The media release from Chery at the time read that the Tiggo 7 Pro Max is “engineered for every adventure”. It also stated that “the Pro Max takes the renowned Tiggo 7 Pro range to unprecedented heights, presenting drivers with world-class technology, the option of an exceptional all-wheel drive performance, and a refreshed, standout design”.
The Pro Max had undergone more than 20 optimisations, spanning interior and exterior design, body and chassis structure, as well as materials. According to Chery, that underscores their “dedication to delivering an unmatched driving experience, further solidifying its presence in the dynamic automotive landscape of South Africa”.
That might sound like typical sales talk, but it is very hard to reason against Chery’s engine warranty of one million kilometres or 10 years. And that was part of the reason that my daughter decided on the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max as her first band-new car.
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She lives in the Western Cape, but earlier this month she negotiated an excellent deal with Chery Mbombela. The Tiggo 7 had just had a specifications upgrade, and the “older” version was available on a special deal – also advertised at the top of this page.
Although she usually sells Jaecoo and Omoda cars, Reline Otto assisted with the transaction and my daughter bought her dark grey Tiggo 7 Pro Max with 26km on the clock. And I was the one who received it from Reline and drove it down to Langebaan.
The Tiggo 7 is not a small car, and it has a roomy interior. The Pro Max has sporty seats that, although designed for someone ideally with a slightly less coarse bone structure than me, are very comfortable and supportive.
Because the car was brand new, I drove carefully and with a light foot on the throttle. Heading for Gauteng, I kept to a maximum speed of 118km/h – indicated as 120km/h. At a true 120km/h the car was indicating 122km/h. Fuel consumption – according to the onboard computer – showed that we were driving a new car in the mountains surrounding the Lowveld. But after the Machadodorp tollgate, the most expensive in the country, the fuel consumption improved.
The Tiggo 7 is more than 4,5m long, almost 1,9m wide, and just under 1,7m high. It is powered by a 1,6-litre turbocharged petrol engine that delivers 145kW and 290Nm through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. And it performed faultlessly.
I measured fuel consumption between fill-ups, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Although on paper it is a fairly large car with a smallish engine, fuel consumption was generally between 7,4 and 8,3l/100km – or 12,01 to 13,44km/l. A first for me was that this Chery’s onboard computer was consistently pessimistic and showed worse consumption than what we actually achieved.
The cabin is illuminated in ambient light by a stepless LED light ring, which stretches from end-to-end, offering a spectrum of 64 hues to create “an immersive ambiance”, according to Chery.
The star of the dashboard is the 24,6-inch curved hyperboloid immersive screen that provides an ultra-high-definition display. This screen is the hub for information including climate controls and a wealth of entertainment options, including wired and wireless Apple CarPlay2, Offline Navigation, as well as Android Auto, offering an advanced level of connectivity and convenience.
The offline navigation, which I think is basically Google Maps, works well but has a very irritating feature that I did not have the time to figure out how to disengage. The moment you exceed the posted speed limit, an irritating gong points this out. That put me off using Google Maps on the Apple CarPlay interface.
The premium eight-speaker Sony sound system made the journey quite enjoyable.
There is a choice of three display modes for the speedometer and rev counter, but true to my age I opted for an analogue display with two “clocks”.
Chery’s media release states that “a bold, new grille, boasts an accentuated diamond pattern. Crafted from a dark gloss black polycarbonate weave, embellished with chrome, diamond-shaped highlights, fashioning an utterly distinctive and captivating front design. The new ‘Angel Wings’ LED headlamps are an artful triumph of three-dimensional design”.
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The new Pro Max has a unique LED light-up sequence, both in the front and rear. As the sensors detect the key in hand, its LED lights “perform a welcoming symphony of light, evoking a sense of occasion every time the driver approaches the vehicle”.
The two-wheel drive version – that my daughter bought – has 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, and the all-wheel drive version has 19-inch wheels.
The Tiggo 7 Pro Max has an air-conditioning system with N95-level (pm 2.5) air-purification capabilities, ensuring the cleanest in-cabin air quality.
The New TIGGO 7 Pro Max has dual-zone automatic climate control and what is called “Hello Chery Intelligent Voice Commands for effortless control”. You can give voice commands to the car, which is cute, but I am not quite sure how much use this will see.
As is to be expected of such a modern car, the Tiggo 7 Pro Max has a comprehensive suite of standard safety features. It has eight airbags, ABS brakes and electronic stability control.
We covered just over 2 400km on our delivery run and my daughter received her car (now run in), three days after buying it, still smelling like a band-new car. I was very impressed with the car. It is comfortable, nippy, roomy and quite frugal with petrol, and my wife and I enjoyed the trip.
I agreed with her that she could not have bought anything better for the money that she paid – and we thoroughly checked what else was available on the market.
Every Chery model has the one-million-kilometre / 10-year engine warranty, as well as a five-year 60 000km service plan.
Prices for the “older” specification Tiggo 7 Pro start at R389 900.
Contact Chery Mbombela on 013 170 8100 or visit them at 3 Cascades Close in Riverside Park, or follow them on Facebook.
