By Otsile Kadiege

Chinese automaker, Chery, is back in South Africa after a brief exit from the local automotive space. The automaker recently invited us at Gerotek Test Facilities for the previewing and media drive of their all-new Tiggo 4 Pro, which will be launched in November. The Tiggo 4 Pro is the automaker’s subcompact SUV that’s competing with the likes of the Haval Jolion, Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.

Exterior design

Up front, the new Tiggo 4 Pro boasts a large diamond-like patterned grille flanked by LED headlights and LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs). The Tiggo 4 Pro’s bonnet, front bumper, side profile, rear luggage door and rear lights are deeply sculpted, with the focus on sporty dynamism. 

Depending on the specification level, the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro will be shod with 16-inch or 17-inch machined alloy wheels. The Tiggo 4 Pro has a 2,610mm wheelbase and an overall length of 4,318mm. 

Interior design and technology 

Inside, the Tiggo 4 Pro will introduce dual-screen as a standard feature in the compact SUV class. Entry models have a 3.5-inch TFT full colour screen in place of a traditional analogue instrument panel, while higher specification models increase the size to a customisable 7-inch screen.

The digital instrument cluster is flanked by a large 10.25-inch capacitive touchscreen that incorporates most of the vehicle control and is equipped – throughout the range – with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, and a DVD player. 

All models also have air conditioning, electric windows all round and automatic headlamps, to name but a few luxury features. Luxury versions add even more specifications, including a powered sunroof, an intelligent voice command system and climate control.

Safety
The Tiggo 4 Pro will be equipped with passive and dynamic safety systems, including two or six airbags (depending on the model), vehicle stability control on all models, hill hold control and, on higher specification models, hill descent control and cruise control. 

Powertrain

Powering the Tiggo 4 is a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine or a turbocharged petrol engine. The naturally aspirated engine, with intelligent variable valve timing, delivers 85 kW and 141 Nm of torque. Power is delivered to the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission or CVT.

The turbo-petrol Tiggo 4 is equipped with Chery’s award-winning TCI turbocharged engine. It delivers 108 kW and 210 Nm of torque to the front wheels through either a 6-speed manual transmission or via a CVT.

Driving impressions

We had the opportunity to drive the new Tiggo 4 Pro at Gerotek Test Facilities where we put it through its paces on a gymkhana track. The Tiggo Pro impressed us with its handling and braking performance, but, as expected, there’s a significant turbo lag. 

We also took the Tiggo 4 Pro to some steep inclines and descents where we sampled the Hill Descent Control feature which allowed us to crawl downhill without any pedal input. 

We look forward to spending more time with the new player in a hotly-contested segment for a more in depth review. 

Pricing

Chery will soon release the pricing of the new Tiggo 4.