Chery Tiggo 4 Pro preview drive

Chery – a name that made great strides in the market as a pioneering Chinese brand in SA when, without much warning, it disappeared from dealership floors. And now, it’s back.

Really, it’s back and it’s not just making announcements on dealership presence ambitions and upcoming models anymore. We recently previewed its Tiggo 4 Pro at the Gerotek testing facilities and walked away mighty impressed with how far the brand has come.

The Tiggo 4 Pro is positioning itself to take the sales fight to the likes of the Ford EcoSport, Suzuki Vitara and countryman Haval Jolion among others. And no, on the outside at least, there are no prominent genetic traits it shares with any of its competitors with Chery even stating outright that “there will be no mistaking a Chery Tiggo 4 Pro for any other vehicle when it arrives on local soil”. That’s certainly a step in the right direction.

In fact, it's quite the good-looking small SUV with a 3D patterned grille, sporty-looking bi-tone scuff plates (an item we're sure will be more conservative on lower-spec derivatives once the brand officially launches the 4 Pro) and even good-looking rear haunches – but you can make up your own mind as to where it falls on the styling spectrum.   

The cabin

It’s all good in here. Correction; it’s very good. In fact, I daresay that it’s a better space to be in than a number of the competitors it's gunning for. There are soft-touch areas aplenty, contrast stitching (who doesn't like that?), gloss black finishing – it's a kaleidoscope of everything that buyers want, really.

Add to the equation a fully digital instrument cluster, a 10.25" touchscreen multimedia tablet with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and it’s easy to see that Chery has done its homework.

The faux leather pews are also comfortable, the air conditioning is easy to operate thanks to a dedicated panel – no searching on the multimedia screen for any settings – and there's even a centre refrigerated cubby all contribute to a cabin that has, for the large part, been well thought out.

I say ‘for the large part’ because well, nothing is perfect nor is the centrally-located quick access multimedia buttons that just doesn’t feel as intuitive as the rest of the space.

The drive

The Tiggo 4 Pro sports a single 1.5-litre engine (for now) with two variants. Entry-level models will be naturally aspirated, producing 85 kW and 141 Nm of torque, while the range-topping models we drove at the preview is good for 108 kW and 210 Nm of torque with the option of a 6-speed manual cog shifter or the 6-speed CVT.

Our test mules were fitted with the CVT auto shifters and this is also to an extent the only dimple in what is an otherwise competent package. Under dynamically-adjacent driving inputs, the gearbox suffers from some serious indecision disorder, as CVTs often do, with the 'box struggling to interpret any sudden inputs.

In terms of tech, the engine can be dialled into either Eco or Sport mode. Unfortunately, there is no happy-medium mode for ‘normal’ driving and this I feel is a bit half-baked.

Should I buy one?

Well, that all depends on pricing once Chery officially launches its Tiggo 4 Pro. Should it follow the same value for money ethos as its Chinese rival Haval, it ought to make for an excellent bargain buy in what is one of the more competitive local segments. Also a factor, we’re sure, for many buyers and current owners is whether Chery is here to stay…

It sure looks that way since Chery will be trading under its own name and that is always a positive indicator. 

The price

Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5 Urban 5MT: R269,900

Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5 Comfort CVT: R299,900

Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5 Elite 6MT: R319,900

Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5T Elite CVT: R349,900

Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5T Elite SE CVT: R359,900