Another week another Chinaman. We test Chery’s plug-in
There’s an awful lot of choice in the sub R700K SUV world right now, but few cars offer quite as much as this midsize Chery Tiggo 7 CSH Ultra plug-in hybrid appears to. An interesting option, it adapts Chery’s latest’ bold and contemporary’ look in a full spec package powered by a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine backed by two electric motors to offer a meaty 265 kW and 310 Nm across a broad 1750 to 4000 rpm band.
All that drives the front wheels via Chery’s ‘smooth and efficient’ Dedicated Hybrid Transmission. Tiggo 7 has disc brakes all round with ventilation up front. Importantly for PHEV fans, thanks to its18.3 kWh traction battery, Tiggo 7 CSH offers up to a handy 92 kilometres of electric-only, and a 1,200 km total range at 4.9 litres per hundred.
If you can ever find an adequate DC fast charger, it is said to be able to fill that battery from 30 to 80% in under 20 minutes. Good luck finding a fast charger that powerful near you, but it will recharge fully from a standard wall socket off cheap Eskom rates, or your solar set-up overnight.
High value, high efficiency Tiggo 7 CSH
So, added to the brand’s hallmark value-for-money proposition, the benefits of hybrid performance and efficiency combined with high levels of standard tech and premium comfort certainly appear a mouthwatering proposition. But is it all plain sailing?
Our phantom grey sampler showed off its premium finishes and distinctive styling elements well. Featuring LED lighting all round with automatic headlamps and a distinctive DRL pattern, and smart 18-inch alloys, our Ultra also gains a sizeable panoramic sunroof and power tailgate. We’re not so sure about that styling though. Among Auto’s staff sees it as awful. Its proportions all out of whack. And nobody really argued that, either.
As we’re now expecting from a seven hundred odd grand Chinese SUV, the Tiggo 7 CSH Ultra quite literally packs it all into its generous ambient lit space. From a leather clad, heated and ventilated six-way power and memory adjustable driver’s seat, trimmed multifunction steering wheel and anti-dazzle rear view mirror to negative ion air purified dual-zone climate, keyless entry and push to start.
Tiggo 7 CSH brings extensive tech
Tiggo 7 plug-in’s extensive technology is telegraphed through dual 12.3-inch curve screen displays. Fully digital dials to the right and the central touchscreen for the Bluetooth, CarPlay and Auto Hello Chery intelligent voice command infotainment. There’s a 50-watt wireless charging pad, standard and USB-C ports and crisp and clear eight-speaker Sony sound. Add a 540° surround camera and park sensors front and rear.
626 litres of luggage space in the boot grows to 1,672 litres with the 60/40 split rear bench folded flat to bring impressive practicality. Safety is enhanced by eight dual, front side, side curtain, front inter-seat, and driver’s knee airbags. Backed by ESP, ABS and a full ADAS 2 system with blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control.
Sounds great on paper. But is it? Well, we often complain about modern infotainment systems, especially the Chinese, but this is probably the worst user interface we’ve yet stumbled across. It’s confusing and counter intuitive. The screens hard to use and illegible to those with even the slightest reading challenge. Never mind, those touch pads will make you want to commit suicide. Sadly that’s just run of the mill these days.
Tiggo 7 CSH seems quick and efficient
On the road, the powerful Tiggo 7 PHEV seems quick and efficient with an impressive range both electric and overall. It’s quiet with a silent ride and its possesses a certain quality Western feel too. But it drives Eastern. Typical Chinese over-sharp brakes, a gearbox that doesn’t quite seem to know how to handle both the engine and the hybrid system, and anxious steering conspire to deliver a quite unfortunate driving experience.
There are several other infuriating aspects. Like the car won’t let you drive without seatbelt on. Once you’re over all of that, it performs pretty well in a straight line. Although nothing near the likes of a X3 or a RAV4, or even Defender, Volvo or Lexus.
So at the end of the day, this car boils down to a compromise. Yes, it’s dirt cheap, stacked to the nines in tech, runs reasonably well and is cheap to operate, too. But then this Chery cannot hold a candle to any of the other plug-ins we’ve tested of late. Even if some may be double the price. Never mind, its dog ugly and difficult to communicate, or get on with.
A question of proper development?
In all sincerity, looking at how fast Chery and all its sub-brands are pumping out cars these days, and the literal flood of new badges, models and variants flowing onto the market by the week, one has to wonder how well developed are tested these cars really are before they hit the dealer floor? If this one’s anything to go by, nobody seems to care a hoot about any of that anymore.
Which is probably about worth the discount that this Chery Tiggo 7 CSH Ultra plug-in hybrid comes in at. Were it us, we’d far rather pay the premium for a car we know is properly prepared and proven, than just opt another cheap, sugar coated Chinese counterfeit that may tick all the boxes on paper, but is in reality clearly nowhere near all that smoke and mirrors… – Michele Lupini
Images & testing: Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: Chery Tiggo 7 CSH Ultra PHEV
Powert Unit: 1.5-litre petrol I4 engine,
2 electric motors
System Output: 265 kW 530 Nm
Drive: DHT automatic FWD
Battery: 18.3 kWh ternary lithium-ion
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 3.27 sec
0-100 km/h: 7.33 sec
0-120 km/h: 10.36 sec
400m: 15.4 sec @ 143 km/h
80-120 km/h: 5.39 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 185 km/h
Fuel: 1.4/4.3 l/100 km
CO2: 33 g/km combined
Range: 93/1200 km
Warranty/Service: 7y 150K/7y 100K km
LIST PRICE: R679K
How does it compare?
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