Hybrid Chery is hybrid in everything. We wander around a dozen cars parked under the scorching sun, trying to learn to distinguish “e-plus” from purely gasoline counterparts. It turns out that the front part with a gray border of the grille of the Pro e + is from the Pro Max version, and the rear part, with two exhaust system holes (as it turns out later, deaf: the real pipes are brought down), from the usual Tiggo 8 Pro.
Of course, the electric “appendage” could not help but make the car heavier. But after hybridization, the lean “eight” also had a tummy: the 134-kilogram battery did not fit between the spars, and it had to be placed lower, which is why, when viewed from the side, it can be seen that it sticks out from under the thresholds. And above the left front arch is a hatch for the Type2 charging connector. However, it is not at all necessary to know these subtleties in order to understand that you have a hybrid in front of you. Just listen.
The Type2 connector does not support “fast” charging, but Chery claims that when using a proprietary station, the power can reach 10-11 kW instead of the declared 6.5 kW
The first 20 km/h Pro e + picks up a buzz. This is a requirement of European laws: otherwise a pensive pedestrian may not notice the approaching car! Therefore, the electric mode does not create a sensation: by 30 km / h, the synthetic rumble is completely replaced by tire noise, and at speeds over 100 km / h, the rear-view mirror mounts begin to whistle.
Remember the light bulb joke? The hybrid power plant has three motors but only two wheels. Familiar to the owners of the Tiggo 7 Pro and Omoda C5, the 1.5 petrol turbo engine (147 hp, 210 Nm) can be disconnected from the front axle and charge the battery through an electric motor-generator – while electric motors transmit torque to the wheels, which together develop … 65 kW or 88 hp With. Did you also remember E-mobile and Lada Ellada?
The DHT (Dedicated Hybrid Transmission) transmission housing combines a three-stage planetary “automatic”, a traction motor and a starter-generator
The fact is that the OTTS indicates the maximum peak power that the electrical “superstructure” is capable of delivering continuously for 30 minutes. That is why the Tiggo 8 Pro e+ is certified as a 235 hp vehicle with the corresponding vehicle tax rate. As Chery explained to me, electric motors on Russian e + give out the same power as in China. This means that the real peak output of the hybrid installation (taking into account the internal combustion engine derated from 156 to 147 forces) is approximately 317 hp. With. and 510 Nm. Therefore, if the Russian Tiggo does not report meat, then quite a bit. Just don’t tell the tax man.
Lithium-manganese-cobalt-oxide battery with a capacity of 19.27 kWh is enclosed in an aluminum module housing, which not only protects against mechanical damage, but also maintains optimal cell temperature
Although passport acceleration to “hundreds” is a second faster than the flagship Exeed VX (249 hp), everything happens very smoothly. Even the start “to the floor” begins on electric traction – this is how the transmission protects the wheels from slipping. Soon the gasoline engine is connected, and we see 8.5 seconds on the stopwatch – up a small hill, with a front passenger and a full trunk of bags. Can it be faster? Without a doubt. But for what?
By habits, our Tiggo is not a predator at all! More like a Tibetan antelope after a hearty meal. In fast corners, a well-fed carcass leans on the front wheels – the body rolls, the steering wheel is empty, and I can only thank the Cooper Evolution CTT tires, the grip properties of which end a little later than my courage. Herbivore settings.
Off-road, the Pro e + is also not so hot. The ramp angle due to the protruding battery is noticeably worse than that of fully gasoline counterparts: if, out of habit, you put a large stone between the wheels, a rattle will be heard in a moment.
And in general, “this is not quite an SUV.” At first, I didn’t attach much importance to the phrase that slipped through at the briefing: it must have meant “more than”? Or at least “fundamentally new”? Alas: it is “not quite.” And sometimes even “not at all.” You see, the bulky electronics forced the Chinese to reconfigure the luggage compartment. The battery is now located above the left arch, so there is less space for luggage, there is no curtain, and even a “dokatka” did not fit into the underground. So in case of a puncture, have the number of a familiar BMW owner ready, who will explain to you how to use the repair kit and why it should be in a car for five million rubles. We do not know the answer to this question, just as we do not know the answer to the other.
The trunk is still roomy, but sticking a grocery bag between the left wheel arch and the rear pillar will not work: the hybrid has a battery niche there. Instead of a “dokatka” – a repair kit and a charging cable
Who is this car for?
