An excellent offering with a fair price tag

To pick cherries you need a cherry picker. This does not mean though that you can’t take a Chery – a Tiggo that is – into the country where you can enjoy a bowl of cherries and ice cream at leisure. And although I did not engage in the latter, I have now driven the Chery Tiggo extensively on both gravel and tar, hills and flat open roads and despite my reserve that it needs a little more torque, it is a vehicle which has a lot to offer and, it comes with a fair price tag.

Chery was launched onto the South African market in 2008 and although I don’t have official current figures, the brand seemed to be doing well – the Tiggo in particular. Now we know the SUV market is developing at a brisk pace and so are the products on offer, but many of these are outside the average buyer’s price range.

Thus, the need for lower-priced alternatives, and the Chinese manufacturers are masters at providing just that. The quality of their products are also becoming increasingly competitive in terms of finish, fit, durability, safety and luxury features. And economics are driving more and more buyers to their products.

The recently refreshed Tiggo is more refined and sharper in terms of its exterior design. I do not agree with the perception that this version Tiggo looks more aggressive than its predecessor. It does, however, look more refined and grown up as the result of the new headlight-cluster design and the rest of the front end – Chery calls the new style Hydrodynamic Surfacing. Seventeen-inch wheels and daylight-running lights certainly improved the visual perception of what the Tiggo had to offer.

Typically Chinese, the Tiggo comes with a host of standard features: leather upholstery, Bluetooth, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, Hill start assist and park-distance control among others. At the safety end of things you get ESP, ABS, EBD and dual air bags.
The Tiggo’s interior is a welcoming space with plenty of light (courtesy of large windows), large and comfortable seats, excellent legroom in the rear and a spacious luggage space which can be enlarged by folding the seats.

The large front seats, I think, can do with more side support. General layout is practical and uncomplicated, also offering a clear view of the instrument cluster from behind an adjustable steering column. The rear-end design is clean and I thought, rather beautiful. That large tailgate, which is a blessing in terms of loading, may also be a pain if you forget that it opens sideways rather than upwards.

The Tiggo is kitted with a 1.6-litre VVT engine producing 93kW and 160Nm and although power is adequate most of the time during general driving, cruising the open road at lower than 35000r/min (120km/h) may often force you to gear down to fourth when you hit the hills.
The steering may be a tad light at speed, but the Tiggo offers a good and comfortable driving experience on the roughest of road surfaces and if you need good ground clearance, space and a reasonable performer, do yourself a favour and give the Tiggo the beady eye.

It has conquered 12 passes in Mpumalanga, an icy Sani Pass and more, so it comes with a lot of credibility, an excellent warranty and service plan. It is the top selling SUV in Egypt (40 per cent share of that market) and it is very popular in South America.

Conclusion
It has the qualifications – at least test-drive it before you commit your money to any brand…