I was amazed by the Chery Tiggo 9’s electric range – a seven-seat SUV that won’t break the bank

Introduction

Boy, the Chery Tiggo 9 Summit PHEV is big. This is a seven-seat SUV comparable to the Hyundai Sante Fe, Kia Sorento or Peugeot 5008, alongside the numerous rivals from other Chinese manufacturers like BYD and Jaecoo that are appearing ever more frequently on our roads.

The car is positioned above the Chery Tiggo 8 and, in the Summit trim, falls into the affordably premium ballpark. It comes with a bumper crop of features and functions, along with comfort levels that are excellent. It’s also rather forgettable in the looks department, a common complaint about many current SUVs.

Nevertheless, I’ve just spent some time behind the wheel of this sizeable creation and the best thing about it was the efficiency. Its blend of petrol and electric just seemed to keep going, thanks in part to some clever computing power.

The styling

At over 4.8 metres long, 1.9 metres wide and 1.7 metres high, it’s hard to ignore the Tiggo 9’s sheer size. This is a big, bulky SUV and feels like it while being threaded through pencil-thin country lanes.

On the flip side, that 2.8m wheelbase provides a perfect platform for the 2+3+2 seating layout. That third row might limit seats-up storage to a mere 143 litres, but drop ’em and the Chery can accommodate up to 819 litres as a five-seater. Drop both rows and the capacity is a whopping 2021 litres. That makes it both a great people mover, and pretty handy for moving house.

The Summit model’s exterior design isn’t very inspiring. The grille badge looks like it’s been lifted from an Infiniti and, elsewhere, the cosmetic touches verge on generic. About the only memorable thing was the 20in jumbo alloy wheels, which I wasn’t a huge fan of. The shape is super smooth though, which maybe helps with its fuel efficiency.

I thought the rear end was the most distinctive part of the Chery Tiggo 9; it’s suitably well raised to allow for easy loading. The width-wide slender taillight cluster works well too, while the top of the tailgate window has a neat little spoiler protruding outwards. This does add a little darkness to the already minimal view out of the rear, but it gives the overall profile certain design continuity.

The interior of the Summit trim car is a step up, literally, compared to the outside. There are comfy but easyto-clean seats offering excellent levels of comfort via lashings of eco-leather. As a bonus, the front ones offer massage and ventilation for added pampering. The cheap plastic quota is quite high, especially around the dash and door cards, but overall the Tiggo 9 will be perfectly fine for anyone with kids.

The drive

My Tiggo 9 driving highlight was munching through mile after mile, all the while watching the gauges barely move. This supersized SUV can do up to 91 miles on battery power alone, making it perfectly usable as an EV for close-to-home runs, especially for anyone with a domestic charger. It’s also possible to top up the battery at fast CCS Type 2 commercial chargers too, so I found the Tiggo 9 a brilliant thing on a longer run. I averaged mid-40’s in the mile per gallon department.

Unlike a lot of PHEVs, it seemed just as frugal if I didn’t bother to plug in and relied solely on the 1.5-litre petrol engine. I kept the car in its Eco mode for the most part, which proved a teensy bit slow on the uptake away from the lights, but once it got going, the Tiggo 9 was decidedly sprightly. The downside to that was the handling; this feels like a lofty, wafty thing to drive, which is entirely predictable given the bulk. Sit back and relax, though, and the Tiggo 9 can be tamed.

Thanks to the practical driver aids, it was easier to park than I expected. The camera setup in particular is excellent. Chery There are multiple drive options, including Eco, Normal, Sport, Snow, Sand and even off-road for anyone straying a little too far into the grass verges during the school run. Interestingly, I found it was good to drive in that nifty old Eco mode, which meant I was able to use the SUV for a whole week and still had plenty left in the tank when the car got picked up again.

The technology

As seems to be a Chinese car requirement, the Tiggo 9 has its own virtual assistant that can be summoned by saying ‘Hello Chery’. A seemingly endless list of options also exist solely within the 15.6in touchscreen. It’s supplemented by a 10.25in digital instrument cluster.

The Summit trim includes all the toys, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I was also quite surprised to see a 14-speaker Sony audio system, which provided acceptable levels of entertainment. The interface was actually rather easy to live with, despite a lack of physical switchgear.

There were a few pleasant tech touches, like when the car decided it was getting a bit steamed up and cleared the glass fug with a mild blast of air. It pre-empted me doing the same myself with perfect timing. The vehicle-to-load functionality was handy for powering my laptop at one point too. There’s even a Pet mode to keep your dog cool during the hotter months.

Chery Tiggo 9 verdict

I guess the biggest issue facing the Chery Tiggo 9 is that it’s up against so much competition, even from within the Chery brand itself. There are Tiggo 7 and 8’s, plus Omoda’s, Jaecoo’s and BYD’s to consider, and that’s before you’ve got to the European options.

Nevertheless, while it might be a little bit bland to look at and less engaging to drive as I’d hoped, the Tiggo 9 won me ove. Mainly because of its excellent fuel economy. With the 90-odd miles of EV only range, this is perhaps one of the best big PHEVs out there, especially for folks who are simply too lazy to plug in more than once a week.

Chery Tiggo 9 technical specifications

Powertrain	Petrol/Permanent magnet synchronous motor
Battery	34.4kW
Power	428bhp (combined)
Torque	428lb ft
0-60mph	5.4 sec
Top speed	112mph
Range	91 miles (electric only)
Charge rate	70kWh
Cargo volume	143 litres