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For a long time in Australia, the family SUV equation has been pretty straightforward.
If you want space, comfort and seven seats, you look at the usual Japanese or Korean suspects. If you want electrification, you either accept short electric-only range or prepare to spend serious money.
And if you want premium features, you’re often nudged well north of $70,000, sometimes closer to $90,000, before on-road costs even enter the conversation.
The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid disrupts that entire formula.
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This isn’t just another “good for the money” offering, or a value-focused alternative that asks you to compromise in key areas. Instead, the Tiggo 9 represents the biggest leap Chery has made in Australia to date.
A flagship SUV that combines long-range plug-in hybrid capability, genuine seven-seat practicality, high-end cabin comfort and advanced technology, all wrapped up in a package that dramatically undercuts established rivals on price.
At $59,990 plus on-road costs, the Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid doesn’t just offer value. It resets expectations, entirely.
A proper flagship, not a stretch model
The Tiggo 9 is a true flagship SUV, developed to move the brand into genuinely premium territory. You feel that immediately in its proportions, presence and interior execution.
This is a large, confident seven-seat SUV that’s designed around families first.
Door apertures are wide, seating is generous across all three rows, and there’s a real sense that space and comfort were non-negotiable priorities during development.
Chery hasn’t tried to differentiate the Tiggo 9 with gimmicks or aggressive styling. Instead, the design is clean, modern and upscale. It’s the sort of SUV that looks equally at home in a city driveway, on a coastal road trip or parked outside a regional cafe on a weekend escape.
The Super Hybrid advantage: EV living, hybrid freedom
Where the Tiggo 9 truly stands apart is under the skin. Chery’s Super Hybrid system is one of the most advanced plug-in hybrid setups currently offered in a mainstream SUV in Australia.
At its core is a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine paired with not one, not two, but three electric motors, all supported by a substantial 34kWh battery.
That battery size is the headline act. At 34kWh, it’s larger than many early full-EV batteries – and it delivers up to 170km of pure electric driving under NEDC testing.
Even in real-world conditions, that translates to an EV-only range that comfortably covers the daily needs of most Australian families.
School drop-offs, work commutes, shopping runs and local errands can all be handled without using a drop of fuel. Plug it in overnight, and for much of the week the Tiggo 9 behaves like a fully electric vehicle. Smooth, quiet and refined.
Then, when the weekend arrives or a longer road trip beckons, the hybrid system seamlessly brings the petrol engine into play. There’s no range anxiety, no charging stress, and no need to plan your life around public chargers.
I put it to the test, too, with an early morning run from home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to one of the best farm-to-plate cafes in the state, The General Café.
Smack bang in the middle of stunning Kangaroo Valley, well south of Sydney and home to my favourite breakfast dish of all time. The Egg Fu Yung.
The good news is 90 per cent of the journey was under purely electric power, but even if the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine does fire up, you likely won’t even know it. Such is the seamless nature of Chery’s Super Hybrid system.
With a combined driving range of around 1250km from a full tank and a full charge, the Tiggo 9 is perfectly suited to Australian conditions. Long distances, regional travel and family road trips included.
Performance that matches the numbers
This isn’t a hybrid designed purely for efficiency. With the petrol engine and all three electric motors working together, the Tiggo 9 produces a combined 315kW of power and 580Nm of torque.
That’s serious output for a family SUV, and it translates into effortless overtaking capability, confident highway performance and a relaxed, unstressed feel at speed.
What’s particularly impressive is how well calibrated the entire system feels. Transitions between electric and hybrid modes are smooth and unobtrusive.
Around town, the Tiggo 9 glides along in near silence. On the open road, it settles into a calm, composed cruise, with instant electric torque always on tap when you need it.
It feels far more like a premium electrified SUV than a traditional hybrid and that’s a big part of its appeal. And, that instant shove and rapid acceleration for high-speed overtaking was also put to the test as we pushed on in the Tiggo 9 further south to the popular Clyde River Berry Farm.
