Chery Tiggo 4 Pro (2021) Launch Review

It’s always exciting to sample a brand new car, but it’s a rare and special experience to drive an entirely new brand of car. South Africans now have an extra badge to choose from when shopping for new wheels and it belongs to Chery. It’s not the Chinese brand’s first foray into the local market, but it may as well be…

You may vaguely remember the brand’s name from the late 2000s. The McCarthy dealer group (now known as Bidvest Automotive) used to distribute Chery in South Africa back then, but while the brand’s products were quite competitively priced, they weren’t particularly well-made – or attractive. The Daewoo Matiz clone (known as the QQ) and Tiggo crossover failed to impress and Chery left our market.

Having driven the new Tiggo 4 Pro, I can assure you, however, that today’s Chery models make the QQ seem like it was built in the late 1800s. It’s astonishing how far this brand has come in just 12 years.

The Tiggo 4 Pro looks like an excellent offering in the segment, let’s see how it will perform on the sales charts.

If you don’t read much further, all you need to know is that the Tiggo 4 Pro is an impressive product that’s offered at a relatively impressive price point. To put the model in context, it is roughly the size of a Suzuki Vitara Brezza or Toyota Urban Cruiser, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, VW T-Cross and Nissan Magnite. Chery intends to steal sales from all of them… and I feel they have the right recipe for success.

The car simply feels like a quality product in all aspects. For example, it offers a particularly impressive ride quality. On the launch route, we traversed some truly shocking roads in the Hartbeespoort Dam area, but not at the cost of occupant comfort… the Tiggo dealt with rough road surfaces with remarkable composure. The cabin is well insulated too – there’s little road- or wind noise intrusion to speak of.

How does the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro perform?

The Tiggo is only front-wheel-drive, but its raised ride height is a boon on dirt roads (and when wading through standing water).

The Tiggo 4 Pro’s continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) was a highlight and I think it’s quite possibly the first time I’ve praised a “gearless” drivetrain, which often labours when fitted to gutless budget cars. Not so in the case of Chery’s newcomer – it is tuned particularly well and avoids droning like most CVTs I’ve experienced. It seems to know what you want to do ahead of time and prepares itself accordingly. Interestingly, you can flick the transmission lever into manual mode, which gives the driver access to 9 (yes, 9) pre-programmed digital “steps”. There are no shift paddles to use, so you have to tap the gear lever up and down to flick through the “steps”. I gave it a go, but the action seemed a bit superfluous… the CVT is so accomplished in automatic mode, I left it to its own devices.

Two engines are available across the range’s 5 derivatives: a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol and a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol unit. I only had the opportunity to drive the turbocharged version, but I was suitably impressed with its pulling power. Overtaking was relatively easy and, if I had to be picky, the engine was a little gruff at high revs, but not enough to be bothersome.

The indicated fuel consumption was 10 L/100 km at the conclusion of our test route, which isn’t ideal for a car this size; however, our test unit had barely 64 km on the odometer. I suspect that the Tiggo 4 Pro’s average consumption would improve as the engine loosens up after a brief run-in period… and besides, most commuters tend to adopt more conservative driving styles than motoring journalists!

What’s the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro like inside?

The upmarket interior with leather trim and red striping (SE derivative only) appears well above the quality of market competitors.

The cabin is, well, well-appointed. All Tiggo 4 Pro variants are fitted as standard with a large 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which sits proud of the fascia, as well as a fully digital instrument cluster (instead of a binnacle filled with analogue dials). The screen resolution is of high quality and helps to make the interior feel particularly modern. Android Auto and Apple Carplay are supported too.

The quality of materials and soft-touch panels around the interior look and feel premium, as does the leather-trimmed steering wheel and seats. The Chery press release does not make mention of cloth upholstery, so I assume leather (or, at the very least, imitation leather) is fitted as standard on the Elite and SE derivatives. I can quite confidently say that the Tiggo 4 Pro has the best interior in its segment.

The load bay seems rather capacious too. I anticipate it could even be sufficient to accommodate a family of four’s luggage for a weekend away. The rear seatback can fold down in a 60/40 split if needed.

The entry-level Urban derivative is listed at R269 900, but details on that spec level are scarce and, from what I could tell, all of the vehicles on the press launch were the Elite SE (Special Edition) – it certainly seems as if the fledgling Chery SA wanted to put its best foot forward. The price jumps up to R359 900 for this Special Edition, which includes larger 17-inch wheels, various exterior and interior accents, a sunroof, 6 airbags (including curtain airbags), a tyre pressure monitoring system, interior ambient lighting, puddle lights, LED headlights and taillights, plus a larger digital instrument cluster.

Also read: Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Specs & Price

Chery’s dealer footprint in South Africa

Chery has set up over 30 dealerships in South Africa.

For a returning brand, Chery has made sure to put sufficient after-sales support in place. All Tiggo 4 Pros come with a 5-year/150 000 km warranty, a 5-year/60 000 km service plan and 5 years’ roadside assistance (provided by the AA). However, on top of that, when the manufacturer warranty ends, the balance of a 10-year/1 000 000 km engine warranty should still apply. Yes, a 1-million-km engine warranty. However, there is a catch: the extended warranty will only apply if the car still belongs to the original owner (who purchased the car from new) and if the car had been serviced at Chery dealers.

On the topic of dealers, just over 30 dealerships are in place from launch. The network covers most of the country’s major metros and the majority of outlets are located in Gauteng.

Summary of the Tiggo 4 Pro

With the Tiggo 4 Pro, Chery has introduced a real fighter in the small crossover/compact family car segment. Whereas recent newcomers such as the Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger have left us feeling a trifle underwhelmed, the Tiggo 4 Pro seems a better product at a similar price. The outlier in this segment is the Haval Jolion, which is a larger car than the Chery and available at the same price points.

Ultimately, a wider selection to choose from is good for the consumer and, given the perceived quality of the new Tiggo 4 Pro, if you are in the market for a “baby SUV” at this price point, I don’t think you can ignore this newcomer. Chery will be hoping to emulate the incredible success of Haval, another Chinese brand, in this market. With the Tiggo 4 Pro, the new brand is certainly off to a promising start.

Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – prices in South Africa (Nov 2021)