Chery Tiggo 7 Pro

One area where I feel Chery has absolutely beaten out GWM and MG is in the cabin, where its presentation apes far more expensive metal.

The Tiggo 7 Pro’s cabin design could have been lifted out of something like a Mercedes-Benz GLE, though then scaled down in size and with, let’s say, more cost-effective elements subbed in to achieve the price point.

The upper sections of the dashboard and doors also receive a stitched-effect leather-like trim that again looks very much like the grained leatherette trimmings offered by luxury brands, though it’s not quite as nice – acceptable given the money, all told.

It definitely has ‘wow’ factor. The dual 12.3-inch displays are nicely integrated and well featured, with inbuilt satellite navigation, an intelligent ‘Hey Chery’ voice assistant, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto all standard.

The displays themselves are good resolution but the processing power isn’t quite a match. Occasionally you’d find it lags while loading programs and the refresh rate on the instrument cluster animations weren’t always as quick as you’ll find in some rivals.

• 2024 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro
• 2024 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro

Further, the inbuilt navigation app has a loading screen labelled “turbodog” as we found out during the launch drive, perhaps a fun name bestowed by software engineers. It’s little things like this these that with an added layer of polish could make Chery very competitive with some of the best.

That said, the various views and menus for the digital cluster are pretty cool, including a full map view with minimised dials, a live driver assist feed that could have come out of a Tesla or BMW, as well as multiple layouts that can be as conventional or as new-age as you like. Bravo.

Wireless Apple CarPlay worked well once we connected, though our limited time with the car means we couldn’t gauge more long-term usability and reliability. Same goes for the intelligent (but not net-connected) voice assistant, activated by pressing the little cartoon circle with eyes or saying “Hey Chery”.

At launch, the Tiggo 7 Pro will be available with a single powertrain option – a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine.

Developing 137kW (5500rpm) and 275Nm (2000-4000rpm), the engine is teamed with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission which drives the front wheels in Urban and Elite versions, or all four wheels in the top-spec Ultimate.

Chery claims a 9.5-second 0-100km/h time for FWD models, and a slower 9.9 seconds for the AWD flagship. Quoted fuel consumption is 7.0L/100km for the Tiggo 7 Pro FWD, and 7.8L/100km for the AWD – both figures are on the combined ADR cycle. We saw closer to 8.5-9.0L/100km on our launch drive, which is fine but not amazing.

The fuel tank measures 51L in FWD models and 57L for the AWD, with 95 RON premium unleaded required as a minimum. It’s worth noting the Tiggo 7 Pro’s turbo petrol engine is homologated to Euro-6b emissions standards, despite most mainstream rivals opting for older Euro 5 standards.

On the cards for Australia is the Tiggo 7 Pro e+ plug-in hybrid, which uses a three-gear Direct Hybrid Transmission (DHT) featuring three physical gears and three engine operating points with an adjustable speed ratio.

Dual electric motors, a motor controller and transmission are integrated with each other, and mated with a “hybrid-specific” 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. There’s a 19.27kWh ternary lithium battery and total system outputs of 240kW of power and 545Nm of torque, with claimed electric range of 80km under China’s WLTC cycle.

The on-road experience is typically where Chinese brands tend to stumble compared to more established makes. The Tiggo 7 Pro puts in a pretty solid showing, if not quite up there with the best in segment.

Performance and refinement from the 1.6-litre turbo petrol motor is decent. If driven in a measured manner the Tiggo 7 Pro will accelerate relatively smoothly if with the occasional hesitation on lift-off from that DCT.

We did note the Chery didn’t suffer quite as jumpy a first gear ratio as I’ve experienced in other Chinese cars with DCT’s, perhaps a condition that’s more tuned to domestic driving and traffic conditions. I’d advise not using the auto-hold function, however, as it drones as it builds revs and then awkwardly slurs off the line, particularly on inclines.

Otherwise, it’s a fairly pleasant SUV to live with in everyday driving around town. It gets along fine, rides reasonably well even on the Ultimate’s larger 19-inch alloy wheels, and insulation from the outside world is noteworthy.

It definitely has ‘wow’ factor. The dual 12.3-inch displays are nicely integrated and well featured, with inbuilt satellite navigation, an intelligent ‘Hey Chery’ voice assistant, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto all standard.

The displays themselves are good resolution but the processing power isn’t quite a match. Occasionally you’d find it lags while loading programs and the refresh rate on the instrument cluster animations weren’t always as quick as you’ll find in some rivals.

Further, the inbuilt navigation app has a loading screen labelled “turbodog” as we found out during the launch drive, perhaps a fun name bestowed by software engineers. It’s little things like this these that with an added layer of polish could make Chery very competitive with some of the best.

That said, the various views and menus for the digital cluster are pretty cool, including a full map view with minimised dials, a live driver assist feed that could have come out of a Tesla or BMW, as well as multiple layouts that can be as conventional or as new-age as you like. Bravo.

Wireless Apple CarPlay worked well once we connected, though our limited time with the car means we couldn’t gauge more long-term usability and reliability. Same goes for the intelligent (but not net-connected) voice assistant, activated by pressing the little cartoon circle with eyes or saying “Hey Chery”.

Chery quotes 626L ‘minimum’ for the luggage capacity, expanding to a maximum of 1672L. It’s not clear which measuring standard is used for these figures, though to my eye it appears the volume is measured to the roof.

It also features a full-size spare wheel under the boot floor across the range, something of an abnormality these days.