Mat Watson reviews the Chery Tiggo 4: I wouldn’t buy this car, but I think you should

This is the new Chery Tiggo 4, and it’s a car which I personally would not buy. Despite this, I’m still going to end up recommending it to a lot of people.

I’m a petrolhead who loves driving, and if you are too then the Tiggo 4 is not the car to choose. However, if you’re just after something cheap, comfy enough and well-equipped, then it’s really hard to ignore.

After spending a week with the new Chery Tiggo 4, here’s my honest review.

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New Chery Tiggo 4: prices and standard equipment

I’m going to start by talking about the price, because it’s the main reason I’ll be recommending the Chery Tiggo 4 to so many people.

It starts from just £19,995, rising to £21,995 for the range-topping version. That makes it almost £6,000 cheaper than a Volkswagen T-Cross, but it’s closer in size to the larger T-Roc and comes with way more equipment as standard.

All cars get adaptive cruise control, twin 12.3-inch screens, keyless go and a hybrid engine. Top-spec cars add things like a heated leather steering wheel, heated front seats, a 360-degree camera system and wireless phone charging.

You get all of this for less than the price of a much smaller Vauxhall Corsa hatchback, so it’s easy to see why the Tiggo 4 is tempting on paper. However, being cheap might not be enough if it feels nasty – how is it on the inside?

New Chery Tiggo 4: interior quality and technology

In some areas, the Chery Tiggo 4’s cheapness does show through. The rear-view mirror shakes around over bumps, there’s a blank switch in the ceiling for a sunroof which isn’t available on UK cars and the boot lid vibrates when you shut the rear doors.

But these are details which only a real nerd like me is going to notice. Everywhere else, the Tiggo 4 feels much more expensive than the price tag suggests.

You get soft-touch materials on the doors and dashboard, and everything feels really solidly screwed together. The 12.3-inch infotainment screen is also responsive and easy to use, although it is a bit far away from the driver so you end up leaning forward to operate it.

While I do like the fact you get a separate panel for the climate settings, the fact it’s touch sensitive is a bit annoying. It gets covered in fingerprints, and the fan speed control looks like it’ll be a slider, but you actually tap it left and right.

A word of warning though – if you go for the entry level car then you don’t get the faux leather upholstery, and it has a plastic steering wheel. Eww.

New Chery Tiggo 4: space and practicality

I reckon the Chery Tiggo 4 is fine for people with families. There’s a decent amount of space in the back, with plenty of head and legroom for average-sized adults like me. Shoulder space is tight with three in the back, but I find this to be the case with all cars of this size to tell you the truth.

There’s enough space for a bulky rear-facing child seat, although the ISOFIX anchor points are a faff to locate. I found them to be a bit too high up.

The 430-litre boot is smaller than you get in a Renault Captur or Ford Puma, but it’s also a bit bigger than the Volkswagen T-Cross and Skoda Kamiq. There is an annoying hump in the floor though, which turned out to be for the car’s 12-volt battery.

You get a step in the boot floor when you fold the rear seats down, so pushing heavy items to the front can be a pain. The Renault Captur and VW T-Cross have sliding rear seats, which give you the flexibility to increase the luggage space should you need it.

New Chery Tiggo 4: engine and driving

There’s just one engine option on offer in the Chery Tiggo 4, and it’s a 1.5-litre hybrid with 204hp. It’s impressively quick. I managed 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds, which is a full second quicker than Chery claims.

It is quite noisy when you put your foot down, but in town you can just float around on electric power in traffic or at low speeds. It’s thanks to this that I managed to get 56mpg from the Tiggo 4, which is 3mpg more than the claimed figure.

However, it’s out on the road that we get to the reason I wouldn’t personally buy this car. The suspension feels a bit firm over bumps, and on a country road it just feels a bit odd.

The steering has no real feeling to it, and there’s a dead spot as you initially turn the wheel where nothing really happens. If you enter a bend too quickly it’ll soon run wide as it runs out of grip, and there’s quite a lot of body roll as well. A Toyota Yaris Cross is much more enjoyable to drive.

That said, if you’re not as interested in driving as I am, the Tiggo 4 is fine. As long as you’re not a hooligan, it’ll go where you aim it and it’s not uncomfortable to the point of driving you mad.

It’s also pretty easy to drive in town thanks to the raised driving positions and large windows. Slotting it through tight gaps is a breeze, and the surround-view camera you get on top-spec cars makes it easy to park.

Mat’s final verdict: should you buy the Chery Tiggo 4?

So where does this leave us? Well I personally wouldn’t buy a Chery Tiggo 4, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who is into cars and enjoys driving.

However, for the vast majority of people who just want something which is insanely good value for money, the Tiggo 4 is really hard to ignore. It’s not unpleasant to drive, and you’re getting a lot of car for less than £20,000.

And that’s why I’ll be recommending that many people just go right ahead and buy the Chery Tiggo 4.

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