Chery Tiggo 7 Pro 2024 review

Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

We’ll get to the engine details shortly, but for now it’s important to note the under-bonnet hardware is the same in all three Tiggo 7 Pro grades.

What does change is the standard specification, with the entry-level Urban model, priced at $39,990 drive-away, boasting a pretty handy standard equipment list.

Aside from the safety and performance tech covered a little later, the Urban features dual-zone climate control, digital screens for multimedia and instrumentation, synthetic leather seats (heated and power-adjustable front), eight-speaker Sony audio, a sunroof and ambient lighting. 

There’s also heated exterior mirrors, auto rain-sensing wipers, 18-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, ‘Hey Chery’ voice command, sat nav, plus LED head and tail-lights.  

Not bad in the context of the Tiggo 7’s price, competitors and market positioning.

Then, at $41,990 drive-away, the mid-tier Elite adds a surround-view parking camera, an auto tailgate, power-folding exterior mirrors, illuminated front door sills and a cargo blind.

On top of all that the flagship Ultimate ($45,990 drive-away) steps up from front- to AWD and adds 19-inch alloy wheels, racy red brake calipers, a memory function for the driver’s seat and exterior mirrors, ventilated front seats (cushion only) and an auto-dimming interior mirror.

Design – Is there anything interesting about its design?

The Tiggo 7 Pro isn’t exactly pushing out the edges of the automotive design envelope. It’s attractive, if somewhat unadventurous.

The tail-light design picks up on the current full-width trend and twin exhaust apertures under the bumper are a nice touch.

The interior is relatively understated but sleek thanks to a sweeping, gently curved dash and these twin 12.3-inch media and instrument displays housed in a single tablet-style unit.

The synthetic leather seats look and feel good and details like knurled surfaces on key controls lift the tone.

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission?

A 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine producing 137kW and 275Nm sits under the bonnet of all three Tiggo 7 variants. That’s more than the majority of this car’s relevant competitors.

In the Urban and Elite drive goes to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, with all wheels driven in the top-spec Ultimate.

Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside

At a fraction over 4.5m long, nearly 1.9m wide and just under 1.7m tall, with a close to 2.7m wheelbase the five-seat Tiggo 7 Pro sits smack in the middle of the typical mid-size SUV footprint.

At 183cm I have plenty of breathing space in the front and in the back, sitting behind the driver’s seat, set to my position, heaps of head and legroom as well as enough shoulder room for three full-size adults on medium length journeys.

If they’re a slimline design, three kids car seats across the back seat is a realistic possibility (and hats off, you’re in the running for Parent of the Year).

Two adjustable air vents sit at the back of the front centre console, which gets a big tick in a car of this size.

For storage, in the front there’s a generous box/armrest between the seats, twin (covered) cupholders in the centre console, a glasses case in the roof console, a decent glove box and bins in the doors with enough room for medium-size bottles.

Rear storage options include map pockets on the front seat backs, small door bins, a slim oddments tray under the ventilation outlets and a pair of cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest.

Connectivity and power runs to two USB outlets (type A for media, Type C for charge-only) a 12-volt socket and a (50W) wireless charging bay up front, with another USB-A in the rear and a second 12-volt outlet in the boot.

Speaking of which, with all seats up the boot offers a generous 626 litres of storage, expanding to 1672L with the 60/40 split rear seats folded.

A full-size spare sits under the floor but be aware the Tiggo 7 Pro isn’t rated for towing.

Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range?

Chery’s official combined cycle fuel economy number for the Tiggo 7 Pro is 7.0L/100km, the AWD Ultimate pushing that up to 7.8L per hundred.

On the launch drive program covering city, B-road and freeway running along the coast south of Sydney, we recorded an average of 9.8L/100km in the Ultimate. Not outrageous for a non-hybrid in this class.

Worth noting the minimum fuel requirement is the pricier 95 RON premium unleaded.  

