The Chery Tiggo 9 lineup is growing, with a new, more affordable front-wheel drive variant arriving in local showrooms in May 2026.
The Elite slots in under the existing Ultimate, with less power, fewer features but a lower price.
The seven-seat large SUV is priced from $52,990 before on-road costs, $7000 less than the all-wheel drive Ultimate.
Unlike the related Jaecoo J8, the Tiggo 9 is offered in Australia only with plug-in hybrid power.
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The Elite features a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 105kW of power and 215Nm of torque, and dual 75kW/170Nm and 90kW/220Nm front-mounted electric motors, like the Ultimate.
However, it loses the 175kW/310Nm rear electric motor, with total system outputs dropping from 315kW and 580Nm in the Ultimate to 225kW and 450Nm.
It also uses a smaller 19kWh lithium-ion battery, down from 34kWh. Electric range therefore drops, from 170km to 90km on the more lenient NEDC cycle, and the DC fast-charge rate drops from 71kW to 41kW.
It uses less energy (15.6kWh/100km vs 19kWh/100km), while fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are a wash – it uses 1.3L/100km on the combined cycle and emits 35g/km, instead of 1.4L/100km and 32g/km.
Braked towing capacity is unchanged at 1500kg, while tare mass drops from 2220kg to 1985kg.
The Tiggo 9 Elite loses the following features seen on the Ultimate:
- Semi-autonomous parking assist
- Side parking sensors
- Head-up display
- Leather upholstery
- Ventilated front seats
- Massaging front passenger seat
- Heated and ventilated outboard second-row seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
It also drops from a 12-speaker Sony sound system to an eight-speaker setup, and from 20-inch alloy wheels to 19s.
Standard equipment still includes the following:
- Automatic projector LED headlights
- Automatic high-beam
- Panoramic sunroof
- Rear privacy glass
- Power tailgate
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Proximity entry and start
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
- 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Satellite navigation
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- 50W wireless phone charger
- Colour-adjustable ambient lighting
- Leatherette upholstery
- Power tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
- 6-way power driver’s seat with 4-way power lumbar and memory
- 6-way power passenger seat
- Heated front seats
- Dual-zone climate control with 2nd- and 3rd-row air vents
- Surround-view camera
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Adaptive cruise control
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Driver monitoring system
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic assist
- Safe exit warning
- Traffic Jam Assist
- Tyre repair kit
- Tyre pressure monitoring
The Tiggo 9 is Chery’s closest competitor to the larger BYD Sealion 8, as well as more expensive plug-in hybrid versions of the Kia Sorento and Mazda CX-80.
