2025 Exeed TXL: First Impression

Exeed was established in 2017 as a premium arm of Chery Automobiles and with the sole purpose of manufacturing SUVs. By partnering with Al Ghurair Motors, the Chinese automaker first unveiled the Exeed TXL in the UAE in July 2023. At present, this premium midsize crossover is one of four Exeed models on sale in the market.

Prospective buyers in the UAE have three options of the 2025 Exeed TXL: Comfort, Luxury, and Flagship. These variants have a starting price of AED 104,999, AED 109,999, and AED 119,999, respectively. The company is also providing customers of the Exeed TXL with a 7-year/200,000-kilometre manufacturer warranty.

Exterior

Like many other compact crossovers in the market, the design of the Exeed TXL is more or less derivative. The styling offers expected modernity permeated with just enough sharp creases and bodylines to keep the car from looking jaded. However, the overall silhouette and roofline of the TXL is comparable to some of its rivals.

A couple of interesting features here include the pronounced kink in the rear window line and the powder-coated 20-inch aluminium wheels. The front gets a tall multi-slatted grille, vertical LED foglights, and a faux skid plate – all garnished in silver trim. There is also a piano black trim sandwiched between two projector LED headlights.

The hood and side panels of the Exeed TXL are contoured with prominent bulges. You will find the relatively long sides of the crossover sporting body cladding and chrome, with designer rails on the roof. The rear of the TXL has LED taillights with a center LED strip, a stylish roof spoiler, and fake exhausts finished in silver.

The 2025 Exeed TXL has a wheelbase of 2,800 mm while being 4,780 mm long, 1,890 mm wide, and 1,730 mm tall. There are six color options available for UAE customers: Aviation Silver, Auroral Green, Havana Gray, New Carbon Crystal Black, New Khaki White, and Venetian Blue.

Interior

Where some markets get the Exeed TXL with 7 seats, the model sold in the UAE gets only 5 seats. While this might be a bummer for some, others will appreciate the immense knee-room that this configuration liberates in the back. Of course, the 2.8-meter-long wheelbase helps open up space as well.

The cabin can be had with either a warm Black/Brown or a cool Gray/Beige tone. The latter arguably looks more elegant, and feels airier & calmer – the large windows and the panoramic sunroof certainly help. The sense of perceived quality is high throughout this interior, featuring Nappa leather seats with contrast stitching, diamond patterns, and Alcantara-type inserts.

It is easy to find a comfortable position in the TXL as the seats can be adjusted in a variety of ways. The rear seats can be folded with a 60:40 split, allowing longer items to be carried with ease. There are hidden storage cubbies in the center console, while the doors offer reasonably-sized cubbies too.

Things like the sleek air vents, slim LED strips, textured dash & door pads, metallic trim – have all been executed well. The three HVAC dials look & feel premium and stick out above the 50-watt wireless charging pad. The fashionable twin-spoke steering wheel boasts multiple design elements plus touch-sensitive buttons, though their execution feels lacking.

The TXL’s digital space is occupied by two 12.3-inch screens housed inside a curved panel. One forms the digital driver’s display while the other is a touch-infotainment unit – the latter gets a few physical shortcut buttons. Its so-called ‘Lion System’ is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 SoC and integrates GPS navigation plus Android Auto & Apple CarPlay.

The TXL has a powered tailgate, a 14-speaker audio system, voice recognition, a cool box, multi-zone climate control, plus front & rear seat cooling. It also gets an engine stop/start system, automatic LED headlights, powered ORVMs with memory function, and an air purification system.

Engine and performance

The 2025 Exeed TXL comes with 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter turbo-four petrol engines in the UAE. Their peak power output sits at 192 hp & 290 Nm and 245 hp & 400 Nm, respectively. The smaller engine is matched with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission while the larger one uses a conventional 8-speed automatic.

A front-wheel-drive configuration is standard with both powertrains, though all-wheel drive is available with the 2.0-liter engine. The latter uses a BorgWarner AWD system that distributes the torque 50/50 between the front and rear axles. The TXL gets four terrain modes: Mud, Sand, Snowfield, and Off-Road. There are three drive modes too – namely Eco, Standard, and Sports.
The TXL 2.0T has a top speed of 200 kmph, reaching 100 kmph in 8 seconds. The TXL 1.6T takes two seconds longer to hit 100 kmph, with its top speed being 185 kmph. Meanwhile, the fuel consumption ranges from 16.6 kmpl or 6.0 L/100 km (1.6T) to 12.5 kmpl or 8.0 L/100 km (2.0T).

Despite lacking any type of adaptive dampers, the Exeed TXL’s on-road manners should keep things at an even keel. It still has fully independent front and rear suspension, which usually work their charms in urban settings. Regardless of its ‘terrain modes’, this is a soft-roader through and through.

Safety

Where the 2025 Exeed TXL does not go soft is on the safety front – it is packing lots of kit! There are the usuals like 6 airbags, traction control, stability control, hill-start assist, TPMS, parking sensors, and a reversing camera. Alongside those are a dashcam, hill-descent control, driver fatigue detection, and automatic window defogging.
Exeed has also added several ADAS features to the TXL’s safety repertoire. There is adaptive cruise control, forward & rear emergency braking, lane-departure warning & assist, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive high beams, automatic parking assist, etc. Most (if not all) of the basic ADAS tech can be availed even in the base variant of the TXL.

Conclusion

The 2025 Exeed TXL is a surprisingly well-packaged crossover SUV that offers decent performance and adequate ride comfort. Its equipment list is extensive and caters to almost all demographics in the market, leaving almost no stone unturned. Moreover, the cabin is easily plush and comfy enough for a car costing around 120,000 dirhams.

However, the relatively unheard-of nature of this brand would keep some buyers away for the time being. While Chinese automakers have gained plenty of ground in the UAE in recent years, some are just better established. Its price tag and features aside, what could sway buyers in the TXL’s favor is its generous warranty period.

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