Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
When we first saw the 2025 JAC JS8 Pro after William Uy, the dealer principal of JAC Quezon Avenue, lent it to us for a test drive just a few days after the inauguration of their dealership, we couldn’t immediately tell which category it falls under. It looks like a midsize sport utility vehicle (SUV) but it would be unfair to compare it to the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, Nissan Terra, Mitsubishi Monterosport or Ford Everest because the JS8 Pro has front-wheel drive (FWD) compared to rear-wheel (RWD) or available four-wheel drive (4WD) that propels these popular SUVs. It’s like comparing apples to oranges.
However, if we compare oranges to oranges and we compare the JS8 Pro to locally-available multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) that are equipped with 1.5-liter engines, FWD and 3-row/7-seat interiors, we found that it has larger dimensions, a longer wheelbase, more space, more power and torque than Toyota’s top-of-the-line Avanza 1.5 G CVT, Rush 1.5 GR-S A/T and Veloz 1.5 CVT, or Mitsubishi’s upmarket Xpander GLS A/T and Xpander Cross 2WS A/T. However, with a Suggested Retail Price (SRP) of P1,350,000, we concede that JAC’s flagship MPV has a higher price than the Toyota MPVs and just a bit pricier than the Mitsubishi twins.
Modern Exterior with SUV Vibe
As the flagship MPV, JAC designers provided the JS8 Pro with an impressive modern exterior that gives an immediate impression of an SUV instead of an MPV. An assertive front grill with three continuous horizontal chrome lines and 21 chrome “dashes” work with the LED headlamps and surround daytime running lights (DRL) to provide a strong and aggressive façade. The arched front fenders, contoured creases on the doors and rear panels, the roof rails, and the black accent piece on the lower doors and rocker panel provide a muscular yet curvaceous modernity.
The wheel-and-tire combo fills up the wheelwells quite nicely with 19-inch 20-spoke aluminum alloy wheels that give the illusion of a delicate yet elegant 5-spoke petal design and 235/50R19 Wanli Rangetour SU027 tires that provide outstanding grip and road holding with surprising comfort and quiet operation. The back of the JS8 Pro continues the modern and muscular SUV vibe with an uncluttered look provided by a wrap-around rear taillight assembly, a large power tailgate, and dual trapezoidal cutouts for the exhaust at the lower blacked-out portion of the rear bumper.
Space – The Final Frontier
Apologies to Trekkies but we can’t help but use this line from Star Trek because we find it appropriate in describing the spacious 7-seat modular cabin of the JS8 Pro. The leather seats, with electric adjustments for the driver and front passenger, feels a bit firm but supportive, similar to those found in German cars. There’s ample legroom, headroom, elbow room and hip room in all three rows but the biggest best feature is the large panoramic sunroof that allows a fantastic view of the sky and a refreshing breeze, especially when traveling in the countryside. It’s cheesy but we’re tempted to say, “Beam me up, Scotty!” every time we open the panoramic sunroof.
The front seats are supportive with adequate bolstering and a rather firm Teutonic feel.
The 60/40 rear seat features a folding armrest with built-in cupholders.
Access to the third row seats requires a little flexibility. But all seats are first-class and covered in leather.
Folding the second and third row seatbacks reveals an almost-flat cargo area to transport large, bulky items…
… or an ideal space to lay down and admire the view out the panoramic sunroof.
As a versatile MPV, the JS8 Pro’s modular seating can be arranged in several ways: With all the seatbacks up, it can comfortably accommodate 7 passengers with space at the trunk for 418 dry liters of cargo. The 50/50 third row can be folded to provide 1,253 dry liters while the 60/40 second row can be folded to accommodate large items up to 2,153 dry liters. This vast amount of space is kept cool by an automatic climate control system, which is a must in the Philippine tropical climate, while the occupants are kept cool with entertainment emanating from six speakers connected to its infotainment system with 12.3-inch floating central touch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The electric tailgate automatically lifts to reveal a cavernous opening with a low loading height and 418 dry liters of trunk space to haul groceries and personal stuff.
Folding the 3rd row seatback expands the cargo hold to 1,253 dry liters, enough to haul a bean bag sofa and some laundry.
With 2,153 dry liters of cargo space, two road bikes, helmets, gear and bicycling essentials can be transported at the back when the 2nd and 3rd row seatbacks are folded.
Ergonomics and Driver Assistance
The driver grips a multifunctional leather steering wheel and faces a 12.3-inch full liquid crystal display (LCD) instrument panel, err… screen that displays all the information needed to drive safely and efficiently. Most of the controls are within the reach and eye line of the driver aiding ergonomic and intuitive operation with perhaps the rotary gear selector as the least intuitive. While it is easy to use, with just Reverse, Neutral, Drive and Sport to select and a push-button top that engages Park and the parking brakes at the same time, we just wish that the parking brakes would automatically disengage when R, D or S is selected.
The high-tech cockpit with two 12.3″ LCD screens is ergonomic with a wireless mobile phone charger underneath the AC vents.
The continuous LCD screen looks high-tech and upmarket but seems incongruent with shape of the dashboard.
The dash looks uncluttered and angled towards the driver.
… and focuses attention on the rotary gear selector for the 7DCT automatic transmission and the electronic parking brake with Auto Hold function.
We appreciate the JS8 Pro’s Advanced Driving Assistance System (ADAS) that includes a Door Opening Warning (DOW) that won’t engage drive when the hood, tailgate or any door is ajar. On our long drive from the north tollways to the south skyway, we appreciated the assistance from the Lane Change Assist (LCA) and Blind Spot Detection (BSD) systems that lights up a small indicator at the side mirror and a pictograph on the instrument screen to warn the driver of another vehicle at the blind side. The BSD also emits a warning chirp that sounds like “Hip-Hip”, to which we entertain ourselves by shouting “Hooray!” after the chirp.
