The Chinese SUV with Hispanic heritage surprised us all, passing with flying colors the tough journey we undertook in its 4x4 version across all types of terrain in the African country, including the most remote tracks. It's no wonder it's destined to be the people's hybrid…
At this point, I don't think anyone's left, but if there's still someone out there who's stubbornly opposed to Chinese brands, they'd better keep quiet. There's no doubt that the influx of so many Asian products has been... fundamentally advantageous for the customerwhich now finds a much larger portfolio of accessible models without having to turn a blind eye to quality or reliability.
And I'll emphasize this last point, because many people's prejudices prevented them from seeing beyond the typical "it's Chinese." If you follow us on our YouTube videos You know we've told you this repeatedly, but here's another example: we spent a week in Morocco aboard the Ebro S900 plug-in hybrid and I can assure you that it wasn't treated very well.
This was the Grand Tour Morocco 2026 with the EBRO S900
In fact, the "roads" - if you can call them that - of rural Morocco are half semi-paved sections with huge sinkholes which are sometimes impossible to avoid and half gravel roads directly made over time by the circulation of local pickups and herds of goats.
Well, the result and conclusions we draw upon returning to Spain are that, besides the fact that possibly not all of its rivals could have completed the journey so successfully, this SUV, considering everything it offers for the price it does, It's the most interesting alternative with a premium touch. that is in the current D segment.
The best: comfort and efficiency
In this sense, apart from praising on their own merits and above all the comfort and efficiency offered by the Ebro S900 And while we're on the subject of the flaws we still find—and there are some—the Michelin e-Primacy tires that come standard on Chery's flagship model deserve special mention. I can't even begin to quantify the abuse they might have suffered over these 1.200 km… the fact is, they held up remarkably well, as they should: the absolute benchmark for what we can put on a car to maintain contact with the asphalt… or whatever the surface we're driving on might be. And that's despite the S900 having 20-inch wheels.
As I was saying, There are still some details that can be improved in the S900 (things mostly related to the software and the infotainment system), but I can tell you now that these are minor issues compared to all its strengths.
Now, focusing on the journey aboard the S900, I'll tell you that the first of the three stages took the crown in terms of mileage and hours behind the wheel. More than 500 km and eight hours of driving (12 hours between hotels, including stops for lunch and visiting a kasbah) over a fairly good stretch of road and some less favorable terrain along the Ebro. We were definitely tired by the end, but I assure you that both the suspension and the seat upholstery took care of us like a therapist.
Fantastic equipment without exorbitant prices
And this even led me to doubt myself. Let me explain: I hadn't long attended the dynamic presentation of the S900, where I was able to appreciate the high level of comfort and distinction Ebro had achieved with its latest release. There, they gave us all the technical details of the model, and I didn't recall it even offering air suspension as an option. Indeed, as I discovered right at the edge of the Sahara, it doesn't. But the way it filtered out all the irregularities seemed almost like it should have; nothing could be further from the truth: for example, the rear axle uses a aluminum multi-link suspension which, I insist, boasts an unbeatable setup for relaxed travel on any type of surface.
During that same stage, we were also able to analyze fuel consumption more thoroughly. We set off with a full tank of gas and a full battery, and we were still able to climb a good part of the High Atlas Mountains. with a certain battery level after more than 100 km.
Up to 17-20% of the energy, the hybrid system prioritizes electric operation; after that, although it always operates as a conventional hybrid, it obviously provides significantly more power to the gasoline engine. Well, with the battery, fuel consumption practically never exceeds 3,5 l/100 km, and without it... They rose to no more than 6,5-7 l/100 km along much of the route.
However, when you can demand more from the engine, you might see consumption rise to around 7-8 liters, or when you reach an area of ​​stony tracks or a steep slope The two digits already appeared when the numbers started to rise.
It's worth clarifying here that it was quite difficult for us to calculate an overall average for all our usage because the S900 only provides data for the last 50 km, so the figure was constantly being updated. This is common in many Chinese products, but I can tell you that Chery is already adapting this aspect to European standards, and very soon, most likely through a OTA updateWe'll be able to see fuel consumption figures as we're used to. In fact, it's already available on Jaecoo 7 (and it won't be long before it's available on Ebro...).
That said, I think the figures given are perfectly acceptable (and even good, I'd say, for many parts of the journey) considering that we're talking about a a car that is 4,8 meters long and weighs about 2,5 tons which, with cargo and two occupants, reached almost 3.000 kg.
All-wheel drive and over 420 hp to go wherever you want
The following morning the mileage requirement decreased, but not the performance demand, because it was time to visit the Erg Chegaga desertOkay, due to obvious limitations we didn't drive on dunes with the S900, but we did park and film at the foot of them after a half-hour journey through tracks and sandy riverbeds that it handled superbly thanks to its all-wheel drive.
Remember that, in addition to the 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine under the hood (which, being of the Miller cycle, achieves an energy efficiency of 45%), it uses three other electric motors: a generator and two traction motors located on each axle. The total power output is no less than 425 hpSo imagine the performance and recovery it offers…
That day, from almost the northern border of Algeria to Boulmane Dades (the first half of the return trip to Marrakech), we covered about 300 km on mostly dirt tracks and secondary Moroccan roads. Due to the heat wave that was approaching in the coming days, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, we were able to confirm how important certain equipment features are, like those we had in the S900, especially the seats with massage and ventilation, and the Automatic climate control with air ionizerThis is essential when you want to breathe the cleanest air possible after so many days driving on roads and highways so close to the desert.
The price of the Ebro S900 starts at 49.990 euros
The experience was drawing to a close, but the most beautiful day, with its stunning roads and scenery, was still ahead. That third and final leg, another 8 hours of driving, fulfilled our expectations of Morocco's picturesque charm. We enjoyed ourselves like children on the roads and paths that took us from Boulmane Dades back to Marrakech, passing through... elevations of up to 3.000 meters on the Col de Tizi n'Ait Hmed…
But it wasn't just the diversity of the North African environment that left us speechless, but also—and perhaps even more so— the reliability and versatility of the Ebro S900 we were drivingIf you look at the photos in the gallery or search online for the places we visited, you'll understand our doubts about reaching the final destination of this 1.200 km journey in an SUV. Well, I want to emphasize that both the e-Primacy and Ebro's flagship model proved more than up to the task.
And so the context forced me to admit, even though I've never been particularly fond of the SUV style, that some, like the S900, do offer many guarantees when we decide to leave the asphalt… And all this for 49.990 euros.
Images | EBRO
