Auto West London Omoda & Jaecoo

So, the other day I was stuck behind a car that looked like it had beamed down from a design conference on Mars. Sharp angles, a grille that could double as a cheese grater, and a badge I didn’t recognize. I craned my neck, squinted, and thought, “Is that a… Jaecoo? Or an Omoda?” I felt like a fossil, a proper car dinosaur.

It turned out I was trailing the latest invasion force from Auto West London, the dealership that’s suddenly everywhere. They’re the ones selling Omoda and Jaecoo, two brands from China that are very serious about not looking boring. And honestly? My inner dinosaur started to feel a little intrigued.

If you haven’t seen one yet, you will. Omoda is the flashy, sporty one—think a coupé-SUV vibe that screams “I’m different.” Jaecoo, on the other hand, is the rugged sibling, all boxy shoulders and off-road posturing.

Let’s be real: the big question everyone asks is, “Are they any good?” (Side note: I asked the same thing while nervously eyeing the warranty paperwork.) The answer, surprisingly, is a solid yes. The build quality is shockingly decent—tight panels, soft-touch plastics, and tech that doesn’t feel like a cheap afterthought.

The “Wait, That’s Affordable?” Moment

Here’s where it gets ironic. I walked past an Auto West London showroom in West London (clever name, right?) and saw an Omoda 5. It looks like a car that costs £40k. The price tag? £24,995. I actually laughed out loud. A man next to me muttered, “Yeah, I did the same thing.”

You get a 7-year, 100,000-mile warranty. That’s not a typo. It’s longer than some marriages. (Yours, maybe. No judgment.) The dual 10.25-inch screens, the wireless phone charger, the 360-degree camera—it’s all standard. It’s like they raided a high-end German parts bin and said, “Let’s just include everything.”

But— and there’s always a but—the driving experience is… competent. It’s not a BMW in corners. The 1.6-litre turbo engine has 187bhp, which is enough to merge onto the M4 without sweating, but the steering is a little vague. It’s fine. Perfectly fine. And “fine” is suddenly a great deal when you’re saving £15,000.

Jaecoo: The Off-Road Pretender (That Kind of Works)

Then there’s the Jaecoo J7. This thing has a face only a designer could love—all chunky plastic and upright lines. It’s meant to rival the Land Rover Defender. I know, I know. Stop laughing. But listen: it has real four-wheel drive, a hill descent control, and enough ground clearance to climb a curb like a boss.

Will you take it rock crawling? No. Will you feel like a rugged explorer while parking at Waitrose? Absolutely. The interior feels properly premium—stitched leather, ambient lighting, seats that massage your lower back. It’s a £30,000 SUV that tricks your brain into thinking it’s £50,000. Trick successful.

The irony? Auto West London’s showroom is in Park Royal, an area famous for traffic jams and concrete. You can’t test the Jaecoo’s off-road chops there, but you can test how smug you feel in the queue. (Spoiler: very smug.)

Why You Should Care (Even If You Hate Change)

Look, I get it. Chinese cars used to be a punchline—rusty, ugly, with radios that only picked up static. Those days are dead. Dead and gone. Omoda and Jaecoo are made by Chery, a company that’s been building engines for decades. They’re not amateurs; they’re hungry.

Auto West London is betting big on that hunger. They’ve got a sleek showroom, proper customer service (I called them, and a human answered in three rings—miracles do happen), and they offer test drives anytime. No pressure, no aggressive salesmen in bad suits.

The tech is surprisingly good. The Omoda 5’s voice assistant understands “turn on the heated seats” without you having to repeat it three times. The Jaecoo’s 14.8-inch screen is crisp and responds faster than my last laptop. It feels like using a modern tablet—if the tablet had wheels and a turbo.

One thing that caught me off guard: the sound insulation. I took the Jaecoo for a spin on the M40, and at 70mph, it was quieter than my friend’s Audi Q3. That’s not hyperbole. I had to check if the windows were up.

The Elephant in the Room: “But It’s Not a Premium Brand”

Ah, yes, the badge snobbery. Your neighbour with the Range Rover might raise an eyebrow. Let him. While he’s paying £600 a month for his car, you’ll be driving a Jaecoo that’s almost as nice for half the cost. And with that 7-year warranty, you’re covered longer than his lease is.

Plus, Auto West London offers a 3-year free servicing deal right now. I checked. It’s real. They practically throw in a free cappuccino if you ask nicely. (Okay, I made that last part up, but the coffee machine is real.)

The real question is: are you brave enough to try something new? Or will you stick with the same old German brands that charge you £500 for a key fob replacement? I’ve seen the Omoda in person, and I’ll tell you—it’s turning heads. Not for being weird, but for being good.

So next time you see a Jaecoo or Omoda on the road, don’t sneer. Give the driver a nod. They’re not cheapskates—they’re early adopters. And they’re probably laughing all the way to the petrol station. (Well, the petrol station and the bank.)

Go visit Auto West London. Tell them the car dinosaur sent you. They won’t know what that means, but you’ll get a chuckle. And a test drive that might just change your mind.