Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV Review: Is this the BEST Value Hybrid?
Hello and welcome back to the channel. I’m David Taylor and today we’re reviewing SA’s cheapest and greatest plug-in hybrid. Now, before I get into why I’ve made such a bold statement, there are over 1,600 Cherry SUVs for sale on the website. Right, let’s go. Go. [Music] So, where exactly does Cherry position the TIG7 hybrid? Now, as mentioned, it is South Africa’s cheapest plug-in hybrid. And right now, from 599,000, you can get into this. But what are your other options? Well, by now you’ve probably seen Chir Sienna’s BYD Cline 6 plug-in hybrid SUV. That review went live a couple of weeks ago. That’s just under 700,000 rand. You can go for this vehicle’s cousin, the JU J7 SHs. That’s also just under 700,000 rand. And there’s also the Haval H6. We tested that just before its market launch. That’s also just under 700,000 rand. Now, when you consider what’s on offer with those four cars, what are the legacy brands doing? Now, I had to dig through Kaza Kosa’s new car specs to try to find the nearest equivalent, and all I can find is the BMW X130e, which is just over a million rand. So, in terms of pricing and value for money, the four Chinese plug-in hybrids are leading the way. Terry has given us two plug-in hybrid derivatives, the Plus and the Ultra. As mentioned, 599,000. The powertrain is exactly the same. Now, the higher spec model comes with additional content, safety, and tech features. Like right now, I’m really enjoying these heated seats, which also ventilated. There’s front LEDs. There’s a power tailgate. There’s an additional two speakers for the Sony audio system. Plus, there’s a pano roof for not much more money. And I think that really makes a good case for itself. So, powertrain. What’s under the bonnet? There’s a 1.5 turbocharged 4-cylinder, pretty much like all standard Chinese SUVs. Now, when you combine the 1.5 turbocharged petrol engine along with an electric motor and a battery, you get some seriously impressive numbers. Take a moment and appreciate this. 265 kW, 530 Newton me. Now, I’m going to throw some doubts about those figures because you hear those numbers and you think, “This cherry must be an absolute rocket.” Now, I’ve tested it and Cherry doesn’t supply a claim 0 to 100. So, I don’t have a metric for success. So, I went out, tested it, and I got 7.6 to 100, which is brisk, but not really indicative of those figures. Now, I would also like to throw some doubts on how Cherry comes up with those claims because I don’t think it’s quite as simple as adding the outputs of the electric motor and output of the 1.5 and suddenly that’s what’s reaching the wheels. So, there’s a little bit of doubt there, but in the real world when it comes to power, I just simply click it into sport and then you get a little bit of a surge as the electric motor delivers and it goes. But does it feel fast? I mean, it is fast, but it doesn’t actually feel as fast as the numbers suggest. [Music] Now, I want to talk about how this car drives. And it’s so smooth. and try to listen for when the car changes from electric to petrol and back to electric as you go. It’s imperceivable. The car just very smooth powertrain, very linear. This is actually a really good car to drive. But the main benefit for going the plug-in hybrid route is the efficiency. And now Cherry claims 4.9 L per 100 and a total tank range of,200 km. Now that’s really really impressive. But when I look at the data and I look at my claims, things start to go a little bit weird. So the trip computer, for example, doesn’t mention what’s been happening over the entire lifespan of the vehicle. It instead gives you the last 50 km, which I see is a very easy way to manipulate the vehicle. For example, I had the vehicle driving to work. My battery was depleted. So I was using the petrol engine to charge it. That took the consumption up to around 6 1/2 L, which in the real world is not too bad. Now I charged the vehicle at the office through the plug system. Very easy to do by the way. And then on the way here I drove it in its most hybrid economical setting. And for the last 50 kilometers, which was the last hour of driving, I’m averaging a total output of 5.5 L per 100 with the petrol engine using 0.8 and the electric motor using 15.4. Now, you must remember that these figures are not static. They will constantly change as the car drives. So, we’ve been trying to play around with how this car drives on the highway. Once the battery is depleted, it starts to use quite a bit of petrol. But, I think this car has been optimized for the urban road. So, if you’re sitting in 60, 70, 80k zones and you’re in that sweet spot of efficiency where the petrol engine is only coming on when you’re getting on the highway, you can get some fantastic consumption. And I think 1,200 km is a little bit optimistic on the open road, but I think in town you’re probably going to get very close to that. Now, for what it’s worth, I’ve seen varying consumption figures across. I mean, coming here, I was averaging 0.5 L per 100, which is crazy because obviously I’m using the battery mostly. But throughout the weekend that I was assessing this vehicle, I was seeing fours, 3.9, 3.7s, and then starting to use the petrol engine, it goes up to fives and sixes. So, for me, in conclusion, it is a lot more efficient than the standard TIGO7 for not much more money. And I think that is really important. [Music] Now, when it comes to design, the Cherry Tigo7, the hybrid that is, is slightly different compared to the standard model. So, it has this big bold grill, these neater daytime running lights, but also pay careful