Chery Tiggo 7 review

This is the area the Tiggo 7 looks of most value, with the perceived quality inside surprisingly high. Cheaper plastics are kept tucked out of view, there’s plentiful synthetic (but pleasing) leather and the switches respond well. The driving position feels good – the driver getting six-way electric adjustment as standard – and there’s reasonable room in the back for adults. All the mid-size crossover basics are ticked off and wrapped in a nicer material than you might expect. How shiny it’ll all look by the end of your three-year lease deal, who’s to say, but it makes a good first impression.

The 7 is also a mite more conventional than the larger Tiggo 8, keeping a gear selection blob in the centre console and therefore regular indicator and wiper stalks behind the wheel. Sadly most other tradition has been flung out the window, with other handy operations – like the climate controls – brought onto a touchpad that’s barely useable on the move. This is where those distraction alerts will start to bong as you try in vain to warm or cool the cabin quickly and get plonked on the naughty step as a result. 

The climate control in our test car also felt a tad reluctant at times – perhaps a byproduct of the ‘Pre-Production’ sticker on its dash, or a system that needs a bit of figuring out to discover its most effective mode. But when most other cars allow you to press Auto and forget about it, it strikes us as an area in need of a tad more development. Same goes for the single USB-A port for rear passengers, which now feels very outdated. Good luck managing the debate between two kids with depleted iPads.

Equipment is otherwise strong, whichever of the two spec levels you choose, as we’ll find out on the next page…