Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max test. Upgrade is not up to the mark

The Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max crossover, which the manufacturer introduced to our market at the end of 2022, could in a good way be called simply Tiggo 7 Pro, as it is a restyling of the previous Chery model, which we have already told you about.

But for some reason, the company, perhaps due to large balances in the warehouses of the previous version, decided to release a new product with a different name, adding Max at the end of the name (in the release, this moment stood for “improvement and availability of a technology package”). Moreover, it is interesting that at the time of the launch of the 7 Pro Max, the manufacturer said that the previous car would remain in the line for some time, but would become the basic modification of the novelty. As a result, for May 2023, Chery Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 7 Pro Max quietly coexist in the company’s lineup, both are available in two trim levels. And the most interesting thing is that the first model, according to the results of the first quarter of 2023, is in the top 10 best-selling crossovers in our country, while also taking fifth place in this list. But the Max version, whose sales started at the very beginning of this year, failed to get into the top ten, and, judging by the latest figures, it sells, although not bad, but it is still twice as inferior to the usual Chery Tiggo 7 Pro. As a result, we see the neighborhood in the Chery lineup of the pre-styling and restyled versions of the crossover. Moreover, in this case, the novelty also became the sales driver of the previous version, since the latter costs, though not much, but still cheaper.

Externally, the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max crossover is not much different from its predecessor. The first thing that catches your eye is the chrome trim of the radiator grille, passing under the LED headlights, vertically placed daytime running lights on the lower tier, as well as decorative trim on the front fenders. The rear of the car has also undergone changes, where the manufacturer combined the lights with an active LED strip, in the previous version they reached the center with the brand logo and broke off. In general, the appearance of the restyled model has become a little more interesting, additional details are not something that catches the eye, they just make the necessary accents and emphasize the necessary elements.

The interior of the new model has also not changed much, the manufacturer only replaced the dashboard and media system display with its fresh solution with two screens combined into a single box. The developers also swapped the wireless charging pad and cup holders, now the first one is right next to the armrest, at hand, and the second ones have moved to the central tunnel closer to the front panel. This castling, although it has shifted the platform for the phone to a place that is not the most convenient for this, but now the container in the cup holders does not bother you.

Summing up, we can say that Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max has not somehow become much better than its predecessor in terms of design, it is still the same car, only with slightly changed details. Yes, the silver edging of the original grille made the crossover a little more brutal, which should play into the hands of the model. But the combined rear optics, although it looks more modern, but because of it, the tailgate now looks somehow empty. The new single digital panel in the cabin is relevant and gives the driver more options than the previous solution. And minor changes in the interior simply improved ergonomics and removed past miscalculations of the developers.

Little has changed in terms of landing in the car, the seats remained a little narrow, the steering wheel adjustment for reach is slightly lacking, and the pillow is a bit short. The rest is good. So, the leather upholstery of the seats is tactilely pleasant, the front seats are equipped with a package of electric adjustments, and the driver has position memory and lumbar support adjustment in two planes. The seats are slightly soft, but have the correct profile, although I would like more developed lateral support. In general, if you choose the right settings for yourself, then even a long trip does not cause discomfort. The only moment that I didn’t find in the settings menu was to disable the comfort exit option, when the driver’s seat moves back as far as possible with the engine turned off and the door opened. Perhaps I was looking in the wrong place, but I carefully shoveled through the entire menu and found nothing, so when a passenger was sitting behind me, I had to manually stop the departing seat, which, of course, is inconvenient.

By myself, with a height of 187 cm, I sit down completely freely, there is a margin in my knees, there is a place below, and the central tunnel can be considered as not, and there is space above my head, even despite the presence of a large panoramic roof with a sunroof in the front, K In addition, the doors that completely cover the thresholds open wide enough, so there are no problems getting in / out of the car. Isofix mounts are traditionally located along the edges of the rear sofa and, which is typical for Chinese cars, are hidden between the pillows, which makes it difficult to install child seats.

The trunk in the restyled model has not changed, its volume is 475 liters, and if you want to increase the usable space to 1500 liters, you can separately fold the backs of the rear sofa from the passenger compartment, which form a very small slide. The tailgate is equipped with an electric drive with contactless opening, it is enough to stand close to it, having the key with you. And from the settings of the media system, you can change the height of its opening. I would probably turn off the contactless opening option, since the trunk opens even at a gas station when you are standing near the gas tank.

In the updated model, the driver now has two 12.3-inch HD-resolution displays combined into a single unit, both high-quality IPS and OLED panels are not being actively installed by Chinese manufacturers yet. The media system has a touch screen with a good response and a decent oleophobic coating. The speed of work is not bad, the drawing of the menu can be said to be unpretentious, and the icons and some of the elements seem to be borrowed from iOS. There is support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto platforms, only by wire, but that’s good. The system also has a built-in TurboDog navigation with good cartography, tips on high-speed cameras, which also knows how to build optimal routes, but the drawing of the maps is not the best.

