2020 Chery Tiggo 2 Review | Philkotse Philippines

Most of you might still remember the car brand that goes by the name Chery. Yes, that’s the Chinese car brand that had a tough experience in the Philippine automotive market years back.

When it first entered the local market, Chery’s portfolio looked promising since it offered cars with an affordable and attractive price tag. Chery’s price range during that time for its brand-new cars was unmatched by the mainstream Japanese car brands in the local market.

With that in mind, Filipino car buyers were intrigued by the said Chinese brand, and some decided to take a chance on it. One of the most popular Chery during that time was the QQ3, a small hatchback that’s ideal for city driving.

However, Chery was faced with issues on its product built quality and reliability, which resulted in having a negative impression in the local market. As such, the brand suffered a huge blow that prompted Chery to take a step back and retreat to its home country.

Now, Chery is officially back in the Philippines. It was reintroduced in the country late last year and is backed by United Asia Auto Group Inc. (UAAGI), which also happens to be the distributor of Foton in the Philippines. From the looks of it, Chery wants redemption and would want to erase its stigma in the Philippine automotive market.

To prove that, UAAGI lend us the keys to one of the Chery vehicles being offered in the market, the latest Chery Tiggo 2.

When the Tiggo 2 was delivered to us, we were surprised at how good the vehicle looks when seen in metal. The exterior design of the Tiggo 2 alone can already make you forget about Chery’s history in the local market.

It has a bold look and a composed stance, which gives this vehicle a good fighting chance in going head-to-head with its segment rivals such as the Ford EcoSport and the Nissan Juke.

The Chery Tiggo 2's fascia is definitely a looker

If you ask us, the front end or the fascia is the best asset of the 2020 Chery Tiggo 2's exterior. The sharp-looking blacked-out projector headlights along with the large bumper, LED daytime running lights, and honeycomb grille make the Tiggo 2 a looker. The headlights set the overall appeal of the Tiggo 2 as it makes the front end look wide and large.

The bumper, on the other hand, gives the vehicle the right amount of muscle while the honeycomb grille adds sleekness to the Tiggo 2’s front. You also can’t help but notice the black claddings of the Tiggo 2, which adds to the vehicle’s overall bold look.

Look at the stylish 16-inch two-tone wheels

Turning at the side, the Tiggo 2 is characterized by a straight line. It also has black claddings and roof rails, which gives the vehicle the right dose of a rugged look. The Tiggo2 is also fitted with a set of 16-inch two-tone wheels, which we find to be one of the best looking wheels in its segment.

The Chery Tiggo 2 comes with a rear fog light

The rear has large taillights and a bumper that adds thickness to the Tiggo 2’s overall look. It also has a tailgate-mounted spoiler and a horizontal chrome trim. And oh, this car also comes with a rear fog light, which adds to the vehicle’s visibility when you’re driving through harsh weather conditions such as fog or torrential rain.

However, we noticed that the black claddings equipped in the Tiggo 2 are now fading to a whitish color when viewed up close. Regardless, we give a thumbs up to the Tiggo 2’s exterior design. Chery did its homework and designed the Tiggo 2 to attract a diverse type of car buyers.

This car can cater to individuals who are looking for a vehicle that looks tough like the EcoSport, as well as for buyers who want a crossover that’s leaning a bit on the conservative side if you compare it with the Juke.

>>> Related:

• Ford Ecosport 2020 Philippines Review: A compact trend setter
• Nissan Juke 2020 Philippines Review: Everything you need to know!

The 2020 Chery Tiggo 2's interior features a black theme along with orange stitching on the seats. The cabin is straightforward and has a youthful vibe to it, which is primarily because of how the instrument cluster is designed, as well as the whole layout of the dashboard. It comes with round air-con vents at both sides while a pair of horizontal vents can be seen at the middle.

The Chery Tiggo 2 has a straightforward interior theme

The 2020 Chery Tiggo 2’s dashboard might not be as flashy as the ones you see inside the EcoSport and the Juke but, the Tiggo 2’s straightforward dash will be a welcome sight for those who want to keep things neat and simple. We also like the glossy black accents seen on the center console, gear shift lever, and steering wheel as it adds character to the Tiggo 2’s interior theme.

We think that the Tiggo 2 can comfortably sit two individuals at the rear

The Tiggo 2 can seat up to five occupants (including the driver). But, we think that the Tiggo 2’s rear seats can comfortably accommodate two individuals only. The leg- and head-room at the back is decent for individuals standing 5’ 5”. Anyone who’s taller than that might be cramped while sitting at the Tiggo 2’s rear.

