Chery Tiggo 7 vs MG ZST

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.

Will the MG ZST Essence fit a small family? Absolutely, and all but the middle seat passenger will be comfortable but there are areas open for improvement. Like it's safety, laggy tech and adding a few extra items in the back seat.

Yet, it still offers a good host of features and an attractive package for a reasonable price tag. Unfortunately, my son missed having the basic amenities but did like the sun roof.

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.

Being the newer and shinier version of the ZS, the ZST presents as a nice little package with its full suite of LED exterior lights, shiny chrome accents and its well-shaped body.

The front is distinctively different from its design muse with a darkened grille, and redesigned fog lights that feature new air intake vents. Other highlights include the 17-inch two-tone alloy wheels with sporty red brake calipers lurking behind them.

The interior is pleasant with a massive sunroof creating a light-filled space and giving the illusion that the cabin is larger than it is.

The synthetic leather upholstery and trims seem robust and perfect for families, but also feel quite plasticky under hand. The red badge embossing on the headrests is lovely, though.

The dashboard is well-proportioned and headlined by an upgraded 10.1-inch touchscreen multimedia system and fully digital instrument cluster.

The gearshift feels a tad too skinny and tall for the general aesthetic but the circular air-vents add some cute personality.

There are a few quirks that mean the Tiggo 7 isn't the most practical option in the space, but it hits on some key things regardless.

For a start, the seating position is a little odd. It’s a bit too high which is good for visibility, but not so great if you don’t want to feel like you’re being tossed side-to-side in corners.

And while the seat and wheel have a reasonable range of motion for adjustability, the fixed nature of the dual screens and how close the wheel sits to them will make taller drivers feel like they're peering down on the screens, or that they’re blocked by part of the steering wheel.

At least visibility is excellent out of the cabin and the plush seat trim makes for a comfortable drive.

Also a little strange is the shifter. You need to properly depress the brake pedal to get it to shift into drive or reverse. Simply holding the brake pedal enough for the car to be stopped isn’t good enough, which can be frustrating when you’re trying to do a quick three point turn.

Weird ergonomics aside, there’s enough cabin storage. This consists of a large bottle holder in each door, a further two with spring-loaded edges in the centre console, and there’s a bay for your phone which is also the wireless charger on higher grades. Covering the bottle holder and phone area is a somewhat old-school rolling shutter. Good for cable management, I suppose.

Underneath the bridge-style console is another textured storage area, which is good for loose objects or small bags, and the armrest box is nice and deep too.

This brings us to the screens and lack of dials. On the plus side, there is a dedicated touch panel with shortcuts for most of the core climate functions. This is never as good as having actual tactile buttons and dials, but it’s better than full touchscreen controls.

The screens, meanwhile, are fast and sharp, but the software is downright ordinary, and not good enough if you’re going to make screens such a focal point of the car.

The sheer number of different menus and confusingly labelled tabs within them makes adjusting things on the fly pretty frustrating and there’s something of a learning curve to try and figure all the bits out. The worst part is it’s not even consistent in terms of menu layouts and locations between the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8.

The Tiggo 7's digital dash is fine. It’s a dual-dial layout with a few screens on the right side to toggle through. Weirdly the trip computer seems to only record the last 50km in this panel. I wish it was more customisable and presented data in a more attractive way.

At least the wireless Apple CarPlay was seamless and worked well in my time with the cars.

The back seat is a highlight of the Tiggo 7. The abundance of synthetic leather trims continue into the rear doors, as do the soft seat bases. Behind my own driving position (I’m 182cm tall) I had leagues of legroom and headroom was great too. Amenities are okay, with a pocket on the back of each seat, a single USB port, adjustable air vents, and two storage trays. There’s a large bottle holder in each door and in the drop-down armrest, too.

At the time of writing, Chery was yet to provide official figures for the boot space, which is thought to be slightly different from the combustion car. For reference, the combustion car’s boot measures in at 356 litres to the top of the seat backs, which is far from the largest in the category. and frustratingly there’s only a tyre repair kit under the floor as well as the 12-volt battery and high-voltage inverter for the charging system.

It’s important to also call out that the Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid doesn’t get a household power outlet anywhere in the cabin or boot, which feels like a missed opportunity to make the most of its battery.

Practicality is hurt by a lack of individual storage options and a back seat that has only two USB-A ports for its amenities.

The cabin space is spacious, though, and both rows have a decent amount of leg- and headroom despite the massive sunroof.

The steering wheel features height but not reach adjustment and to accommodate I have to sit much closer to the wheel than normal thanks to my poor little T-Rex arms.

Individual storage is the best up front with a small middle console and glove box, two cupholders and two drink bottle holders. The doors also feature large storage bins, which is great to keep the cockpit feeling neat.

The rear row gets two map pockets and a small storage bin in each door. There is also a (very) shallow storage nook at the back of the middle console… think a packet of gum or small wallet size.

My seven-year old isn't as comfortable in the rear because it lacks directional air vents, reading lights and a fold-down armrest. All items which will hinder an adult's comfort, too.

The boot space is a good size at 359L but you can bump it to 1187L with the rear seats folded, the backrest featuring a 60/40 split.

The height of the floor is adjustable and when set in the lowest position creates a deep well to tuck larger items, like luggage, into.

The hard cargo cover can be awkward to shift around or store but is otherwise out of the way when it counts.

Other amenities accentuate the premium-feeling the Essence is going for with the heated front seats and electric drivers seat offering well-padded comfort but on longer journeys, I miss having adjustable lumbar support.

The rear seats aren't as comfortable as the front only because the synthetic leather feels slippery, which is accentuated when you hit corners!

