Yes, you read that right. Malaysia is set to be the first country in the world to get this new Chery MPV, which has been spotted in the past on the road and at JPJ, and here we bring you an exclusive inside-and-out gallery of the vehicle ahead of its launch, as well as preliminary specs!
Although the vehicle has been sighted in China as early as end-2013 (most recently revealing a Fulwin 8 nameplate), it is not on sale in the People’s Republic yet. So why Malaysia first?
According to sources within Chery Malaysia, the decision was made to complete right-hand drive development first, as MPVs are more popular in our region than in China. The same sources have hinted to us that for our market, the vehicle will be called the Chery Maxime. Very dainty, although we certainly don’t get the French connection.
We’re also told that, like the Eastar, the vehicle is locally-assembled (CKD) at Oriental Assemblers in Johor, and that there’ll initially be two variants priced around the RM90k mark. The vehicle you see here is a pre-production lower-spec car, but we’re told it shouldn’t differ much from the full-production model. Suffice to say, the higher-spec car should have whatever you see here, and more.
Looking at it, you’d be quick to deem it a heavily-facelifted Eastar – and you wouldn’t be wrong. The 2,800 mm wheelbase is retained, but the new MPV is 68 mm longer at 4,730 mm, while being 1,823 mm wide. Swept-back projector headlamps join an unassuming front grille, while vertical LED DRLs adorn the front bumper.
Penned by Sergio Loureiro (ex-BMW and Mercedes-Benz), James Brian Hope (ex-Daimler-Chrysler) and Hakan Saracoglu (ex-Porsche), the vehicle also features prominent side chrome strips and a wide horizontal LED light cluster reminiscent of the Honda Civic Tourer and Toyota Previa/Estima.
The tailgate spoiler features an integrated third brake lamp, and this lower-spec car rides on 16-inch alloys wrapped in 205/55 Goodyear Eagle NCT 5 tyres (the spied vehicle wore Eastar XT wheels). You can also see three-cell reverse sensors between dual rear fog lamp/reverse lamp clusters.
The eagle-eyed will have noticed the ‘DVVT’ and ‘2.0 CVT’ badges – that’s right, the 2.0 litre ACTECO four-cylinder engine now features intake and exhaust variable valve timing, and is mated to a Chery-developed CVT with seven virtual ratios (Eastar had a four-speed auto).
Output figures are 136 hp at 5,750 rpm and 182 Nm of torque between 4,300 and 4,500 rpm – a negligible 2 hp/2 Nm more than what the Eastar had. Fuel consumption at a constant 90 km/h is a quoted 7.7 litres per 100 km, while tank capacity is 62 litres.
Enter the vehicle to a pretty plush-looking black-beige cabin, the colours of which are echoed by the cloth seats with individual fold-down armrests. The Eastar’s centrally-mounted instrument layout remains, but otherwise, the dash is a drastic departure from before.
Kit on this unit includes single-zone air-con (with classy-looking controls, no less), cruise control, a basic radio with USB, one-touch lane change indicators, eight-way manually-adjustable driver seat and follow-me-home lamps.
This unit features adjustable headrests for all seven seats. The second row seats three, with a lap belt and cupholder armrest in the middle. This row is 60:40-split and can be slid fore and aft, reclined or even folded flat by swinging the seat bases forward.
The third row is 50:50-split and seats two, with three-point seat belts. We couldn’t find a single rear air vent, which is strange – perhaps a pre-production omission. Load capacity is 588 litres with all seats up, 1,342 litres with third row folded and 2,240 litres with second and third rows folded.
Steering is hydraulic power-assisted while suspension is a MacPherson-front, rear torsion beam affair. The safety arsenal comprises four disc brakes, ABS, EBD, dual airbags and a collapsible steering column. The spare tyre sits in a tray underneath the boot.
Bear in mind that these are all preliminary specs – all should be made official very soon, but for now, you like what you see?
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
China cars can be compared apple to apple with kimchi and India cars
I think China cars are slightly higher standard than Kimchi and 3 level higher than India.
China launched rockets to moon while Proton can’t even make a CVT gearbox right.
But when you comes to car, sushi car still your best choice.
You compared between small car player p1 and a big country.
You forgot to take meds eh?
lol, Getrag = Proton ?
cvt from punch laa not getrag
This is a Chinaman car for Chinaman worldwide. Nobody will buy it except Chinaman.
