Every once in a while, the Jaecoo J7 gets levelled the accusation of being a Land Rover copy. While this assertion is a little wide off the mark (although not entirely without basis), a new variant of the car in China definitely deserves that title.
Images of a new Chery Tiggo 7 Sport have surfaced on social media ahead of its rumoured September launch, outlets Autohome and Sohu have reported. Despite the name, the car isn’t related to the Tiggo 7 Pro; instead, it more closely resembles the Tansuo 06, the J7’s domestic market twin. But the influence for the car’s new front end is clear.
Yes, the Tiggo 7 Sport is very much a Range Rover Evoque copy, from its slimmer grille with its hexagonal mesh and “CHERY” script above it to the inverted U-shaped air intake surround just beneath. Even the J7’s unique bumper-mounted vertical headlights have been styled to look like the British SUV’s corner air intakes, with a central spar dividing the upper and lower projectors. The only distinguishing feature is the split skid plate underneath, along with new door mirrors that are more streamlined than the J7’s.
The rear end is less overtly Land Rover-inspired, with the only change being another split skid plate replacing the J7’s full-width piece and integrated tailpipes. But even here, there’s a bit of inspiration taken from the Defender, via the side-mounted storage box. If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, the Tiggo 7 Sport would make Solihull blush.
Yes, Chery has a working relationship with Jaguar Land Rover, assembling the latter’s cars for the Middle Kingdom. In fact, the company has even licenced the Freelander name from JLR for its own range of electric vehicles, an indication of the close bond between the two firms. Even so, the cribbing of Land Rover’s work here is very obviously not what JLR would condone.
Inside, the Tiggo 7 Sport is almost identical to the J7, save for the rather classy tan colour scheme. The only visible difference is the centre console, which features buttons surrounding the futuristic gearlever (replacing the J7’s rotary drive mode selector) and horizontal instead of vertical cupholders – oddly making the car look less like a Land Rover inside.
The Tiggo 7 Sport will reportedly be powered by either the J7’s 197 PS/290 Nm 1.6 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine (shared with the Tiggo 7 Pro) or the Tiggo 8 Pro’s 256 PS/390 Nm 2.0 litre mill. These are mated to a seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission and an eight-speed automatic respectively.
Perhaps the Tiggo 7 Sport will provide some inspiration to Jaecoo J7 buyers in Malaysia. After all, this is a country where fake BMW M cars, Honda Civic Type Rs and Lexus LMs run rampant, and certain SUV owners have already put Land Rover-style lettering above their grilles, so this is not exactly a stretch. Expect these front ends to be everywhere once the conversion kits end up on Taobao.
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