Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid: What’s that awful noise?

What is it?

It’s cheap and it’s a hybrid, that’s what it is.

In fact, Chery reckons the Tiggo 4 is Australia’s cheapest hybrid SUV.

The Tiggo 4 Hybrid (they dropped Pro from the name) also happens to be Chery’s best-selling SUV.

It’s powered by a 1.5-litre four cylinder petrol engine together with the help of an electric motor, that combine to offer budget-friendly fuel consumption of 5.4L/100km.

The Tiggo feels cheap . . . but let’s find out.

What’s it cost?

Tiggo 4 Hybrid is available in two grades: Urban and top-of-the-range Ultimate.

Urban is priced from $29,990 driveaway, the Ultimate from $34,990 — both prices are driveaway.

Metallic paint adds $500 to the price.

Be aware there’s a big $6000 difference between the regular Tiggo 4 Ultimate and the Tiggo 4 Hybrid Ultimate.

Competitors include the Honda HR-V, Haval Jolion and MG ZS.

Although billed as Australia’s cheapest hybrid SUV, Urban offers quite a few standard features, that range from dual 10.25-inch LCD instrument cluster and multimedia touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus innovative “Hello Chery” voice control system.

Standard equipment includes cloth trim and dual zone climate air conditioning, with rear air vents, height adjustable driver’s seat, remote start and walk-away locking.

There’s also 17-inch alloys, adaptive cruise control, speed limit information, LED lights all-round, auto high beam, auto lights and wipers, and front and rear parking sensors.

Ultimate ups the ante with artificial leather seats, heated front pews, power adjustment for the driver’s seat, electric sunroof, colour-select ambient interior lighting and a 360-degree surround view camera.

Infotainment consists of a 12.5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, steering wheel mounted controls, Hello Chery voice control, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, wired and wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, plus four-speaker sound.

Another 12.5-inch screen supplies the instrument cluster, both incorporated into the same sweeping display panel.

There’s no built-in satellite navigation in either variant, so for that you will have to use your phone.

USB- A and C ports are located in the front, with another USB-A port in the back, as well as a 12-volt outlet up front.

Ultimate adds six-speaker sound and a 15W wireless phone charger.

The Tiggo 4 scores a full five stars for crash safety from ANCAP.

A reversing camera, stability control and seven airbags are fitted including a centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.

Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User, Junction & Crossing, Backover and Head-On) as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), and an advanced speed assistance system (SAS) are standard.

Two ISOFix and three top-tether child seats anchor points are offered.

Tiggo 4 is covered by a 7-year unlimited kilometre warranty, 7-year capped price servicing and up to 7 years of roadside assistance.

What’s it go like?

At 4330mm long, with a 2604mm wheelbase, the Tiggo 4 Hybrid seats five occupants.

Front legroom is adequate, but there’s limited room to stretch your legs if you’re in the back.

There is however a rear air outlet for rear seat passengers, but only one.

The touchscreen is relatively easy to operate, with plenty of options to play around with and three different themes for the instrument cluster.

But try finding out how much fuel it averages for anything more than the last 50km — no can do amigo.

A row of buttons provide easy access to oft-used features such as volume, driving modes and the around-view camera which gets in the way sometimes.

The two centre cupholders will not accommodate sports drink bottles, nor will the cupholders in the front doors.

A small centre console box is provided as well as a storage tray below the console.

Rather inconveniently the phone charger is to be found somewhere down there too.

But and it’s a big BUT, a lot of space has been seconded to flashy Range Rover-esque glass climate control panel and the gloss black trim that runs the length of the centre — way too much.

Under the bonnet is Chery’s new hybrid system, that operates in series and parallel mode as required, combining a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor, together with a 1.83 kWh battery.

The petrol engine produces 71kW of power and 120Nm of torque, while the electric motor provides 150kW/310Nm.

Combined power and torque outputs are not supplied, but the petrol engine should add something to the equation when both are operating together in parallel mode.

The graphic displayed in the driver information panel suggests this to be the case.

There’s no gears or gear changed paddles, with drive is the front wheels through a one-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT).

With a largish 51-litre tank, fuel consumption, using standard 91 unleaded, is a claimed 5.4L/100km.

That’s 27 per cent less than the equivalent non-hybrid model.

There are two drive modes, Eco and Sport. In Eco mode the petrol engine remains dormant most of the time.

In terms of the overall drive experience, the Tiggo presents two different personalities, just like the proverbial Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

It goes okay, or so we thought, until we encountered our first hill.

Even the ride quality is pretty good for an import, with adjustment for steering weight and some tyre squeal and tendency to oversteer when pushed hard through corners.

But point it at a long, steep hill such as the big one heading up the M1 north out of Sydney and it soon becomes apparent that things aren’t quite right.

As the petrol engine cuts in, things become very noisy, very quickly — and you’d be forgiven for thinking the thing is going to blow up.

My wife thought so.

Although CVT and one-speed dedicated hybrid transmissions are mechanically and fundamentally different, the seamless drive ratio transition is much the same — as the engine revs rise to keep pace with demands from the throttle.

This is what produces the escalating cabin noise and zoom-like acceleration (or lack thereof).

The majority of time, however, the Tiggo is a pussycat, operating on electric power alone, and as such surprisingly quick and responsive off the line — thanks to the instant torque from the electric motor.

It stays this way up to 80km/h or so, depending on system load, delivering a very EV-like driving experience around town.

Hills however remain its weak point.

Then there’s the incessant warnings and interventions from the driver assistance systems, especially the lane-centering function.