Chery Tiggo 7 vs Audi S1

What's the difference?

Is the Chery Tiggo 7 just cheap, or is it cheerful too?

Well, not only does this plug-in hybrid break new ground for pricing, but it’s more than a one-trick-pony with a cleverly-tuned hybrid drivetrain that saves fuel, even when the battery is depleted.

The Tiggo 7 still needs work in some areas, from the average software, to the spongy driving dynamics, but there’s no denying this SUV will put the pressure on its rivals.

Which variant would I pick? Actually I’d probably splash the extra cash for the Tiggo 8 plug-in, which seems slightly better at everything and is physically more car for not a lot of extra outlay.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

Cars this small shouldn't be this fast and useable at the same time, but the Audi S1 is. It isn't without its problems - the ride is harder even than the Fiesta ST which might weary some prospective buyers.

It's also a bit difficult to justify the price - in its basic form it's missing a few creature comforts that you'd expect in a $50,000 car - reversing camera, high-res screen, that sort of thing.

However, in the hot hatch world, those things don't matter. It has the bragging rights, the tech and the outright blinding speed to take on the bonkers Focus ST and equally zany Megane RS. And even the Audi S3.

The Tiggo 7 hybrid sticks to the combustion car’s relatively tame styling. Chery hasn’t followed rivals like BYD, MG, and Kia down the track of having more extreme designs, instead choosing something that will appeal to many people. It still has a glitzy grille, big wheels, and a contemporary light bar across the tailgate, but maintains a pretty standard boxy visage.

It’s even difficult to tell the plug-in hybrid apart from the combustion car, with the main differences being the more aerodynamic wheel designs, and a different and more sleek light-bar piece across the rear.

The inside is much the same story, looking nearly identical to the combustion version. 

If you look closely, you’ll see the lack of an ignition button, because you just put your foot on the brake to start the car, but other than that it’s a familiar and contemporary synthetic-leather-clad space.

If anything there’s an element of Mercedes worship, with the door trims, switchgear, and even dual-panel screen layout looking like an homage to something like an A-Class.

Again, it shoots for mass appeal rather than choosing to make a statement on design direction, and for many will be nice enough.

The A1 is so small it starts to strain Audi's design language. When you cram on the S-style bumpers and raccoon-eyed trim on the hatchback, it's starts to look a bit busy.

It isn't quite a shrink-wrapped A3 - Ingolstadt's designers know better than that - but it's full of Audi design cues, such as the strong, light-catching character lines, distinctive LED daytime running lights and fondness for big wheels.

Inside is along the themes of the A3, with what are becoming Audi's trademark; round eyeball air-con vents, the manual fold-down screen familiar to Q3 owners (but smaller) and a good clear dash. The handbrake jars slightly as it feels cheap to hold and wobbles a bit.

The S Sport seats are big and comfortable, and the top half of the backs are capped in plastic, which was colour-coded on our car. The rear passengers will certainly get an eyeful of whatever terrifying hue you've chosen, so choose wisely.

Despite the five doors, the back seats are occasionals, like the Mini the A1 is gunning for, and the boot is very small, but okay for shopping for couples or singles.

Starting at $49,900, Audi S1 is by far the priciest of the small-hatch based hotties, at least until Mini's madcap JCW arrives. This price is just almost double that of VW stablemate's forthcoming 2015 Polo GTI.

Standard on the manual-and-five-door-only S1 is a ten speaker stereo, climate control, ambient lighting, remote central locking, cruise control, satnav, headlight washers, auto headlights with xenon low beams, partial leather seats, leather-bound steering wheel, auto wipers and rear parking sensors.

Our Misano Red ($990 option) came with two extra packs. The Quattro Exterior Package ($3990) adds bi-xenon headlights with red trim, red brake calipers, spoiler, quattro logos on rear doors (ahem!) and five-spoke 18-inch alloys that are part matt black, part polished.

The Quattro Interior Package ($2490) adds S Sport front seats with Nappa leather and red backrest capping with quattro logo (ugh), more nappa around the cabin with contrast stitching, flat bottom steering wheel and red rings on the air vents.

There's an S Performance Package that brings the best of these two packs together for $4990, saving about $1500 and the embarrassment of the quattro logos.

Our test car also had aluminium air vents ($220), black contrasting boot lid ($300) and black roof ($720).

The A1 is so small it starts to strain Audi's design language

The grand total is a sobering $58,610. There's a couple more options that'll easily pop you over $60,000.

Audi's MMI is dash-mounted in the A1 as there's no room on the narrow centre console. As ever, it works well and doesn't take much getting used to. The satnav is a bit grainy on the smaller screen but is otherwise a competent unit.

Sound is from a ten-speaker stereo and you can stream across Bluetooth or plug in a memory card. The sound was good but the system did take a while to find the phone whenever we came back to the car.

Underneath a plastic cover there’s a mass of nearly unrecognisable stuff, but under the bright orange cablework and an enormous black plastic air box, there’s a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine (105kW/215Nm) mated up to what Chery calls a one-speed ‘dedicated hybrid transmission’.