You’ll need 51 litres of it to fill the Urban and Elite, and 57L to brim the AWD Ultimate. Theoretical range for all three is around 730km.

Driving – What's it like to drive

The Tiggo 7 Pro’s 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine delivers its peak torque of 275Nm from 2000-4000rpm and there’s ample mid-range oomph. The seven-speed dual-clutch is smooth and power delivery is agreeably linear from take-off.

Not a lightweight, but far from a heavyweight at around 1500kg, the car is capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in 9.5 seconds (closer to 10 in the AWD Ultimate).

For the most part engine and exhaust noise are nicely suppressed, until you start to threaten the firewall with your right foot, at which point the engine becomes hoarse and the exhaust note raspy. 

Not a big issue in a car without sporty pretence that’s unlikely to cop the full-throttle treatment on a regular basis.

There are three drive modes - ‘Eco’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Normal’ and we noted some pick up in throttle response in Sport. The AWD Ultimate adds ‘Snow’, ‘Mud’ and ‘Offroad’ settings which we 100 per cent did not select on this on-road launch drive.

Suspension is by struts at the front and multi-links at the rear and ride comfort is good, the set-up coping well with high-frequency bumps and dips as well as longer undulations. 

However, the electrically assisted steering is something of a dynamic weak link for the Tiggo 7 Pro. It’s noticeably light in terms of weight and meaningful road feel is missing in action.

The light steering pays off in parking manoeuvres, though, and there’s a 360-degree camera view on the two top models, which is always nice. All around vision is pretty good anyway.

Body control is well managed in the corners and the 225/55 rubber (Atlas A51 18s and Cooper Evolution CTT 19s) is well behaved and quiet.

Braking is by ventilated discs at the front, with solid rotors at the rear, and pedal feel is nice and progressive. Part of the launch drive took in some long, twisting, steep descents and we didn’t experience any drama washing off speed.   

Under the heading of miscellaneous observations you have to be deliberate with the gearshift, as in, leaving it in D or R for half a beat longer than you think you’d have to make sure the car proceeds in the desired direction.

Also, the internal rear-view mirror is wide angle which takes some getting used to. Kind of like looking into a weak pair of binoculars.

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating?

At the time of writing Chery Australia was well into the Tiggo 7 Pro’s ANCAP assessment process. It’s scored a maximum five stars from Euro NCAP so it’s fair to assume that rating will apply locally, and the active crash-avoidance tech is laid on thick.

For a start there’s front and rear AEB, blind-spot detection and adaptive cruise control, plus lane departure warning, ‘Lane Departure Prevention’, blind-spot monitoring, forward and rear collision warnings, a ‘Door Opening Warning’ and rear cross-traffic alert.

There’s also lane change assist, ‘Intelligent Headlamp Control’, traffic sign recognition, tyre pressure monitoring, driver monitoring, plus a reversing camera as well as front and rear parking sensors.

Worth noting the driver monitoring function has an itchy trigger finger, as in, look at the audio interface or instruments for just a few beats and Chery Big Brother is badgering you to get your eyes back on the road. 

If an impact is unavoidable, there are eight airbags onboard, dual front, front side, full-length side curtain and well as a front centre and driver’s knee bag. 

Multi-collision brake minimises the chances of subsequent collisions following an initial impact and there are three top tethers and two ISOFIX anchors for baby capsules and/or child seats across the second row.

That’s an impressive effort in this part of the market.

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs?

The Tiggo 7 Pro is covered by Chery’s seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is two years up on most of the market.

There’s also seven years’ capped-price servicing and up to seven years roadside assist as long as you have your car serviced at an authorised Chery dealer. 

Recommended main service interval is 12 months/15,000km, which is in line with most of the competition.

The first five visits to the workshop will cost you $280 a pop, and a little more after that, especially for the AWD Ultimate ($516.60 for the sixth service). 

But all up, it’s a compelling ownership package. 

Verdict