attention to these aerodynamic wheels. They look quite flat and monoifor, but they’re optimized for aerodynamic, which increases the efficiency. Of course, there’s also a plug-in hybrid badge on the back. And if you look carefully, the LED tail lights are really goodlooking and they set it apart from the standard Tigo7 range. [Music] Welcome to the interior of the Cherry Tigo7 plug-in hybrid. Now, there’s a lot to take in here, but it’s pretty easy to figure out, and you’ll be up and running without too much effort. There’s some really cool features here, like the integrated dash cam, insert the micro SD card, and you’re good to go. But one of the most interesting features and I initially thought it was the glue of this brand new car. It was delivered with 400 km on the clock was the smell. And I thought, is it the glue? Is it the car? And then I realized through the aircon, there’s actually a fragrance dispenser with not one, not two, but three flavors. So you can have forest bath, charming air, dark temptation. Now look, the one of them is a bit sweets from heaven. And I think I’m getting a sugar high off it. But like it’s that attention to detail which I can really appreciate. [Music] Now, as mentioned, this is the higher spec version of the Cherry Tigo 7 plug-in hybrid, and the tech features and standard loadout is really impressive. The quality of the screen is really good. There’s a wireless charger, 50 watt wireless charger. So, if your phone supports wireless charging, it’s going to get quite warm, but it’ll be fully charged really quickly. USBA, USBC, wireless, Android Auto, wireless CarPlay. This storage unit is very big. We’re using it to store camera gear, but it’s also cooled. You can put a bottle of water in here, and the air con plumbing will keep it cold. That is really clever attention to detail. Now, I’ve already said that this 7 isn’t a facelift, but it feels like it. And some of the criticisms we’ve had in terms of cabin quality, they’ve been addressed. This used to be all gloss plastic, which is a fingerprint magnet. Now they’ve gone for this brush plastic look. All of these buttons are neater. There’s a carbon fiber look. Like it just feels like the ambience of the cabin has been lifted up. Not just for style, but also for functionality. Right, the back space of the Cherry Tigo 7. This is meant to be a family SUV. So, can you family? Look, I’m a tall guy. I’m 1.91 m tall. So leg room and headroom is critical for me and sitting behind myself test. And yes, my knees are not touching the seats, but it’s very close. So I’ve got just enough space. I think headroom is very commendable. I’ve got more space than I I think I would need. And yeah, convenience features. I’ve got a nice little place to store a phone and there’s a USBA charger. Plus, I can open and close these vents if I get too hot, too cold. And yeah, back rest position is pretty good. Um, I think I’d be good for a garden route trip here for a couple of hours. I’m comfortable. So, when it comes to family vehicles, you also need a fantastic boot. Let’s see what’s on offer. Now, remember, the Cherry Tig 7 has to also be a family SUV. But remember, it’s a plug-in hybrid, so surely the battery has ruined the boot space. And the answer is no, because Cherry claims 626 L of boot space for this model, which is identical to the 7 Pro. But let’s see the real world. Can we get our infamous cooler box test done? Here we go. Budget cooler box. Here we go. Critically, it fits in under here. That’s always good. So, there’s one, two, three. Going to move the light. I’m going to say four, five, six in a bit. That is a really good boot jaw test. This is fantastic. And remember that of course you can fold the rear seats down for additional space. Job well done. So how exactly do you charge the TIG07? Cherry supplies this very handy home adapter kit and close the boot. And yes, we’ve got a fast charger at the office of 11 kW. The car will take 6 kW. And impressively, there’s not only AC charging, but you can have DC fast charging as well. But the thing is, Cherry doesn’t actually tell you how much power this thing can take, but rather saying the 18 kWh battery will be topped up in around 30 to 45 minutes. So, I don’t think it’s the fastest charging system. But you know what? At this price point, who am I to argue? The Cherry can be charged at speeds of up to 6 kW for AC and 40 kW for faster DC public charges. The vehicle also features 3.3 kW vehicle-toload capability, so you can plug in your favorite appliances for those camping weekends or when there’s load shedding. Now, when it comes to plug-in hybrids, they’re generally a little more expensive than their standard counterparts, but the cost of running is less. Let’s do some quick math. The cost to charge Sun is battery capacity, which is measured in kilowatt hours, multiplied by the price of electricity, which is also measured in kilowatt hours. This cherry has an 18.3 kWh battery. And on your screen now is the cost to charge plus how much it costs to run per kilometer. As you can see, plug-in hybrid is the winner. [Music] One of the things I really appreciate about the way this Tigo 7 plug-in hybrid drives is it’s just very relaxed. It’s so easy to drive. It’s just smooth. And yes, I know comfortable is a cliche, but there’s genuine relaxation on offer here. The steering is just got enough feedback to be deemed interesting. The suspension, yes, it’s a little bit on the firm side, but this is a car I can imagine just driving gently down to the garden route with some good tunes on that Sony Explode systems. Really decent. Now, when it comes to faults and criticisms, I’m going to put my hand up and go, I’m struggling to