I think Chery is underselling it by calling a quite clever hybrid transaxle a ‘one-speed’ transmission, because it’s far more complicated than that and makes this car more than a one-trick pony.

You see, with clutch packs and software and an electric motor that can put out even more power than the engine (150kW/310Nm), this hybrid system makes this version of the Tiggo 7 the best one to drive, and makes it remarkably efficient, even when the battery is drained, and not all plug-ins can claim the same.

This is where the action is. The S1's tiny body packs a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder producing 170kW and 370Nm of torque. The S1 will streak to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds thank to the traction aid of quattro all-wheel drive.

All Audi S1s come with a six-speed manual

Despite a pretty solid hammering during its week with us, including more time than we'd have liked in Sydney traffic, the stop-start function helped deliver a pretty reasonable 10.2L/100km, however that's a long way over claimed 7.1L/100km.

All Audi S1s come with a six-speed manual, so dual-clutch haters can save the whining. The only downside from not having a self-shifter is the ECU can't deliver the boy racer farts, parps and crackles of the other S cars.

This plug-in version of the Tiggo 7 is the best to drive, although it’s not free from quirks and is still far from the front of the pack when it comes to driving dynamics.

As previously mentioned, the high and upright driving position hardly sets the scene for a sporty drive, with even rivals like the Mitsubishi Outlander nailing this key ergonomic factor.

On the flipside, visibility out of the cabin is excellent, as you can peer down on things and easily manoeuvre in tight spaces.

The steering is also too artificial, communicating very little feel from the front wheels to the driver, and this conspires with an overly-soft suspension tune for a floaty, disconcerting feeling in corners.

A driver’s car this is not, but the trade-off for the lack of dynamism is a car that's pretty comfortable over adverse road conditions. The Tiggo 7’s spongy ride has it simply floating over rough bits of road, and compressing relatively nicely on larger bumps and undulations.

Certainly a choice has been made to make this car better for urban commuters than trying to strike a balance for country roads and cornering and risk making the ride unpleasant on daily bumps. Still, there are rivals that strike a better balance out in the market.

Perhaps the most interesting element of driving this car though is its electrified engine and transmission. Effectively this system behaves like a continuously variable transmission (CVT), but it feels as though it uses its big electric motor far more than it uses the engine.

Chery says they’ve used software to tune the car in such a way that it makes better use of the electric components. The car can draw more deeply from a bigger battery reserve compared to a plugless hybrid for stronger acceleration, and it can also store far more energy from regenerative braking or engine idle time.

The other side effect is a high level of cabin refinement. The Tiggo 7 is a surprisingly quiet place to be, to the point that it’s hard to tell when the engine is even running, it’s so quiet.

It’s also quick in a straight line, primarily using electric drive for the take off, with the engine coming to life only when it really has to for support. Even under extremely heavy acceleration the engine doesn't scream to life in an unpleasant way, instead whirring along in the background.

It’s not insanely fast, nor would you want it to be with its slightly unsettling suspension and steering, but it has enough power in Sport mode to easily overwhelm the halfway decent Maxxis tyre it scores from the factory.

Road noise is more of a problem than the engine, noticeably picking up at speeds above 80km/h.

In conclusion, this car is comfortable but dynamically uninspiring, with a clever and quiet hybrid system. It will suit family buyers looking for a comfortable, quiet, and efficient car, but keen drivers might want to look elsewhere if budget allows.

If you're buying the S1 as a comfortable urban runabout with a cool badge, you're half right. While the seating for front passengers is certainly supportive, the hard suspension tune will ensure you're well aware of road surface imperfections.

The S1 is a rocket

Thankfully, what it missed out on in the ride department it makes up for in every other way - the S1 is a rocket. The 2.0-litre turbo jammed under the bonnet has almost no lag and is paired with a slick six-speed manual that is terrific fun to manhandle through the gears.

The way the S1 picks up speed when it's on boost is addictive and licence-endangering. A flattened accelerator in second or third will obliterate just about anything this side of $100,000 and you'll be having more fun in this than big brother S3 because the chassis is more adjustable and there's a bit more life.

You can hear the turbo sing to accompany the bassy exhaust growl. Hit the massive brakes hard and the car remains stable even over rutted roads. Turning the wheel brings almost-instant turn-in, mashing the throttle again a fun little wriggle. It's superb.

It's tremendous fun point-to-point on a twisty road

You'll have to be a bit patient with the throttle to get the wriggle, though - give it too much too early and it will want to push wide, the quattro system shuffling power around to try and quell understeer while the electronic diff fiddles with the braking system to do the same thing. It gets there in the end, but you're better off meting out the power with your right foot for maximum rewards.

It's tremendous fun point-to-point on a twisty road - despite being a bit heavy for its size (1415kg), it's as chuckable as the next best thing, the Fiesta ST.

Six airbags, stability and traction control, ABS, brake assist and distribution all add up to a five star ANCAP rating.