By: Jason Woosey
Chery's Tiggo continues in its quest to provide low-cost soft-roading to South Africans with a revitalised version that brings a new look, upgraded engines and additional features to the party.
While the Chinese crossover retains its familiar side profile, which owes its origins to the second-generation Toyota RAV4, the Tiggo has gained a completely new front end and revised rear. Chery's design team refers to the new styling theme as 'Hydrodynamic Surfacing' and we trust that whoever coined that term at the meeting table earned an Employee of the Week badge and a pat on the back.
A more notable achievement can be found in the engine bay, where engineers managed to increase the output of Chery's 1.6-litre Acteco petrol engine from 80kW/147Nm to 93kW/160Nm. As before, it drives the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. The 95kW/178Nm 2-litre engine from the previous range falls away, now that the 1.6 is almost as powerful.
No interior design changes have been mentioned, but leather seats are now standard, joining the generous features list that also includes an MP3/USB audio system linked to steering wheel controls, Bluetooth connectivity, rear park distance control and hill start assist.
Safety kit comes in the form of dual front airbags, ABS and ESP stability control, while the aftersales package comprises a three-year/75 000km service plan and five-year/120 000km warranty.
You will need to dig a bit deeper into those pockets, though, as the price has risen from R199 900 to R229 900.
Related Topics: