What's the difference?
The current generation Mahindra PikUp has been with us since 2007, which is a long time given major players in this market tend to introduce a new generation every decade, or close to it.
However, with Mahindra reportedly developing an all-new ute, based on the underpinnings of its latest Scorpio SUV, the budget-priced PikUp is destined for retirement within a few years.
Better late than never, the latest MY23 version of the S11 dual-cab has for the first time been equipped with an automatic, which is sure to increase buyer appeal in a market in which self-shifting transmissions rule.
We recently revisited this Indian-built dual cab to see how it measures up for tradies in such a competitive market.
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.
Its sub-$40K pricing undercuts the cheapest Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux 4x4 equivalents by $10-15K and it’s backed by a decent warranty and 60-strong dealer network (mostly regional). It’s also largely absent from the federal government’s vehicle-recall listings, which suggests solid build quality.
However, it’s also short on safety, has relatively high servicing costs and numerous design quirks. Fact is, such low pricing comes with compromises, so, if you can learn to live with those, this sturdy and willing auto-equipped workhorse could represent good value for those shopping on a budget.
The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is outstanding in many ways, especially value and the way it drives. I can only stress the importance of charging this vehicle frequently, however, otherwise it will go from super hybrid to super fuel consumer.
The PikUp has a 3040mm wheelbase and 5175mm length, 1820mm width and 1915mm height.
So, compared to a Ford Ranger XL equivalent, it’s 230mm shorter in wheelbase, 195mm shorter overall and 98mm narrower, so it’s relatively compact for a dual cab ute.
Built on a traditional ladder-frame chassis, its twin-wishbone front suspension uses torsion bars instead of the more common coil springs, while under the tail is a leaf-spring live rear axle. Brakes are front discs and rear drums.
With 210mm of ground clearance, its steep 34-degree approach angle is excellent but its 15-degree departure angle is less than half that figure, so it's prone to tail-dragging in the rough stuff.
And its bafflingly large 13.4-metre turning circle (kerb-to-kerb) demands numerous three-point turns.
The interior appears to have a good standard of finish and provides a visually-pleasing mix of black and grey surfaces with satin chrome highlights throughout. Driver controls are easy to see and operate and the front bucket seats are comfortable.
The rear bench seat is quite firm with good lumbar support, but it’s a squeeze for three adults given its relatively narrow width.
Even so, there’s adequate kneeroom and heaps of headroom even for tall adults, which is no doubt appreciated by hat-wearing farmers and tradies.
Chery has crafted a superb-looking SUV here. Sure, the design isn’t ground-breaking or unique, but styling is beautiful from the large grille and multi-spoke wheels to the chrome framed windows and smooth lines of the tailgate.
Our car was painted in 'Aurora Green', which looks stunning in the sunlight. There’s also 'Cosmic Black', 'Star White' and 'Technical Grey'.
The cabin is super modern and luxurious looking, with only a few physical buttons for the hybrid system and climate control. The leather seats are a lovely high-end touch, and while the level of refinement is not up there with the likes of Audi and Lexus flagships the build quality appears to be good.
The Tiggo 9 stretches 4800mm end to end and is 1930mm wide. That classifies it as a large SUV, albeit not an enormous one. A fairly short wheelbase of 2750mm means the cabin space isn’t as voluminous as you might have thought.
With its 2115kg kerb weight and 3150kg GVM, the S11 PikUp offers a 1035kg payload rating so it’s a genuine one-tonner.
It’s also rated to tow up to 2500kg of braked trailer but given Mahindra doesn't publish a GCM rating (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) we don’t know if it can retain its maximum payload while towing that weight.
Strangely, the load tub does not have any internal load-anchorage points. The only option for securing ropes or straps are external hooks, which are located along both upper sides of the tub and across the tailgate.
However, these would be ineffective in securing loads that are lower than the tub sides.
Front cabin storage is limited, as there are only narrow bins and no bottle holders in the front doors and you won’t find any cup/bottle holders or storage for small items in the dash, either. However, there is a single glove box and an overhead glasses holder.
