Chery Tiggo 9 Reviews

In many ways, the Tiggo 9 Elite Super Hybrid is a massive deal.Priced from just $52,990 (before on-road costs), it seems like red-hot value, saving $7000 over the Ultimate flagship released last year.The Chery is also $4000 cheaper than the next cheapest plug-in hybrid (PHEV) seven-seater large SUV, the BYD Sealion 8 also from China, $14,000 below Korea’s Kia Sorento and almost $23K shy of Japan’s Mazda CX-80 full-sized alternatives.Equipment levels are also a knockout, with luxuries like powered and heated front seats offering driver's side massaging, 360-degree camera views, a panoramic sunroof, powered tailgate and 19-inch wheels.Plus, all of the essential advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) are present. Just note there is no airbag coverage for third-row occupants, nor any ANCAP crash-test rating. Pity.But there is decent ownership protection with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, as well as capped-price servicing covering that period.The Tiggo 9’s interior is equally generous.Large, spacious and pleasantly presented, the Chery offers sumptuous front seats, a fine driving position, heaps of storage, ample ventilation and impressive build quality.Little details add a lot, like Mercedes-mimicking door-mounted powered seat switches, a chilled/heated console box, a cooled phone-charger cradle, buttonless start/stop, and proximity key. All thoughtful inclusions.Chery has also tried to make the big 15.6-inch touchscreen less annoying, with clear markings, configurable onscreen short cuts and a slick operation.But no buttons mean the usual limitations stand. Menu searching is distracting and potentially dangerous. Often a second prod is required. The ‘Hello Chery’ interface is risibly useless. The climate control set-up is bafflingly fiddly. And there is no direct audio volume access.The 9’s joyously light-filled second row seems great initially, with a 60/40 bench that slides and reclines, ample space and more unexpected luxuries like separate climate controls and four air vents.But low seat cushions force an awkward knees-up posture for longer-legged passengers. And sliding both halves of the bench is tiringly heavy.Which leads to the Tiggo 9’s biggest red flag. Chery hasn’t bothered engineering the middle seats for right-hand drive (RHD) markets, meaning the only viable third-row access is via the road side. In the traffic.That’s where the smaller seat tips forward to allow easiest entry and egress. This could be dangerous as children are forced to clamber out onto the trafficked road side.What of third-row access via the left door? When folded, the bulkier backrest is too high for most people to traverse. And dragging the base forward to create a slim gap to squeeze past is a hefty workout.Once in the third row, there’s reasonable comfort for two adults if the middle-row seat is slid forward, aided by reclinable backrests, cupholders, ventilation, storage and lighting.Note, however, there are no provisions for child seats. Nor can the left passenger exit without assistance since only the right seat ahead has a release lever, again forcing people to alight into the traffic. Fail.Further back, as with most seven-seater SUVs, there isn’t much cargo capacity with all seats up (143 litres), rising to a very handy 819L and 2021L in five- and two-seater modes respectively.Frustratingly, the Chery also lacks a spare wheel, while a tyre repair kit is Velcroed to the carpet. There’s no storage for the luggage blind when the third row is occupied and nowhere for the charging cable either.Speaking of which, a 105kW/215Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, mated to two front electric motors, delivers 225kW of power and 450Nm of torque to the front wheels. Down from the AWD’s 34kWh item, the Elite’s 19kWh battery allows for 90km of EV-only range, or 1250km all-up, though these use the less-accurate NEDC and not WLTP testing.Does the Tiggo 9 redeem itself on the road? Drive it sedately and most things are done impressively well. Slick, light, easy and comfortable, it’s actually quite sweet around town.In EV mode, acceleration is willing and smooth, with instantaneous response and strong all-round performance. In the hybrid setting, the transition to the internal combustion engine is not as seamless as hoped, with a slight delay and a faint hiccup under heavier throttle, but there’s still enough muscle for fast and spirited driving on the go.Beware that wet roads can result in scrappy wheel spin and front axle tramp.While artificial in feel, the steering is effortless and quick-witted, providing useful manoeuvrability around town. Ride comfort, too, is exceptional, due to cushy suspension that soaks up bumps with ease.But beyond 80km/h, the steering feels too sensitive, making it difficult to modulate smoothly as constant corrections are required to keep it straight. That the ADAS lane-keep tech randomly nudges the Chery into line doesn’t help, joined in by endless driver-fatigue warnings. Urrgh.This is heightened by the soft suspension that promotes excessive body movement and pitch, requiring further steering inputs and more over-correction… it’s an endless, fidgety drag that promotes motion sickness and driver fatigue.This isn’t good enough. Chery would benefit from proper Australian road tuning.On a more positive note, we managed about 50km of EV-only driving between petrol engine intervention, as well as 5.7 litres per 100km against the outrageous 1.5L/100km claim.That translates to a combined range figure of nearly 1230km, which is very close to the 1250km NEDC rating. Impressive.

The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid has arrived to join a new age of long-range fuel-efficient beasts that might make you change your mind about getting an EV now.