Tag Archives: SUV

Chery, Electric/hybrid, Motoring, SUV

Tiggo 7: An affordable, efficient, family SUV

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Chery Tiggo 7 CSH SUmmit

By Bill McCarthy

The Chery Tiggo defies expectations. It sidesteps the usual “budget brand” caveats – understandable given Chery’s pedigree as China’s largest independent car exporter, now targeting Europe to deliver a driving experience that feels mature and well-sorted.

My week-long test was punishing: high-speed motorway cruising, challenging Peak District ascents, and a house relocation. The Tiggo absorbed every task with surprising composure. With an entry price hovering just below the £30,000 mark, it undercuts key segment rivals by a significant margin.

A stylish SUV with an elegant profile, there are some neat curves and bulges and neat light arrays, but if very much fits the standard SUV mould.

There is a petrol version or the plug-in version driven here, with two trim levels, Aspire and Summit and a starting price of just under £25k. The plug-in starts at just under £30k, class-leading at the time of writing.

What’s under the bonnet

The 1.5-litre turbo pairs with an electric motor driving the front wheels, delivering 201bhp and 365Nm of torque. 

The big sell is efficiency. Chery claims 56 miles of electric range. That’ll cover most commutes, and with a claimed total range of 745 miles, you’ll forget how to use a petrol pump. 

The 18.4kWh battery charges from 30–80% in about 20 minutes using a rapid charger – handy for a quick top-up during a supermarket shop. Like many plug-in hybrids, the claimed mpg can be astronomical, but that depends on charging regularly and using electric power. Otherwise, using both, around 50mpg seems nearer the mark.

On the road

It’s quick off the mark, and I threw it at the twisting and narrow local roads where it coped admirably. The power delivery is linear, the electric motor gives instant shove when you need it and the petrol engine kicks in under hard acceleration. It hits 62mph in 8.5 seconds. Hardly supercar territory, but adequate.

Then came the Peak District – both tight and sweeping bends, plus steep climbs. The Tiggo 7 clung on like a terrier, feeling well planted. The steering gives reasonable feedback if a little on the light side – but you always know what the front wheels are doing. Suspension is firm enough to feel controlled, soft enough not to rattle your fillings. Chery says it has engineered this car with British roads in mind.

What I really liked was the refinement. Engine and motor work in harmony with little noise, and road noise is kept well at bay even at motorway speeds.

Interior and equipment

Summit is top spec, so you get the lot withpanoramic sunroof, ventilated and massaging front seats, a Sony stereo, twin 12.3-inch screens – one controlling connectivity, infotainment and various apps, the other real time information – plus wireless charging. 

However, the touchscreen is fiddly, with some settings buried under sub-menus and can be distracting,

Practicality and safety

The interior feels premium, with soft-touch plastics across the dashboard and doors, and supportive, electrically adjustable seats. Five adults fit without knee-knocking, and the boot is 565 litres with the seats up, expanding to 1,396 litres folded. Our ongoing house move benefited greatly – the boot swallowed boxes, bags, and even the tip run was painless. However the boot floor is a bit high, so loading heavy stuff is a back-ache waiting to happen.

Safety kit is comprehensive and autonomous braking, lane assist, a 360-degree camera, and Euro NCAP gave it four stars .

Warranty

There’s great peace of mind with seven years, 100,000 miles, and roadside assistance thrown in. Chery says, “Not that you should need it,” but we’ll see.

Verdict

At under thirty grand, the Tiggo 7 plug-in offers genuine electric range, generous kit, and a class-leading warranty. It’s not perfect, but for many buyers, that trade-off makes perfect sense.

Factfile

  • Chery Tiggo 7 CSH Summit
  • Price: £ 32,995 OTR
  • Mechanical: 201 PS, 1.5-litre turbo petrol and electric motors, driving the front wheels via an auto transmission
  • Max speed: 112 mph
  • 0 to 62 mph: 8.5 sec
  • Combined mpg: 256.8mpg (nominal)
  • Electric range: 56 miles (WLTP)
  • CO2 emissions: 28 g/km
  • BiK rating: 8% 
  • Warranty: 7 years/unlimited miles (vehicle), 8 years/100,000 miles (battery)
electric, Motoring, XPeng

Performance and executive class from Xpeng

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X-Peng G6 Performance

By Bill McCarthy

When you think of blistering performance, names like Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus and McLaren come to mind, all with price tags to match. But there are luxury models out there with impressive pace and a much more modest price. The Xpeng G6 Performance is one of those.

The X what? I hear you say. Let me explain.

