Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
My wife Shawie and I, along with our kids Vette and Chevy, are always on the lookout for great deals. Whether it’s for professional, educational or personal use, we seldom buy on impulse and patiently wait for the right time to buy something. Our daughter Vette, particularly, is great at finding items on sale online at bargain prices and at the right time. We often bought some things at low prices, enjoyed these low-priced but high-quality items for a while, and then sold them at the same price or, in some cases, with a small, tidy profit.
We bought most our Power Wheels Magazine Project Cars at relatively low prices, worked on them, and then sold some of them later for a small, tidy profit. We’ve kept some of these project cars, though.
After we had a weeklong test drive with the Changan X7 Plus in 2024, Shawie took it upon herself to make the review and titled it “Rooting for the Underdog”. While I was editing her story, my wife softly sighed, “You know, it’s been a while since we had a 7-seat 3-row multi purpose vehicle (MPV) in our garage. When we go out with the whole family and take my mom and your mom with us, we cannot fit in our 4-door 5-seat family sedan. I really like the X7 Plus and I think we should consider it as one of our options when we’re ready to get a new family car.”
Our lady driver, Shawie Dizon, drove and wrote the review for the then-newly launched Changan X7 Plus in September 2024, nearly 2 years ago.
Two Years Later…
Shawie and I decided to wait until we drove other 7-seat 3-row vehicles before we will choose which one to buy. We went through a myriad of vehicles – from MPVs, crossovers, minivans and SUVs from Japanese, Korean, American, and Chinese car brands, as well as from gasoline and diesel engines, hybrids, (HEVs) plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and pure electric vehicles (BEVs). We also considered what our friends in the motoring industry might feel if we bought a vehicle from a competing brand. While we’re not out to please everybody, we’d like to be careful not to displease our close friends in the industry, especially those who we’ve known and respected for quite some time.
We-ve driven a lot of new vehicles before and after test-driving the Changan X7 Plus that it became quite difficult to pick one as our future family car.
Two years went by in a flash and we still haven’t decided yet. Our friends in the auto loans and car insurance businesses have already promised us good deals and are just waiting for us to pull the trigger but every time that we thought we were close to picking a vehicle, there would always be a new model or a new brand that would be introduced. With 70 car brands now in the Philippines, there are literally hundreds of vehicle models to choose from, which makes it even harder for me and Shawie to decide, especially since the newly-introduced model will have an advantage over the older ones.
Since 2024, we’ve driven a variety of new vehicles from hyper expensive EVs to popular SUVs and MPVs with PHEV or ICE power that caught our attention and captured our imagination.
Two For Two Times Two
Then, in early July, our good friend Ryan Bermudez, who’s now the Business Unit Director and Franchise Head of Changan Philippines offered to lend us their Changan X7 Plus test drive unit for a couple of days. When we picked up the MPV from the Changan corporate offices along C5 Road in Pasig City, Shawie and I felt a sudden whiff of déjà vu because that particular X7 Plus felt sort of familiar, like it was an old friend we haven’t seen in a while. It turned out that it was the exact media demo unit that we drove two years ago. And better still, we learned that it was listed for sale after being retired as a media demo unit.
What are the odds? This particular 2024 Changan X7 Plus with plate number NKS 8710 was the very same media demo unit that we test drove in September 2024.
A quick glance at the odometer showed that this particular X7 Plus had a little over 13,800 kilometers on it and a quick drive showed that everything works like it should. It still drives, feels, and smells like new except it has a couple of thousand miles under its belt. The best part is that the price of this two-year-old Changan has become even more accessible and more attuned to our budget. Shawie even joked that since I got myself a two-year-old Harley two years ago, I should get her a two-year-old MPV that we drove two years ago. “Two for two times two”, the math and numerology geek in me reasoned. It felt like it was destined to be.
My wife Shawie reasoned that since I got a 2-year-old Harley 2 years ago, I should get her a 2-year-old MPV that we test drove 2 years ago.
It’s a Great MPV, After All
Shawie’s review of the X7 Plus in 2024 shows how infatuated she was with this Changan MPV. She was amazed with its design, fit & finish, and overall dimensions. She loved its features including the Dynamic Surgeflo Grille, glossy paint finish, and large Hyper Blade-inspired 19-inch wheels that looked like a flower to her. She found that the X7 Plus has the elegance and prestige of a European crossover while the red accent along the lower part of the doors gave it a youthful and sporty attitude.
Shawie was amazed with ithe design, fit & finish, and overall dimensions of the X7 Plus, including the Dynamic Surgeflo Grille, glossy paint finish, and large 19-inch wheels that she said “looked like a flower”.
She loved its flexible seating arrangement, its 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, its smooth and quiet ride, and how the panoramic sunroof makes the cabin feel bright and airy. She found the X7 Plus quick and responsive especially since its 1.5-liter turbocharged 16-valve engine makes 185 horsepower and 300 Newton-meters of torque. She finds the shift points of its 7-speed double clutch transmission (DCT) smooth and almost seamless. And she particularly liked its 360º View Camera with built-in Drive Recorder that could be useful in case of a driving incident.
