Chery’s return looks promising
You may not even have noticed that they’d been gone for a while, but in the time since Chery quietly abandoned their South African market presence, they’ve been working to get their next-generation products up to a competitive level. Chery is back now, with their newly-developed (and much-improved) products due to start arriving at 30 equally-new dealerships within the next month or so.
It's still too early to say what the upcoming Chery model range (or its pricing) will look like, but a preview meeting with the Tiggo 4 Pro indicates that a positive reception for the new wave of Cherys may very well be on the cards. If that name baffles you, you’re not alone – but it seems like there will be a selection of Tiggo-branded products, with the attached “4” indicating this example’s position in the range and the “Pro” indicating the trim level.
All-new architecture
A lot of the technical details (as far as they are currently known) sound like marketing-speak, with the phrase “6D Longitudinal Beam Structure” taking prominence in the press release. Sounds fanciful, but the underlying information seems pretty solid (pun intended).
Chery says that more than two-thirds of the body structure is made of high- and ultra-high-strength steel, which should make for a pretty rigid body. Extreme torsional rigidity and crash safety receive particular mention as beneficiaries, and our short preview drives at a sodden Gerotek testing facility appeared to corroborate these claims.
The demonstration car's body structure did indeed appear very stiff, even when perched on 3 wheels. We took the FWD, CVT-equipped Tiggo 4 Pro into some mud and ruts, and came away impressed by the absence of trim squeaks or groans from the body or interior.
Incidentally, it coped surprisingly well with the mild off-roading to which we subjected it, although it most certainly isn’t an overland touring monster. It also felt surprisingly taut while being flung around on the skid pan, although understeer was quite easy to induce on the slippery surface.
It even looks rather pretty
To be honest, the Tiggo 4 Pro’s styling is an amalgam of influences from other, good-looking compact SUVs. There are hints of Ford Kuga and first-gen Hyundai Creta in the front end, a bit of Jeep Renegade and Hyundai ix35 in the side view, and some Kia around the back. The grille design is very unique, however, and lends the Tiggo 4 a pretty distinctive face.
Don’t let this distract you from the fact that the Tiggo 4 is a very good-looking car in its own right, though: all these elements blend into a homogeneous and attractive whole. Certainly a far cry from the previous creation to bear this name...
More good news inside
At first glance, the dashboard design could be taken for a previous-generation Audi A3 or BMW 3 Series, with a 10.2-inch colour touchscreen perched in the middle of the dash, and a horisontal design emphasis. No really revolutionary thinking inside, then, but a huge step up from any previous Tiggo. There are many, many worse things for an interior to be compared to than an Audi A3, after all!
Soft-touch materials are evident on the stitched-covered dash top, as well as the flashy red band that stretches down the doors and across the dash. Digital instrument cluster? Check. Smartphone mirroring? Present and accounted for. It's as nice to look at as it is to touch, mostly. One of the best Chinese interiors yet? Quite possibly.
There’s even plenty of space to accommodate my lanky frame both in front and on the rear bench, with no shortage of head- or legroom and enough space for at least 3 more large-ish adults. The boot also looks pretty capacious, although its exact dimensions are not yet known.
Modern drivetrains
Two versions of a fairly smooth-running 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine will be available, either with- or without a turbocharger. Both engines will be mated to either a CVT or a choice of 2 manual gearboxes – a 5-speed for the non-turbo engine, and a 6-speed for the turbo.
The latter’s outputs are class-competitive, with 108 kW and 210 Nm working surprisingly well with the CVT on our preview drives. Without boost, the engine’s outputs are rated at 85 kW and 141 Nm, so that one will likely work better with the standard manual...
Plenty of tech
The Tiggo 4 Pro I drove was equipped with a tilt/sliding glass sunroof with a retractable blind, full smartphone mirroring on the big infotainment display, and a touch-operated climate control panel. Further highlights included hill-start assist, hill descent control, and cruise control.
Safety-conscious buyers will be happy to know that at least 2 airbags (and up to 6 in high-spec variants) and stability control feature prominently on the spec sheet, along with ABS with EBD, and rear ISOFIX child safety anchors. Actual crash test ratings are as yet unknown, but the initial signs look positive.
Will it sell once it arrives?
The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro is a good-looking, well-equipped and spacious compact SUV crossover, that will compete against other good-looking, well-equipped and spacious compact SUV crossovers. Here’s the problem: the compact SUV marketplace is bursting at the seams with appealing contenders, sourced from Europe, the China, Japan, and India, and, to stand out in such a competitive field, the Tiggo 4 will need something to really set it apart.
In our marketplace, the Tiggo 4’s ultimate party trick will probably need to be affordability, i.e. a low purchase price. South Africa is an extremely value-sensitive market, but we’re also very brand-loyal. The latter will only be overcome when the former is acknowledged, so let’s see those list prices first, before casting any verdict...
*Prices will be announced at the Tiggo 4’s official launch event towards the end of November 2021.