In terms of technology, you get two USB-A ports in each row but the front also gets a 12-volt port. You miss out on fast and wireless charging options.

The multimedia system looks great but can be sluggish to respond and the apps can be slow to load but I like the built-in satellite navigation.

The upgraded sound system has six speakers instead of four but the sound quality is a bit tinny with music and calls.

It was simple to connect to the wired Apple CarPlay. It also has Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity and AM/FM radio.

There are four variants for the ZST and our test vehicle is the top-spec Essence model, priced at $33,990 drive-away.

Our example's 'Pebble Black' finish is an included colour but other paintwork options can cost an extra $700.

The price point positions it right in the middle of its rivals with the Omoda 5 costing $35,990 drive-away  and the Jolion sliding into the most affordable spot at $30,990 drive-away.

To highlight the value-for-money comparison, the Kia Seltos Sport+ FWD model costs $38,790 drive-away and then you start creeping up into the $40K bracket for similarly specified small SUVs.

The ZST Essence is the top-grade and it has a decent number of premium features for its price tag, like a panoramic sunroof, synthetic leather upholstery, heated front seats and an electric driver's seat, keyless entry, keyless start and a full suite of exterior LED lights.

Other standard features include wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 10.1-inch touchscreen multimedia system, digital instrument cluster, one-zone air-conditioning, built-in satellite navigation, 360-degree camera system and an upgraded sound system with six speakers.

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.

The Essence variant has a 1.3-litre, three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a maximum power output of 115kW and 230Nm of torque.

It's a front-wheel drive and features a six-speed auto transmission. Overall, it has enough power to keep up with traffic on the open road but you have to be firm with the accelerator to keep your speed consistent.

Officially, the Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid can travel up to 93km in purely electric mode thanks to its big 18.3kWh battery, although this is on the more lenient NEDC standard. 

We’ll need to get the car back for a longer test to see how far it can travel in EV mode in real-world conditions as results tend to vary greatly between PHEVs, especially on a launch drive.

Regardless, the clever hybrid system I was talking about before is important because unlike some of its rivals, this Chery is still pretty efficient even if you forget to charge up.

The battery maintains a reasonably high level of reserve charge, which allows the car to draw from a deeper reservoir for electric acceleration, which it can then replenish with regenerative braking or when using the engine idle time as a generator.

Chery says it will consume less than 6.0L/100km even with a depleted battery and that’s about what we saw on all of our test cars, which hovered between 4.1 and 5.8L/100km, despite being driven hard on country roads.

The pitch is it’s as efficient as any plugless hybrid anyway, regardless of whether you charge it. An interesting shift in mindset.

Officially, the Chery Tiggo 7 consumes just 1.4L/100km (although this accounts for the battery being charged), and it can drink entry-level 91 RON fuel, too.

Charging is also a good story, with the Tiggo 7 able to top up on both a slow AC charger, and a fast DC charger, slashing charging times when you’re on the go. On a fast charger, it can charge at a maximum speed of 40kW, allowing a quoted 30 to 80 per cent charge time of just 20 minutes.

The official combined cycle fuel figure is 7.3L/100km and my real-world average came in at 7.7L. That is after a good mix of urban and open-road driving, so the usage is good.

Based on the combined fuel cycle and the relatively small 45L fuel tank, expect a driving range of around 616km.

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.

The ZST Essence has an okay amount of power relative to the car's small size.

It's an adequate cruiser when I ferry just my husband and son around, but feels a full load of luggage and people.

The steering is responsive and it's an easy car to manoeuvre in tight car parks or city streets, which is great. The visibility is pretty good despite the chunkier pillars and you feel confident when checking your blind-spots.

While the suspension is fairly forgiving and ride comfort is decent, you will still notice the bumps, especially when seated in the back.

The cabin suffers from some wind and road noise and at higher speeds we had to find we raise our voices a bit to be heard. Around town, you don't notice it.

This is just a personal preference but the brake and accelerator pedals are skinnier and more centrally positioned than I prefer. You get used to it, though.

The ZST is pretty easy to park and it's great that you have a 360-degree camera system but the image quality can be grainy. You get rear parking sensors, too, but miss out on ones at the front.

The ZST Essence has a good suite of safety features that now come standard like rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring.

Other standard features include tyre pressure monitoring, LED daytime running lights, forward collision warning, lane departure alert, adaptive cruise control, seatbelt reminders, a 360-degree camera system and rear parking sensors.

The ZST only features six airbags, while many of its rivals sport seven, including the newer front centre airbag. The ZST variant scored four- from a possible five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2017 testing.

It's important to note that the tested ZS model did not have AEB or lane support systems at the time of testing, these were introduced from the 2020 model year onwards and the ZST has both.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the rear outboard seats and three top tether anchor points but two child seats will fit best. There is enough room for front occupants when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.

Chery continues to use favourable ownership terms to help establish itself in the market. The Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid is covered by seven years and unlimited kilometres of warranty, seven years of roadside assist, and seven years of capped-price servicing.

The servicing program varies year-on-year, with a surprisingly expensive service of nearly $1300 due at the 90,000km mark. All said and done it works out to be $453.45 per year to service over the seven year duration, which isn’t super affordable, but it’s also not overly expensive.

The ZST Essence comes with a seven-year/unlimited km warranty, which is on par with coverage offered by a growing number of its rivals.

There is a seven-year or up to 70,000km servicing program for a total cost of $2339 or an average of $334 per service, which is very competitive for the class.

Servicing intervals are at every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first, but could be annoying if you travel a lot.