Overview

CHERY launched its Tiggo 4 Hybrid range earlier this year with very little fanfare – an odd decision considering the value and economy the Small segment SUV offers and considering the model’s strong sales volumes in the Australian market.

But here it is, finally in the GoAuto garage for a week-long review; and right from the outset, we’re pretty damned impressed.

Offered in Urban and Ultimate (tested) grades, the Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid range is powered by a series-parallel hybrid driveline combining a 71kW/118Nm naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor to deliver 150kW/310Nm to the front wheels.

With power drawn from a 1.83kWh battery, Chery quotes a combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 5.4 litres per 100km. The model is listed as being able to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 9.4 seconds, or 1.2 seconds faster than the turbo-petrol model already on sale.

The Tiggo 4 is suspended by a MacPherson strut front / torsion beam rear arrangement and halted by four-wheel disc brakes.

Hybrid variants measure an identical 4351mm in length, 1831mm in width, 1662mm in height to the petrol-powered range, while continuing to ride upon a 2610mm wheelbase. Those measurements gift the five-seat model with a cargo capacity of 380 litres with the rear seats in place, or up to 1225 litres all told.

Standard features for the Urban grade include 17-inch alloy wheel shod with 215/60 tyres and with space saver spare wheel, cloth upholstery, a six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, 60:40 split-fold rear seats, dual-zone climate control with second-row ventilation outlets, front and rear USB charging ports, dusk-sensing LED headlights and DRLs, rain sensing wipers, powered and heated wing mirrors, acoustic front glass, and all-auto power windows.

The Ultimate (from $34,990) ups the ante with 18-inch alloys and 215/55 series rubber, artificial leather upholstery, a six-way power adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, follow-me-home headlight functionality, power folding wing mirrors, and a powered sunroof with sunshade.

Other equipment highlights include dual 10.25-inch instrumentation and infotainment screens, the latter hosting AM/FM and DAB+ (digital) radio reception, Bluetooth connectivity, wired Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto connectivity, and ‘Hello Chery’ voice commands.

The base offering features a four-speaker sound system while the range-topper adopts a Sony-sourced six-speaker audio package comprising four speakers, and two tweeters.

Elsewhere, the Chery Tiggo 4 features anti-lock brakes, stability and traction control, multi-collision braking, hill-start assist, seatbelt reminders, ISOFIX (x2) and top-tether (x3) child seat anchors, child presence detection, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, seven airbags, and tyre pressure monitoring.

The Ultimate grade adds a 360-degree camera system.

ADAS technologies include adaptive cruise control, AEB, blind spot monitoring, door opening warning, driver monitoring, emergency lane keeping, lane change assist, lane departure warning, lane departure prevention, rear collision warning and braking, and rear cross-traffic warning across both grades.

Irrespective of variant, the Chery Tiggo 4 is available in five paint colours, with Martian Red the only no-cost option. Premium hues include Lunar White, Mercurial Grey, Star Silver, and Space Black.

Like other Chery passenger models, the Tiggo 4 is backed by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with included capped-price servicing program and roadside assistance bundle.

Driving Impressions

The Hybrid version of the Chery Tiggo 4 costs $6000 (or 25 per cent) more than the equivalent petrol-powered model, which is a big deal for segment buyers shopping on a budget.

To put it another way, you could drive the petrol-powered model for 54,054km before you’ve balanced out the difference in the list price of the Hybrid – or about 4.5 years based on average Aussie driving habits.

That’s something we think needs to change if more buyers are going to make the move toward the Hybrid powered model, even if the real-world gains are tangible.

On test, the Chery Tiggo 4 Ultimate Hybrid sipped 4.7 litres per 100km in mixed driving, showing a considerable improvement over the 8.4L/100km consumed by the petrol-powered model sampled earlier this year.

Away from the maths and logic it’s the driveline of the Hybrid model that impressed us most. While the petrol-electric transition might be a little coarse when viewed against bigger-name hybrid competitors, it remains a strong and efficient unit that delivers more robust acceleration than its petrol sibling.

Quickening to match highway traffic and its evident the Tiggo 4 Hybrid is tuned to focus on city travel. The transmission can be a little fussy when tackling repeated changes in pace, preferring, it seems, to maintain a consistent speed with the help of cruise control.

It isn’t clunky, and it isn’t noisy. But it is busier than some hybrid competitors we have sampled, suggesting a little more work could be done on Chery’s behalf in getting the software tune just right.

Away from the driveline we found the Tiggo 4 Hybrid to ride with a reasonable level of initial compliance, progressing to appropriate firmness as cornering pace intensified.

But there’s a bit of a disconnect between the front and rear of the car in that the rear torsion beam feels a little harsh in some scenarios, perhaps indicating that the spring rate is tuned to work better with a full passenger load on board.

If we were to be very picky, we also think the steering is a little too light on feedback with too much assistance at higher speeds. That lack of communication – coupled with continual inputs from the vehicle’s ADAS nannies – further isolates the driver from the feedback the car is attempting to offer, though we’re not sure too many buyers will mind.

When you consider that most Tiggo 4 buyers are stepping up from older vehicles that are less well made and with far poorer safety levels, the finer dynamic points are likely to mean very little. That said, Chery can do better – and it should extend that betterment to the purchasers of its more affordable vehicles.

Under braking, the Tiggo 4 is a little uninspiring with a doughy pedal that does little to inspire confidence. While we had no issues with the vehicle’s stopping performance per se, we’d have appreciated more consistent pedal modulation, especially in tackling the cut and thrust of Melbourne’s peak-hour traffic.

For the price tag, the Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid is a pretty decent offering. It’s generously equipped, loaded with safety tech, quite spacious, and seemingly well put together. It is also more efficient than its manufacturer’s claim, which is something we can’t say about too many vehicles in the market at the present time.

But for our money, it’s just not the cheerful little runabout the petrol model is. That car feels like you’ve got a great deal for your dollar, and is a more enjoyable drive to boot, where the Hybrid feels, well, just a touch ordinary by comparison.

Sure, you’re going to save money at the bowser, but it’s going to take a long time to see those savings return; and as Sweet Brown Wilkins once said, “there ain’t nobody got time for that!”.