Zeekr 009 vs Chery Tiggo 9

What's the difference?

The Zeekr 009 is difficult to fault. It's a luxurious, practical vehicle that's easy and enjoyable to drive. There's no SUV on the planet that can compete with its practicality, whether it's room for people and their cargo, or just getting in and out of the vehicle. The only thing I would change about the 009 in terms of family use are the captain's chairs in the second row; a bench seat here for three people would be more practical for a family. If, however, you are using the 009 as a chauffeur car then the captain's chairs would provide the comfort and luxury jet-setting executives would welcome.

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.

You might think that there's only so much you can do to make a people mover good looking but Zeekr’s futuristic and alien-like take is inspired.

I love to sheer bluntness of the face. I love the chiseled looking bonnet, the LED running lights and the little show they put on every time you walk to or from the car. Even the side profile of the car sitting low and planted on its air suspension looks sleek and stylish. And I love the roulette-wheel-style alloys wheels.

I was impressed by the interior of the Lexus LM500h but the interior of the 009 exceeds even that with modern and youthful styling wrapped in beautiful soft leather upholstery. The second-row seats are just absolutely sumptuous and every single touch point throughout the cabin feels luxurious.

The 009 doesn't match the size of the gigantic entertainment screen in the second row of the LM500h but I found the drop down 17-inch 3K entertainment to have an even more modern look and feel.

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.

When it comes to practicality, no SUV on the planet can beat a people mover for space, storage and utility. The Zeekr 009 is beautifully luxurious with outstanding practicality.

Air suspension can lower the vehicle to an entry height that is just a small step into a cabin through the power sliding doors and while space in the second row is outstanding, entry to the third row is easy with the second-row seats folding forward at the touch of the button.

This third row by the way is the most spacious I have encountered with excellent leg and headroom.

Gigantic door pockets, a folding table between second-row seats, great storage under the floating centre console and in the centre console bin, cupholders in all three rows along with wireless charging pads and USB ports everywhere make this a practical and versatile cabin for families or executives.

Boot capacity with all seven seats in place is 574 litres and with the third row folded flat there's 2979 litres of volume.

A front boot can be found under the bonnet but will probably just fit the charging cable.

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.  

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 Zeekr 009 has two electric motors - one at the front and one at the rear - with a combined output of 450kW and 693Nm. That's Lamborghini Huracan stuff! Almost identical power, but this has more torque.

Not only does this provide all-wheel drive and fantastically controlled traction, but the way the power and torque is delivered is simply superb. This is a seven-seater rocket that will never leave the ground - hopefully.

The nature of electric motors - especially these ones - are the perfect fit for this vehicle, providing a serenely quiet, luxurious and effortlessly powerful experience.

The Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid has three electric motors (two at the front and one at the rear), plus a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. The combined output is a whopping 315kW and 580Nm.

A dedicated hybrid transmission sends drive to all four wheels. 

The Zeekr 009 has a 116kWh battery which is enormous - almost the biggest you can get in Australia currently. This lithium-ion battery has a range of 582km (WLTP). There are petrol cars that can’t go that far on a tank.

The battery has an AC charging capacity of 11kW and DC charging capacity of 205kW, allowing you to charge from 10-80 per cent in 39 minutes.

Energy consumption is officially 19.5kWh/100km and we’ve been getting an average of 23.5kWh/100km.

That’s because this thing is so heavy at 2.9 tonnes.

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 Zeekr 009 is one of the largest vehicles on the Australian market at almost three tonnes and 5.2 meters long but it's also one of the most comfortable, and one of the easiest and most enjoyable cars I've driven.

This is for three main reasons. The first is the air suspension which provides a beautifully comfortable and composed ride.

The next is those electric motors which provide so much grunt but in a very predictable way that's smooth, silent and instant, allowing you to move through traffic or drive confidently on a motorway.

Finally the visibility, steering and pedal feel all combined to provide an effortless piloting experience through narrow laneways, carparks or while parking.

Adding to the enjoyment of driving this people mover is a comfortable, plush interior that's so well insulated that you'll coast serenely through traffic.

As for handling, I have also driven the 009 on a race track at Sydney Motorsport Park. I pushed it through a couple of corners where even some sports have cars struggled to maintain their composure and this massive people move performed surprisingly well, staying planted through the corners.

I've also taken the 009 onto a skid pan and intentionally tried to slide the vehicle and even under these controlled conditions it showed no sign of roll or loss of control.

Having taken the 009 through probably the widest range of testing I've ever put a car through I'd say that it feels safe and secure in pretty much any real-world condition you will experience.

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. 

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.

The 009 is covered by Zeekr’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. The battery is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty.

Servicing is recommended every 40,000km or every two years, whichever comes first. There’s also five years/unlimited kilometres of roadside assistance and five years of connected services as standard.

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.