Motor Torque with David Berthon Radio 2GB

Driving Chery’s Tiggo 7 Pro SUV – available in three 1.6-litre turbo seven-speeddual clutch automatics – I tested the mid-spec Elite front wheel drive at $39,990drive-away and the top grade Ultimate all-wheel-drive at $43,990 drive-away –both stacked with features a panoramic sunroof, power tailgate, 360 degreecamera, power front seats and 18 smart driver assistance systems – all in acomfortable roomy five seat cabin with good luggage capacity, better thanaverage build quality five star safety, a seven-year/unlimited km warranty and lowservice costs. But that’s where the good points stop. The drive experienceaverage at best with noticeable turbo lag, a hesitant transmission and anunderdone suspension tune with inadequate damping and above average fuelconsumption. Chinese cars as a rule simply lack driving finesse – yes, they havelots of features, in this case 18 smart driver assist elements but they are nottuned to our market requirements and some features like lane keep assist, driverattention alert and speed zone recognition simply drive you crazy. Also drivingconditions here are different to crowded Chinese cities – our traffic is fastermoving, and we require better driving dynamics and suspension tune. The CheryTiggo 7 Pro SUV offers good value but that’s where the buying equation stops.
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Driving the new Chery Tiggo 7 Pro SUV today. Chery’s initial arrival here underan importer was marred by an asbestos recall and poor safety scores and iteventually left our market. However, after an absence of eight years it relaunchedlate last year as a factory backed franchise with the small Chery Omoda 5 SUV.The Chery Tiggo 7 Pro, and goodness knows where they got that name from, ismarginally bigger to the Omoda 5. Three models – 1.6-litre turbo seven-speedautomatic - the Urban and Elite, both front drive, and in the Ultimate in all-wheel-drive. In a highly competitive SUV market, all three have already been discounted- the Urban by $3,000 to $36,990 drive-away, the Elite and Ultimate modelsreceiving a $2,000 factory bonus - $39,990 and $43,990 drive-away respectively.The Tiggo Pro 7 achieved a five-star ANCAP safety rating and comes with aseven-year/ unlimited km warranty, very well supported with low service costs of$840 over three years. And it’s stacked with 18 active drive assist features and aload of comfort and convenience equipment – I tested both the front drive Eliteand all-wheel drive Ultimate. Despite their outstanding value the drive experiencesimply disappointing. Details next segment.
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I’m always amazed at the sentiment still shown for Holden despite the GeneralMotors brand ceasing local manufacture in 2017 and leaving altogether in 2020.Its easy to forget the Holden brand in 1958 held 50.3 percent of our total carmarket. So, it was sad news for Holden fans when the Echuca National HoldenMotor Museum closed its doors for the final time on April 15. Burns and Co.Auctions are selling off many desirable models and rare Holden parts andparaphernalia over two days May 18 and 19 – the auction house claiming manyitems were rescued from Holden manufacturing plants and dealerships – modelsinclude many famous nameplates FX, FJ, HR, HK Monaro, HQ Sandman, Torana,HQ GTS Monaro 350 Coupe and Brougham, HSV 90 Statesman plus a very rare HJStatesman Coupe.
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In the three months to March 31 petrol electric hybrid vehicles (or HEV’s) andbattery electric vehicles (BEV’s) continue to gain sales traction however HEVsremain the more popular choice representing nearly 12 percent of the market. Onthe other hand, sales of pure electric BEV’s in the quarter reached just 8.7percent share. Plug in hybrid vehicles or PHEV’s are clearly not in favour andonly gained 1.17 percent of the market. In the last 12 months we’ve seen anumber of new battery electric BEV’s reach our market putting pressure on pricesand most are now offering substantial discounts and bonuses to gain salestraction. Just where the total electrified market will reach is still anyone’s guess,but it’s clear hybrids are seen as the best compromise for now.
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I spoke earlier of the Maserati Grecale Trofeo SUV – the flagship of the threemodel Grecale range at $206,000 drive-away. Distinguished over the two lowergrades by four drive modes instead of three, height adjustable adaptive airsuspension, an electronic diff lock and larger brakes. What is surprising by thissomewhat conservatively styled SUV is how it can be driven on a light throttle ina very relaxed manner and the next minute offer a simply staggering performance– long legged it cruises effortlessly yet tap its potent 3.0-litre turbo engine and itsbecomes an absolute driver’s joy, a Maserati as you might imagine –a push itslimits and it hugs the road in a way that inspires confidence – the Trofeo has afourth drive mode called Corsa, a full race mode if you like, which sharpensthrottle and gear shift response, reduces the ride height and tweaks the stabilityand traction control systems for more driver control. The performance elementsof this Maserati SUV are as good as it gets if not better while the interior andtouchscreen are a standout, just so classy with premium leather– yes, theappearance is little subdued, and the gear selection is somewhat awkward, but I’dhave a yellow one in a heartbeat – I just need to find $206,000 which may prove aproblem. Warranty, three-years/unlimited km.
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Driving Maserati’s top seller, the Grecale SUV, now representing 75 per cent ofthe Italian sports manufacturers sales. In three models from $135,700 drive-away,starting with the GT, the Modena, then the flagship Trofeo, Italian for Trophy,which I’m driving today. The styling a little non-descript, perhaps lacking the flareyou expect from Maserati but it’s all about performance, this really is a real wolfin sheep’s clothing. Powered by a 3.0-litre turbo V6, a detuned version ofMaserati’s MC20 supercar. Not surprisingly, 0 to 100km. takes just 3.8-seconds.Lower Grecale grades offer three drive modes, Comfort, GT and Sport, the Trofeoadds Corsa mode and also gains height adjustable adaptive air suspension, anelectronic diff lock and larger brakes. Step into the Grecale Trofeo and your metwith a beautifully executed and finished interior. As you’d expect for $206,000 itbreathes luxury in a very classy way with premium leather, carbon-fibre elementsand 14-way power seats – simply fabulous instrumentation and centre screenwith great functionality but the push button gear selection is awkward and fiddly.Aside from this and a three-year warranty I came away from the Maserati GrecaleTrofeo with nothing but admiration for its performance – I’ll explain in my nextsegment.
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