Chery Tiggo 5

Chery Tiggo 5 at a glance

The Tiggo 5 replaced the original Chery Tiggo, which had been on sale since 2006, and sat above the smaller Tiggo 3 in Chery's range. It was sold under several names: Cowin X5 and Cowin 5 SUV in China, Grand Tiggo, and DR6 or EVO6 in Italy. Besides two plants in China, the Tiggo 5 was assembled in Iran. Chery's history is told in the history of Chery, and its models, from the Chery Tiggo 3 to the Chery Tiggo 8, are in the Chery catalogue.

Exterior

The Tiggo 5 has a modern crossover shape. According to the old 1cars text, the rear features a large bumper with protective plastic, exhaust outlets with trapezoidal tips at each side and LED tail lights. Alloy wheels of 16 or 17 inches were fitted.

Cabin and boot space

The cabin seats five. The old 1cars text describes a multifunction steering wheel, a dashboard with chrome-ringed dials and an on-board computer, and keyless engine start. Compared with the older Tiggo, the wheelbase grew by 100 mm, which improved rear legroom, and the rear seat can be moved and folded. After the facelift the boot holds 370 litres with five seats in use, according to the same source.

2.0 and 1.5 turbo engines

The 2.0-litre engine has 16 valves, variable valve timing and multi-point injection, and meets Euro 5 emissions standards. With the manual gearbox, the old 1cars text gives 0–100 km/h in 12.8 seconds, a top speed of 175 km/h and combined fuel use of 8.2 litres per 100 km (9.8 litres with the CVT). The same source notes that the engine feels short of power on the motorway.

Tiggo 5 size and weight

C-NCAP result and safety kit

According to the old 1cars text, the Tiggo 5 earned five stars in the C-NCAP crash test of China, which included a full-width frontal impact at 50 km/h and an offset frontal impact at 64 km/h. The body uses laser welding, which the same source says is 30% stronger than conventional welding, and programmed crumple zones. Even the basic versions have four airbags, supplied by Autoliv, and a hill-start assist system that holds the car for two seconds when pulling away on a slope.

Tiggo 5 FL facelift (2015)

The facelifted Tiggo 5 FL was shown in November 2015 and went on sale in China the same year. The changes were mostly cosmetic: a refreshed front and rear, a new leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel with cruise control and Bluetooth controls, and improved interior materials. The 2.0-litre SQR484F engine and the gearboxes were carried over, with 0–100 km/h in 12.8 to 15 seconds and a top speed of 165 to 175 km/h depending on the gearbox, according to the old 1cars text.

What owners say

Owners quoted in the old 1cars text praise the comfortable interior, attractive styling, modern safety equipment, reasonable ground clearance and easy cold starts, and some find the performance adequate for town use. Tall drivers fit comfortably. The suspension is firm but absorbs poor road surfaces well. On the negative side, the high transmission tunnel makes the middle rear seat uncomfortable, the instrument panel takes time to get used to, and with front-wheel drive the Tiggo 5 is a compact urban crossover rather than an off-roader.

Tiggo 5 timeline

The Tiggo 5 in Chery's range

The Tiggo 5 was slightly larger than the Tiggo 3 and positioned above it, while the larger Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 later extended the range upwards.

Rivals: how the Tiggo 5 compares

The Tiggo 5 competed with affordable crossovers such as the Geely Emgrand X7, the Lifan X60, the Renault Duster, the Mitsubishi ASX and the Suzuki Vitara, as well as Chery's own Tiggo 7. Its strengths are a spacious cabin, good equipment, a five-star C-NCAP result and modern styling. Its weaknesses are modest performance from the 2.0 engine, mediocre noise insulation and the limited availability of four-wheel drive.