2021 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Review | Philkotse Philippines

The crossover segment in the Philippines has been growing since the emergence of Chinese car brands. Aside from having an attractive price tag, Chinese-made crossovers that are sold in the local market come with a unique design, notable performance, and improved built quality. 

One of the vehicles that prove that point is the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro, a five-seater compact crossover. The Tiggo 7 Pro is the latest addition to Chery Auto Philippines’ local model lineup. It was launched last January 2021, and it could be considered as the best-looking Chery in the local market yet. So, what can the Tiggo 7 Pro offer? Can it make you forget the stigma towards Chinese cars? Here’s a full review to help you answer that. 
 

The 2021 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro comes with a bold and striking exterior design. It has the right balance of aggressive character lines and distinctive design detail that gives the vehicle a classy look with a hint of swag. It also shows that Chery’s design language is headed in the right direction. 

2021 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro

The front end of the vehicle is fitted with slim LED headlights that are accented by blacked-out trims. The Tiggo 7 Pro’s headlight design sort of carries a sinister look especially when it’s viewed upfront. It also has an angular bumper that’s integrated with LED daytime running lights, giving the vehicle a muscular look. But what stands out the most is the Tiggo 7 Pro’s unique grille design, which creates a 3D-like appeal. The grille also gives an illusion that the Tiggo 7 Pro’s fascia is floating that adds to the overall classy exterior of the vehicle.

Euro car vibe

Turning at the side, the Tiggo 7 Pro has distinct character lines that give the vehicle a Euro car vibe. It also has prominent fender flares that add volume or thickness to the vehicle’s side profile. The thing I like most is the addition of black cladding since it complements well with the Teal exterior paint of the vehicle. It also comes with power-folding mirrors, roof rails, a set of 18-inch alloy wheels, and a ground clearance of 163mm.

The Tiggo 7 Pro has a well-composed stance

The 2021 Tiggo 7 Pro’s rear has a sleek design that’s highlighted by the wraparound LED taillights. The taillights are connected by a bar that makes it look like one single piece, another design detail that I like. It also has a spoiler with third brake light, a muscular bumper, and pseudo dual exhaust pipes. While it makes the rear of the vehicle sportier, I prefer to have those exhaust pipes functional.

The Tiggo 7 Pro’s interior has a premium vibe, and the classy exterior look is extended into the vehicle’s cabin. It features design elements you usually see on high-end or luxury cars, which is a plus considering its price point.

The Tiggo 7 Pro has a neat dashboard layout

The dashboard is filled with soft-touch materials, which is a common feature among Chinese-made crossovers available in the market today. It also comes with ambient lights that react to music. Yes, this car has a funky side to it. You’ll also appreciate the seamless design integration of the dashboard and the center console, which gives the cabin a straightforward and modern layout. 

Placed right at the center is the 10.25-inch infotainment system, which is in a floating type design. The Tiggo 7 Pro’s also equipped with Mercedes-like touchscreen climate controls that add to the vehicle’s overall premium-like cabin. But, it takes quite a bit of getting familiar with it since it’s quite difficult to locate and adjust the fan speed when you’re driving.   

The steering wheel is wrapped in leather, which is nice to grip. It is also integrated with buttons for the audio, phone, and cruise control. It has tilt & telescopic adjustment, which makes it easier for you to set it in your most preferred position. The Tiggo 7 Pro also has leather seats. Of note, the front seats come with a power adjustment.  

The panoramic sunroof adds flavor to the interior

Chery also wanted to make the Tiggo 7 Pro’s cabin a modern one. As such, it comes with an electronic gear shifter, an electronic parking brake, and an auto brake hold. To add flavor to the interior, it also has a panoramic sunroof. These features are also seen in one of the Tiggo 7 Pro’s rivals, the Geely Azkarra.

Look at that space

The rear seats offer generous leg- and head-room, which is one of the selling points of the Tiggo 7 Pro. The rear seats can accommodate up to three individuals. For maximum comfort, having two individuals standing 5’8” at the back is most recommended. More importantly, the rear cabin comes with aircon vents behind the center glove box.

