Just a few months from the first time I drove the Exeed VX, I happened to get behind the wheel of the all-new Exeed VX 2025 and it is indeed all-new and as with many Chinese models, it is tech-fitted to impress.
Designed to impress
A pronounced grille design is the first hello from the all-new Exeed VX – what they call a 3-dimensional grille. The Exeed VX 2025 looks like a well-equipped affordable midsize SUV from the outside and brings to mind the ‘value luxury’ 7-seater models like the Kia Telluride and its Hyundai counterpart, Palisade.
A spacious family SUV
The all-new Exeed VX 2025 is a mid-size crossover with full-size comforts. Just 3 cm short of 5 metres, the family SUV offers plenty of headroom and rear legroom, especially due to its 2900 mm wheelbase. So, even when the third row is up, the boot space is rather impressive and when folded down, it offers 461L of boot space and with the second row down, a useful 1908L. The cupholders on the console and the door-side pockets are all reasonably well spaced.
Exeed is a premium sub-brand from the stables of Chery and the interior is one up from the exterior. It signals a definite ‘premium’ in the flagship, wrapped up by the off-white leather seats and the plethora of comfort features.
Dimensions: 4970 x 1940 x 1795 mm Wheel base: 2900 mm
Tailormade luxury
The top trim bears the obvious title of ‘flagship’ with a 7-seater format but there is an ‘executive’ trim that differs only with respect to the seating – a captain’s seating format for 6 passengers. The entry level trim of the Exeed VX 2025 is called ‘luxury,’ speaking volumes about the model proposition itself. As for luxury (I mean opulence not the name) the seats offer not only massage, heating and ventilation functions but also the convenience of one-touch access to various comfort modes.
In ‘Baby mode’, the AC blower is turned down for increased cabin silence. ‘Queen mode’ sets priority to the front passenger seat, providing the co-passenger full recline comfort and maximum space (making the occupant feel like a queen is the cliché they have borrowed). ‘Nap mode’ allows all seats to be fully reclined except the driver’s seat, which joins the family once the car is parked. ‘Ventilation mode’ winds the windows down and sends the sunroof sliding back.
The seats slide back automatically once the car is stopped making it easier to step out. The opposite happens when the driver climbs in. Moreover, the driver’s preferred positioning of the seat and the side view mirrors can be selected and saved.
Cabin tech
Exeed VX cabin marks its tech with 3 screens that add up to 40.6 inches (brands love bragging about screen size) but one of those is for the passenger to make their choices. The VX also reserves bragging rights for its musical surround experience with a Lion Melody iFLYTEK 23-speaker sound system with headrest audio and noise cancellation.
The cockpit connectivity gains from a Qualcomm 8155 Chip and unlike most cabins, there are two wireless chargers. The wide central screen displays the navigation map, but some of the important instructions are relegated to the left of the screen with the steering wheel somewhat obscuring their view.
Electronic glitches seem to be inevitable these days and the VX too has its own, like some voice command activations. While “Hi! Exeed” seemed to wake up an assistant, many commands did not produce any direct results as a particular page had to be chosen first. Choosing stations by voice too was cumbersome but thankfully, physically sliding a finger brought up smooth response.
The doors lock and unlock in response to the key in your pocket as you walk towards or away from the car. As for the boot, popping open could be a great convenience when intended but can be irksome if you are simply hanging around the car just like that!
Driving notes
The all-new Exeed VX is driven by a 2.0L turbocharged engine, good for 245 hp delivered via an Aisin 8-speed transmission. The promised fuel economy was 13.6 kmpl and on a drive from Motor City to Sharjah, the trip metre clocked 13 km per litre at an average speed of about 65 kmph. However, the overall test drive figures stood at 8.8kmpl.
Sideview mirror settings should be adjusted only when the car is stationary but sometimes, minor adjustments become necessary on the drive. The controls are placed to the left of the steering in the lower dash, which ruins the possibility of doing this. Strangely, a slight distortion was noticed about the rear glass (when viewed through the rear-view mirror) though it didn’t really mar the vision.
Exeed VX delivers on the SUV expectations with a rather high driving position and an AWD with 7 driving modes. The VX comes with a BorgWarner VI All Terrain 4WD system, combined with exceptionally large 24” Michelin tyres for traction and stability. Which made it even more weird that, on uneven terrain, the VX had a quirk of seemingly tilting sideways – which could be unsettling just the first time. That said, the car remained stable even at higher speeds. While the car did make its size felt on manoeuvres, that did not interfere with the way the car handled. Anyway the all-new VX isn’t the sporty kind – it is a comfortable, luxurious ride filled with premium features.
Advanced Safety
The Exeed VX is equipped with 26 Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), and 10 ultra-large curtain airbags ticking multiple boxes of driver and passenger safety. Besides front, side and knee airbags, there is one that they call ‘intermediate’. Ample back-up comes from a ‘540-degree’ around view monitor for a vantage camera view. The speed limit assistance (SLA) feature is a clever way to avoid fines from over-speeding.
The essential Exeed VX
The all-new Exeed VX is available at AG Auto in the UAE in three model categories – luxury, flagship and executive. The price range of AED 154,999 – AED 170,000 seem to be surprisingly reasonable considering the bundle of comfort and safety features in the top trim. As the name for the base trim confirms, this Chinese produce is all about luxury.