It’s off the beaten track, so both all-wheel drive and Off-road mode came in handy, particularly as grip was naturally limited due to dry conditions, making it slippery at the best of times.
Once there, we were given a bucket to fill with hand-picked blueberries and some of the sweetest strawberries I’ve ever eaten. And if the kids are with you, I can truly recommend the freshly blended mixed berry soft serve (hand churned) it’s simply to die for.
Comfort, refinement and ride quality
Australian roads are tough, rough, with plenty of bumps, and Chery clearly understands that.
The Tiggo 9’s suspension tuning is well judged for coarse-chip surfaces and long-distance driving. Combined with acoustic glass and excellent sound insulation, the result is a cabin that remains impressively quiet and comfortable, even at highway speeds and on unsealed roads (as tested).
This is a vehicle designed to reduce fatigue on longer journeys. Something families will appreciate whether they’re heading up the coast, across the country or just tackling a busy week of school sport.
The steering is light and easy around town, visibility is excellent, and despite its size the Tiggo 9 never feels unwieldy from behind the wheel.
A cabin that feels genuinely premium
Step inside the Tiggo 9 and it becomes immediately clear that Chery has raised its interior game significantly.
There’s just one trim level, but it’s comprehensively equipped. Nappa-style leather upholstery is standard, as are heated and ventilated seats in both the first and second rows.
Front-seat occupants also benefit from massage functionality. A feature typically reserved for far more expensive SUVs.
Technology is another strong point. A large 15.6-inch central touchscreen anchors the cabin, paired with a crisp head-up display and a high-quality Sony 12-speaker audio system, complete with head restraint-mounted speakers for the driver’s seat (great for sat-nav directions).
Ambient lighting, soft-touch materials throughout and thoughtful storage solutions help create a calm, modern environment that feels properly upmarket, not merely “good for the price”.
Seven seats that actually work
Too often, seven-seat SUVs offer a third row in name only. That’s not the case here.
The Tiggo 9’s second row is genuinely spacious, with ample legroom and headroom for adults, while the third row is well suited to kids or shorter journeys for smaller adults.
Importantly, access to the third row is easy, and the overall layout is intuitive for family use.
Fold the third row flat, and the Tiggo 9 reveals a large, practical boot that’s ideal for road trips, prams, sports gear or a full load of luggage.
This is a vehicle that understands how families actually use their cars and it shows.
Safety and smart technology
Safety is another area in which the Tiggo 9 impresses.
Ten airbags and 18 advanced driver assistance systems come standard, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring and autonomous emergency braking.
One standout feature is Automatic Park Assist, which allows the Tiggo 9 to identify and manoeuvre into suitable parking spaces using its sensors and 360-degree camera system, even outside traditional parking lines.
It’s intuitive, effective and genuinely useful in daily life. It’s also dead easy to use.
The value equation nobody else can match
Here’s the part that really matters.
At $59,990 plus on-road costs, the Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid delivers seven-seat practicality, premium interior comfort, long-range plug-in hybrid capability, strong performance and advanced safety tech at a price point that rivals simply can’t match.
Comparable seven-seat hybrids and plug-in hybrids often cost tens of thousands more and many still offer shorter EV-only range, fewer features or less interior space.
The Tiggo 9 doesn’t ask you to choose between electrification, practicality and affordability. It delivers all three.
Final thoughts
The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid isn’t just a step forward for the brand – it’s a statement.
Australian families no longer need to spend luxury-car money to access premium comfort, advanced electrification, and genuine seven-seat versatility.
You get EV-like driving for everyday use, hybrid freedom for longer journeys, and the space and refinement families actually need.
For buyers willing to look beyond traditional badges, the Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid isn’t just good value, it’s one of the most compelling family SUVs on sale in Australia today.
Throw in Chery’s triple-seven warranty program, seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, seven years of capped-price servicing and seven years of roadside assist (if the car is serviced by a Chery dealer), plus a separate eight-year/unlimited-km battery warranty, and the value proposition just gets better and better.