Until now, Chery marketers have worked with surgical precision, managing to explain to the Russians that Chery is a spacious interior and modern technologies at an affordable price, Omoda is design, and Exeed is prestige. A well-oiled PR scheme does not tolerate superfluous models, but the Tiggo 8 Pro e + so far looks just like that. They say that the public is actively interested in a hybrid installation, but how can one explain in a human language why a crossover with two driving wheels, low ground clearance and a compromise trunk costs 850 thousand more than an understandable all-wheel drive Pro Max?
Chery answers: this is the most environmentally friendly and comfortable way to travel long distances with your family, because in ideal conditions the declared range exceeds 1000 km.
The Elbrus region has some of the best roads in Russia: smooth, with breathtaking turns and interesting elevation changes. And of course, endlessly beautiful views of the Caucasus: ideal conditions! Therefore, we open the panoramic roof, turn on the ventilation of the seats (in truth, only the pillows) and fix 1012 km on the odometer. And the on-board computer promises us 565 “petrol” kilometers and 75 “electric”. How much will it really be?
The recovery level can be changed by pushing the transmission selector to the left from position D
The first day. Mineralnye Vody – Terskol (250 km)
Having quickly played with the recuperation modes, we finally chose the maximum third level: it still does not allow one-pedal driving, but more often uses the electric motor when braking, recharging the battery. Switched between hybrid and electric modes according to the situation. On the one hand, it would be reckless to spend the entire charge and be left alone with a gasoline engine that is clearly insufficient for such a mass, and on the other hand, once you turn on the electric mode, you no longer want to return to driving on a noisy and shaking internal combustion engine. And how did we not notice this before?
Most of the route of the first day fell on the track, which sometimes crossed settlements. There was practically nothing to recover there, so we arrive in Terskol already with the battery dropped to zero. And the stock of gasoline, according to the calculations of the on-board computer, should have been enough for another 339 km. Total – 590 km of autonomous travel according to the results of the first day. Not bad, but not the promised thousand! And we also ignored the fact that the Chinese, on the sly, slightly increased the fuel tank for the hybrid: in the Tiggo 8 Pro e +, it already holds 60 liters.
Second day. Between the foot of Elbrus and Lake Gizhgit (256 km)
The odometer of a freshly washed, fully charged and filled car shows 1270 km. If on the eve of Chery he was a simple tourist, today he will have his first hiking: the route marked the Adyr-Su gorge with its famous ski lift and capricious river (mudflow blocked our way in the middle of the route), Lake Gizhgit (where I yawned a stone and relish kissed it At first, out of shame, I fell to the steering wheel, but then I checked and exhaled: I didn’t break through!) And, of course, the dazzling Elbrus (I forgot my sunglasses at home).
When I hand over the keys, the odometer shows 1526 km, and the remaining range is 326 km, 30 of which are “electric”. We fix the result: 582 km in the combined cycle, where rocky serpentines act as an urban crowd.
Day three. Terskol – Pyatigorsk (170 km)
Having passed a string of settlements, we go to the almost deserted route “Caucasus”. It seems that Chery was talking about these ideal conditions: the gasoline engine plays the first violin in the power plant, so the highest energy efficiency in Pro e + is achieved not in the city, like in electric vehicles, but on the highway.
The numbers speak for themselves. According to the odometer, we covered 170 km, and the estimated range was 496 km (of which 23 will be provided by the battery and electric motors). And if I had not been in such a hurry to see Mashuk, then more sinister 666 km would have come out for sure. This means that when driving at a moderate pace on the new Chery hybrid, you can comfortably drive the entire M11 Neva highway without a single stop for recharging or refueling. But you shouldn’t count on more.
What is the bottom line?
The abundance of the moment on the “bottom” and a modest “maximum speed”. Fuel economy at a higher price. Doesn’t it remind you of anything? The Tiggo 8 Pro e+ is the most sophisticated way to build a diesel car from someone who has never made a light diesel. Although even if we managed to achieve the coveted 1000 km from Pro e +, there would be nothing revolutionary in this: diesel Kodiaq and Sorento can do more. And they also have four-wheel drive, normal ground clearance and a “dokatka”.
However, in the current situation, Chery is experimenting with the Russian buyer by right of the strong: now no other foreign car in our country sells better. Therefore, in the fall, the more compact Tiggo 7 Pro will also have a hybrid version of the e +, and in the winter we will begin to receive all-electric Omoda C5 EV.
We ask the Chinese only one thing: let your hybrids and electric cars now cost as much as gasoline cars! For the purity of the experiment.
Photo: manufacturing company
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