Introduction: I was very excited when I heard that I was going to be testing and reviewing the all-new Chery Tiggo 7 CSH PHEV. (btw the CSH acronym stands for Chery Super Hybrid) Essentially this fantastic car is a 5-seater compact SUV designed with a focus on style, intelligent technology, safety, and comfort. This car is refined and boasts more quality than I would have expected in this price range, normally reserved for other players that previously dominated this busy market. Upon getting in, I soon realised that safety features are everywhere, including if your seatbelt is not clicked in, that the car will go nowhere! The EV part to the equation takes motoring to another level and is something that I am very excited to learn more about as this technology gets better and better going forward.
Engine/ Economy/ Drive/ Comfort: The 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo charged petrol engine is mated with an electric motor that draws power from an 18.3 kWh battery pack. This is where it gets very exciting! The combined petrol engine and battery combination produces a whopping 265 kW and 530 Nm of torque, propelling the Tiggo 7 to 100 kilometres an hour from standstill in only 5.4 seconds – Yes, it’s a true story. Putting your foot down on the accelerator of a vehicle with that much power on demand, is exhilarating and normally an experience that one would expect from an upmarket sports car! Chery claim as low as a 4.2 Liters per 100 kilometres but I pushed a bit harder to get around the 6 Liter mark, which is still excellent. The combined range of fuel and battery can take the Tiggo 7 to about the 1200-to-1400-kilometre range with the battery pack facilitating a claimed all-electric range of 90 kilometres, but another source mentioned up to 140 km of that. The Tiggo 7 drove beautifully, cornered and braked well, and was spacious and comfortable whilst cruising on the highway and driving in and around the gorgeous city of Durban. You can charge the PHEV at home, although my home set up trip switch kicked me out, after 5 minutes. I went to the Chery dealership (Alpine Motors) in Pinetown and was helped by the service orientated and every friendly Shannon who hooked up the vehicle to the workshops super charging station. I went from 21% to 65% in one hour and had I had more time, would have needed another hour to fully charge the ternary lithium-ion battery pack. If you are not a near a charging facility, then the car utilizes regenerative braking to capture energy during deceleration and braking, converting it back into electricity to recharge the battery. It is important to note that should you be buying a PHEV, to make sure that you understand the network of charging stations around SA and that in some cases you will need to be a registered user.
Features: And the list goes on but here are some: Passive-Entry-Passive-Start (PEPS), Front & Trunk 12V Power Outlet, Multi Colour Ambient Lighting System, Dual Curved Screen (31 centimetre LCD Driver Cluster + 31 centimetre Centre Control LCD Screen), Bluetooth, Wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, Front Row USB & Type-C USB / Second Row USB, Intelligent Voice Command (Hello Chery)an awesome sound producing Sony eight-speaker unit, heating and ventilation for the front seats, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and lane-change assist, Blind-spot monitoring Cell phone fast 50 W charger, type C and , 4 way driver and 4 way passenger seat adjustment, Anti-skid Brake System (ABS), Electronic Power Steering (EPS), Electronic Parking Brake – with auto hold (EPB), Electric Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Airbags: Front Dual, Front Side, Side Curtain, Front Inter-seat Airbag, Driver Knee Airbags, Speed Limit Reminder, Seatbelt Reminder (Front & Rear), Speed Sensing Door Lock, Anti-theft Alarm, Electronic Child-safety Locks, ISOFIX, Front Recovery Tow Hook, Front Park Distance Control (PDC), 540 degree Camera, Rear Camera and many more!
Interior/ Exterior/ Boot: The interior cockpit is plush, impressive, roomy and built with quality components. The exterior looks stylish, sturdy, exudes appeal and has a somewhat quietly confident presence about it. The impressive boot space of 626 litres affords a family loads of space and some to go on a weekend away and if the rear seats are down this space goes to an impressive 1600 Liters plus. With a ground clearance of 162 to 193 millimetres the vehicle is good to go into the country for the weekend - The battery pack reduces normal clearance from 193 to 162 where the battery sits.
Price/ Warranty/ Service Plan: R679 900, 5-year / 150,000 km full vehicle warranty; 10-year / 1,000,000 km engine warranty; 10-year unlimited mileage power battery warranty; 10-year / 200,000 km Motor, and Electronic Control Unit warranty
In Summary: If you are looking for quality, that seamlessly blends comfort and luxury into a terrific vehicle that fully deserves a front spot in this compact SUV and plug in market and is backed by a dealer network countrywide of 86, then look no further than the Tiggo 7 CSH PHEV.
*This article is written in my opinion only. For detailed information on the specs, please contact Chery SA*
