The Chinese-built Chery Tiggo 7 is here to do battle with established family SUV rivals. Can its sharp pricing and styling win our man Al Suttie over in a weeklong test?

Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid Summit

List price (BiK): £32,830 (9%)   CO2: 19g/km   Economy: 235.5mpg  EV-only range: 56 miles Test efficiency: 47.1mpg

Monday

Jaecoo and Omoda cars have graced Suttie Acres recently and now it’s the turn of the Chery Tiggo 7 to provide transport. Part of the same group as the aforementioned brands, Chery is on the march with a raft of new models, spearheaded by the Tiggo 7, which is offered in petrol and plug-in hybrid forms, with the latter being tried here in Summit trim.

Tuesday

Chery has played it safe with the looks of the Tiggo 7, possibly too safe, but that’s no bad thing when it needs to bring in the numbers quickly to get the brand up and running. That said, it’s got enough presence about it to feel very at home in a segment where it’s up against the best; Ford, Kia, Škoda and many others are battling it out. And the Tiggo has a serious price advantage on its side.

Wednesday

Jumping from a Jaecoo 7 into the Chery Tiggo 7, the most noticeable differences were the better quality of the Tiggo and the more cosseting feel of its cabin. I’m not a massive fan of the current trend for large swathes of digital dashboard screens, but the Tiggo’s at least is more than easy to read. The infotainment also has swipe-down shortcuts that make it far simpler to navigate than some rivals.

Thursday

You sit a bit higher in the Tiggo 7 than most cars in this class, so there’s good vision for the driver. It helps in town for slithering through gaps, but out on more flowing roads the Tiggo 7 is a more subdued experience. Not much steering feel I can live with, but the niggling ride quality is more of an irritant as the suspension picks up on too many surface dimples once above the urban speed limit.

Friday

The 1.5-litre petrol engine and plug-in hybrid combo of the Tiggo 7 offers acceleration that is well suited to the car rather than going overboard with its pace. From 0-62mph comes up in 8.5 seconds and there’s enough oomph to reach motorway pace in comfort, and stay there without the automatic gearbox being troubled on steeper sections.

Saturday

The 56-mile EV range of the Tiggo 7 is useful to have so long as you can charge the car regularly enough. That is not always the case in my neck of the woods, but the Summit trim does mean hanging about public chargers is a pleasant pastime with its heated and cooled front seats, wireless phone charging, panoramic sunroof and a 540-degree parking camera to make sure your parking is inch-perfect.

Sunday

Any fleet driver looking to Chery-pick could do a lot worse than the Tiggo 7 we have here. If driving dynamics are not the be-all-and-end-all for you, the Tiggo 7 is likeable and very easy to live with, helped along by a decent EV range and an equipment list to shame many pricier rivals. As a plug-in hybrid, it won’t suit everyone’s tastes, but it balances company car costs very well to deliver a very solid fleet choice.