Chery Tiggo 9 vs Mazda Cx-6E

What's the difference?

Remember when electric vehicles were the next big thing?  Well they still are, it's just that hybrids are making a huge comeback and have entered a new era of the super hybrid. These are plug-in hybrids with enormous driving ranges and Chery’s just arrived Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is one of these.

The Tiggo 9 is a large seven-seater SUV that competes with the likes of plug-in versions of the Hyundai Palisade and GWM Tank 500, only for less money.

The value is excellent, but how does the Tiggo 9 score in other areas such as the way it drives, its practicality and safety, or its styling and interior feel?

We found out in this first Australian drive.

We know the story of Mazda’s sudden EV push already, but I’ll recap it quickly.

On one side, soaring fuel prices and helpful incentives combined to lure Aussie buyers into EVs in record numbers. But Mazda doesn’t really have any to sell. On the other side, tightening NVES (New Vehicle Efficiency Standard) regulations punish brands that aren’t using EVs to lower their fleet emissions. But Mazda doesn’t really have any to sell.

The answer lay not in Japan, but in China, where Mazda has been able to capitalise on its relationship with Changan to get new EVs on the road quickly. The first was the 6e sedan, and this is the second arrival, the CX-6e.

And yes, that means that under the skin of this undeniably sexy electric SUV it’s very similar to something from Deepal, but the brand insists it’s still very much a Mazda everywhere else. 

And so with this, Mazda rides into the electric SUV fray. But how does it stack up?