Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Ultimate 2024 Review

So far, there are only two Tiggo 4 Pros, both with front-wheel-drive and priced to drive away: the $23,990 Urban and its more dressed-up sibling, the $26,990 Ultimate.

By contrast, the pricier Chery Omoda 5 is built off the same platform as the Tiggo 4 but has a far more complex range of variants. Omodas come in petrol and electric form, and offer a choice – petrol only – between front-drive or AWD, with pricing that stretches from $27,990 driveaway for the front-drive FX to $45,990 – pre-ORCs – for the also front-drive electric Omoda 5 EX.

Two other Chery models are on sale in Australia: The Tiggo 7 which offers the choice of front-drive or AWD variants in three trim levels, and the seven-seat Tiggo 8 that stretches the driveaway price to $47,990 for Chery’s flagship, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max Ultimate.

The Chery Tiggo 4’s interior, even in basic Urban form, is somewhat special for a small SUV at a starting price below $24,000 driveaway.

The presentation inside is something else. In “our” Ultimate-spec Tiggo 4, there was nary a hard-touch surface to be found on the doors, dash or centre console. And the seats were trimmed in an invitingly soft imitation leather.

Considering the wide-screen, hi-res touch-control 10.25-inch dash display, or the heated front seats – with power adjustment on the driver’s side – or the standard glass sunroof, the chic flat-bottomed artificial-leather-trimmed steering wheel, the deep central cubby topped by a soft armrest and the air vents for rear-seat passengers, there really is no budget feel here.

Like other Chery models, the Tiggo 4 is covered by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with seven years of roadside assistance – provided the car is serviced at a Chery dealer. Fixed-price servicing for the Tiggo 4 Pro comes at 12-month/15,000km intervals, adding up to total servicing costs of $2071 over seven years or 105,000km.

The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro earned five safety stars in 2022 with a long list of features that include electronic stability control, anti-lock braking, multi-collision braking and passive systems such as seven airbags (that include a front-centre bag) and top-tether and ISOFIX child-seat anchors.

Electronic systems include low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist (more on that a little later), blind-spot monitoring, lane-change assist, rear cross-traffic alert with braking, driver monitoring, adaptive cruise control and, in the Ultimate version only, 360-degree parking cameras.

The Tiggo 4 Pro earns points with a remote-operated side windows-down/up function that is more commonly (though not exclusively) seen on Euro cars, and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto – yet another sign of the Chinese car industry’s rapid maturation. There’s also a “hello Chery” voice assistant, charging and data-transmission USB-A ports at the front, and a single, charge-only port for back seat passengers. A 12-volt power outlet is located in the front of the cabin.

A seven-inch screen directly in front of the driver and below a twin analogue speedo/tachometer display contains information such as fuel level, fuel consumption and engine temperature, while the central, high-res 10.25-inch multimedia touch screen works with either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to deliver satellite navigation (neither Urban nor Ultimate Tiggo 4s offer inbuilt navigation).

The Tiggo 4’s 1.5-litre, slightly long-stroke turbo-petrol engine produces healthy outputs of 108kW at 5500rpm and 210Nm between 1500rpm and 4000rpm. Combined with 1419kg of body weight, the engine delivers competitive power-weight ratios. Among rivals such as Hyundai’s Kona, Haval’s Jolion and Volkswagen’s T-Roc, it’s virtually on an equal footing – and well in front of MG’s normally-aspirated Core-spec ZST.

The Tiggo 4’s front wheels, like most of its competitors other than the seven-speed dual-clutch Haval Jolion and the eight-speed auto Volkswagen T-Roc, are driven through a CVT transmission.

Chery claims the Tiggo 4 returns a combined average fuel consumption of 7.3L/100km – not the best and nor the worst in a competitor group where the norm generally sits between 6.3L/100km and 8.1L/100km. Our review Tiggo 4, in varying circumstances, ranged between 7L/100km and 8L/100km.

The Tiggo 4’s officially quoted CO2 output of 166g/km is similarly in the middle of a field, against rival manufacturers' claimed figures between 186g/km and 143g/km.

No one expected the Chery Tiggo 4 to be a dynamic equivalent of a Euro small SUV, and probably no one cares (much) that it’s not.

With its soft-riding MacPherson strut/torsion beam suspension, the small SUV is not an unpleasant experience. And, with the help of one-inch larger 18-inch wheels shod with 215/55R18 tyres on the Ultimate version, it grips capably enough.

The over-light steering spins from lock to lock in 2.7 turns and is barely communicative. But it’s unlikely to be an issue for most owners, and will probably be warmly welcomed for its ease of parking.

A problem becomes evident once on the open road, however. If the Tiggo 4’s lane-keeping system was intended to work without bullying, unpredictable behaviour, then Chery’s engineers clearly got it wrong somewhere. On a marked road with only moderate twists and turns, the Chery’s system is often all at sea.

If, for example, the driver thinks the car is moving uncomfortably close to a painted line and gently attempts a steering correction, a battle with the electronics ensues as the driver and the car wilfully apply opposing forces. What often happens in such circumstances is that the electronics quickly decide to stop arguing, leaving the driver unexpectedly wresting control back from the car.

This leads to an over-reaction as the steering suddenly chooses to respond to the driver, imparting an unsettling and potentially dangerous lurching. The best way for the driver to cope is to leave the adaptive cruise control switched off and allow the steering to function normally, more or less.

Concerningly but not unsurprisingly, the Chery Omoda SUV sibling, which uses the same platform as the Tiggo 4, suffers from a similar malady.

The Tiggo 4’s interior is not only above expectations in terms of comfort and equipment levels for a vehicle selling at bargain-basement prices, it’s also spacious.

The back seat brings respectable adult-size legroom, plus shoulder space that’s great for two passengers and acceptable for three.

And as mentioned earlier, the Tiggo 4’s load space is far from disgraced by the competition. The 380-litre boot expands to 1225 litres with the back seat folded flat, which is close to average by comparison with small SUVs such as MG’s ZST, Haval’s Jolion and Hyundai’s Kona.

General functionality includes a slightly narrow but quite deep central cubby/armrest between the front seats, plus the familiar lower-level storage-space extension utilising the area under the gearshift lever and forward of the lidded central cubby. Standard storage spaces such as a left-side glovebox and pockets in the doors mean there’s generally a spot somewhere in the cabin to locate small and mid-size incidentals.

The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Ultimate is a difficult small-class SUV to ignore, and it is not all to do with the money.

It competes at the very bottom of the market, yet doesn’t really come with any compromises. Its quality presentation, high levels of standard equipment and the on-road willingness of its turbo engine are unquestionable. And Chery’s retention of the top spot among domestic brands in the 2024 China Initial Quality Study is a handy confidence booster.

The flawed lane-keep system is the only red flag for the Tiggo 4’s credibility. Whether or not the company fixes the issue, or whether or not customers are concerned anyway, the Tiggo 4 has the potential to be a notable success in the budget SUV marketplace.

Hopefully, its only real flaw will be recognised by Chery and attended to, ASAP.

2024 Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Ultimate at a glance:

Price: $26,990 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 108kW/210Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 7.3L/100km
CO2: 166g/km
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP Year 2022)

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