Festive treat: Chery Tiggo 9 strikes a balance between grandeur and poise and is a surprisingly good drive
too. Photo: Supplied
I reviewed the Chery Tiggo 9 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) in late 2025 and believed that alongside the Omoda C9, it was the flag-bearer for how far Chinese cars have come.
I had the top-of-the-range petrol variant on test for the festive period. Although from a driving perspective, I knew it was not going to be the same as the PHEV, I was excited to spend more time with a vehicle that has every feature you can think of.
The exterior sets the tone for the entire vehicle. The Tiggo 9 strikes a balance between grandeur and poise. Sleek body lines flow seamlessly into an imposing front fascia, where a bold 3D diamond grille takes centre stage, framed by sculpted LED headlamps.
At the back, a full-width LED light bar stretches across the tailgate, inspired by diamond jewellery, which is a testament to the luxury the car offers.
I had a rather busy festive period, beginning with a trip to Warmbaths and I was ready for the two-hour drive. It was the first time I was driving long distance in this vehicle. From the time we settled in, I knew we were in for a comfortable journey.
We are a family of three and the vehicle is a seven-seater, so there was ample space for my wife and son to relax as they pleased.
The front seats and the second row have heated and cooled seats, which meant that in addition to the air-conditioner, all three of us also had seat cooling for the journey, which was satisfying and refreshing. The front seats also have a massage feature, which gets the holiday vibes going even more.
The 15.6 inch infotainment system makes it easy for passengers to control the music or entertainment. We were throwing it back to the early 2000s, with premium sound thanks to the vehicle’s 14-speaker Sony sound system.
The drive to Warmbaths and back felt luxurious and comfortable. Yet, people on the outside who notice the occupants in a Chinese vehicle, have no clue that the occupants are experiencing all the amazing features.
It’s easy to get carried away with the features and lose focus on what matters, which is how the vehicle drives. To reiterate, I knew the driving experience would not feel as polished as the PHEV variant. It would never match it for power and poise. The PHEV has a 1.5 litre turbocharged engine paired with three electric motors that give the car insane outputs.
With the petrol variant, it is powered by a 2 litre turbocharged petrol engine that delivers 187kW of power and 390Nm of torque.
I was pleasantly surprised at how well the car performed on the road. No throttle calibration issues, smooth gear shifts and easy power with little turbo lag meant that it kept the premium feel in all departments. The road to Warmbaths was straight and simple, so the adaptive cruise control came into play, making it easy for me to enjoy my
massage while driving.
Another thing that surprised me was the fuel consumption figures. Claimed figures on Chinese petrol cars are almost never true. The claimed figure on the Tiggo 9 is
8.3 litres/100km. On highways, I could easily drop the car below these figures but urban driving pushed it up. I ended up with a fuel consumption figure of 8.8 litres/100km, which is not bad, considering that this is a seven-seater.
When I got back from Warmbaths, I had another three weeks to enjoy the car. The three weeks were chaotic to say the least. My cousins and I were meeting almost every night for padel and then a game of Mafia.
On one of those nights, they wanted to check the car out. They jumped into the front seats and turned on the massage feature and well, they didn’t want to jump out.
I suppose it’s the comfort, luxury and tech-filled cabin that Chery has got spot-on with the Tiggo 9 that make it a beautiful car to be inside, drive and explore with.
The real cherry on top (excuse the pun) is that no matter which variant you jump into, you are not paying crazy money for what you
are getting.
The entry-level 2 litre turbocharged Pinnacle model starts at R689 900, while the top of the range 2 litre turbocharged Vanguard comes in at R779 900. That is what you pay to get into entry-level German hatchbacks.
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