Chery has found incredible success within the SUV market in South Africa and has covered many SUV segments with its vehicles. The brand's Tiggo 4 Pro is a compact crossover, and deeming it a runaway success is an understatement—this model achieves nearly 1,000 unit sales a month!
Now, a Tiggo Cross seeks to fill the gap between the Tiggo 4 Pro and the Tiggo 7 Pro. Overseas, the Tiggo Cross is the new Tiggo 4 Pro, but this is South Africa, where we have the trend of carrying on the lifecycle of a successful vehicle even after its official discontinuation, hence, the current Tiggo 4 Pro is still in production. Is the Tiggo Cross more of the same, but have some improvements been made? Let's find out!
Related: Chery announce Tiggo Cross at FOM!
Styling
Though the Tiggo Cross employs a similar silhouette to the Tiggo 4 Pro, you'll notice some key design cues distinct from the Cross. 'Bionic Tiger', the design theory used here, takes certain mannerisms from the majestic cat and interprets them into this vehicle. In the front fascia, the grille and bumper elements mimic a tiger bearing its teeth as it roars, displayed here by the large black trim and grille and vertical LED Daytime Running Lights, which resemble the tiger's teeth. The headlights have a more aggressive furrow and are also LED. Along the side, with the Elite variant we drove, there are 18-inch diamond-cut wheels which suit the Tiggo Cross quite well.
While we're still talking about the side profile, the front resembles the Tiggo 4 Pro shape and body lines. Still, towards the rear, things change slightly where the C pillar window tapers up and into the rear window, then which opens more room for a broader shoulder complete with a body crease that leads into the taillights. The rear has changed things up with the Tiggo Cross; the singular light bar cluster has LED clusters that mimic a tiger's stripe pattern. The Tiggo Cross's rear is a much cleaner design, we think, and if anything, as a whole, the design brief has yielded a good-looking crossover that's a lot more cohesively designed in this writer's view.
Interior
The Tiggo Cross's interior is familiar, but some welcomed changes will improve the cabin's ergonomics. For one, there are more physical buttons and toggles! You still get a touch panel for the climate controls, but toggle switches flanking the gear selector control fan speed and temperature. There are buttons above the climate control panel to operate the infotainment system. You'll find redesigned buttons on the steering wheel too. The floating centre console has a wireless charging pad, a 12v socket, and USB ports. The one thing we feel should be reconsidered is the gloss black finish on the centre console trim, which can be a fingerprint and scratch magnet. Seating has also been changed to exceptionally padded bucket-style seats, which also come with heating in the Elite variant. Handling infotainment duties is the 10.25-inch touchscreen, which has native Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. You have a 6-speaker Sony sound system to pump your tunes, too. Aesthetically, the Tiggo Cross's cabin, much like the exterior, has a more cohesive design and better incorporates its ergonomics.
The Drive
Propelling the Tiggo Cross is a 1.5 litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine making 108kW and 210Nm. A 6-speed wet dual-clutch transmission sends power to the front wheels. There have been tweaks in the power department to give smoother delivery. The revised throttle mapping is welcome, and the transmission programming allows for a smoother drive. However, we did notice the transmission tends to judder upon takeoff, which we assume is because the clutches are engaging. This can be smoothed out. The powertrain is less jittery and delivers a smoother performance. Regarding ride quality and handling, tweaks have also been made to the suspension. The primary ride shows the Tiggo Cross absorbs bumps reasonably well, but the secondary ride could be toned down so the road surface roughness transmits less into the cabin. Handling-wise, the Tiggo Cross holds its own, and the suspension tuning errs more to a neutral setup, which is apt for daily usage and the odd dirt road. We think the steering feel can be tuned further as it's vague despite changing the steering feel in the vehicle settings. There have been marked improvements with this setup so that it wouldn't do you wrong.
Safety
You'll find the following Safety Equipment in the Tiggo Cross:
- 6 airbags (Comfort) and 7 airbags (Elite)
- Traction Control
- Emergency Brake Assist
- ESC
- Hill Start Assist
- Auto Hold Function
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring
- Speed Limit Reminder
Additionally, the Elite comes with the following ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems):
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Blind-Spot Detection
- Front Collision Warning
- Lane Departure Warning
- Intelligent High Beam Control
- 360 Surround View Monitor
Grade Walk
| Comfort | Elite (In addition to Comfort) |
| 10.25-inch infotainment screen | 6-way Electronic Adjuster Driver's Seat |
| 10.25-inch instrument cluster | Sunroof |
| 6-speaker Sony sound system | Drive Mode Selector |
| 6-way manual adjustable driver seat, 4-way manual adjuster passenger seat | 18-inch Wheels |
| 17-inch Wheels |
Pricing
The Tiggo Cross-purchase price includes a 5-year /60 000km service plan, 5-year /150 000km warranty, 10-year /1 million km engine warranty, and 5-year /Unlimited km roadside assistance.
| Model | Pricing |
| Chery Tiggo Cross Comfort | from R399 900 |
| Chery Tiggo Cross Elite | from R449 900 |
*Pricing stated here was correct at the time of publishing and is subject to change without prior notice.
Verdict
The Tiggo Cross offers some welcome improvements, and it settles itself neatly not only in the Tiggo range but also in the ever-competitive compact crossover SUV space. The Tiggo Cross is aggressively priced and offers some solid specifications. It is yet another disrupter in the segment.
