exclusively restricted to the top-of-the-line GT-Line trim. The hybrid tin beryllium had successful either front-wheel thrust ($70,330 positive on-roads) oregon all-wheel thrust ($73,330 positive on-roads) configurations, portion the PHEV is AWD-only and costs $84,660 positive on-roads.

For the remainder of this comparison, we volition pit the range-topping Jaecoo J8 Ridge against the entry-level Kia Sorento Sport diesel, which enactment up closest connected price, costing $54,990 drive-away and $56,500 positive on-roads respectively.

What bash you get?

Both of these ample SUVs travel equipped with the essentials successful presumption of comfortableness and integer conveniences, but the Kia misses retired connected a batch of cogwheel compared to the Jaecoo.

They stock the pursuing features:

• Power adjustable driver’s seat
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Keyless introduction with push-button start
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment
• Embedded sat-nav
• DAB+ integer radio
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Dual-zone clime power with rear aerial vents

The Sorento rides connected 18-inch wheels and gets cloth trim, but the Jaecoo J8 comes with truthful overmuch much and lines up person to the Kia’s range-topping GT-Line trim.

Its extras see larger 20-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, quilted leather trim, beforehand seats with heating, ventilation and massage functions, dual-zone clime power with a fragrance dispenser, sunroof, a 12.3-inch integer instrumentality cluster, head-up display, ambient interior lighting, and a 12-speaker Sony audio system.

Are they safe?

While the Sorento is abbreviated connected carnal comforts, the South Korean automaker doesn’t scrimp connected information and each variants travel equipped with a broad array of precocious crash-avoidance systems and operator aids, including:

• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection
• Lane keeping assistance
• Blind spot avoidance assist
• Driver attraction alert
• Speed-limit assist
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Reverse parking display
• Automated headlights
• Automated high-beam
• Safe exit warning
• 9 airbags, including a beforehand centre airbag

As such, the Kia Sorento scores a maximum five-star ANCAP information standing from 2020, erstwhile the existent exemplary was archetypal released.

The Jaecoo J8 has yet to beryllium tested by ANCAP, but has each the cardinal elements required to lucifer the Sorento’s maximum information standing – adjacent nether today’s stricter protocols – with further features specified arsenic rear transverse postulation alert, automated parking, a 360-degree parking display, and a driver’s genu airbag.

What are they similar inside?

Okay, truthful here’s wherever things deviate, arsenic the Jaecoo J8 lone has seating for five, whereas the Sorento has 3 rows, making it susceptible of carrying up to seven.

And that whitethorn destruct the J8 from the buying lists of galore ample Aussie families.

However, if you’re scouring done the top-end of the mid-size SUV conception and privation thing with adjacent much abstraction – and a genuine consciousness of luxury – past the Jaecoo delivers wherever it counts.

The compartment is large and roomy with generous headroom – adjacent with the sunroof – and plentifulness of limb and genu country for those seated successful the 2nd row, who are besides treated to rear aerial vents successful the backmost of the centre console arsenic good arsenic the B-pillars.

The (real) leather trim is sumptuous and the beforehand seats are ace comfy – the rider adjacent has an extendable limb remainder similar an airliner’s concern people spot – and the massage relation is among the champion successful the business.

The duplicate integer screens person elemental graphics with a logical paper operation to the infotainment system, and the audio strategy is crisp and clear. Interestingly, the driver’s spot has in-built speakers successful the caput restraint that you tin take to usage for telephone calls oregon navigation instructions.

As for footwear space, the Jaecoo J8 has a claimed capableness of 738 litres – which is immense – erstwhile the split/folding rear seat is successful use, and tin grow to 2021L erstwhile it’s folded flat. And it comes with a full-size spare tyre, which is simply a rarity these days.

In contrast, the Kia is much evidently an introduction variant with its cloth trim, but it inactive has plentifulness going for it with fantabulous physique quality, an absorbing wide plan to dashboard, and plentifulness of thoughtful retention spaces.

Like the Jaecoo, the compartment is spacious, the beforehand seats are comfortable, there’s fantabulous imaginativeness with a commanding presumption from the driver’s seat, and middle-row occupants person plentifulness of legroom and are treated to aerial vents.

Access to the 3rd enactment is easy, with a one-touch flip-and-slide relation for the middle-row seats, which creates a decent-sized aperture to ascent into the precise back.

However, adjacent though the mediate enactment tin descent forwards and backwards, those 2 rearmost seats are champion suited to tiny kids.

With the 3rd enactment successful place, footwear abstraction is restricted to conscionable 179L and, adjacent successful its five-seat configuration, the Kia’s 608L capableness is nary lucifer for the Jaecoo. But it does besides travel with a full-size spare.

What’s nether the bonnet?

Both of these vehicles are powered by turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines that thrust each 4 wheels done an eight-speed automatic transmission.

But that’s wherever the similarities end.

The Jaecoo has a 2.0-litre petrol motor that produces 183kW of powerfulness and 385Nm of torque, and has a accepted torque converter auto, portion the Kia has a larger-capacity 2.2-litre turbo-diesel that generates little powerfulness (148kW) but much torque (440Nm), and drives done a dual-clutch automatic with bedewed clutches.

Both person their strengths and weaknesses. The Kia is much effortless to thrust acknowledgment to its higher torque outputs being served up from conscionable 1750rpm, and uses importantly little substance with a claimed mean of 6.0L/100km. which is singular for a non-electrified car of this size.

The Sorento besides has the quality to tow a tiny caravan oregon decent-sized trailer too, which mightiness beryllium utile for adventurous families.

Jaecoo doesn’t punctuation a towing capableness for the J8, but the motor and gearbox consciousness smoother, much refined and quieter.

Cost of ownership

Kia acceptable a caller benchmark for aftersales provisions erstwhile it became the archetypal car marque successful Australia to connection a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty much than a decennary ago, which inactive applies today.

But rival brands person caught up and adjacent exceeded it, with Omoda Jaecoo covering the J8 with a longer eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Both vehicles besides travel with escaped roadside assistance for the archetypal 12 months, which is extended each twelvemonth erstwhile the conveyance is serviced wrong the authorised trader network, and capped-price work schemes for the duration of the warranty.

They besides lucifer each different with work intervals astatine 12 months oregon 15,000km, but the Jaecoo is cheaper to support implicit a longer play than the Sorento.

CarExpert’s Pick

If you’re looking for a ample SUV that tin transportation much than five, past determination is lone 1 enactment present and that’s the Sorento.

But if you privation a spacious household wagon with a genuine consciousness of luxury and the latest successful conveniences, which is affordable to bargain and own, past the Jaecoo J8 surely offers much for little successful this comparison.

MORE: Explore the Jaecoo J8 showroom

MORE: Explore the Kia Sorento showroom