Exeed VX 2024 Review – International

The 2024 Exeed VX kicks off at the equivalent of a competitive $52,590 in the United Arab Emirates, which means you get a lot of metal and kit for your money. Even the bells-and-whistles-laden Black Gold range-topper is priced at a keen $60,730.

Measuring a tad under 5m long, the VX is offered solely in all-wheel drive, seven-seat format in the UAE, so it could conceivably be considered an alternative to the likes of the Hyundai Palisade, Mazda CX-90 and even large SUVs from luxury brands like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The 2024 Exeed VX comes loaded with more standard kit than any of its direct rivals as the entry variant is equipped with 19-inch alloys, LED headlights, panoramic sunroof, three-zone air-conditioning, two-tone leather upholstery, six-way power-adjustable seats, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch infotainment screen, head-up display, driving recorder camera, passive entry and start, eight-speaker Sony sound system, wireless phone charging and a multifunction steering wheel.

The range-topping Black Gold flagship adds some notable extra goodies, including 20-inch alloys, premium leather trim, eight-way power-adjustable seats and front parking sensors.

The 2024 Exeed VX scored a five-star C-NCAP rating in 2021, when it was ranked first among all seven-seat medium and large SUVs tested since the introduction of China’s latest safety testing regime in 2018.

The Exeed’s comprehensive quota of active and passive safety features were cited as a key contributor to the vehicle’s impressive test results.

Standard safety features in the base model include front, side and curtain airbags, rear parking sensors, hill-descent control, hill-start assist, 360-degree camera, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, rear cross-traffic alert, rear-collision warning, front-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, traffic-jam assistance and traffic sign recognition.

The 2024 Exeed VX is underpinned by the brand’s M3X Mars monocoque platform, which premiered at Auto China 2020.

Billed as a new-age architecture that can be adapted to a variety of vehicle types in a range of sizes, in the VX the M3X platform houses a transverse-mounted 2.0-litre turbo engine, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Drive is relayed to all four wheels via a BorgWarner torque-on-demand AWD system, so the Exeed VX is a ‘soft-roader’ rather than a bona-fide all-terrain vehicle.

Propulsion for the 2024 Exeed VX comes from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine produced by Chery’s ACTECO engine division.

Outputs of 183kW and 400Nm are decent numbers for a 2.0-litre powerplant, but the F4J20 unit makes heavy weather of shifting the 1.9-tonne SUV. The engine has little in the way of low-down grunt, so you need to get the revs past at 2500rpm to get the VX moving briskly (or as close to brisk as it gets).

The seven-speed dual-clutch auto goes about its work unobtrusively, but it’s calibrated for early upshifts in the chase for fuel economy. This exacerbates the vehicle’s sluggish demeanour.

Exeed quotes an overall consumption figure of 8.4L/100km, but we’d suggest a more achievable figure in real-world conditions would be in the 12-14L/100km range.

The 2024 Exeed VX is a pleasant if unexciting wagon to drive.

First the plus points: it lopes along in relative comfort and refinement for the most part, and the cockpit ambience is top-notch (more on this later).

That said, the Exeed’s suspension doesn’t seem capable of reacting fast enough to sharp corrugations or large speed humps, so it’s best to wipe off as much speed as possible if you see either of these looming ahead.

Road and wind noise are generally well suppressed, although you will notice some rustling from around the A-pillars at highway speeds.

As touched on earlier, the 2.0-litre turbo engine seems overworked in hauling around the 1.9-tonne VX, and pronounced turbo lag means there’s a distinct flat spot when you floor the throttle. You need to wait a couple of seconds before revs build and the motor gets into its sweet spot.

The seven-speed dual-clutch auto is also calibrated for lazy upshifts at relatively low revs, so you may opt to overcome this by using the manual shift paddles if your aim is to extract more spirited performance.

Truth be told, the VX is an SUV that’s happiest when you’re trundling along in sedate fashion. Somewhat woolly steering and roly-poly handling are deterrents to hustling the big wagon across winding country roads, so it’s far better to go into cruise mode and bask in the Exeed’s opulent and well-appointed living quarters.

The 2024 Exeed VX isn’t conceived as an off-roader and it doesn’t make too many pretences about this fact as there aren’t any gimmicky knobs with different terrain modes or any manual controls for the AWD system.

There’s also the fact the range-topping model rides on 20-inch rims with road-biased 245/45R20 Continental tyres, so this vehicle is pitched squarely at urban warriors who are unlikely to do anything more arduous than the school run, shopping expedition or daily schlep to office and back.

The first-class cabin is undoubtedly the 2024 Exeed VX’s trump card, as the plush cockpit wouldn’t look out of place in a premium German offering.

The 12.3-inch digitised instrument cluster and 12.3-inch infotainment screen are both housed within a Mercedes-esque rectangular panel that sits atop the dashboard and the high-resolution screens are easy to read at a glance.

That said, navigating through the various infotainment screen menus isn’t always as intuitive as it could be.

We like the fact that there are physical twist knobs and buttons for the HVAC settings, and there’s also a twist knob for the audio volume.

Exeed’s designers have made good use of faux wood and metal trim throughout the cabin, while the quilted leather seat trims also look good – apart from being comfortable to perch in.

The second-row seats are also comfy and adequately spacious, but the third-row pews are only fit for the junior brigade as they’re cramped and not easy to access.

Cargo capacity is also not great for a vehicle that’s 4970mm long and 1940mm wide as you get a modest 461 litres to play with by folding down the rear seats. Exeed doesn’t even quote a luggage capacity figure with all seven seats in place; it’s basically just enough for one suitcase.

For the time being, the question of whether or not you should buy a 2024 Exeed VX remains a hypothetical one as parent company Chery is yet to commit to bringing its premium SUV brand in Australia.

The VX isn’t scintillating to drive and nor does it set any class benchmarks for dynamics or refinement. That said, it’s acceptably good in these departments, and it compensates for any dynamic shortcomings via its superbly appointed cabin and top-notch overall fit and finish.

When you factor in the vehicle’s keen pricing on a spec-for-spec basis, the Exeed VX stacks up as a pretty good value purchase. It may not be the most accomplished seven-seat SUV out there, but you certainly do get plenty of metal and mod-cons for your money.

2023 Exeed VX at a glance:
Price: From $52,620 (in UAE)
Available: TBC
Powertrain: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 183kW/400Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission
Fuel: 8.4L/100km (WLTC)
CO2: NA
Safety rating: Five-star (C-NCAP 2021)

Related: Chery commits to $20 billion in R&D investment