Nobody with a brain will buy a car that is Made in China. Buy handphone different story la, if rosak, just bin it. How to bin your car?
definitely jap car is more reliable. my friend got one chery MPV, hell a lot problem. oil leaking, fuel pump not fucntion, alrdy got engine overheating also, gearbox breakdown n toll bac workshop during 2 n half yrs using. how to trust a china car? better chose other brand since many brand can buy nowadays.
Jap car used to be more reliable. my relative’s chery MPV, during 2 yrs of using, oil leaking, wiring fault cause engine can’t start, engine alrdy overheating once, gearbox breakdown n toll bac chery workshop. Better avoid china car since nowadays many other brand can select.
u must be retarded to say China cars are of a higher standard that the Koreans…Indians are probably even better…and for a car “penned” by people from BMW, Mercedes and Porsche, boy it’s sure as hell looks bad.
Yes have to agree…it looks horrendous. Some of the India cars look better. Don’t even think about comparing this junk with Korean cars. These clowns here will talk but they themselves won’t buy this crap. Which shows why you hardly see a Cherry on the road…
I own chery eastar 2.0L before. luckily I sold alrdy. engine overheating before due coolant pipe problem, gearbox cannot change gear and toll bac wrkshp repair many times. cooling coil rosak after 1 yr. wait very long to get the parts. plastic fragile, power window cannot works after 1 yrs also. wiring got some problem. thanks God, I sold this car alrdy.
Pakcik sam regret buying his son the proton saga after seeing tbis car.
Be very careful, just like China batteries, this car might just explode one day.
Rear look like a pajero…
pump it up a bit ;)
exterior,, mehhhh
OMG…at least this car interior was nicer than our Exora and Preve…P1 puihh…
sales kampar & gopeng in perak..
yana 017-5266234
China brand world premium in Bolehland… ok this is first lol.
We always last in term of Japan brand.
OMG the interior look really wow.
P2 and P1 should follow the interior design.
Toyota/Daihatsu bod must be in anxiety/stressful.
I think The Japanese brand don’t have to worry too much in the next 5 or 6 years, no guarantee after that.
Huawei is now World number 1 in Telecom Switch gear and Xiaomi mobile phone maker is world number 3 by only concentrating in China and South East Asia, car manufacturing are lagging slightly now, but definitely already leap frogging P1 of Boleh Land.
Great…go buy yourself a China car. Would suit you..
you ni buta ka? design ni spt tahun 90an. org tua ka kamu ni?
So you driving Ferrari or BMW?
What u expect from a china brand car?
90’s or not is still better then current local brand interior design.
You so proud of yourself, what about you come out a design that beat this thing???
What’s so great about the interior? It looks bloody cheap..and listening to some of the comments here by some who owned this garbage before…I think people should stay away from this. It’s worse than Proton. Go ahead and buy yourself one if you love this junk so much..I bet you won’t!
OMG…jemah u buta kah…if this tahun 90s punya design, then Exora and preve design was 80s….lol.
look at the gear knob, like a proton.
meter cluster looks very2 cheap
radio ? rubbish.. going back to the 90s
see the meter panel took idea from peugeot 208 lor. as usual china copy mix and match lol
Can it smoke Estima 3.0 V6?
The front reminds me of Ssangyong’s Stavic…
I really like the seat’s colour combination, though I hate the way the seat was sculpted, seems uncomfortable.
Hehe this world debut is truly Malaysian. Unlike other world debuts in some glamorous motor show this one was unveiled behind some gate.
But the interior looks pleasant and the exterior…well the rear could have been better but the front is okay
Lol…so that explains alot.
One of my customers owns a factory manufacturing parts for this chery (locally made) and since late last year i was completely barred from entering the production floor.
I gueass they were trying to maintain secrecy for this one. (Not like its a bmw but considering the industry…i guess i can understand why.)
ckd china cars….meh…indian cars best
Nano nano Oh Nano, even Indians reject it.
India successfully sent a spacecraft to Mars..while China failed..so in terms of durability…this junk can’t beat Indian made cars like the TaTa. Yes, the nano was done with the intention of making it affordable for Indians to own a car..it didn’t go down well. Today the standards are so high…unlike before.
It is said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. But, in this case i don’t think Toyota will appreciate Chery’s attempt at flattery.
Is that neo cps rim?
The Eastar is a good mpv in the first gen guise esp with the mitsu engine.
