2020 Tiggo 2

The Tiggo 2 sports 16- inch two-tone alloy wheels, black B and C window pillars, blackcladded wheel arches and chrome roof rails.

Photos by Aida Sevilla Mendoza

Twelve years ago, the QQ, a minicar bearing the Chinese brand Chery entered the Philippine market. Because of its low price and cute design, the QQ scored high sales figures, especially as a fleet car for salesmen, until reports that it was unreliable, compounded by poor after-sales service, forced its withdrawal from the market.

Last November, Chery returned, this time distributed by a company, United Asia Auto Group, Inc. (UAAGI), that has successfully elevated another Chinese brand, Foton, to the ranks of the Top 10 Sales Performers, although Foton is more focused on commercial vehicles.

And this time, aware of the booming crossover/SUV market segment, UAAGI re-entered Chery with an all-crossover range of models: the Tiggo 2, Tiggo SX, Tiggo 7, and Tiggo 8.

UAAGI president Rommel Sytin, who heads Chery Auto Philippines, pointed out that the intervening years between 2007 (when Chery first came to the country) and 2019, saw a resurgence of Chinese automakers entering the local market, with almost half a dozen China auto brands arriving in the last 12 months.

He said that all Tiggo models are made in Chery’s world-class, fully robotized plants in Wuhu, Anhui, China. Founded in 1997, Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., a state-owned corporation, has been China’s biggest exporter of passenger cars in the last 16 years and has sold over 7.2 million vehicles in over 80 countries. Chery is also a leading manufacturer of hybrid and fully electric vehicles not only in China, but in the world.

ATTRACTING ATTENTION. Among the four Chery crossover models entering the PH market, the Tiggo 2 attracts the most attention from car buyers because of its low price (P695,000 for the 5-speed MT, P770,000 for the 4-speed AT) stylish exterior, updated technology, and full package of safety, driver assistance, comfort and convenience features.

The Tiggo 2’s stylish tailgate features bulbous rear combination lamps, connected by a chrome strip, plus a black-cladded bumper with chrome garnish underneath.

To top it all, to banish any worries about the Tiggos’ quality, durability, and reliability, Chery Auto PH offers an industry-leading 10-year/1 million-km powertrain warranty, aside from a 5-year general vehicle warranty, plus 3-year free Preventive Maintenance Service (PMS) to all buyers of any Tiggo model.

Viewed from any angle, the Tiggo 2 shows all the right SUV design cues, such as dynamic headlights with LED daytime running lights underneath, body cladding, flared and cladded wheel arches, molded black bumpers, side sills, chromed roof rails, tailgate garnish, skid/splash shields front and rear, 16-inch mag wheels (two-tone for the AT variant) and 186 mm ground clearance.

CABIN CLASS ABOVE. For the Tiggo 2 AT’s price, the cabin design and features are a class above: black leather seats with contrast stitching, 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, illuminated 3D cluster for the speedometer and tachometer, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, 6-way driver seat adjustment, automatic climate control. Although there is no Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, screen mirroring function is available.

The back seat has a rear center armrest and ISOFIX child seat anchors. One safety feature lacking here, though are child locks on the rear doors. The flat cargo area with tonneau cover offers 420 liters of loading space.

DRIVING the Tiggo 2 AT is a pleasurable experience. Its 1.5-liter VVT (variable valve timing) naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 106 hp and 135 Nm max torque emits an encouraging growl when you switch it on, and adequately propels the 5-seater, front-wheel-drive crossover forward in Sport mode — although the powerplant gets very noisy when pushed to highway speeds.

The Tiggo 2’s 1.5-liter naturally aspirated VVT engine produces 106 hp and 135 Nm max torque.

The brakes are ventilated discs in front, discs at the rear while the suspension system consists of McPherson struts fore with torsion beam aft. The Tiggo 2’s ride quality is comfortably firm and solid, tackling potholes and rough surfaces with equanimity, but not cushy like a car’s.

On the Skyway, when the speedometer hit 120 kph, an overspeed warning monitor began beeping. This is one of the safety features of both variants of the Tiggo 2, which includes remote key with tailgate unlock, dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, emergency brake assist, electronic stability program, traction control system, hill assist control, rear parking sensors. The AT test unit I drove also had a reverse camera.

SUMMING UP. With its Tiggo crossover lineup and 10-year powertrain warranty, Chery Auto PH is poised to replace the bad reputation of Chery cars 12 years ago with a current, enduring one of reliability, safety, comfort and convenience.

In the cockpit, an infotainment touchscreen system, leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, and leather seats

In the process of vindicating the Chery brand, the Tiggos will seek to grab market share from established crossover models, such as the eminently affordable Tiggo 2, challenging higher-costing subcompact rivals like the Hyundai Kona, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX3, Suzuki Vitara and Nissan Juke.

Let the crossover wars begin.