By Otsile Kadiege

After recently debuting at this year’s Festival of Motoring, the updated Chery Tiggo 7 Pro range is officially on sale in SA. New to the fairly popular SUV is new technologies, an updated exterior and interior design as well as styling, and an all-wheel drive drivetrain.

Exterior updates

On the outside, Chery has done some noticeable changes to the front-end of the Tiggo 7 Pro’s design. These changes include a bold, new grille boasting an intensely accentuated diamond pattern, a redesigned front bumper with blue accents and new “Angel Wings” LED headlights.

In profile, the 2WD Tiggo 7 Pro is shod with 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, with an elegant deep-dish pattern and the all-wheel drive model flaunts an even larger 19-inch rim. Nothing has changed at the rear. Highlights include an LED light strip and a power tailgate.

Interior updates

Inside is where most of the changes took place. The radically redesigned interior oozes luxury and modernity. The design and tech used in the updated model are identical to the updated Tiggo 8 Pro Max. Updates include a massive 24.6-inch curved hyperboloid immersive screen that provides an ultra-high-definition display. This screen is the hub for information including climate controls, and a wealth of entertainment options, including wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, offering an advanced level of connectivity and convenience.

Other noteworthy updates include the redesigned dashboard with touch sensitive panel for climate and media control, door panels with premium-looking styling, a center console with a newly designed gear lever and drive mode rotary dial, a newly designed multifunctional flat-bottom steering wheel, an 8-speaker Sony sound system, enhanced air conditioning system, equipped with N95-level (pm 2.5) air purification capabilities and lastly sporty bucket seats which look similar to those found in the Omoda C5.

Safety and driver assistance systems

The updated Tiggo 7 Pro Max comes equipped with a comprehensive suite of standard safety features. These include 8 airbags (6 airbags as standard), ABS brakes and electronic stability control. The Executive derivative raises the bar further with its level 2.5 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The ADAS system in this model introduces an array of 17 intelligent safety features. These features include Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Rear Collision Warning (RCW), Driver Monitoring System (DMS), Multi-Collision Brake (MCB) and Lane Change Assist (LCA).

Powertrain

Powering the Tiggo 7 Pro Max is a 1.6 TGDI turbo-petrol ATECO engine developing 145kW/290Nm and is paired with a dual wet clutch seven-speed DCT transmission. As mentioned above, there’s now a choice between a 2WD or an AWD Tiggo 7 Pro.

Pricing and warranty

Tiggo 7 Pro Max Distinction 2WD – R529,900

Tiggo 7 Pro Max Executive 2WD – R559,900

Tiggo 7 Pro Max Executive AWD – R609,900

Every model comes with a 5-year / 60,000 km service plan, along with Chery’s renowned 1-million-kilometre / 10-year engine warranty.