Chery Tiggo 9 Pro CSH (2025) First Drive Review – Flagship Ambitions with a Few Surprises

Chery South Africa has rolled out its new flagship, the Tiggo 9 Pro CSH, and on paper, it’s a darling. A 7-seater SUV plug-in hybrid with lavish space, and a long list of premium features – all for less than a million Rand. But, how does it feel when you actually get behind the wheel? After spending some time with it, I can say this: the Tiggo 9 Pro makes a strong case for itself, even if a few quirks remind you that Chery is still a little new to this game.

Related: Chery unveils Himla Bakkie and Super Hybrid Line

A chance to sample this new flagship model, along with a live crash test of the Tiggo 9 Pro, drove home Chery's intentions with this model: A premium, flagship model that is willing to put it's money where its mouth is.

Power and Performance

Chery claims a mighty 455 kW and 920 Nm for the AWD Vanguard CSH model – outputs that would make even German heavyweights blush. In reality, the Tiggo 9 doesn’t quite deliver on that promise. It feels strong, no doubt – the electrific drive providing an urgency that gets you off the line smoothly and briskly – but 455 kW? Not really. In reality, if I had to gauge it by sensation alone, it’s closer to 280 kW in real-world shove, which is still plenty to move a 7-seat SUV with gusto.

Power comes in the form of a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and three electric motors. The engine produces 115 kW on its own, while the motors make up the balance. It's here where the creative arithmatic comes in. One of those motors was listed as a generator, and I suspect that is being included in the total power output. We will be sure to dif a little deeper into this aspect of the Tiggo 9 Pro CSH.

What Chery has absolutely nailed, though, is the blend of smoothness and quietness. The petrol-electric drivetrain transitions seamlessly, and there’s an almost serene quality when you’re cruising. Around town, it’s whisper-quiet and composed, while on the highway it has the beans to make overtaking feel effortless.

The claimed consumption figures are impressive for a vehicle of this size: 5.5 l/100 km when the battery is below 30% and as low as 1.4 l/100 km when above this. The CSH Vanguard version has a full-electric range of 170 km and a total range of approximately 1 400 km.

Interior Space and Comfort

Step inside, and you immediately get a sense of how seriously Chery wants this SUV to compete at the top end of the market. Generous is an understatement – the Tiggo 9’s cabin is vast, with legroom and headroom that genuinely rivals some of the best 7-seaters currently on sale.

The layout is clean and modern, with large digital screens, quality materials, and a strong focus on tech. Even in Pinnacle trim, equipment levels are impressive, while the Vanguard adds massaging seats and premium leather. The Tiggo 9 doesn’t just aim to look premium – it feels it. For families who need proper space without sacrificing luxury, this is a standout. A highlight was the 15.6-inch infotainment screen with a noteworthy resolution, and the standard fare of wireless connectivity for smartphone mirroring.

Safety Systems

Like most modern SUVs, the Tiggo 9 is loaded with driver-assistance systems, 19 to be exact. Adaptive cruise, blind spot monitoring, traffic jam assist – the works. But during my test drive, the car presented a few unfamiliar warning sounds that seemed to appear from nowhere. Even after switching off certain ADAS features, some of the alerts persisted. This did feel like an isolated glitch, and could possibly have been due to my unfamiliarity with the vehicle.

Chery is rather proud of the fact that the Tiggo 9 Pro has scored 5-stars in every NCAP program it has participated in, so much so that they were prepared to demonstrate exactly how safe it is with a live crash test. Two new Tiggo 9 Pros were driven towards each other (unmanned) at a speed of 50 km/h for an offset head-on collision. This yielded a closing speed of 100 km/h. With a sickening crunch, the two vehicles collided, setting off several of the 10 airbags that are fitted to the Tiggo 9 Pro, but with little to no passenger cell intrusion. (the video footage can be found on the AutoTrader social media accounts)

Styling

From the outside, the Tiggo 9 has real presence. The diamond-pattern grille, sharp LED headlights, and balanced proportions make it look the part of a flagship. At 4.8 metres long, it’s large enough to make a statement without appearing bloated.

The only element that doesn’t quite land? The wheels. The intricate design feels a bit too busy for an otherwise clean and sophisticated SUV. Swap them for something simpler, and the Tiggo 9’s design language would sing in harmony.

Pricing

Its pricing is where the Tiggo 9 Pro CSH really tips the scales. Starting at R839 900 for the Pinnacle CSH and topping out at R989 900 for the fully loaded Vanguard CSH, it undercuts similarly equipped rivals by a significant margin. And that’s before factoring in Chery’s industry-leading after-sales package, which includes a 10-year/1-million km engine warranty and 10-year/unlimited km battery cover for the hybrid.

For South African buyers who want space, performance, and a tech-rich cabin without pushing into seven figures, the Tiggo 9 Pro represents remarkable value.

Verdict

The Chery Tiggo 9 Pro CSH is an ambitious SUV that gets a lot right. It’s spacious, smooth, attractively priced, and has the urgency of an electrified drivetrain to keep things interesting. While the claimed power figures don’t match the seat-of-the-pants reality, and a few gremlins popped up with unfamiliar alerts, the Tiggo 9 Pro still impresses where it matters most: comfort, refinement, and overall usability.

In short, the Tiggo 9 Pro feels like a genuine contender in the premium SUV space. It may not yet be flawless, but it proves that Chery is more than ready to play in the big leagues.