DRIVEN: Chery Tiggo Cross is a compelling new entry in SA's compact SUV market
There’s no letting up from the Chinese vehicle manufacturing industry as they continue to challenge the South African market with well-specced and well-priced offerings.
With the launch of the Tiggo Cross, Chery continues that and the group is confident it will add impetus to their quest of taking a top five position in the country’s sales charts.
Chery must also be doing something right having secured a third consecutive Gold Award at the National Automotive Dealers Association’s Dealer Satisfaction Index that evaluates more than a thousand dealers’ honest and anonymous opinions of the brands they work with.
The compact SUV Tiggo Cross slots in between the popular Tiggo 4 Pro and Tiggo 7 Pro and comes in two variations; Comfort and Elite.
As far as SUVs go the Tiggo Cross is an attractive design with a gloss black diamond pattern grille integrated with vertical daytime running lights and triple-element LED headlights.
Chery says they drew inspiration from the tiger including the rear light bar that reflects its striped coat.
The Comfort stands on 17-inch alloys and the Elite on 18-inch rims.
Standard across both are automatic headlights, body-coloured side mirrors and handles, tailgate spoiler and chrome-tipped exhaust finishers and the Elite rounds it off with red brake callipers.
Chinese manufacturers have come a long way since their first foray into the local market and the interior is testament to that, and I think also a part of why they are becoming so popular.
Black leather seats (six-way manual-adjustable front seats in the Comfort and heated six-way power-operated seats with electric lumbar support in the Elite), soft-touch dashboard, leather-trimmed steering wheel, dual zone climate control, front and rear armrests, reverse camera, front and rear parking sensors and of course the obligatory ambient lighting.
The Elite gets a high-definition 360-degree camera and Intelligent High Beam Control.
You certainly can’t fault them on the interior build quality and the clarity of the 10.25-inch screen, but when you put the indicators on the camera defaults to showing that 360-degree view preventing you from using the touchscreen.
No doubt it’s a safety feature but I found it intrusive and reckon using the rear view and side mirrors should suffice.
Fortunately you don’t have to delve into various menus to adjust volume and air conditioning and they’ve kept it simple and easy to use with buttons on the centre console and dashboard.
The infotainment system features Bluetooth, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, sound is enjoyed with a six-speaker sound system and there are four USB ports to keep devices charged.
The Tiggo Cross gets its power from a 1.5-litre petrol four cylinder engine with 108kW and 210Nm of torque driving the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Driving the Tiggo Cross it seems that they have done some work on the calibration of the engine and gearbox, and while it’s not yet on the money, it is better than some of their other products and also the competition.
Like the slight clutch shudder on pull-off, It’s a minor thing in the bigger scheme of the vehicle and certainly won’t deter potential buyers.
The drive feels solid and the steering light albeit it is not that engaging but again in the context of the car it’s not a deal breaker.
When pushed hard there is some engine noise in the cabin but once you settle down on the highway it cruises comfortably and quietly.
There are a couple of foibles though. Once you get going the rear passenger seatbelt warning ping comes on and the three red seat lights are illuminated, and only after a while does it go away.
Its default mode is Eco, for some reason and when you change it to Normal or Sport there’s a Chinese lady’s voice that tells you “It is in Eco, Sport, Normal” while it’s clear to see on the digital display in front of you.
You do however feel how the vehicle dynamics change when you switch to the different modes.
On the flip side, Chery has listened to motoring scribes and customers and the long list of irritating bings and bongs whenever you do something the software doesn’t agree with has been radically reduced making it a far more pleasant experience behind the wheel.
On the safety side the Tiggo Cross comes with dual front airbags, front side airbags, and side curtain airbags, the Elite model adds a centre airbag between the front seat, traction control, emergency brake assist, electronic stability control, hill assist, auto-hold function, tyre pressure monitoring, and speed limit reminder.
The Elite gets additional Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, Blind-Spot Detection, Front Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning and Intelligent High Beam Control.
It comes with a five-year/60 000km service plan, a five-year/150 000km warranty and Chery’s 10-year/1-million kilometre engine warranty linked to the original owner.
The Chery Tiggo Cross adds another value proposition in the cluttered compact SUV market and with this addition I don’t think getting into that top five of the sales list is a bridge too far.
Pricing
Tiggo Cross Comfort: R399 900
Tiggo Cross Elite: R449 900