Car review: This Chery Tiggo 4 is less than £20,000

But has that deterred a flurry of brands from trying their luck here? Not at all. We have seen a volley of newcomers hitting our streets and the signs that many will succeed.

In fact, I’d venture that we have seen the biggest range of new models in the last five years than in any similar period in living memory.

Chery is among the most successful of the new kids on the block and tested here we have the Chery Tiggo 4.

It has helped Chery achieve a record two per cent share of the UK new car market in July, registering 3,212 vehicles. This latest success comes less than a year since the brand launched in the UK.

Two per cent might not sound a lot but it is. Bosses at many longer established brands would sell their firstborn for less.

So, what’s behind Chery’s success? Electrified models led the way, accounting for more than 70 per cent of the company’s July registrations. These include the Chery Super Hybrid (CSH) models, whose plug-in hybrid powertrains combine all-electric running for day-to-day journeys with the convenience and flexibility of a highly efficient petrol engine for longer trips.

The award-winning Tiggo 8 CSH was the brand's best-seller for the month by far, recording a total of 1,117 registrations. Designed with families in mind, this seven-seat SUV offers an electric-only range of up to 56 miles and CO2 emissions from only 31g/km (WLTP).

It is indeed “a significant milestone”. It reflects just how quickly UK customers have embraced Chery, and the exceptional value, usability, and quality the vehicles deliver.

Chery Group in the first half of this year ranked among the world's top 10 automotive groups, and became the first from China to surpass a total of 20 million sales globally. Chery Group's record-breaking July performance, with 202,533 international deliveries, means it has also become the first Chinese automaker to exceed 200,000 units in a single month.

Tested here is Tiggo 4, Chery’s latest offering as it looks to further its success in the UK. It enters one of the most popular vehicle segments in the UK – compact crossovers. It’s coms up against big-hitters such as Ford Puma. To come out on top, the Tiggo 4 has to do something special.

It costs less than £20,000, which is pretty astonishing. The days of the sub-20k car seemed to have long gone but Chery thinks there is a market for affordable motoring.

Tiggo 4 uses Chery’s recipe for success. Take a standard platform, bring all of the technology that buyers could want and offer it at a price that undercuts everything else. It’s worked so far, of course, and other brands within the Chery stable, such as Jaecoo and Omoda, have seen this method bring them best-selling status.

It’s why the Tiggo 4 gets a pair of high-definition screens and loads of more upmarket features, while doing so with a starting price of £19,995.

Tiggo 4 is available with a single powertrain. It’s a standard hybrid setup based around a 1.5-litre petrol engine. With just over 200bhp and 310Nm of torque, it’s not the most powerful, which is reflected in the car’s 8.6-second 0-60mph time and 93mph top speed.

What this engine is focused on is usability, which is why all versions get an automatic gearbox as standard as well.

Being a ‘regular’ hybrid, the Tiggo 4’s powertrain cannot run on electric-only power at any meaningful speed or for any real distance, but instead works to assist the petrol engine and make it more efficient. Chery claims a combined fuel economy of 53.2mpg and CO2 emissions of 120g/km, which are bang-on for the segment.

Many of Chery’s models haven’t offered what you’d call sparkling dynamics, but instead an easy-to-get-to-grips-with feel that will make most drivers feel at home. It’s a similar story in the Tiggo 4; the acceleration on offer is decent and there’s a fair bit of road noise.

The automatic gearbox shifts smoothly, too, and the power delivery itself is easy to manage.

The steering could be sharper but in truth you would never judge this to be a sub-£20,000 car.

Tiggo 4 follows a similar design theme to the rest of the SUVs in the Chery range. You get a huge front grille with an intricate pattern, while at the rear, there’s a full-width lightbar. It’s all quite boxy and off-road inspired, and it’s a look that we’d imagine will appeal to most buyers.

Space and practicality are good inside the Tiggo 4. The car’s boxy shape means that headroom is decent throughout the cabin and even with taller people sitting up front, there’s enough room for occupants to get comfy in the back. Material quality is good, too, with plenty of soft-touch materials used in key areas such as the dashboard and armrests. There are harsher plastics lower down, but this car does cost just under £20,000, after all.

Boot-wise, you’re looking at 430 litres or 1,155 litres with the rear seats. It’s boxy and easy to access thanks to zero loading lip. That said, there’s an odd bulge at the rear of the boot section, and this is due to the intruding battery underneath, which seems like really strange packaging. Surely mounting the battery a few inches lower would’ve made a complete flat boot floor?

What’s the spec like?

Here’s where the Tiggo 4 really hits home. At £19,995, it’s competitively priced. In fact, it massively undercuts the Ford Puma – which starts at £27,145 – while even the Citroen C3 Aircross comes in at £21,445. Entry-level Aspire cars get a large central infotainment system, a rear-view parking camera and dual-zone air conditioning. It feels as though Chery has listened to feedback, though, as there are far more physical buttons than there have been on previous models. You’ve got quick-touch controls for lots of features and this makes the whole cabin a lot more intuitive.

Move up to Summit, priced from £21,995, and you get a 360-degree parking camera, an upgraded six-speaker sound system and privacy glass. However, you’ve got to argue that since the base model comes with so much equipment, there’s very little need to opt for the higher-spec car.

Verdict

As has happened with many Chinese-made cars, the Tiggo 4 doesn’t offer an all-that-convincing dynamic experience. The steering is well beneath what we’d expect from the segment, and the whole car doesn’t feel that dynamic.

But at such an attractive price, you have to start wondering where the line is drawn. It’s got all of the tech that drivers will want and comes with a seven-year warranty. For many, the value that the Tiggo 4 offers will trump its on-road shortcomings.

Chery Tiggo 4: £21,995; Engine 1,5-litre petrol hybrid emitting 201bhp and 310Nm of torque; Top speed 93mph and 0-60mph: 8.6 seconds; Economy average 53.2; Emissions 120g/km; Seven years warranty, 100,000 miles