Before passing a test drive at a dealership, Ilya Chasovitin, director of the Primpress news agency, did not believe that a car from China might be of high quality.
– Horror stories regarding cars from the Middle Kingdom appeared as soon as the first “Chinese” came to the Russian market. After all, for a long time the term “Chinese car” was perceived more as a curse, and the owners justified the purchase with the only reason – the extremely low cost. Prices have skyrocketed since then, but what regarding quality?
– I, like many Primorye residents, had certain stereotypes regarding Chinese-made cars. There was a clear conviction that the automobile industry of the Celestial Empire might not be compared in quality with cars from Japan. And I tried to prove it to myself twice.
First I came to the dealership to see and touch the “lowest quality” that I was sure of. I remember when I even managed to wobble some piece of plastic on the body. At this he calmed down and left.
But then I began to read a lot regarding the Chinese auto industry and reviews of car owners from China. This revived my interest in them once more. That’s when I made my main “mistake” – I went for a test drive.
– That is, then you immediately felt that this handsome car in a week, month or year would not “bloom” and fall apart?
– I understood that I want to have this car literally following a kilometer of the way: Tiggo has an extremely thoughtful and functional interior. The crossover is simply “stuffed” with various digital technologies. In my opinion, its electronic instrument panel might decorate even more expensive cars. The main feature is a 3D all-round camera. In terms of quality and resolution, it is the best that I have seen before. Even those that are in the new Lexus.
Chic materials, you feel very comfortable in the car: everything is beautiful, everything glows. For such “chips” I fell in love with this car at first sight. My advice: this car should be bought in the maximum configuration. There is everything for fastidious drivers, including a huge panoramic roof.
– Tiggo 7 Pro is equipped with a 1.5-liter turbo engine with a capacity of almost 150 hp. With. The prefix “turbo” here declares liveliness, but practice confirms this?
– Oh yeah. I can be the first to take off from a traffic light in my car, and “fly into the hill”. An engine with such a small volume due to the turbine allows you to “do” this. Consumption on the highway is regarding 8–9 liters per hundred, and in the city with the stove or air conditioning turned on, it can reach up to 12 liters. Moreover, the crossover is front-wheel drive. When buying this moment, by the way, caused alarm. But since there was no task to conquer the dashing off-road, then the fears somehow came to naught. Operating experience confirmed this, even during periods of heavy snowfalls, he calmly got to work and back home along the streets of Vladivostok.
Once on Churkin there was a need to move off on a snow-covered slope. There were fears that the car would simply roll back. However, thanks to the auxiliary systems installed in the car, I overcame the obstacle. There was a feeling that the Chinese were sitting under the hood and moving the car uphill.
– Were there any breakdowns during the year of operation?
– I have been operating Tiggo for more than 12 months and I can say that this crossover is still strong. Breakdowns were not in principle. But there were, as I call them, characteristic Chinese “glitches”. For example, once the rear view camera did not turn on, the time on the clock was also reset once. In general, these are trifles. At the same time, I do not exclude that my ignorance of the operation of certain systems of the Chinese crossover might lead to such situations.
For a year of communication with other owners of Chery Tiggo 7 Pro in a special tg-channel, I know of several cases of defective radiators. However, dealers change this element without any problems under warranty, and the percentage of such defects is extremely low. Otherwise, no one reported major breakdowns due to the quality of the assembly and production of the car.
By the way, there was an interesting case involving spare parts. One day a friend posted a photo of the same car that had been in an accident. The body was badly damaged. Then we decided to calculate how much such a repair might cost. So, to our surprise, we found that spare parts are available, and their cost is lower than for some cars of the same class, but made in Japan.
– Will you advise the “Chinese” to people who are used to operating Japanese cars for decades?
– Complex issue. Still, there is some reason to worry regarding the reliability of the body, that it will not rust, although all Chinese manufacturers claim galvanization. “Pig in a poke” are also low-volume engines, a variator. How long their service life will take for a manufacturer’s warranty – only time will tell. But the fact that the Chinese auto industry has the right to be represented on Russian roads is a fact.
So you started the conversation with “horror stories” … Although the myths regarding Chinese cars today do not correspond to reality, there are definitely benefits from these “horror stories”. At least in the fact that Chinese manufacturers are putting a lot of effort into overcoming stereotypes. And for us, the buyers, it’s just right.
