Soueast S08 DM 2026 Review

It’s not even certain that the 2026 Soueast S08 DM will make it to Australia, so guesstimating a price is bound to result in disappointment for both consumers and the unlucky hack making the call. Assuming the S08 DM does reach Australia, pricing will be influenced by considerations like the branding, for instance.

If the importer thinks the S08 DM will sell for a higher figure as a Soueast model than it would as part of the Jetour model range, that could throw out pricing by $5000 or more.

Equally, the Jetour brand may be worth more in the marketplace than the Soueast nameplate, particularly if Jetour gets a massive promotional boost through a big-budget advertising campaign, as the company’s executives have indicated.

The question of pricing is also bound up in whether the Luxury Car Tax will still apply by the time the S08 DM hits the ground in Australia, and whether the green-car dispensation will let the S08 DM off the hook for the tax. If that suggests the S08 DM could sell for around $65,000 to $75,000, that’s probably a fair stab at the car’s pricing.

Adding to the confusion, the S08 DM is available in China as a base-grade model. It’s fitted with 19-inch alloy wheels but misses out on some of the nice features like adaptive cruise control and all the driver’s seat-adjustment functions.

What will the consumer get for their money? The S08 DM Premium model we’re testing in Beijing is well equipped, riding on 20-inch alloy wheels and boasting what might be termed ‘trans-Pacific’ styling.

Inside, the S08 DM impresses. The doors close with the sort of soft damping that exudes prestige and engineering excellence. There’s a floating centre console with a warm/cool box under the lid of the armrest, plus a large 15.6-inch infotainment screen that can tilt to suit the driver’s needs.

Audio pumps through a 12-speaker system, there’s an inductive phone charging platform in the centre console, and infotainment is controlled via a Snapdragon 8155 chip – a microprocessor known to even this venerable scribe.

The leather-trimmed seats are power-adjusted and feature heating and cooling, while all seven seats fold flat to form a double bed when going away for a night. A touch of Nordic style flows from the woodgrain trim in the dash and doors.

Measuring 4.8 metres in length and a sitting on a 2.8-metre wheelbase, the S08 DM offers myriad safety features as standard, including lane keep assist, forward collision warning and AEB, blind spot detection and door open warning (for pedestrians and vehicles approaching from the rear).

Powered by the 1.5-litre petrol engine, the S08 DM produces 105kW and 215Nm, but the electric motor adds to that with 150kW and 310Nm. In electric-only mode, the S08 DM will travel 89km before needing a recharge, according to the WLTC standard.

The cabin is easily the highlight of the Soueast S08 DM.

As noted already, it’s stylish, comfortable and practical, with a simple but elegant look, and featuring useful facilities such as the added storage below the floating console, the fore/aft adjustment for the second-row seats, fold-out picnic table and power operation for the third-row seating.

There was no opportunity to try out the third row during the brief spell examining the S08 DM, other than to note that the luggage space behind those seats is compromised – as is usually the case with seven-seat family transport.

In terms of performance, the S08 DM does deliver reasonable acceleration off the line, particularly balanced against the car’s potential to reduce running costs to almost nothing if the 18.4kWh battery is being recharged from solar panels at home. That, of course, is the beauty of plug-in hybrids.

You might need to recharge the battery more frequently than you would with a battery-electric vehicle, but it recharges from a 10-Amp outlet in around nine hours at most – assuming you’ve run the battery down to zero charge and want it back at 100 per cent.

On the odd occasion that you need to travel further than the 89km electric-only range of the S08 DM, the petrol engine is there to assist. In so many ways, plug-in hybrids are a better solution – for the next few years at least – than a pure electric vehicle if the owner only intends to travel around the suburbs.

The South Korean manufacturers and Ford Australia – with its late, lamented Territory – have shown Australians time and again that it’s possible to have both ride comfort in an SUV as well as reserves of handling and roadholding. The Soueast S08 DM lacks that balance. It’s all about the ride comfort, which may be enough for many buyers.

But not all. Let’s be clear though; the S08 DM handles safely. It’s just not an involving drive. And even family drivers deserve a little joie de vivre occasionally.

If there’s any other nit-picking to mention from our brief exposure to the Soueast S08 DM, it’s this: so much of the style and design has been seen previously in offerings from other car companies.

The seat adjustment controls on the door cards, the audio controls on the steering wheel spokes, the transmission selector on the right side of the steering column – these are all elements of Mercedes-Benz design going back years. The woodgrain trim recalls both BMW and Volvo, and the front passenger seat adjustment controls for use by the passenger behind is a Lexus idea.

The car that springs to mind as a competitor for the Soueast S08 DM is the front-wheel drive Lexus RX 350h which sells for more than $93,000 in Australia, and tips over into six-figure territory once you add the on-road costs.

In comparison with that car, the S08 DM offers two extra seats, a smaller petrol engine but actual plug-in hybrid functionality. It must be noted, the S08 DM does appear to offer the same sort of build quality that the Lexus does.

It may miss some of the comfort and safety features of the Lexus – only six airbags, for example, and no driver fatigue monitoring – but it makes up for that in other ways. Price will very likely be one of those compensating factors.

Passing appropriate judgement on the Soueast S08 DM demands a longer session behind the wheel – and on Australian roads as well, instead of a short advanced driving course at a Chinese airport. Until then, the verdict is guarded and qualified... but yes, it should be on the shopping list.

2026 Soueast S08 DM at a glance:
Price: TBA ($70,000 estimated)
Available: 2028
Powertrain: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo / petrol-electric
Output: 105kW/215Nm (electric motor: 160kW/310Nm)
Combined output: 255kW/525Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic with planetary gearset
Battery: 18.4kWh lithium-ion phosphate
Range: 89km pure electric (WLTC)
Energy consumption: TBA
Fuel: TBA
CO2: TBA
Safety rating: Unrated

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