Chery Tiggo 9 vs Kia Sorento vs Toyota Kluger: Three-Way Seven-Seater Comparison

The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is the newcomer challenging two established seven-seaters. Image credit: Chery Australia

A generation ago the family driveway had a sedan or a station wagon. Today it has a seven-seat SUV. And right now there are three from three different eras vying for that spot: the evergreen Toyota Kluger, the award-winning Kia Sorento, and the brand new Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid. Japan, South Korea, and now China, all pitching at the same growing family.

We compared the flagship of each, all hybrid or PHEV, all all-wheel drive. Here is how they stack up on price, powertrain, cabin, safety and the running costs that matter once the showroom honeymoon ends.

Price: the Chery lands a big punch

Pricing is where the comparison starts and where the Chery already swings hard. The Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid Ultimate AWD sits at $59,990 before on-road costs, which is roughly $14,500 under the Sorento Hybrid GT-Line AWD and $25,000 below the Kluger Grande.

Kia offers a base petrol Sorento S from around $51,630 plus on-road costs, so the entry to the range is cheaper, but the apples-to-apples flagship hybrid is the GT-Line at $74,540. The Sorento PHEV adds about $10,000 again. Toyota only sells the Kluger as a petrol hybrid in Australia, with the range opening at $62,410 for the GX and topping out at $85,135 for the Grande. Chery offers a more affordable Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid Elite FWD at $52,990 plus on-road costs, which is the cheapest entry point of any in this set.

Powertrain: three very different ways to mix petrol and electric

All three are technically hybrids, but they do it in completely different ways. The Tiggo 9 is the only plug-in here. The Sorento uses a small lithium-ion buffer that recharges via regen only. The Kluger uses an older nickel-metal hydride pack with no plug.

The Tiggo 9's 315kW system power is genuinely large-SUV-eating territory. On the road that translates into seamless electric delivery at suburban speeds and surprising shove from a standstill. The 170km NEDC EV range is also enough to mean most family commutes can be done without burning petrol at all, provided you can charge at home overnight. Chery quotes 6.6kW AC and 71kW DC charging.

The Sorento and Kluger feel more familiar. The Sorento's 1.6-litre turbo is the most engaging engine of the three, pairing a real torque converter six-speed auto with a small e-motor for clean, brisk progress. The Kluger's 2.5-litre Atkinson is the noisiest under load and the CVT flares more than the others when you push it. Drive any of them gently and they all feel quick enough; lean on the throttle and the Chery walks away.

Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid AWD: the best driving feel of the three. Image credit: Kia Australia

Cabin: modern Chinese, practical Korean, dated Japanese

Sit inside the Tiggo 9 and the first thing you notice is the 15.6-inch central screen, which dominates the dash and runs basically every function. There is a 10.25-inch digital cluster, brushed metal trim across the centre console, organic stitch patterns on the door cards, and proper storage including a hidden compartment under the bin. It is the most modern cabin of the three by a wide margin.

Catch is, putting climate controls inside the touchscreen is a step backwards when you are also running Apple CarPlay. The Sorento and Kluger both have physical controls for the basics, and the Sorento's haptic ventilation panel is the slickest implementation of the three. Toyota's button-heavy approach looks dated next to the others but is the easiest to use eyes-up.

Build quality wise the Sorento and Kluger are roughly even and both ahead of the Chery, which is solid but has more brittle plastics in places. The Kia is the only one with wireless Android Auto. All three have wireless CarPlay, leather, heated and ventilated front seats, panoramic sunroof, head-up display, power tailgate, and twin digital screens.

The Kluger is the longest car here and has the biggest boot with all seven seats up. But fold the third row away and the picture flips: the Tiggo 9 has by far the most usable cargo space behind the front row, followed by the Sorento, with the Kluger a distant third.

Third row access is a sore point for the Tiggo. You have to flip the second-row backrest first and then slide the base separately. Both the Sorento and Kluger have one-touch tip-and-slide systems. Once you are in row three, the Sorento is the only car here that gives you USB power and face-level air vents back there.

Safety: two with stars, one without (yet)

Both the Sorento (tested 2020) and Kluger (tested 2021) carry a maximum five-star ANCAP rating. The Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid has not been ANCAP tested yet, so it has no published star rating. We will not assume one until the result is in.

On standard kit the Tiggo actually has more airbags (10 including driver knee and front centre) than either the Sorento or Kluger (seven each). All three have AEB, adaptive cruise, blind-spot, lane-keep, rear cross-traffic alert, 360-degree camera and tyre pressure monitoring. The Sorento adds a digital rear-view mirror that none of the others fit.

The ADAS calibration on the Tiggo is its weakest link in this category. Lane keep tugs to the right and bounces back, and adaptive cruise slows too aggressively on bends. These are software issues Chery can update, but they are noticeable on day one.

Toyota Kluger Grande Hybrid AWD: highest resale, cheapest to service. Image credit: Toyota Australia

On the road

The Tiggo 9 feels electric first and combustion second, which is exactly what a PHEV should feel like. Power delivery is quiet and shoves you in the back when you ask for it. The downsides: light, numb steering, a soft suspension that lets the 2.2-tonne mass roll through bends, and a brake pedal that does not seamlessly hand over between regen and friction. Chery can refine all of this with software and damper tweaks. Hopefully they do.

The Sorento has been properly tuned for Australian conditions and it shows. Steering is well-weighted and accurate, the chassis is stiffer than both rivals without being uncomfortable, and the six-speed auto is the silkiest gearbox here. It is the most rewarding to drive day to day, comfortably.

The Kluger is the most conservative of the three. It is comfortable, controlled and quiet on smooth surfaces, but the CVT and 2.5-litre engine combine to make a din when you ask anything of them. Wind noise from the A-pillars and mirrors at highway speeds is noticeable, and there is more road noise than in the Sorento.

Ownership: warranty, service, resale

The Kluger is the cheapest car to service by a wide margin and holds its value better than anything else here. The catch is the five-year warranty, which is two years shorter than what Kia and Chery offer, and the lack of free roadside cover. If you keep cars for ten years, the Toyota will likely cost the least overall once you factor in resale.

The Sorento is the most expensive to service, but it also gets the longest free roadside cover (8 years) and the most generous warranty terms in the segment.

The Tiggo 9 sits comfortably between the two on running costs and lines up with Kia on warranty. Its real cost advantage is fuel: if you have a home wallbox and drive 30 to 50km per day, you can plausibly run the car on electricity alone for the first 170km of every charge cycle.

Verdict

Each of these cars wins on a different metric. The trick is matching the right one to how you actually use a family seven-seater.

• Buy the Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid Ultimate if value and running cost matter more than long-term resale. $25,000 less than the Kluger plus the option to drive on electricity most of the time is a serious case, particularly if you have rooftop solar.
• Buy the Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid AWD if you want the most rounded, most enjoyable car to actually drive. The Sorento is the best-resolved of the three on Australian roads, and the cabin feels properly premium.
• Buy the Toyota Kluger Grande if you tow regularly, plan to keep the car for a long time, and want cheap servicing plus Toyota dealer coverage everywhere. It feels a generation behind on tech and interior, but it is the lowest-friction option to own.

On the day-to-day, head-to-head comparison: the Sorento wins. It has the best chassis, the best interior on balance, and the most resolved hybrid. The Tiggo 9 is the breakout disruptor of the segment but still needs a software pass to feel finished. The Kluger is the safe long-term play.

Compare any two of these head-to-head on the directory: Tiggo 9 vs Sorento, Tiggo 9 vs Kluger, or Sorento vs Kluger.