Any road surface is child’s play for Tiggo

My first reaction when the invitation to drive the Chery Tiggo over 12 passes on one day landed in my inbox, was “where did they find 12 passes?” Well, they did and we (motoring journos), drove them in one day without any of the Tiggos presenting even as much as a sneeze. My driving partner was Roger Houghton and yes, you will recognise the name because he contributes to Autodealer Lowveld – he is a classic and vintage motorcycle aficionado.

Seven of the passes were tarmac-surfaced and five were gravel, with the main traffic on the latter roads being huge, and hectically slow and difficult to pass, logging trucks and trailers. The distance over the passes was fairly evenly split at 67,3km of surfaced roads and 65,7km of gravel roads, making a combined distance of 133km for the 12 passes.

The route of more than 350km included many mountain passes that were sweeping tarmac roads, but then there were gravel sections that were seriously not for sissies; surfaces were often rocky and in several places the roads were pockmarked like a moonscape. Severe damage to the roads during the rainy season caused by logging trucks also resulted in many kilometres of the route being deeply rutted with wash aways, while several of the gravel roads had many cross bumps to assist with rainwater run-off, all of which put heavy loads on the Tiggo suspension systems.

Many of today’s SUV and even bakkie owners that happily runs about town would probably have emphatically refused to drive some of these roads.
The conditions made large demands on the fleet of two-wheel drive Tiggos, which handled the challenges of continually changing road surfaces with aplomb. The cars proved sure-footed while the supple suspension soaked up the uneven surfaces and the driven front wheels maintained traction even on loose surfaces. The steering offered enough feedback and very little kickback through the rough stuff.

The easy-revving 1.6-litre engine is matched to a confident and slick-changing five-speed gearbox that handled the climbs without fuss. I would have appreciated a little more torque here and there but considering that we were pushing the limits of what the Tiggos were designed for, just consider me to be a little spoiled.

The cabin remained dust-free despite several kilometres of driving in thick (hectic) clouds of dust from the extra-long logging trucks. The Tiggo SUV was introduced to the local market in 2011. The company even then went the extra mile when the two-wheel drive Chery Tiggo conquered the icy Sani Pass – a rugged mountain pass that is the only link between KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho to showcase its off-road capability.
This is usually an environment for four-wheel drive vehicles so one can imagine how surprised the locals were to see a convoy of three Tiggo SUVs arrive in winter at the summit, just before the Lesotho border post and 2 874 metres above sea level. The trio of vehicles were all powered by 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmissions.

Other challenges that Chery has taken up in South Africa include setting 48-hour speed and endurance records at Gerotek with five QQ models and competing in the Total Economy Run, while Chery showed support for the community when it provided two J2 hatchback cars to the team at Gerotek vehicle test track for their advanced driver training programme among the company’s other road-safety initiatives.

The Tiggo compact SUVs used for the 12 passes in one day challenge were the latest models which were significantly refreshed in appearance recently and fitted with a new, more powerful 1.6-litre double variable valve timing (DVVT) petrol engine and given a much-improved standard specification level all at a very competitive price of R229 900.

The front and rear appearance is much more rounded and sleeker with a hint of aggression. The Chery design team, calls the new, flowing look Hydrodynamic Surfacing. The fact that all parts of the vehicle are colour-coded to the body provides an upmarket feel to the overall design.
The exterior appearance benefits from the fitment of 17-inch alloy wheels, compared to the 16-inch wheels fitted previously. Distinctive daytime running lights are another new feature, while there are light emitting diode (LED) stop- and tail lights, with front and rear fog lamps standard.
This latest version of the 1.6-litre ACTECO engine has dual variable valve timing and now develops 93kW and 160Nm. The new engine upgrade increases the power output by 15% over the previous version. The engine, which is also very economical, drives the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission.

The Chery Tiggo remains a fully specified vehicle with all the extras included as standard. An important change to the interior is the fitment of grey, leather-trimmed seats, while convenience features include Bluetooth, steering wheel-mounted audio controls and rear park- distance control. Hill start/assist is another useful feature which is standard. Air conditioning, power windows, power steering, electrically-operated exterior mirrors, 60/40 split rear-seat backrest for load versatility, an audio system with CD player and MP3/USB jack are all standard fitment as is central locking with remote keyless entry.

Safety equipment on the new Tiggo includes an electronic stability control programme (ESP), dual airbags and ABS with electronic brake distribution (EBD) as well as ISOFIX fittings for child seats as standard. Besides a large improvement in the level of standard equipment there is now added peace of mind for Tiggo owners with a three-year/75 000km service plan, factory-backed five-year/120 000km warranty and roadside assistance.

“Chery may be a comparative newcomer to the South African passenger car market, having arrived here in 2008, but it has already made an indelible mark locally in several aspects of vehicle performance, including fuel economy, ruggedness and reliability as well as being a responsible corporate citizen,” said Pedro Pereira, the managing director of Chery SA. “Now we can add the Tiggo’s achievement of eight cars completing 12 passes in one day without any problems.”

And yes, to conclude. It was fun and demanding (gravel) in the dry – it will be impossible in the wet (with a Tiggo) but then the Tiggo does not claim to be hardcore – just more capable than most would expect from a Chinese vehicle.

Here are the passes that we conquered: Gravel – Mount Carmel (13,5km), Wonderkloof (7,7km), Makobulaan (19km), Bakenkop (5,5km) and Klipkraal (20km); Tarmac- Sudwala (9km), Montrose (3,8km), Masjien Nek (11km), Long Tom (22,5km), Koffiehoogte (6km), Kiepersol (5,5km) and Bergvlei (9,5km).

I have a route plan should you wish to drive them – the scenery is absolutely beautiful and just again confirmed how blessed we are to live in this nick of the woods.