find them. Now, my colleague Hannis Ursen, he’s one of the most thorough car testers, and it takes a lot for him to be impressed. Usually, he’ll just say, “Oh, this car is junk,” or, “I don’t like this and don’t like this.” And he WhatsApp me some testing notes, and he said, “I’m struggling to find faults.” And I’m in complete agreement. This is an annoyingly good car. And it’s gotten to a point where I’ve actually started questioning my own sanity and going in the 13 years you’ve worked for Cars of Kos and tested vehicles. Have you ever found anything perfect? And I always go, well, there’s no such thing as a perfect car. And I’m going, an additional layer of scrutiny is needed. What is this car doing wrong? And I still can’t find anything wrong. And usually when we test cars, there’s something that you’ll pick up within a day or two and go, “Oh, this could have been a bit better. Oh, I don’t like this. And it’s been 4 days with this car that I’ve had it to do all the fuel runs and testing and filming and so on. And I still haven’t found something that’s really gone, gh, I don’t like this. So far, everything has been pleasant and within expectations. Remember, this is a sub700,000 rand family SUV. And I suppose I could really go on the extreme end and go, you know what? I think the ride is a little bit hard, but I’m really stretching here. And this annoys me. I hate how annoyingly good this car is. And another thing I’d like to add, the plug-in hybrid technology is actually one of the biggest blessing in disguises for these brands because it addresses two really horrible negative aspects of Chinese cars. And that was the erratic throttle response and the horrendous fuel consumption. And with the throttle response where there was really weird calibration, the electric motor takes care of that. And it’s a lot more gradual, a lot smoother. The cars are much more pleasant to drive. And then the horrendous fuel economy from the 1.5 turbo is now completely dialed away by the assistance of the electric. So this is just two thumbs up in terms of powertrain and efficiency. [Applause] Right, let’s talk about the money. And yes, Cherry says you can get one of these until October for 599,900 rand and then pricing will go up to about 620. We’re going to put pricing on the screen. Now, this higher spec model is 680,000 rand and that for me is phenomenal value. South Africa’s cheapest plug-in hybrid after all. Now, when it comes to the warranty, you get a 5year 150,000 km warranty, a 10-year unlimited kilometer battery warranty, plus there is a 5year 60,000 km service plan. So, I think you’re going to have your bases covered there. [Music] While this is a review of the Cherry Tigo 7 PHEV, we feel that it’s relevant to compare it directly to its sibling, the JU J7 SHs. On your screen now is pricing, power outputs, warranty, and service plans. And if you haven’t quite got the message yet, I really like this car. I think it’s phenomenal value for money. It’s lights on fuel. It’s really easy to drive. And it’s just offers a comfortable, relaxing way of getting around. It’s a fantastic value for money. So, should you buy one? I’m going to say absolutely yes. If you’re looking for a value for money offering, this should be on your short list. The price, the fuel economy, the tech, it does so much and doesn’t cost a little. And that’s pretty much the end of the video. Thank you so much for watching. If you enjoyed this review, don’t forget to smash a like and share it with your mates. We’re on the journey to 500,000 YouTube subscribers. And thanks for watching. Remember that cars are kosa. We’re not just a YouTube channel. We also have over 75,000 vehicles for sale. I will see you in the next one. Okay, bye. Let’s find what moves you. Cars. Kosa. Hello. You join me and my phone in the Cars of Kosa Cape Town office where I have been asked to tell you about our new quick search feature in our app. Now, if you don’t have our app, it’s been downloaded by over 2 million South Africans, completely free. It’s in any app store that you use. Go ahead and get it right now. And we’ve just launched a very cool new feature. It’s a first in South Africa. So, it’s basically plain English search. And this is how it works. You open the app and in the quick search bar, you just type what you’re looking for. So BMW uh X3 silver and then bang hit I’ve misspelled. Then hit search and we prepopulate all those filters for you so you don’t have to fiddle and then you get of all the 72,000 cars on our site all the silver X3s in Kim for you to choose from. That’s actually quite clever. I didn’t know it could do that. Should probably read my emails sometimes.
Get ready for a deep dive into South Africa’s most affordable plug-in hybrid SUV, the Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV! In this comprehensive review, David Taylor explores every aspect of this game-changing vehicle. We’ll cover its powerful 1.5L turbo engine and electric motor combination, which delivers a whopping 265 kW and 530 Nm of torque, and show you our real-world 0-100 km/h acceleration test. We also take a close look at the stunning interior, featuring a dual-screen cockpit, a unique fragrance dispenser, and ventilated seats. Learn about its impressive fuel efficiency, spacious boot, and flexible charging options. Get all the details on pricing, warranty, and why this car offers incredible value for money.
00:00 – Introduction to the car
01:30 – Engine and power specifications
02:48 – 0-100 km/h acceleration time
06:03 – Exterior design tour
06:35 – Detailed look at the cabin
09:28 – Boot space demonstration
15:08 – Warranty and service plan
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