XPENG is a Chinese EV company founded in 2014, headquartered in Guangzhou and Amsterdam. It is relatively new to the UK, and with the G6 Performance, it has created a powerful electric beast that takes on established premium brands without the eye-watering cost.

The G6 Performance stands out as one of the most rapid EVs I have driven recently. I had previously driven the G6 Long Range, itself an impressive range performer, but this model offers stronger performance and supercharging capability, where available, reaching 80 per cent in just 12 minutes.

The G6 is designed to rival and undercut the Tesla Model Y, and this variant comes in at a notably lower price. It offers an attractive mix of value, build quality and battery technology. As for reliability, while the brand is young, a collaboration with Volkswagen suggests it is respected by major industry players and should deliver peace of mind for potential buyers.

Design and first impressions

The car certainly draws attention. Its design is sporty, sleek and aerodynamic, coming across as an elegant family SUV rather than overtly futuristic. 

The Performance badge is a giveaway to what lurks underneath and key features such as the smart alloy wheels, auto-sensing LED lights, frameless doors and panoramic glass roof contribute to a premium appearance.

A high-end cabin with a sporty edge

Slip inside and it feels minimalist, but with a luxury upmarket feel to rival some of the best in the executive market. It features quality materials, with soft-touch leatherette wrapping throughout. The ambient lighting and geometric-patterned wood trim across the dashboard add an extra touch of class.

Yet for all its luxury, there is an undeniable sporty undertone. The comfortable front seats – heated, ventilated and even featuring a massage function – hold you firmly in place, while the flat-bottomed (if oddly shaped) steering wheel and the fighter-jet-style floating centre console hint at the Performance model’s dual-motor potency.

Front and centre are two screens. A large 15-inch central display handles navigation, connectivity and the premium sound system, while real-time data is presented on a smaller 10-inch driver’s screen.

The bespoke XPILOT ASSIST intelligent driving system, with over-the-air updates, adds peace of mind through its comprehensive suite of cameras and collision prevention aids—all fitted as standard. And for those moments when you are not behind the wheel, the XPENG phone app lets you remotely pre-condition the cabin or check charging status from afar.

The heated steering wheel retains physical buttons and rotary controls for media, volume and climate settings. However, I remain unconvinced by its elliptical shape, reminding me of the old Austin Allegro’s much-maligned quartic wheel, and while Xpeng claims it improves visibility and legroom, I never quite grew accustomed to it.

Overall, though, this is a cabin that balances plush comfort with a genuine sporting character. It feels like a place you want to spend time – where motorway crusiing or tackling twisting country roads – the the mark of a well-executed interior.

On-the-road performance

Behind the wheel, the Performance model delivers an exhilarating driving experience. This dual-motor all-wheel-drive test model, producing 480bhp and 660Nm of torque, pins occupants back when you floor the accelerator and hits 60mph in approximately 4.1 seconds.

The ride is firm yet comfortable, and the car feels planted and agile through corners, aided by responsive steering.  Selecting drive modes (Eco, Standard, Sport) must be done via the central screen, along with other functions, which can be distracting for the driver.

Practicalities, charging and space

As a family type car, stowage space is important and the G6 offers a 571-litre boot with the rear seats in place, expanding to 1,374 litres when they are folded down.

Just about big enough, but a long way from market leader.

The Performance model uses an 80.8kWh battery, offering an official WLTP range of 316 miles. Although i would estimate near 280-285 during this test.

So much depends on driving conditions and how heavy your foot is with the accelerator peda.

What truly sets the G6 apart is its class-leading charging capability. The 800-volt architecture allows for a peak charging speed of 451kW, meaning a 10-80% top-up can take as little as 12 minutes on a suitably powerful charger, when they become available..

Verdict

The Xpeng G6 Performance combines striking design, a premium and technology-rich cabin, decent real-world range and class-leading charging potential.

It blistering pace and is a hugely enjoyable drive. While the all-screen interface and unconventional steering wheel  may not suit all tastes, this Chinese newcomer is a sophisticated contender in the UK’s EV market.

Factfile

  • XPENG G6 Performance
  • Mechanical: Dual electric motors (480bhp) and 80.8kWh battery driving all wheels via auto transmission.
  • Price: £49,990
  • Max speed: 126mph
  • 0-62mph: 4.1 seconds
  • Electric range: 316 miles (WLTP)
  • CO2 emissions: 0g/km
  • BiK rating: 4%
  • Insurance group: 44
  • Warranty: 5yrs/75,000 miles (vehicle), 8yrs/100,000 miles (battery)