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 vaguelyremember the brand’s name from the late 2000s. The McCarthy dealer group (now knownas Bidvest Automotive) used to distributeChery in South Africa back then,but while the brand’s products were quitecompetitively 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 driventhe 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 performon 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 incontext, 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 intendsto 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, itoffers a particularly impressive ride quality. On the launch route, we traversedsome truly shocking roads in the Hartbeespoort Dam area, but not at the cost ofoccupant comfort…the Tiggo dealtwith 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 highlightand 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 CVTsI’ve experienced. It seems to know what you want to do ahead of time and prepares itself accordingly. Interestingly, you can flick the transmissionlever into manual mode, which gives the driver access to 9(yes, 9) pre-programmed digital “steps”. There are no shiftpaddles 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 actionseemed a bit superfluous… the CVT is so accomplished in automaticmode,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 todrive the turbocharged version, butI was suitably impressed with its pulling power. Overtaking was relatively easy and, if Ihad to bepicky, the engine was a little gruff at high revs, but not enough to be bothersome.

The indicated fuel consumption was 10 L/100 km atthe 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 wouldimprove 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 abinnacle filled withanalogue 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 Cherypress 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 thatthe Tiggo 4 Prohas 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 seatbackcan folddown in a 60/40 split if needed.

The entry-level Urban derivative is listed at R269 900, but details on thatspec level arescarce 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 wantedto 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 putsufficient after-sales support in place. All Tiggo 4 Pros comewith a 5-year/150 000 km warranty, a 5-year/60 000 km service plan and5 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-kmengine 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 hadbeen serviced at Chery dealers.

On the topic of dealers,just over 30 dealerships are in place from launch.The network coversmost of the country’s major metrosand 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 seemsa 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 widerselection to choose from is good for the consumerand, given the perceived quality of the new Tiggo 4 Pro,if you are in the market for a “babySUV” 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, thenew brand is certainly off to a promisingstart.

Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – prices in South Africa (Nov2021)