Chery Tiggo 4 vs Peugeot 208

What's the difference?

Chery’s explosive growth in Australia has been thanks to its range of affordable SUVs in some of Australia’s most in-demand categories.

Lately the brand has been expanding into the most in-demand segment of them all - hybrids. To that end, the Tiggo 4 Hybrid seems to tick a lot of boxes.

It’s relatively affordable, looks modern and offers plenty of features. Plus, unlike other Chery hybrids, it’s not a plug-in.

However, to see why I found the Tiggo 4 Hybrid a little disappointing - read on.

In a world of cheap, popular and well-specified Japanese and Korean small hatchbacks, it’s easy to forget the humble French cars that once helped define the segment.

They’re still around, though. You’ve probably seen a few Renault Clios, you might not have seen the tragically underrated new Citroen C3, and there’s at least a chance you’ve seen one of these – the Peugeot 208.

This iteration of the 208 has been around in one form or another since 2012 and is due to be replaced by a second-generation model in the near future.

So, should you consider the aging 208 in a busy market segment? I spent a week behind the wheel of the second-from-the-top GT-Line to find out.