Shawie also loved its flexible seating arrangement, its 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, the panoramic sunroo and its smooth and quiet ride.
Safety Features A-Plenty
The Mechanical Engineer in me considers the X7 Plus’ technology and safety features as the “plus factors” that would sway me to purchase this Chinese MPV. First of all, it comes with an intelligent key fob that works with the Smart Keyless Entry and Push Button Start/Stop, and engages Remote Engine Start with the aircon on to cool the interior in times when the X7 Plus is parked under a hot sun. It’s equipped with Electronic Parking Brake with Autohold that automatically engages when Park is selected; as well as Hill Hold Control and Hill Descent Control to help keep the car steady when driving up or down an inclined road in heavy traffic.
She loved that the Changan X7 Plus is equipped with a lot of features that will help ensure the safety of our family on the road.
I like the 7-inch instrument cluster and the Tire Pressure Monitoring System, as much as I like the safety of having disc brakes on all four wheels with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD). Shawie may find the ISOFIX seats, PM 0.1-micron interior air filter and “Human-Machine Interface” geeky- and foreign-sounding but we both appreciate the 55-liter fuel tank and the X7 Plus’s fuel efficiency, which allows us to drive much farther between fill-ups.
I liked its ergonomic cockpit and the informative instrumentation that makes driving easier and more fun.
The Changan Alabang Alternative
From its original 2024 price of P1.399 Million, the price of “our” used blue X7 Plus has been reduced down to below a Million Pesos. My wife and I were about to literally root for the underdog – our former demo unit – when Ryan threw a monkey wrench in the works and asked us if we’d be more interested in a brand-new, never-been-used, never-been-titled Changan X7 Plus. Of course, the 2026 price has increased to P1.449 Million but Ryan confided in us that Changan Alabang has a special offer for the brand-new vehicles in their inventory.
Changan Alabang is located at The Serenity Place of Westgate Center in Alabang, Muntinlupa. You can see the dealership from Flinivest Avenue besides Conti’s Bakeshop & Restaurant.
The dealership is in a tall imposing structure with a high ceiling that directs light into the showroom for a more comfortable and relaxed viewing of the Changan models inside.
Changan Alabang is a complete 3S dealership with Sales, Service and Spare Parts departments to satisfy the varied requirements of their customers.
Without a second thought, Shawie and I drove to the West Gate compound where Changan Alabang is located and promptly got introduced to Sales Manager Joms Gallano and General Sales Manager Beth Flores by Ryan and Daryl Deita, one of Changan Philippines’ Regional Sales and Operations Managers assigned to the area. They confirmed that Changan Alabang could provide us with a special price for our own brand-new 2026 Changan X7 Plus. Shawie calculated that with that amount of substantial savings, we can get “our” new X7 Plus through financing and still free some funds for our business ventures.
There was a black Changan NEVO Hunter K50 REEV pickup truck and a white Changan NEVO Q05 plug-in hybrid compact crossover at the showroom waiting for their new owners.
There was another Changan NEVO Hunter K50 range extender electric (REEV) pickup truck plugged to the inhouse charging station that will be picked up by its new owner.
Eenie, Meenie, Minee, Moe…
While we were at Changan Alabang, we witnessed another brand-new Changan X7 Plus being released to a happy customer, Ralph Lindley L. Susa, who came to collect his brand new MPV with his family. After we got introduced to Mr. Susa, Shawie looked at me and I started to jingle the keys in my pocket. Yes, a brand-new MPV would be ideal since we would be the first owner on record and it would have all the warranties intact. Moreover, the projected depreciation would have already been covered by the substantial discount. Everything was beginning to nicely add up. Everything made sense.
We saw this sporty blue Changan X7 Plus with a big ribbon at the showroom and wondered if the blacked-out wheels and trim make it a “Black Edition”” or if it was modified at the new owner’s request.
We were fortunate to witness the new owner, Ralph Lindley L. Susa of Mandaluyong City, take delivery of his brand-new sporty 2026 Changan X7 Plus, while his family excitedly joined him.
We did not decide immediately, as we often do, but we actually wanted to reserve a brand-new 2026 Changan X7 Plus, just in case we do decide to pull the trigger. As we drove back home in our borrowed 2024 X7 Plus, Shawie and I suddenly got conflicting thoughts. Must we splurge on a brand new X7 Plus or spend wisely on a used one, especially one that we’ve driven two years ago and has been properly and meticulously maintained by the Changan Philippines? In both cases, the depreciation has already been covered and the only question is whether to get the brand-new one through financing or to cough up the cash outright for the used one. Oh, decisions, decisions…
Ralph Susa and his attending Changan Alabang sales representative shake hands as a symbolic turnover of his new 2026 Changan X7 Plus while Sales Manager Joms Gallano, General Sales Manager Beth Flores and the Ralph’s wife and her daughter look on.
Instead of the blue used Changan X7 Plus, we might consider a brand-new gray one. What do you think?
To avail of your own 2026 Changan X7 Plus at special prices, please visit Changan Alabang at The Serenity Place, Westgate Center, Filinvest Avenue, Muntinlupa, or call 0966 842 5624 to schedule a test drive. You’ll be glad you did.