To test the DOW, we deliberately opened the door and hood, started the engine and tried to engage Drive. It won’t.
The LCA and BSD has 3 indicators – a yellow light at the side mirror, a pictograph on the instrument screen (yellow arrows pointing to the vehicles in the blind spot), and an audible warning chirp that sounds like “Hip-Hip”.
Power + Technology = Performance + Economy
It used to be that 7-seat MPVs are equipped with internal combustion engines (ICEs) that have displacements not lower than 2.0-liters. However, with today’s computer-controlled engine and transmission management systems, 1.5-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engines are now the norm. JAC engineers equipped the JS8 Pro with gasoline direct injection (GDI) and massaged the engine to churn out 182 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 300 Newton-meters of torque between 1,800 and 3,500 rpm. A 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission (7DCT) multiplies the 1.5T GDI engine’s output to provide effortless rapid acceleration, relaxed cruising at highway speeds, and efficient fuel mileage.
There are 182 horses and 300 Nm of torque hidden underneath all those plastic covers in the engine compartment.
The 7DCT 7-speed dual clutch transmission is compact and is likewise hidden underneath.
This midsize MPV can easily reach the posted top speed at NLEX (100 km/h) and easily cruise at Skyway speeds (80 km/h) all day.
When we got our white JS8 Pro demo unit from JAC QA on a Friday, the instrument screen displayed an Average Fuel Consumption (AFC) of 8.3 kilometers per liter and an odometer reading of only 1,362 kilometers, which meant that it wasn’t “broken in” yet and that it was driven just around the city, probably in heavy traffic. We drove on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to Pampanga and Tarlac on Saturday and immediately improved the AFC to 11.2 km/L, despite crawling through slow traffic until after the damaged Marilao overpass. We drove south on the Skyway on Sunday and further increased the AFC to 11.5 km/L, which meant that over time and with a light right foot, the JS8 Pro can average around 10-12 km/L in the city and around 15-18 km/L on the highway.
You need to enlarge the photo to see the 1,367-km odometer reading and 8.3 km/L AFC when we first drove this white JS8 Pro on a Friday afternoon.
In pursuit of improving the AFC, we drove from Quezon City via NLEX to Pampanga, onwards to Tarlac, and then back to QC just on the first day of our road test.
On Sunday night, we achieved an AFC of 11.5 km/L, adding around 3 kilometers per liter just by modulating our right foot and mindfully scheduling our drives to avoid heavy traffic.
Occupant Convenience and Safety First
On the 4th day of our test drive (we were only given 5 days because of the long queue of media and sales test drives scheduled for this particular unit), we found ourselves enamored to this JAC MPV. Convenience was one of the factors that hooked us with a wireless mobile charger, USB ports for the front and rear passengers, 12-volt power outlets at the front (below the floating center console) and at the trunk. We also found the hands-free operation of the electric tailgate a god-send when we loaded a large bean bag sofa and opened the tailgate by just swinging a foot under the rear bumper.
Wireless charger for mobile phones is located at the forward part of the center console…
… which is actually a “floating” center console that provides an additional cubby space for flat items.
Swinging your foot underneath the rear bumper (with the key fob in your pocket, of course) will automatically open the tailgate for convenient loading.
The JS8 Pro is chockful of an alphabet soup of safety technology – PEPS (passive entry and start), ABS (anti-lock braking system), EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution), ESP (electronic stability program), HBA (hydraulic brake assist), HAC (hill-start assist control), BOS (brake override system), TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system), EPS (electric power steering) in addition to the BSD, LCA and DOW mentioned above. There’s also Auto Hold for the parking brakes and Cruise Control for highway driving convenience but thankfully, the JAC engineers spared these from having confusing initials (AH and CC) further adding alphabets to the soup.
360° camera allows the driver to scan the surroundings for small kids, pets or obstacles in front before driving off.
Backing the JS8 Pro, even in tight spaces, is made relatively easy thanks to multiple sensors and the 360° camera.
After spending 5 great days with the JAC JS8 Pro, we considered it as the “Goldilocks of MPVs”. It’s not too small to cramp seven occupants in a tight space and it’s not too large to make it cumbersome to drive around town. It’s sized just right and priced just right, especially with all the latest technology built in. It is technically an MPV but most people think that it’s an SUV. And that’s a good thing, especially in our society where large SUVs have become status symbols among social climbers. Just enjoy the drive, preferably with the panoramic sunroof open, and have fun blurring the lines between MPV and SUV with this flagship JAC!
SPECIFICATIONS
Vehicle Type: Front engine, FWD, 5-door mid-size MPV
Price: P1,350,000
Engine: 1.5T GDI
Displacement: 1499cc
Maximum power: 182 hp @ 5500 rpm
Maximum torque: 300 Nm @ 1800-3500 rpm
Transmissions: 7DCT
Fuel tank capacity: 58 liters
Wheelbase: 2830 mm
Length: 4825 mm
Width: 1870 mm
Height: 1758 mm
Minimum ground clearance: 160 mm
Curb weight: 1675 kg
Trunk space: 418 / 1253 / 2153 liters
Front suspension: Independent, McPherson struts
Rear suspension: Independent, torsion beam
Front brakes: Ventilated discs
Rear brakes: Solid discs
Steering system: Electric power assist with Force adjustment
Wheels: 19-inch 20-spoke aluminum alloy
Tires: 235/50R19
