Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid: Worth the effort

What is it?

Since being introduced to the local market, the petrol powered Tiggo 4 has proven to be a popular choice among new car buyers, picking up a string of awards along the way.

Now the best-selling small SUV from Chinese auto giant Chery has taken on hybrid status.

Tiggo 4 Hybrid pairs a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with an electric motor and small battery pack.

The car is firmly rooted in budget territory with the likes of the Toyota Yaris Cross, Honda HR-V, MG ZS and Hyundai Kona Hybrid.

What’s it cost?

Similar to the petrol-powered models, Tiggo 4 Hybrid is available in two value packed variants, the entry-level Urban, starting at $29,990, and top-of-the-range Ultimate, at $34,990. Both are driveaway prices.

The MY26 Tiggo 4 Hybrid mostly has looks handed down from the petrol model, which include newly designed 17 and 18-inch alloy wheels, and a striking new rear design featuring LED tail lights plus a light bar that stretches across the tailgate — a signature highlight across the Chery lineup.

The 17-inch aero wheels are the biggest external difference between the hybrid and non-hybrid versions.

In profile, the Tiggo 4, in general, takes on station wagon styling.

Standard inclusions range from dual 10.25-inch LCD instrument cluster and multimedia touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus innovative ‘Hello Chery’ voice recognition.

The Ultimate takes on a six-speaker sound system (4 speakers, two tweeters) against four-speaker sound in the Urban.

Both boast steering wheel mounted controls. Connectivity and device charging are well catered for all round.

Safety of occupants is paramount and features seven airbags and a proliferation of active safety features found in the latest vehicles, plus Advanced Driver Assistance.

This includes autonomous emergency braking and lane keeping, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, speed limit info and speed control assist, front and rear parking sensors, plus 360-degree around-view camera.

Security is covered by proximity locking and unlocking of the vehicle when in possession of the key fob, passive-entry start and stop via the driver’s seat.

The Tiggo 4 Hybrid is backed by Chery’s comprehensive seven-year unlimited-kilometre warranty, seven years of capped price servicing and up to seven years of roadside assistance.

What’s it go like?

With seating for five, Tiggo 4 Hybrid driver and front passenger get heated seats, the driver of the Ultimate flagship wins four-way power lumbar support.

There’s a soft touch dashboard with gloss black trim and buttons — ‘fingerprint 101. The centre console follows suit.

Rear seats are 60:40 split fold and with 470 litres up to roof, the boot is big but suffers from a ‘pimple’ on its bottom due to the 12-volt battery poking up from underneath.

However, there is a space-saver spare wheel there too, which does not impinge on the flat floor.

Under the bonnet is Chery’s new series-parallel hybrid system, combining a 1.5-litre petrol engine with a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor.

The petrol engine produces a max power/torque of 71kW/120Nm, while the electric motor provides 150kW/310Nm, with a claimed combined fuel economy of only 5.4L/100km.

With its superior electric motor, the internal combustion engine is the primary source of propulsion.

The 150kW/310Nm outputs of the e-motor, as opposed to 71kW/120Nm, does the heavy lifting, with the petrol engine cutting in and out seamlessly to keep the battery topped up.

Fuel consumption hovered around 5.0L/100km.

On the road there’s a bit of Bugs Bunny about the car, hopping here and there on uneven road surfaces, of which there are plenty in my world.

Steering is on the light side, which may not be to everybody’s liking but comes to the fore when parking.

And the connection between both power plants did appear unsure when slowing under electric power, the car sensing the load increasing and getting the ICE to chip in, causing minor lurching.

Safety systems, with inconsistent reasons to cut in — a work in progress.

The driver monitoring is down with the worst offenders, with its constant dinging at the least suggestion of driver distraction.