Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max: The affordable big car

The Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max portrays exactly what the name says.

Once you open the door, the car welcomes by into its premium designed cabin. And once you close the door and get seated, the car gives that feeling of comfort, safety and enough space for both front and rear passengers.

But let Top Revs take you on a 360 degree tour of what the Tiggo 7 Pro Max offers…

Exterior design speaks volumes, as the car’s soft lines enhance the entire vehicle’s presence. From the stylish front grill with matrix LED lights that give the car that stylish yet aggressive presence.

M+Z Chery sales executive Tamara-Lee Pienaar said apart from some cosmetic changes on the outside, Chery also effected some changes under the hood.

And that is exactly what Top Revs experienced when taking possession of the car for two days.

Coming standard with a 1,6L 7-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) gearbox, this car handles very easy on the road. Delivering 145Kw @5500 rpm, the car is certainly not lazy, and is able to accelerate from 0-100 kph in under 10 seconds.

And with the 7-speed DCT gearbox, the Tiggo 7 reaches that speed smoothly.

It was the DCT that intrigued Top Revs, as the system works with two separate clutches – one for the odd numbered gears and one for even-numbered gears. This technology can pre-select the next gear while the current gear is engaged to provide rapid and seamless gear changes.

The car comes standard with three driving modes, making trips pleasurable when driving in urban areas or open roads. To complement these modes, the colour on the cluster changes according to the mode set.

Eco mode will turn the cluster to green, normal mode to blue, while red indicates the car is in sport mode. And this is not just another gimmick on the car, one can actually feel the difference between the three different settings.

The matrix LED headlights consist of an array of individual LED elements that can be controlled individually or in groups enabling the headlights to adapt to different driving conditions.

This complements the large black grill in the front, making the car looking more stylish, as expected from the Tiggo 7.

Unlike many other standard sunroofs fitted, the Tiggo 7 panoramic sunroof stretches from the front seats to the rear seats, and can be operated either by means of a control button situated next to the interior cabin light cluster or by means of voice activation.

This function allows you to carry out various voice instructions, from opening and closing the sunroof, changing radio stations, activating and reactivating the climate control, to mention a few of the many functions.

These instructions can be done without taking your attention off the road or being distracted while looking for control buttons.

Another plus for the drivers is the height and telescopic adjustable multifunctional steering wheel. The driver’s seat has a 6-way power adjustment, including a height adjustment power function, while the passenger seat offers a 4-way power adjustment function.

The two front bucket seats ensure both the driver and passengers enjoy all the comfort during long trips. The vehicle offers the rear passengers enough leg and headspace without feeling cramped, helping to prevent passenger fatigue on long trips.

Aside the premium designed cabin, one will find state-of-the-art instruments that are easy to read and provide the necessary information needed while driving.

It reflects a modern and stylish approach, with the focus on clean lines, quality materials and well organised controls.

The clear vision 12,3-inch instrument cluster digital display provides all the essential information needed by the driver.

The 12,3-inch LCD touchscreen infotainment with the advanced ‘Hello Chery’ voice control is installed in such a way that it is easy to read and operate for both driver and co-driver.

The spacious boot compartment offers extra loading space, and with the 60:40 split, it allows much more loading capacity.

The car is backed up and serviced at the M+Z Mercedes workshop.

Apart from getting a lot of car for little money, the Chery comes standard with a five-year service plan, 150 000km warranty and the cherry on top of the Chery, the car comes standard with a 10-year/1 000 000 km engine warranty on all Tiggo models.