Well, we’re not complaining since we are not that tall and it’s totally understandable since the Tiggo 2 is a subcompact crossover. The cargo space can easily fit three to four overnight bags, as well as a week of grocery supplies, three five-gallon water jugs, and two medium sized luggage.

You can fit up to three five-gallon water jugs at the Tiggo

>>> Related: Comprehensive guide for Chinese car brands in the Philippines

Speaking of which, the Tiggo 2’s dashboard is integrated with an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system that features Bluetooth pairing. The infotainment system is responsive enough at every touch but we wish it had better display icons since they look dated, and don’t complement the dashboard’s youthful vibe.

The neat and simple dashboard of the Chery Tiggo 2

In case you’re wondering, the Chery Tiggo 2 doesn’t come with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and the sound quality from its four speakers could also be improved. But, the Tiggo 2 comes with a rear camera, which can help you park the car safer.

On the other hand, the steering wheel comes with audio and cruise control buttons. The temperature controls come in dials, and placed below the touchscreen infotainment. Speaking of temperature, the Tiggo 2’s air-con can easily handle the tropical heat as it cools the cabin efficiently.

>>> Check out our new & used Chery cars for sale on Philkotse

The Tiggo 2 is equipped with essential safety features that lets you have peace of mind while you’re driving on the road. It comes with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), which helps you keep better control of the vehicle. The Tiggo 2 also comes with an anti-lock brake system, hill descent control, and driver & passenger airbags.

Under the hood, this Tiggo 2 is equipped with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine that delivers 106 hp and 135 Nm of torque. The engine is connected to a four-speed automatic transmission. Since Metro Manila is still under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) when we got the Tiggo 2, we were only able to drive it around the city.

The Tiggo 2 has two driving modes, Sport and Eco. The default driving mode of the Tiggo 2 is Sport. Of note, the buttons for the Sport and Eco driving modes are hard to find and difficult to reach while driving. They are placed beside the power side mirror controls, which is a bit off the driver’s line of sight.

The driving feel of the Chery Tiggo 2 2020 is decent and this car is fun to drive. However, we can’t help but notice the rattling sound when we step on the accelerator. The sound is similar to the one you hear when you’re driving a manual car and whenever you shift to a higher gear too soon. We also noticed that it’s quite difficult to move the gear lever from D to 2 to L, which could be caused by the Tiggo 2’s gear shifter pattern.

The Tiggo 2 has two driving modes: Sport and Eco

>>> Related: Will you buy a Chery Tiggo if it comes with free 3-year PMS?

The ride comfort of the Tiggo 2 is good as it can absorb Metro Manila’s dilapidated roads. It also takes on the impact within reason especially when you accidentally drive through a pothole. Moreover, the Tiggo 2 is stable and agile enough to enjoy the streets of McKinley West in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

We also noticed that there’s a slight delay in power delivery, even when we’re driving using the Sport mode. We wished we were able to take this vehicle out of the city to see how it performs on long highway roads. In addition, the steering wheel is light, which comes in handy when you need to tackle tight city streets.

During our time with the Tiggo 2, we managed to register a fuel economy of 7.4 km/L while driving at an average speed of 40 km/h. We switch from Sport and Eco driving modes during this test drive.

For this Chery Tiggo 2 2020 review, the top-spec variant is priced at Php 770,000, which is significantly cheaper compared to its segment rivals such as the Ford EcoSport and the Nissan Juke. To put things in perspective, the base Manual Transmission variant of the EcoSport is priced at Php 920,000, while the Nissan Juke Upper CVT variant has a price tag of Php 1,021,000. And oh, to further sweeten up the deal, Chery PH is offering the Tiggo 2 with a 10-year or 1-million kilometer powertrain warranty on top of a 5-year vehicle warranty, and 3-year free preventive maintenance.

This top-spec Chery Tiggo 2 is priced at Php 770,000

From the looks of it, the Chery Tiggo 2 has what it takes to take on its segment rivals. The overall design of this car as well as the warranty package are indeed something you can’t ignore. With the Tiggo 2, we can say that the future of Chery in the local market looks great and it could possibly erase the brand’s tainted scar.

Visit Philkotse.com’s News and Reviews section for more automotive news and car reviews.