It comes with a power tailgate

You can easily fit an assortment of items in the Tiggo 7 Pro’s cargo. Chery says it has 475 liters of cargo space when the rear seats are up. It can accommodate a week’s supply of groceries, three to four medium-sized luggage, a baby stroller, three ice coolers, among many others. Of note, this crossover is also equipped with a power tailgate. 
 

The 2021 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro is equipped with several tech and safety features considering its price point. This vehicle comes with an N95 cabin air filter, which filters out viruses and bacteria. It also has a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen that’s integrated with Apple CarPlay and Mirror Link for Android Auto.

Seamless smartphone integration

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto allow you to connect your smartphone to the infotainment screen via a USB port. It will be activated by simply plugging in your phone’s charger cable to the USB port. You can access Spotify, Waze, Messages, among others using the vehicle’s touchscreen. 

360-degree view camera

The Tiggo 7 Pro’s touchscreen doubles as a reverse camera, which comes in handy when you’re parking the vehicle. Aside from a reverse camera, it also comes with a 360-degree view camera. The said feature helps to make your drives safer especially when you need to drive through tight streets or spaces. It does however turn off automatically as the vehicle start to gain speed.

One of the features that you’ll appreciate in the Tiggo 7 Pro is its wireless mobile charging, placed beside the electronic gear shifter. You can charge your smartphone by simply placing it on top of the charging pad. In case your phone is not compatible with the wireless charging pad, there’s a USB charging port. On the other hand, this vehicle also has a 7-inch digital instrument cluster.

In terms of safety, the Tiggo 7 Pro is equipped with driver and front passenger airbags as well as front side airbags. It also has an anti-lock brake system with electronic brake-force distribution, electronic stability control, emergency brake assist, traction control, hill assist, and descent control, and tire pressure monitoring system. Plus, of course, front and rear sensors that go with the 360-degree view camera.

The Tiggo 7 Pro is powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that delivers 145 hp and 210 Nm of torque. The engine is connected to a continuously variable transmission with 9 simulated gears. It also has two drive modes: Eco, and Sport.   

2021 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro is powered by a 1.5-liter gasoline engine

The engine delivers adequate power. It accelerates well and gives you enough power to drive through uphill roads with ease. The power and acceleration of the Tiggo 7 Pro’s engine also give you confidence when you need to overtake slower vehicles. But the thing that I like most about the Tiggo 7 Pro is its smooth transmission, which gives you a relaxed driving experience. I also find it better as compared to the six-speed dual-clutch transmission found on the Chery Tiggo 8.     

The Tiggo 7 Pro also comes with a light steering feel, which is beneficial when you’re driving within the city as it can lessen driver fatigue significantly. It also allows you to park the vehicle without a sweat. In addition, it responds well even to minimal driver inputs but I wish that it gets firmer than it is when driven at highway speeds. 

The Chery Tiggo 7 has a striking front end

In terms of ride comfort, the Tiggo 7 Pro gives you a pleasurable ride. It can absorb road impacts within reason, which results in a comfortable drive. It’s also stable when driven on the open highway while outside noise is reduced to a minimum.     

The 2021 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro comes with two driving modes: Eco, and Sport. As expected, the Eco mode gives you a tamed and relaxed drive. On the other hand, the Sport mode delivers a more exciting drive as the engine shifts at higher RPMs. The Sport mode also gives you a better throttle response. 
 

The Chery Tiggo 7 Pro registered a fuel economy of 9 km/l while I was driving around the city at an average speed of 40 km/h. Out on the open highway, I was able to get 15.4 km/l while driving at an average speed of 90 km/h.

The Tiggo 7 Pro is indeed a vehicle that can make you forget the stigma towards Chinese cars. It comes with a stunning exterior design, a premium-like interior layout, a notable engine performance, and a bunch of tech and safety features. This vehicle clearly shows that Chinese cars have gone a long way, and have improved significantly when it comes to design and overall built quality. 

2021 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro

The 2021 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro is priced at Php 1,198,000, which undercuts the top-spec variants of its segment rivals such as the Geely Azkarra (Php 1,598,000) and the MG RX5 (Php 1,298,000). Of note, the Tiggo 7 Pro and other Chery vehicles for sale in the Philippines come with the following: a 10-year Engine warranty, a five-year General Vehicle warranty, a three-year Preventive Maintenance package, and a three-year Roadside Assistance.    

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