SsangYong Tivoli 2019 Review

Think SsangYong and if anything does come into your mind it’s going to be a big ladder-frame ute or SUV. But no, the biggest selling model in the relaunched range is going to be the SangYong Tivoli, a pocket-sized five-door five-seat hatchback.

A squidgy little brick of a thing, it looks like a Korean rip-off of a Chinese rip-off of a MINI but still has a certain visual charm to it.

More appealing is the value offer that backs the Tivoli up. In a segment where a dollar or two can swing a sale the Tivoli is a thoroughly tempting package.

There are three SsangYong Tivoli equipment grades dubbed EX, ELX and Ultimate. There is a 94kW/160Nm petrol engine, an 85kW/300Nm turbo-diesel, a six-speed manual or automatic transmission and front- or on-demand all-wheel drive, which is actually FWD unless wheel slip is detected.

There’s even a choice of rear suspensions, with the front-drivers making doing with a torsion beam rear-end, while the AWD upgrades to a multi-link independent set-up.

The EX comes only with the petrol engine and front-wheel drive but has the choice of manual or auto. The ELX is also FWD, can be petrol or diesel but is auto-only. The Ultimate is auto-only and diesel-only.

Pricing is drive-away and starts at $23,490 for the EX manual (add $2000) for the auto. The ELX petrol is $27,490, the diesel an extra $2500. The Ultimate is $33,990.

On top of drive-away pricing the Tivoli comes with a seven-year/unlimited-km warranty, seven-year capped price servicing and seven-year roadside assist.

On top of that all Tivolis get autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, high beam assist, seven airbags, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Now that’s a pretty serious offer.

Delving into the equipment list further the EX comes with a leather steering wheel, 16-inch alloy wheels, front and rear park assist and fabric seats. The ELX adds dual-zone climate control, roof rails, a luggage screen, tinted glass and HID headlights.

The Ultimate is the only Tivoli with a full-size spare tyre, a sunroof, leather seats, powered, heated and vented front seats and 18-inch alloys.

One downer is Tivoli is only rated as a four-star Euro NCAP crash-safety performer because of issues related to child protection in the rear seat.

The Tivoli is 4202mm long, 1798mm wide, 1590mmm high and has a 2600mm wheelbase. So, it’s slightly shorter than a Mazda CX-3, slightly wider, notably taller and has a longer wheelbase.

Its 423-litre boot space smashes the CX-3’s, but so it should because that’s the big-selling Mazda’s weakest point. If you need more, there’s the long-wheelbase Tivoli XLV and its massive 720-litre boot.

In the cabin the Tivoli also has decent room in the rear seat for two adults. The seat backrest is quite short, but head and footroom is good.

There are elasticised strings on the seatback rather than nets or pockets, but overall storage is plentiful for the knick-knacks of modern life. Controllable air vents are an obvious omission.

Up-front there’s clattery reach and rake adjustable steering, seats with a decent level of support, an orthodox gearshifter (unlike the Musso and Rexton) with manual mode (no flappy paddles), big door pockets, a small centre lidded bin and dual cup-holders.

Presentation around the dashboard combines hard and drab plastics with more upmarket piano-black. Overall, it’s a mediocre effect.

The Tivoli is the oldest car in the new Australian SsangYong line-up, having been around overseas since 2015. It definitely shows once you fire up and get moving.

With no petrol models available, we sampled the ELX and Ultimate diesels. One thing they shared in common was mediocre noise deadening. Engine noise and vibration was obvious at idle and intrusive when revving.

And the ELX had to be revved to get much performance out of it. It was definitely noisier than the Musso ute and Rexton SUV. Tyre noise was also more obvious.

Steering was light at low speed and great for round town, as was a sizable glasshouse. Twirling the wheel requires more effort as speed climbs. There is lots of unpleasant friction beaming back through the electric-assist system.

But the worst part of the ELX experience was the tuning of traction control. At the slightest hint of wheelspin it cut the engine brutally.

First time it happened I thought the car had fuel surge. It’s the crassest tuning of traction I think I have ever experienced. It’s worse than the worst Toyota. It’s laughably bad. Turn it off – yes normally a no-no – and the ELX corners with benign understeer. Much safer.

Thankfully, SsangYong Australia has a fix coming, but it may not be available to retrofit.

The Ultimate did not have this problem. It simply hooked up and went faster (but not fast). Cleaner steering, no staccato interruptions.

Despite weighing 90kg heavier than the front-driver it felt neater, handled better and was actually using its 300Nm. It was less in need of manual gearshifting, which was handy because that was pretty gluggy.

The on-demand all-wheel drive system contributed to this superior and, yes, enjoyable behaviour, as did the IRS and a broader tyre footprint.

The Ultimate even comes with a centre diff lock and hill descent control. But this is no serious off-roader, not with a mere 167mm ground clearance.

In fact, just what the Tivoli is remains a bit unclear.

You can’t call it an SUV, even though SsangYong says it is and it’s classified that way in the sales stats. It really only qualifies as the very softest of soft-roaders, and then only the Ultimate version with all-wheel drive.

It’s quite good fun, more like a mildly warm hatch, really.

The same can’t be said of the Tivoli ELX. That traction control tune is so bad it makes it impossible to recommend. Like the Musso, it shows signs of being launched before it was ready for sale.

Which is a pity because the attractive price, service back-up and all that gear make it pretty tempting.

How much does the 2018 SsangYong Tivoli ELX cost?
Price: $29,990 (drive-away)
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 85kW/300Nm
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Fuel: 5.5L/100km
CO2: 146g/km
Safety rating: Four-star (Euro NCAP)

How much does the 2018 SsangYong Tivoli Ultimate AWD cost?
Price: $33,990 (drive-away)
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 85kW/300Nm
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Fuel: 5.9L/100km
CO2: 156g/km
Safety rating: Four-star (Euro NCAP)