By Otsile Kadiege

Locally Chery South Africa only has three models in their line-up, however, the automaker has an extensive list of SUVs in other markets like China. Recently, Chery added yet another SUV to their extensive list – the all-new Tiggo 9. The latter dethrones the Tiggo 8 Pro as the company’s flagship SUV.

Presence is everything

Chery’s new flagship 7-seater SUV has an elegant and unmistakable design thanks to a prominent grille with vertical slats and an illuminated Chery logo up front. The grille is flanked by slim LED headlights and has L-shaped trimmings on the lower section of the front bumper.

In profile, the Tiggo 9 has a modern design accentuated by a few sharp body creases and flush (pop-out) door handles. It also features contrasting black pillars and is shod with 19- or 20-inch alloy wheels. At the rear, the Tiggo 9 features slim LED taillights with an integrated slim light bar as well as CHERY lettering on the tailgate.

The Chery Tiggo 9 measures 4780 mm in length, 1920 mm in width, and 1700 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2800 mm.

Upmarket cabin

Official interior images and details are yet to be revealed however we’ve seen a couple of spyshots on the internet. A few noteworthy highlights include a flat-bottom multifunctional steering wheel, large 12.3-inch integrated driver and multimedia displays, contrast stitching throughout the cabin, dual wireless charging pads, second row seats peasant blockers (sun blockers), second row heated seats and a panoramic sunroof.

Performance

Powering the new Tiggo 9 is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with an output of 254 hp (189 kW). It’s paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission and has a top speed of 205 km/h. Hgher specification models will be fitted with a AWD system.

It ‘s built on the brand’s M3X platform which is suitable for SUVs, sedans, and MPVs. We would definitely like to see the newcomer on our roads. More official details and specifications will be shared in May this year.