The exterior looks like they cant decide what it should look like.
actually its one of the very few success stories of chinese brands here in malaysia,it was surpringly accepted by the public n u see a fair share of them on the road …
fair enough to them , its an honest product not pretending to be anything else,if its affordable n fairly reliable,i can see many large families opt for it…
Give Chery a chance. They’ve been kind enough to choose Malaysia as their ASEAN hub, they could’ve easily chosen Indonesia, which has a much, much bigger market for MPVs, the biggest in Southeast Asia.
You don’t have to buy it, kind words of encouragement can go a long way.
Well said Aero. Not everyday we have a world premier here in Bolehland. More jobs created moving the economy.
Well tbh it doesn’t lookk half as bad, the rear on this looks miles better than the old one.
Having said that, while this may be a potential alternative for the Proton Exora, I probably would go for the Proton over this….
Lucky for Malaysia who accept this trash can car from China…
A blind comment indeed, how do you know this is ‘trash’ car? Already owned one yourself?
new exora bila nak siap… potong kalau tak slow macam siput khinzir memang bukan potong la… apa la nasib… fantasi tun mamak lebih daripada segalanya.
interior cantik sungguh… jauh beza dgn kereta2 protong…
ini baru betul …setakat exterior saja cantik nak buat apa setakat boleh bangga saja…org bawak kereta duduk dlm bukan duduk luar kereta
Enjin tak power mcm CFE mcm mana mau angkut orang
Exora cfe better value for money
keyword: China
Not all Chinese brand is bad in quality..
Well just take a look at Alibaba and Xiomi just to name a few …. Xiomi is fast catching up to Samsung and Apple smart phones.
Ugly exterior and nice interior
the interior is wow.. the exterior is ok
interior.kinda looks abit ford ~
Front design is okay (Even looks like 90’s car) but the rear design is the ugliest design I’ve ever seen for a car. Anyway the interior is superb but it doesn’t match the hideous exterior (it’s like you being in another high-end class car and you get out you realize it’s an ugly china car).
Why no bashing?
Seems nice, cruise control,follow me home
If under 90,000RM, I will buy
Terbalik toyota estima rear lamp? Haha!
Not quite sure why the exterior follows tha ssangyong design school. Not a compliment.
The old rear design was a little more cohesive. and despite the road tax dissadvantage, the original Mitsu engine was a reliable workhorse.
The interior however is a hugh improvement. I remember sitting in the then just lanched Eastar and taking note that the interior was crap, with plastic already warpped in the showroom car.
Having experienced the Eastar last summer, its all looks and poor quality, remisnicent of 90s Korean cars. Fake leather, fake wood trim, and the plastic pieces were very fragile. No attempt to hide the hard plastics.
Obviously at the price I wasn’t expecting German quality but come on, the Exora is a better choice. Hard to say with this new Chery MPV, but I’m not expecting anything spectacular. Looks great on the showroom floor, but that looks won’t last very long.
From the side it reminds me of a hearse i.e. funerary vehicle that carries a coffin.
That is why Estima is the favorite MPV used for funerals so do not be surprised that your 2nd hand Estimas was used at hearse in Japan or even by Nirvana ….
Yeah but none is used for as a hearse (funeral transport) on the other hand Estimas are the favorite being used and for those who buy 2nd hand Estimas locally or from Japan, so not be surprised that some or a lot was used in Japan or Nirvana bereavement care centre as hearse
when will china car seller learn that we need their sedan cars here.
I prefer the last gen exterior going with this gen interior !
Copy-Paste-Copy-Paste-Patch Here-Patch There Tadaaaaaa
It’s Chery Maxime
The Japanese started with cheap and small cars as expectation was low. With passion, vision, pride and innovation they improved to satisfy greater consumer expectation because the alternative is “protection” and failure (to see my point look at Proton and Hyundai). Hope the barrier is broken in this case for everyone.
pls dont forget to switch off ur fog lamp! dont drive around at nite wt ur fog lamp on, always got blinded by this cheery’s rear fog lights at nite…hishhh…
Wow finally toyota unveiled the new Estima!
This new Estima is gonna be Legen…wait for it………….Dary!!!
Hope they have improved on the plastic quality & moldings. The old version had plastic warping & noticeable gaps in fittings. Shall wait for actual car to be available…
Interior design looks better than the Exora…
electric tailgate…?
Dayyum…
they really in need of P2’s hand to design the headlight+bumper….but anyway as long as it is not P1..it can sell here…welcome
After buying this dud you would be insulted twice. First when you try to find parts for repair, the second one when second hand car dealer refuse to accept the car. And the third i just got it on top of my hat. Your girlfriend leaves you.
