Chery Tiggo 8 vs Alfa Romeo Junior

What's the difference?

Once upon a time, not very long ago, there were tough choices to make when it came to buying a seven-seat SUV. Did you want lots of space? A hybrid? Or, for it to be affordable?

In a move that will no doubt horrify old favourites, Chery’s new Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid sets out to prove you can have all of these things at once.

Offering seven seats in an ideal upper mid-sized format, complete with a plug-in hybrid system at the price of a combustion rival, the Tiggo 8 ticks too many boxes to count.

Is it too good to be true? We went to its Australian launch to find out.

Alfa Romeo’s new entry-level model has finally arrived in Australia.

Pitched as a spiritual successor to the MiTo and Giulietta hatchbacks, the Junior is a tiny SUV with plenty of hatchback design cues.

It was originally set to be called the Milano, however members of the Italian government complained, claiming it’s illegal to sell products with an Italian place name that aren’t actually made there.

The Junior is actually built in Tychy, Poland alongside the related Jeep Avenger at a Stellantis production plant.

We’ve driven the Junior a few times now overseas, but now it’s time to see how it holds up on local soil.

First up is the Ibrida, or hybrid. The fully electric version is also on sale but will have to wait for a future review.