Tiggo 4 vs Corolla Cross

The Tiggo 4 Hybrid as well as the MG ZS Hybrid-plus have identical starting price. For perspective, lets compare it to a traditional brand's offering first.

The Tiggo 4 Hybrid, starts at 30 thousand aussie dollars, which is 7 thousand less than the Corolla Cross. And Chery definitely deserves some credit, for offering more upmarket interiors, at a significantly lower price, than the Toyota. Both cars are equally matched in terms of their overtaking capability as well, going by their 0 to 100 acceleration time of just under 8 seconds.

The MG ZS Hybrid also performs equally well. Not to forget, it also has premium interiors, with understated design and a clean layout, that feels like it is from a segment above.

But take a step back, and look at the overall market, and you'll realize that better hybrids have been available since twenty-twenty-four. Case in point being the MG-three hybrid-plus. It does a zero to hundred in just above 7 seconds. Plus it is 2 grand cheaper than the Tiggo 4. And even the MG, has better interiors than the Corolla Cross. However, what you should always remember, while looking at these cars, that none of them are plug-in hybrids. That is because they have piddly little batteries, smaller than 2 kilo-watt-hour. They cannot be run on pure-EV mode. For that you need to check out the Geely Starray. It has a ten-times bigger battery, than the Tiggo 4, the Corolla cross and the MG3 Hybrid. Agreed, that it is seven grand more expensive than the Tiggo 4, but then, it can take care of almost 90 percent of your driving needs, powered by your home charger alone. Reducing your visits to the petrol station to less than once every month. At least make sure, that you test-drive a Geely Starray plug-in, before you plonk your hard earned cash, on the plug-less, Chery Tiggo.

But the story doesn't end here. The Haval H6-GT plug-ins have started hitting the used car market, and boy are they a steal! You can easily find a cherished specimen, for well under thirty grand. And it is not to be taken lightly. Afterall, it has more than twice the horsepower of the other hybrids being discussed here. No wonder then, that it blazes past hundred kph, in just over five seconds. Then again, if you have anyways started looking at used options, why not enjoy, the last five years, of internal combustion out-and-out? Right now, you can get a pre-owned Golf-R for less than twenty grand. Get a stage-1 remap from someone like revo. And satiate the petrol-head inside you, with a car that is capable of crossing a hundred kph in 4 seconds flat! But even that, is not the best you can do, within a budget of thirty grand. The best of course is a Tesla Model 3 Performance. Twenty twenty-one examples are currently selling for as low as 29 grand. And even a 5 year old Model 3 performance, still pulls off a three-point-six second 0-100 time. Now look back at the Chinese Hybrid crap that you were looking at, compared to this Model 3 Performance. What were you thinking mate? Life is short! Don't waste it on a lemon!

MG ZS Hybrid+ 0-100 - 7.79 sec - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4EmF5fFa54&t=938s

The Tiggo 7 non-hybrid and the Tiggo 4 Hybrid, both cost the exact same, thirty thousand Australian dollars.

And amongst these two, the Tiggo 4 Hybrid, is clearly the better alternative.

First and foremost, it has much better overtaking capability, than the non-hybrid Tiggo 7.

Thanks to around 40 percent more power and similar kerb weight.

However, in spite of better performance, the Tiggo 4 hybrid is twice as efficient as the non-hybrid Tiggo 7, in the real-world conditions.

Now that's a clean saving of eight thousand dollars over a usage of five to seven years.

Agreed, that the Tiggo 7 is a longer car than the Tiggo 4 by around eight inches.

Even it's interiors are a little bit of an upgrade over the Tiggo 4's, thanks to a slightly bigger infotainment and instrument cluster screen.

And in case you want Ventilated front seats, you can get them only in the Tiggo 7, but that too, in the top-end, ultimate-variant, which retails for 34 grand.

However, none of it, is enough to justify the lack of Tiggo 7's overtaking capability, compared to the Tiggo 4.

But this is not where the story ends.

In fact it brings us to the question of whether we should even be looking at new cars, if the budget is around thirty grand?

In fact, 

If you a smart guy, who thinks spending more than thirty five thousand dollars on a car is stupid, you are absolutely right. Because today, a Tesla Model 3 Performance, is available for a mouth watering, thirty five grand, in the used car market. But that's not all, a 2 year old, MG4 X-power is also available for the same price. It will be a tad bit slower than the Model 3 Performance in terms of acceleration. But the Tesla, that you will find at this price, will at least be five years old. Plus it will have at least a hundred and fifty thousand kilometers on the odo. While the X Power can be found with just forty thousand kilometers on the clock. Now coming to question of whether any petrol powered alternatives can be found with similar performance in the used car market? Then the answer is no. However, something slightly slower can certainly be found. The german hot-hatches, namely the Audi RS3, Mercedes A Class and the BMW 1 Series, all had their Flagship versions capable of pulling a sub five second sprint to a hundred kph some ten years ago. Now they are all available for less than 20 grand, except for the Audi RS3. But then, the Volkswagen group can be forgiven for it, as their Golf R takes it's place on the roster. Our favourites are the Beemers. The M one thirty five i is available for as low as sixteen thousand dollars, with a delicious inline-six turbo-petrol, mated to the ZF 8-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive. To be honest, it doesn't make any sense to shell out an extra twenty grand for the EVs up there. If you want an even better driving experience then you can get the 2 series, with the limited slip differential. It is about eight grand more expensive, but is beyond doubt, the most effervescent alternative among this bunch. If you want something with all wheel drive, you have two choices. The Mercedes A45 AMG or the Golf R. The Golf R has a more liveable, and yet also the more entertaining suspension setup, while the Merc is objectively more capable. If you insist on X Power equalling acceleration, then the option of a stage 1 remap does exist. For example the Golf R with a reliable stage 1 remap from Revo, can crack the ton in four seconds flat. Not bad for a car that is available for seventeen grand right? If you insist on a brand new vehicle in this price range, then the i20 N is your best option. It is painfully slow compared to the used options tho. Plus it is only available with a manual gearbox. If you want an automatic, then the Swift Sport is your best bet. Else, you can stretch your budget to forty-one grand and go for a Polo GTi. Can't really imagine, who in their right minds would go for such slow and expensive front-wheel-drive appliances though. Especially when those entertaining Beemers, are thankfully, still available, for those who know where to find them. 

Tiggo 4 Hybrid Urban - $29,990

Tiggo 4 Hybrid Ultimate - $34,990 - NO VENTILATED SEATS

0-100 - 8.16 sec - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqg1jgn4RJU&t=840s

4330 x 1830 x 1655

2604 mm wheelbase