Toyota Urban Cruiser vs Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – Which should you buy? 

Chery has made a return to South Africa and the new Tiggo 4 Pro has arrived to take on a throng of rivals in the burgeoning compact SUV segment. How does the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro stack up against the popular Toyota Urban Cruiser? Which one should you buy? Read on…

Chery is back in business in South Africa and if the introduction of the new Tiggo 4 Pro is anything to go by, there’s lots to look forward to from the Chinese carmaker. 

The Tiggo 4 Pro joins a truly crowded segment where products such as the Renault Kiger, Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Nissan Magnite, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport and the Haval Jolion are all vying for market share. 

The Toyota Urban Cruiser, despite essentially being a re-badged Suzuki Vitara Brezza, is one of the most popular choices in this segment. It’s worth asking then, does the new Chery Tiggo 4 Pro offer enough in terms of styling, performance, standard features, practicality and value for money to steal sales from Toyota? 

The main aim of this article is to help you, the consumer, make an informed buying decision if you are looking to buy the Toyota Urban Cruiser or eyeing out the new Chery Tiggo 4 Pro. 

 To help you do this, we will provide you with the need-to-know information and insight based on available vehicle information and our experience with the cars in question.

This article will cover key aspects including Engine Performance, Efficiency & Handling, Interior Features & Safety, Dimensions & Practicality and Pricing and Warranty details. 

Please note that because design and styling are subjective, we will not pass judgment and you can decide for yourself what car you think looks better.

If at the end of this article you are still undecided as to ‘What To Buy’, you are more than welcome to reach out to us for additional information or advice via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and our experienced test team will gladly assist you.   

What To Buy  – Toyota Urban Cruiser or Chery Tiggo 4 Pro? 

Engine Performance, Efficiency and Ride Quality

Toyota Urban Cruiser – Performance, ride and handling? 

The Toyota Urban Cruiser, despite its naturally-aspirated engine, delivers eager performance and buyers who opt for either the manual or CVT shouldn’t be disappointed. Buyers, however, should note that sound insulation could be better and engine noise higher in the rev range can be quite harsh in addition to the noticeable wind noise entering the cabin. Real-world fuel consumption of around 6.5 L/100km can be expected. 

As far as ride and handling go, the Urban Cruiser offers a forgiving and comfortable ride over various surfaces and it further impresses with nimble and agile handling thanks to its low kerb weight of around 1.1 tonnes. The steering wheel has a positive feel and provides adequate feedback to the driver. More so, with a ground clearance of 198 mm, the Urban Cruiser is quite capable of traversing the odd gravel road when required to. 

Read our launch review of the Toyota Urban Cruiser 

Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – Performance, ride and handling?

To date, we have only sampled the turbocharged Tiggo 4 Pro (we will hopefully test the naturally-aspirated version soon).

The performance of the turbocharged Tiggo 4 Pro, however, is particularly impressive and not only does it offer sufficient punch for overtaking but its CVT transmission is well-matched to this engine and is perhaps the best on offer in this segment. The downside is higher-than-expected fuel consumption. Chery has not provided official claimed fuel consumption but our test drive returned close to 10 L/100km which is above what you would expect from a compact SUV.

More than this, the ride quality of the Tiggo 4 Pro is a major highlight and it rides comfortably on all surfaces, including gravel. Ground clearance is at 180 mm. The cabin is well insulated too – there’s minimal road- or wind noise intrusion to speak of.  

Read our launch review of the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro

Interior features and Safety 

For this section, we will compare key specifications of the range-topping derivatives from each respective model range. 

You can, however, use our handy Cars.co.za Compare Tool to compare any vehicle derivative you like. 

Feature Summary 

While the Toyota Urban Cruiser has the basics covered in terms of standard features, the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro goes above and beyond and this is reflected in its standard feature specification as well as safety specification. 

Interior fit and finish is good for both vehicles and from an interior design perspective, the Chery pips the Toyota with a more modernised/digital and upmarket design approach which will appeal to buyers who want a more stylish and digitised interior ambience. 

It’s also worth noting that standard feature specifications for the respective entry- and mid-spec derivatives are quite similar, as is pricing (more on this below).

Use the Cars.co.za Comparison Tool to compare specifications side-by-side. 

Dimensions and Practicality  

The new Chery Tiggo 4 Pro is bigger than the Toyota Urban Cruiser in every direction and also has a 110 mm longer wheelbase which translates into noticeably more space for rear passengers and arguably has more load space too. Unfortunately, Chery has not divulged how big its load bay is but from what we can tell, it’s bigger than what’s offered in the Urban Cruiser. Both vehicles feature 60:40 split rear seats for added flexibility. 

Pricing and Warranty 

The pricing structure between these 2 rivals are fairly competitive and Chery has set itself apart from Toyota by offering a more comprehensive warranty and service plan. Note that Chery also offers a 1-million km engine warranty but this only applies for the first owner of the vehicle and the vehicle must have been serviced at a Chery dealership for the duration of its ownership. Smart marketing, Chery…

What to Buy? 

So, you have the information you need but what are you going to buy? On paper, the top-spec Chery Tiggo 4 Pro is a winner when compared side-by-side with the equivalent Urban Cruiser. 

The turbocharged Chery Tiggo 4 Pro offers significantly more power and torque, is more generously equipped with standard features and is arguably more stylish inside and out. More so, the Tiggo 4 Pro is a bigger vehicle which means you are getting more car your money. These factors combined with the added after sales peace of mind, arguably justify the premium price the Tiggo 4 Pro holds over its equivalent rival and we think the Chinese competitor is a difficult product to ignore. In Toyota’s favour is its 200+ strong dealer network around the country and renowned aftersales performance. The Toyota is also likely to return better resale value when it comes to trading it in (depending on how well it’s been looked after). 

Buyers shopping in the R300-R400k price bracket would be wise to further add the Haval Jolion as a potential purchase proposition if you are looking for the ultimate bang-for-buck. 

Even so, perhaps the biggest and possibly the most difficult obstacle Chery will have to overcome is perception. The brand doesn’t have a particularly impressive track record in terms of aftersales service and product quality but time will tell how new Chery customers feel about the Tiggo 4 Pro and the service they receive from the 30 new Chery dealerships countrywide. 

Buy a used Chery Tiggo on Cars.co.za

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