Find new girlfriend then. You mean you need a car to find a girl friend? Come on lah, even a guy riding a ‘KAP-CHAI’ also can get a girl friend.
For 90k, you better get a used/recond Estima from year 2007-2009.
Interior looks like kancil.. cheap plastic cover with stickers..
engine spec doesn’t turn me on..
Exora turbo definitely a betterbetterbuy than this. ..
das fit & finish.. pengsan!
it could have highly toxic plastic interior, hydrogen charged ac systems and probably some fake steel here and there..lol
In term of quality, I am not sure if it’s any better than the Korean. But Proton… maybe. I am proud to be Malaysian, Tanah Air ku, but it doesn’t mean i will support low quality local made product. I owned 2 Protons before, due to budget constraints. Do you think I am qualified to comment?
any time i’ll go for the exora.
look at the that rim it like satria neo rim..all in all bnyk ciplak haiya that country to many copy paste..
the car is very nice . I like it !
massive improvement on the interior but meh on the outside..
Please avoid this nightmare. Better get something else like Avanza, Exora, Stream etc. My nightmare is still not ending with this car. Rattle everywhere, suspension 1 year sudah kaput, now tyre will drag everytime go through pothole, wind coming in at both rear pillar, air cond get hot when car is static for a long time. Want to sell but nobody will give good price.
I had a chery easter 2.0 & i have regretted even until today after selling. The car is very fragile, parts cost a bomb. Service center is crap & always got no spare parts. The parts must come from China & our SC people here do a great job of screwing it up.
My car was towed to the SC no more than 5 times since i bought it. Luckily i got rid of the car & lost almost RM20k. My 1 year bonus just like that.
In short :
Spare parts very scarce
SC is crap & service is much worse than hell itself.
Resale value..put it this way..make sure you have RM50 to pay back for ur loan.
Car very fragile..much worse than Pr0t0.
wow,a good improvement on this new china car..maybe they can sell better at chin peng island..
apa bila kereta dipolitikan. Bila nak maju ni ? IMHO this car looks good. It’s even better if they provide a better safety features.
useless chinese product good for scrapyard
This junk from China still cost about RM90k?
They must think all car buyers are stupid.
Alot of improvement compare to previous model. for more info you can call/whatsapp/sms at 016-3455219. Test drive and price will be available after launching. -syawal 016-3455219
This is really an awsome comeback from chery, which will clearly sent a masage to malaysian automotive industry..
This car is at par with Hyundai i40 wagon.
Chery really screwed up the image of all China cars here. There are more than 38 car manufacturers in China. The Eastar & Tiggo that was brought into Msia is actually a very old model. If you see the latest manufactured cars by other China companies & price sold, P1 & P2 cars pale by comparison. This is the reason P1 which tried so hard to enter China could not sell. The Msian representing P1 went to China having the same thinking as most bashers here only to come home feeling shy & quietly retracted.
Despite many negative comments here, I actually like the rear and interior looks of the car. Yes the rear lights does look like Estima lights turned upside down but i think it looks nice. Even Jap and Korean cars do have certain similar design features with other car manufacturers. Doesn’t Honda Accord looks a bit like BMW? Hopefully Chery improve on its quality with this model compared to the older Eastar. I think China cars will be major car players in 10 years time, just like Japan took 40 years and Korean took 20 years.
After sale service is important. The eastar ex-consumers are waiting Chery respond to the news of recall fuel pump’s defective from Chery China since November 2014 (2+ months passed). Until now, no respond from Chery Malaysia. More user reviews in Facebook.
aku pakai chery 2.4L mitsu enjin steady pun since 2009 sampai sekarang.enjin ateco mmg ada masalah tp bukan semua.salahnya sales after servis chery yg teruk,kereta dia tak seteruk yg diperkatakan.
the exterior styling is just for MPV usages so no compromise on that.
on the inside, it looks premium, since they’re from conti designers,as from the dashboard and console design knobs, air cond,dials and etc are all quite premium.
safety issue – no comment for now, but drive safe should be fine.although they never reveal out how many stars they have.
for this pricing, it should be worth for such multi purpose car, as u may have big family or needed to store goods.
well, 3 year or 150k km warranty included, why not? Its convincing though.
resale value, of course not……
The Aircon’s airvent for the second and third row seats is not mentioned in this new Maxime. Hopefully the coolness of this new model does channelled to those areas. As for the Cherry Ester, the airconditioning is very bad for a car of that size.
Serupa sampah punya china product!!!