Chery Tiggo Cross hybrid serious threat to Toyota Corolla Cross

We predicted that the Chery Tiggo Cross HEV (hybrid electric vehicle) was going to be a disruptor, based only on the car’s on-paper credentials.

The caution was because the normal Tiggo Cross minus hybrid did not receive a favourable review from the Citizen Motoring team. The throttle calibration was woeful, the DCT gearbox jerky and the brakes were non-existent. Besides the car’s better price, that put it above VW’s T-Cross in the pecking order, there was no way one could recommend this model derivative in good faith.

This negative sentiment has been comprehensively undone after spending some time behind the wheel of the Chery Tiggo Cross HEV. It’s like the two cars came out of different factories. It’s so much smoother and more refined than the normal Cross. And this one now also has the firepower to gun down the big dog, the top-selling Toyota Corolla Cross HEV.

ALSO READ: Hybrid Chery Tiggo Cross declares war on Toyota Corolla Cross

Big undercut in price

Coming in at R469 900 for the top-of-the-range Elite spec, the Chery Tiggo Cross HEV is comfortably better priced than the Corolla Cross HEV in XR spec at R545 200. A R75 300 difference in sticker price within this budget-sensitive part of the segment is a massive win in favour of this Chinese offering. A value-for-money offering Chery is backing up by offering their Tiggo Cross HEV with a five-year/150 000km warranty, 10-year/unlimited mileage (for first owner) battery warranty and five-year/60 000km service plan.

The Toyota Corolla Cross HEV is offered with a shorter three-year/100 000km warranty and eight-year warranty on the battery. But the Toyota comes with a substantially longer, six-services/90 000 m service plan. And funny first owner small print stuff.

The next big talking point is without a doubt the performance of the Chery Tiggo Cross HEV. When you first read that the car comes with 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine that develops a mere 71kW of power and 118Nm of torque, you would think it is dead in the water. But you need to read a bit further and then the picture changes dramatically. The addition of a battery powered electric motor, shoots the claimed numbers up to 150kW and 310Nm.

Almost too good to be true, right? Are the Chinese taking a chance in overstating their numbers here? Can a small 1.83kWh battery make this much of a difference?

Chery Tiggo Cross HEV packs a punch

The Corolla Cross HEV has a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated mill that Toyota rate at 72kW. With electrical assistance, the numbers only marginally increase to 90kW while the torque stays quoted at 142Nm. Don’t ask me why. It’s just how they do it.

ALSO READ: PODCAST: Chery Tiggo Cross takes fight to Toyota Corolla Cross

Now, all I can tell you is that I don’t know what is inside of that Chery battery, but the Tiggo Cross HEV destroys the Toyota Corolla Cross HEV in a sprint and everyday driveability. The Tiggo is over four seconds quicker to 100km/h and hits the national limit a full seven seconds earlier. Even more decisive is the 12-second gap when the cars accelerate from 60km/h all the way to 140km/h. They are honestly not in the same league when it comes to aspect of the road test.

One anomaly, and there are always some when road testing Chinese cars, the Chery Tiggo Cross HEV would not go over 150km/h. I couldn’t find a claimed top speed anywhere, so you are going to have to accept that doing top speed runs is not in your future. And that you will be on the speed limiter in less than 500m of road anyway. Kind of bizarre, but who needs more from a car like this?

Fuel consumption on par with Toyota

Where they are very much in the same league though is when it comes to fuel consumption. We got a figure of 5.4 litres per 100km when we spent a few months in the Toyota Corolla Cross HEV. And I managed the exact same number in the Chery Tiggo Cross HEV. My wife on the other hand came home and bragged that her day spent in Sandton traffic saw this number drop as low as 4.7 litres per 100km.

Either way, both these cars offer exceptional fuel economy, with the Chery’s bigger 50-litre tank to the 36-litre tank of the Toyota, allowing you to go a lot further between refills with the Chery Tiggo Cross HEV.

Is the Tiggo Cross HEV perfect? Of course not. The steering is ridiculously light. The car also had a few rattles right off the bat and it just didn’t feel as solid as the Corolla Cross HEV. Will you regret your decision in a few years’ time? Who knows. Probably more importantly right now, does your wife care for all this? No. Why? Because at the price point and with the performance on tap, the Chery Tiggo Cross HEV is impossible to ignore.

Chery Tiggo Cross HEV road test results