Chery Tiggo 7 review

The Tiggo 7’s sub £25k starting point will lure in lots of buyers, one would imagine. Not least when a similarly powered Qashqai or Sportage is five grand more. The sheer number of Jaecoos and Omodas we’re seeing about show that a new brand name holds no fear to British buyers when the prices are competitive enough.

The Tiggo 7 comes with two powertrains – the £24,995 ICE car we’d probably avoid, and the £29,995 Super Hybrid which holds more promise. 

Things begin with Aspire trim, which has full synthetic leather trim, 18in alloys, electric driver seat adjustment, a pair of 12.3in screens, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, dual-zone climate and a reversing camera.

Three grand more – so £27,995 in petrol form or £32,995 as a hybrid – upgrades you into a Summit, adding 19in wheels, heated and vented front seats, a heated steering wheel, an electronic tailgate, eight-speaker Sony audio and a trick ‘540-degree’ parking camera setup that also activates as you approach and leave junctions. It’s mesmerising enough to be a minor distraction, but it ought to help keep those inch bigger alloys in decent nick.

Any residual fear about who on earth Chery is might be assuaged by its seven-year, unlimited mileage warranty, its rollover breakdown cover if you get your servicing done at official dealers and an eight-year, unlimited mileage warranty on the hybrid’s battery.

For the record, its pricing basically mirrors that of the MG HS, a Chinese-built SUV of startlingly similar stock and which rides high in the UK bestsellers every month. Presumably it’s now having a cautious peek over its shoulder.