The centre console has an open storage tray at the front and single cup and bottle holders in the centre, which are fine for one occupant but not two.
In contrast to the front doors, there are no bins in the base of each rear door, but they do get a large-bottle holder and what looks like a phone holder at mid-height.
There are also pockets on each front seat backrest, but the fold-down centre armrest does not have any cup/bottle holders.
The rear bench seat’s base cushion is fixed, so it can’t swing up and be stored vertically (like many dual cabs) if more internal cargo space is required.
However, it does at least provide some open storage space underneath for soft items like jackets etc.
The Chery Tiggo 9 is not overly large and with a relatively short wheelbase the cabin room is adequate but not outstanding. I’m tall at 189cm, but there is still room for me to sit behind my driving position and headroom is good, too. That said, the cabin floor is high which raises the knee height for second row passengers.
The third row is really just for children and for those occasional but unpredictable times when as a parent you’re suddenly thrown into having to transport more kids home or to parties.
Cabin storage is good with door pockets and cupholders front and back, while a large storage area under the centre console is great for loose items or even a handbag or small backpack.
The wireless charger is perfectly situated on top of the console and features a grippy soft surface.
I would have liked more physical dials and buttons for climate and the stereo, which are accessed through the central screen.
Boot space, according to Chery, is larger than it looks, with the manufacturer saying with the third row up there is 143 litres of cargo capacity and with five seats in place it's 819 litres.
Our S11 PikUp test vehicle is available only with a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and new Aisin-sourced six-speed automatic, for a list price of $38,500, drive-away.
Our example is also equipped with a Mahindra genuine accessory winch-compatible steel bull-bar which adds $3500 (fitted).
The S11 comes standard with 16-inch alloy wheels and 245/75 R16 tyres with a matching spare.
There’s also LED daytime running lights and dusk-sensing halogen headlights with static bending (which automatically illuminates inside kerbs when cornering at night), front fog lights, rain-sensing wipers, side-steps, rear sports bar, load tub-liner, automatic rear diff-lock, reversing camera and more.
There’s fabric-trimmed seating for up to five occupants, with the front bucket seats equipped with unusual but welcome fold-down inboard armrests.
There’s also a USB port, two 12-volt outlets, centre console air-vents for rear passengers and a multimedia system controlled by a 7.0-inch touchscreen with multiple connectivity options, including links for Apple and Android devices.
Mahindra also offers a genuine accessories range, from towbars, nudge bars and bullbars to engine snorkels, wheel options and lots more.
There is only one grade in the Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid line-up - the Ultimate - and it lists for $59,990. It’s remarkably affordable compared to many rivals and the value is outstanding.
As you might imagine the Ultimate is fully loaded with features.
There are leather seats - powered adjustable, massaging, heated and ventilated in the front, while the second row outboard seats are heated and ventilated, too.
There are big screens - a 15.6-inch media display and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster as well as a head-up display. There’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav, a 12-speaker Sony sound system and digital radio.
There are LED headlights and tail-lights, 20-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic glass roof, privacy glass and a power tailgate.
The latest version of the S11’s 'mHAWK' 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel meets tough Euro 6b emissions standards using AdBlue.
Armed with an intercooler and common-rail fuel injection, it produces a modest 103kW at 3750rpm. Its 320Nm, available across a 1300rpm-wide torque band between 1500-2800rpm, highlights good flexibility particularly under load.
It’s coupled with an equally refined Aisin-sourced six-speed torque converter automatic transmission, driving the rear wheels and offering the choice of sequential manual-shifting.
There’s also a Borg Warner part-time dual-range 4x4 transfer case and an Eaton automatic rear diff-lock.
Mahindra claims an official combined average of 9.3L/100km. At the conclusion of our 265km test, which was conducted without a load and in mostly city and suburban driving, our ‘real world’ figure based on fuel bowser and trip meter readings came in at 9.4 which is lineball.
So, it should deliver an excellent driving range of around 850km from its 80-litre tank.
The Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is a plug-in hybrid. There’s a fuel tank for petrol (95 RON minimum) and a charging flap for you to fill up the 34kWh battery.
Super hybrids are so-called because of their relatively big batteries and longer ranges. Chery says on a full 70-litre tank and charged battery the Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid has a range of 1250km (NEDC). The WLPT range isn’t given but while it will still be impressive it would be less than the NEDC. The same goes for the electric-only range of 170km (NEDC).
If you keep the battery charged, fuel consumption is outstanding. In our short time with the car the trip computer was reporting an average 1.4L/100km, which is exactly the manufacturer's claim.
I noticed that once battery charge fell below 20 per cent the fuel economy worsened to 7.1L/100km.
The battery has a 71kW DC charging capacity however and will fill up fast. But you will have to top up frequently to get the good fuel economy.
The fold-down inboard armrest combined with the door’s armrest allows the driver to evenly rest both elbows, which reduces strain on shoulders and arms particularly during long highway hauls.
This set-up could work even better if the wheel had reach adjustment in addition to its adjustable height.
There’s no rake adjustment in the seat’s base cushion, either, but fortunately there’s a big left footrest to help the driver to maintain a comfortable posture.
The driving position is high relative to the bonnet and the tops of the doors, which is ideal for vehicle placement when off-road driving as it provides commanding views over the front and out the sides.
Unladen ride quality is quite firm, as you’d expect of a 4x4 designed to carry one tonne of payload, but is supple enough to provided acceptable comfort.
The steering weight is linear with easy turning effort; handling and braking response is satisfactory and engine and tyre noise are pleasantly low.
Our only major gripe is the huge turning circle, which is nudging that of a full-size American pick-up. The need to often do three-point turns, in situations that you really shouldn’t have to in a vehicle of this size, is annoying (and in some situations embarrassing).
Although its 2.2-litre diesel has modest outputs, it provides decent performance in city and suburban driving with its smooth-shifting auto.
It’s also a low-stressed highway cruiser, requiring less than 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h which is comfortably within its peak torque band.
We didn’t get to do our usual GVM test due to a hiccup with our weight supplies, but we have previously tested a cab-chassis PikUp with just under one tonne of payload (990kg) which it hauled with an all-round competence that belied its relatively small engine output.
The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid drives silently and smoothly with strong acceleration just like an electric car for the most part while in the city at lower speeds.
Hills and higher speeds call on the engine to help but even then the transition is almost imperceptible.
A comfortable ride with well set up suspension, light and accurate steering make for an impressive and effortless driving experience.
There are downsides, like the brake pedal feel. As in many hybrids there’s a ‘wooden’ sensation and I felt I needed to depress the brake pedal harder and longer to pull up at times. This is a heavy vehicle at 2200kg and brake response could be better.
The active safety tech is also intrusive, as is the case with so many cars these days, but the alerts and warnings can be turned off.
ANCAP only awarded it three out of five stars - and that was back in 2012. There are dual front airbags for driver and passenger, electronic stability control and ABS plus a reversing camera and LED daytime running lights.
There are also ISOFIX child seat anchorages and top tethers on the two outer rear seating positions.
The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid hasn’t been assessed by ANCAP yet, but the safety tech is in abundance with everything from AEB, front and rear cross-traffic alerts with braking, lane keeping assistance and blind-spot warning.
For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX points in the second row only.
There are also 10 airbags onboard.
I’ve mentioned the intrusive safety alerts in the driving section, and while they can be turned off, they can also be life saving.
Warranty is five years/150,000km. 12 months roadside assist is renewable with each scheduled service at Mahindra dealers.
Service intervals are 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first.
Capped-price servicing for the first four years or 55,000km totals $2296, or a pricey average of $574 per service.
The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, while the battery has an eight-year unlimited-kilometre warranty.
There’s also roadside assistance and capped price servicing for seven years at $3174, or an average of $453 per year.
Chery's national dealer network consists of 86 sites, including 21 in Melbourne, 20 in Sydney and 12 in Brisbane.