Chery – and sister brands Jaecoo and Omoda – are certainly taking the UK by storm, and winning lots of fans for their combination of kit, efficient hybrid systems and affordability. This hybrid Tiggo 4 is the smallest car in the Chery range and new to the UK, though already a big seller globally. It’s certainly cheap, but is it as ‘cheery’ as the brand likes to portray itself? In terms of affordability, space, efficiency and standard equipment it looks good but the styling is anonymous to the point of boring compared with an equivalently priced Fiat Grande Panda or Vauxhall Frontera, a Toyota Yaris Cross is in a different league quality-wise, the base spec really is quite miserable and the steering and handling leave a lot to be desired. In this instance it quite literally is a case of get what you pay for.
Chery’s responses to our sustainability questions leave room for improvement. For example, while Chery’s vehicles have high recyclability and reusability rates, and Chery says over 76 per cent of its packaging comes from renewable or recycled materials, it didn’t tell us whether it used any recycled materials in the vehicles themselves. At a model level the Tiggo 4 looks good on paper for its efficient hybrid powertrain but its level of electrification is relatively mild compared with others in the Chery range.
Running costs for a Chery Tiggo 4
“Chery would say a full hybrid system at this price is the real steal”
The Tiggo 4 hits a very affordable base price but this really does mean ‘base’, given anything other than plain white paint is extra and the interior feels very plasticky. Chery would say a full hybrid system at this price is the real steal, but it’s not as ‘electrified’ as others in the range so fuel consumption is good rather than exceptional and it can’t match the incredible efficiency of others carrying the Super Hybrid branding. Nor do the CO2 figures look especially good for company drivers looking to score favourable Benefit In Kind rates, though to be fair the Tiggo 4 is probably aimed more at private buyers.
Expert rating: 4/5
Reliability of a Chery Tiggo 4
“The fact your lease or finance deal will be up long before the seven-year warranty expires offers a level of security”
Chery might be a new name for UK buyers but it’s sold a lot of Tiggo 4s in other markets already, and has been in the business a long time. If that doesn’t convince you the fact your lease or finance will be up long before the seven-year warranty expires offers a level of security against any potential reliability wobbles.
Expert rating: 4/5
Safety for a Chery Tiggo 4
“The weird steering didn’t exactly inspire confidence, either”
Good news? The Tiggo 4 gets a ton more safety kit and driver assistance tech than many rivals at this price. Bad news? A lot of it is so irritating and intrusive you’ll be turning it off anyway, the speed warning’s constant mis-reading of the posted limits hardly reassuring you the rest of the systems are bringing their A-game. Ditto driver monitoring so over-sensitive it’ll tell you off for even glancing at the instruments. The weird steering didn’t exactly inspire confidence, either, assistance veering between too light and too heavy apparently at random while the traction control was too slow to catch wheelspin off the line, even in the dry and with relatively conservative throttle inputs.
Expert rating: 3/5
How comfortable is the Chery Tiggo 4
“The sense of cheapness extends to the ride quality, which is simultaneously jiggly around town yet also unpleasantly soft on faster roads”
The starting price for the base Aspire trim might be attractive but the plastic steering wheel and basic cloth upholstery are anything but. Sure, we’re not expecting Rolls-Royce quality at this price. But when the bit of the car you’re literally touching all the time feels this basic it’s a constant reminder you’re in a cheap car. For this alone we’d be happy paying the extra for the artificial leather wheel trim on Summit spec, though by this point the same money could get you into something like a Fiat Grande Panda, which looks and feels a lot nicer inside. The Tiggo 4 has roominess on its side, so if you’re buying as a family car the kids will appreciate the extra space in the back. And, bar a strange hump in the floor, the boot is a decent size as well. But the sense of cheapness extends to the ride quality, which is simultaneously jiggly around town yet also unpleasantly soft on faster roads. Some achievement!
Expert rating: 3/5
Features of the Chery Tiggo 4
“The touch-sensitive controls for heating are just as bad as they are in any other car we’ve tried them in”
We’re already getting used to the screen-heavy interfaces common to many of the brands coming out of China but at least Chery keeps physical switches for things like mirror adjustment and other basics. The touch-sensitive controls for heating are just as annoying as they are in any other car we’ve tried them in (up to and including the likes of Porsches and Audis) and yet again require you take your eyes off the road to operate. Standard equipment isn’t bad, meanwhile, with all the safety tech others make you pay extra for included as standard, a rear parking camera included along with dual-zone air-conditioning and – wait for it – electric windows! All Tiggos also get wireless phone connection to run your apps through CarPlay or Android Auto. Upgrading to Summit gets you a wireless charging pad, a fancier 360-degree camera system, front as well as rear parking sensors, privacy glass and an upgraded six-speaker stereo. In summary, it’s got everything you need. Just very little in the way of surprise and delight.
Expert rating: 3/5
Power for a Chery Tiggo 4
“Demand much more and the petrol engine storms the party like a noisy gatecrasher”
The term ‘Super Hybrid’ adds further confusion to the many and various ways manufacturers combine petrol engines and electric motors, but is as much a branding exercise as it is a technical description of how the Tiggo 4’s system works. Maybe we’re over-thinking it, given you just put the car into D, press the accelerator and leave the black boxes to figure out the best combination of petrol engine and electric motor! With a light foot on the accelerator the Tiggo 4 behaves much like an electric car, pulling away smoothly and quietly on battery power alone. Demand much more and the petrol engine storms the party like a noisy gatecrasher, especially in moments where you need full acceleration as you might when merging into motorway traffic or overtaking a slow-moving truck. It’s even worse in the Sport mode, the petrol engine howling away with no apparent connection to forward progress. Of which there isn’t much beyond 50mph, anyway. This, the inconsistent steering and poor ride quality mean the Tiggo 4 isn’t much fun to drive, though if you rarely go above town speeds it’ll probably be less of an issue.
