New Chery Tiggo 7 mid-size SUV targets Dacia Bigster with £25k price point

This is the Chery Tiggo 7: a new family SUV from China that’s due to go on sale in the UK very soon, with prices starting from £24,995. So not only will the Tiggo 7 be cheaper than the best-selling Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai, it will also undercut current budget-friendly stars like MG HS and Dacia Bigster. 

Chery has been China’s biggest vehicle exporter for the past 22 years, but readers are more likely to have heard the name recently because it’s the parent company of Omoda and Jaecoo. Both brands launched in the UK within the last year and already have a network of more than 70 dealers across the country. Chery will be now joining them as a separate marque.

The Tiggo 7 is a 4.5-metre mid-size SUV, which will be offered with a choice of a 145bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, or a plug-in ‘Super Hybrid’ powertrain. At £29,995, the advanced hybrid costs less than the most basic petrol versions of the Kia Sportage or Nissan Qasqahi. 

The plug-in hybrid set-up consists of a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, one electric motor and an 18.3 kWh battery that delivers up to 56 miles of pure-electric driving from a single charge. 0-62mph takes 8.5 seconds, plus the Super Hybrid model has a claimed range of 745 miles and emits 23g/km of CO2. It should appeal to company car drivers. 

The engine can be used to recharge the battery when it’s low on juice or it can be topped up from 30 to 80 per cent in 20 minutes, if you plug the car into a suitably powerful charger. The usual selection of Eco, Normal and Sport driving modes will be available on petrol and hybrid models.

Customers will have a choice of two trim levels as well: Aspire and Summit. Every Chery Tiggo 7 will be equipped with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, a 12.3-inch instrument display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, LED headlights, a 540-degree cameras with transparent chassis-view, a six-speaker Sony sound system, dual-zone air-conditioning, adaptive cruise control and a cooled wireless charging pad. Upgrading to Summit trim will add an eight-speaker SONY audio system, a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, a hands-free tailgate and puddle lamps.

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The Tiggo 7 comes with a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty as standard, with no mileage limits in the first three years of coverage. RAC home start cover is also included, while the battery pack in the Super Hybrid models is covered by a separate 8-year battery warranty.

Chery recently announced it’s also bringing the bigger, seven-seater Tiggo 8 to the UK. The brand’s answer to the Skoda Kodiaq and Kia Sorento is due to go on sale shortly, and will feature the same plug-in hybrid powertrain as its smaller sibling, however pricing for that car is still under wraps for the time being.

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