Finally, the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro is officially launched in Malaysia. We’ve showed you the C-segment SUV rival to the Proton X70 in full more than once now, but there was a missing jigsaw piece – the price. So, here you go – available in a single CKD locally assembled spec, the Tiggo 7 Pro retails for RM123,800 on-the-road without insurance. The RRP is a fair bit lower than the the ‘below RM130k’ estimate provided. The first 2,000 customers only pay RM119,800, which is rather shocking.
Clearly, the Tiggo 7 Pro’s outstanding point is the content for the money. With a RM123,800 price tag, it’s obvious that Chery has the Proton X70 (and other price-point rivals such as the Honda HR-V and Toyota Corolla Cross) in its sights. With the 1.8 TGDi now discontinued, the Geely Boyue-based X70 range tops out at RM126,800 with the 1.5 TGDi Premium X 2WD. But a facelift is just around the corner…
At 4,513 mm long, 1,862 mm wide and 1,696 mm tall, the Tiggo 7 Pro is six millimetres shorter, 31 mm wider and two millimetres taller than the X70, while its 2,670 mm wheelbase is identical to the Proton’s. Without a tape, the Chery looks wider than the Geely Boyue-based X70. The T7’s boot takes in 475 litres, and max volume is 1,672 litres with the rear seats folded.
The smaller Omoda 5 is a good in-house reference, as it’s now a common sight on Malaysian roads. Compared to the B-segment SUV, the Tiggo 7 Pro is 113 mm longer, 32 mm wider and 108 mm taller – all are significant margins. On the other end of the scale, the segment-up Tiggo 8 Pro with three rows of seating is 209 mm longer, although there’s not much difference in width and height (T7 is 2mm wider and 9mm shorter).
Compared to the bold-faced and low-slung Omoda 5, the Tiggo 7 looks more like a conventional SUV. The upright body sports an upswept window line and blacked-out D-pillars for the de rigueur ‘floating roof’ effect. While not as wild as the O5’s face, the T7 fascia is pretty bold with a large hexagonal grille housing diamond studs. The blue fins on the air inlets are pretty unique.
Elsewhere, you’ll also find slim LED headlights with sequential indicators, LED daytime running lights that are mounted low on the bumper, strong haunches on the rear of the profile and full-width LED taillights. What do you think of the Tiggo 7 Pro’s looks compared to the exuberance of the Omoda 5 and handsome big brother Tiggo 8 Pro?
Inside, the Tiggo 7 Pro follows the style of the Tiggo 8 Pro with a clean, minimalist dashboard. The centrepiece is a widescreen display panel with two 12.3-inch displays for the instruments and infotainment (Chery likes to brand this as a 24.6-inch dual-screen). Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and sound comes from an eight-speaker Sony system, as per the T8.
The cabin also features dual-zone climate control, a 50W wireless charger, 64-colour ambient lighting, keyless entry with walk-away auto lock, push-button start, six-way driver and four-way passenger powered seats, faux leather upholstery, panoramic glass roof, 360-degree camera system and a powered tailgate.
For trim, the T7 gets glossy mock carbon fibre instead of the matte wood in the T8. This, and the red brake calipers, seem like unnecessary ‘sporty’ cues on an SUV that’s not at all sporty to drive. But Malaysian carbuyers are known to like all things sporty, even on entry-level premium brand cars.
What’s also ‘sporty’ is the performance of the T7 off the line. Under the hood (and large plastic shield) is a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 197 hp and 290 Nm of torque. Drive is sent to the front wheels through a seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission. The 0-100 km/h time is 8.3 seconds and top speed is 205 km/h.
By the way, with last month’s update, all variants of the Proton X70 now come with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo engine with 177 PS/255 Nm. The 184 PS/300 Nm 1.8-litre turbo-four has been discontinued.
In the safety department, the Tiggo 7 Pro is fitted as standard with seven airbags, stability control and driver assists that include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, rear collision alert, blind spot monitoring with collision prevention, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake and auto high beam.
Colour options include Carbon Black, Platinum Grey, Nasdaq Silver and Khaki White with a black roof. Once again, the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro is priced at RM123,800 and the warranty is seven years or 150,000 km, plus five years of free labour service and seven years of free towing service. So, what do you think of the Tiggo 7 Pro’s design and package?
GALLERY: Chery Tiggo 7 Pro – Platinum Grey
GALLERY: Chery Tiggo 7 Pro – Khaki White
GALLERY: Chery Tiggo 7 Pro – Carbon Black