Regular navigation is partially integrated into the car system and can display route tips on the dashboard screen in the form of cards. Other information is also partially available from the digital dashboard, for example, a window with data on an incoming call and the track being played is displayed here. But working with call lists or playlists is not available here, Chinese manufacturers have not grown up to this yet. On the other hand, the same Chery is actively developing its voice assistant in cars, which can be called up with the phrase “Hello Chery”. The assistant is quite capable of helping you with calling a contact, as well as with access to some other options, for example, he can open the sunroof, close the windows or adjust the climate control. Moreover, the voice assistant already understands phrases in Russian quite well, and they do not have to be built in a certain way.

There are three information display themes available for the virtual dashboard, they are completely different, so there will be plenty to choose from. I liked that in the cruise control mode, the dashboard displays a maximum of data that duplicates the work of driver assistants in graphic mode. So, we can see not only information on the transport ahead with a display of the distance, but also people who fall into the radar field, markings and warnings from the blind spot monitoring system. I especially like the latter, because you don’t even have to turn your head to find out that you have interference from one of the sides.

Connecting phones to the car via Bluetooth is fast and without problems, importing contacts is also correct. Only one device can be connected to the car at a time. Speakerphone works well. As in the previous model, the manufacturer left three USB-A connectors in the Tiggo 7 Pro Max, although in 2023 I would like Type-C. Two in front of the cabin on the lower level of the central tunnel, and one more is accessible to passengers at the rear. Modern devices are charged from the car’s on-board network quite quickly, so it is quite possible to do without additional adapters. Directly in front of the center armrest is a platform with Qi wireless charging, which is covered with a rubber pad with slots for better heat dissipation. Charging works well, you can safely recharge devices even in tight cases.

It is sad that the manufacturer left in the restyled model a climate control unit with touch buttons and adjustment areas that are absolutely inconvenient and impractical and resemble those on the updated Tiguan. Additionally, the set temperature on the display of the media system is not visible on a permanent basis, and some of the climate control options are available only from the screen. The only thing that saves the dual-zone climate control of the Tiggo 7 Pro Max is that it works well in automatic mode and requires almost no adjustments in the process. Yes, and the steering wheel heating is at least available from the usual physical button on the steering wheel itself, in contrast to the touch keys for heating the front seats. For rear passengers, separate heating of the sofa and two deflectors with the ability to control the direction of flow are available.

In terms of a set of driver assistants, the Max version is equipped almost to the maximum. We have adaptive cruise control in our arsenal, which is supplemented by a lane keeping track system, and all the data on its operation, as mentioned above, is clearly displayed on the dashboard. The cruise works well, but its minimum distance is too large, and every time someone tries to dive into the gap between you and the car in front. The blind spot monitoring system with indication both on the mirrors and on the digital tidy also helps the driver. In the parking lot, a surround view system comes to the rescue with a high-quality picture from cameras and graphic data from parking sensors superimposed on the image.

In terms of comfort, the Tiggo 7 Pro Max is not much different from its predecessor, it goes through large bumps very gently and delicately, slightly thumping on medium ruts with sharp edges, but not critically. In terms of silence, it would also be good if the manufacturer paid more attention to the soundproofing of the arches, through which the bulk of extraneous noise penetrates into the cabin.

The new Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max arrived in Russia with the same 1.5-liter turbocharged petrol engine with 147 hp as the previous version. The drive is also only front-wheel drive, and the box is a CVT9 variator, as in the current versions of 7 Pro (there used to be a CVT25 box). The engine-box connection is very well tuned. But, like the rest of the front-wheel drive representatives of the Chery brand, only two driving modes are available here: Eco and Sport. The first mode is rather sluggish, while the second makes the car too twitchy, and the steering wheel too heavy, so it is not suitable for every day. The crossover clearly lacks an intermediate mode so that you do not have to constantly press the pedal to the floor on dry pavement, as in Eco, but also do not jump from a place with a slight pressure on the accelerator, as in Sport. In general, the Chinese manufacturer should consider this issue in order to please the maximum number of buyers.

The control of the crossover is sharpened to a greater extent for a calm, unhurried advance, for a dynamic ride it is a little wadded, and in the corners the car has noticeable body rolls. But what I didn’t like the most was the too cottony brakes in the Tiggo 7 Pro Max, which didn’t catch right away, and the brake pedal had to be pushed almost to the floor every time.

The model is an ordinary city crossover, so the ground clearance of 190 mm will be useful for owners in the winter season, and if you need to move to the dirt road. For more serious off-road, the model is clearly not suitable.

In terms of fuel consumption, Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max shows a result similar to the previous model, which is about 10 liters per 100 km in the city. This indicator, it seems to me, is today the average for all Chinese crossovers, regardless of brand.

The updated Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max crossover is currently available in Russia in two trim levels at a price of 2,889,900 rubles and 3,039,900 rubles. The previous version of the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro is also available on our market in two trim levels, and its price is about 250,000 rubles lower.