Is there anything worse than the dawning realisation you’ve just bought the wrong car?
It’s easily done. You get caught up with the excitement of spending money you don’t have, and just as your caffeine high peaks from all those complimentary flat whites, two sets of keys are thrust in your palm after signing an important-looking piece of paper.
The most common mistake Down Under isn’t plumping for a crippling two-seat roadster or a cramped coupe but buying a dual-cab ute made for tradies, and it doesn’t take long before you start making excuses.
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Whether it’s the ride or drive, its serious drinking problem, or facing up to the fact there’s less room for second-row squealers and, without costly accessories, your groceries will either get soaked or baked in the sun
We’ve all been there. But Chery might finally have a solution for those who want a ute but probably really shouldn’t have a Ranger or HiLux.
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It’s called the new Tiggo V and it’s just been freshly unwrapped at the Beijing motor show.
The attractive, rugged SUV has a neat trick up its sleeve because when it isn’t playing the perfect family member, comfortably seating up to seven, the flagship Chery can switch into the ute of your dreams, thanks to a detachable rear body that can be swiftly ejected.
Better still, if you’re more adventurous at heart, there’s one of the six different canopies that will be offered with the Toyota Kluger-rival, including a top hat made for campers which includes a bolt-on roof tent.
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Even if you just need a bit more space for work or a house move, there’s a cargo box that neatly slots on that should easily help swallow a sofa when needed.
The catch is the payload will be limited, as the Tiggo V is based on a car-like monocoque rather than a Ranger’s heavy duty ladder frame but if you can live with that the Tiggo V should be a better riding and driving, quieter and more refined experience behind the wheel.
Enabling it to be so flexible is a sliding second row and what Chery describes as a “variable partition” bulkhead.
With full details yet to be revealed it’s thought it won’t be possible to drive the ute configuration with the third row exposed to the elements, even if some parents might find that prospect amusing.
What we do know is the 5000-ish-mm-long, the Tiggo V has a 2800mm wheelbase and is said to provide plenty of space within, while thanks to the firm’s Super Hybrid plug-in hybrid, the big seven seater should come close to delivering class best efficiency, thanks to the brand’s next gen 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol, a fresh hybrid transmission and a battery that should see the Chery drive up to 100km or more on EV power alone.
Full details for our market, as well as an official confirmation it’s locked in for import have not yet been announced, but we think it will come with the higher-output hybrid that produces 260kW and 330Nm of torque.
For those more price-conscious, a cheaper 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol will also be available.
All-wheel drive should come with the 2.0-litre turbo and might be an option on the PHEV which will deliver what the brand claims is “genuine off-road capability”, with 220mm of ground clearance allowing the Tiggo V to wade water up to depths of 700mm.
Since there’s no indication yet on pricing, we’ll have to reserve judgment but we hope the new Tiggo V will only command a modest premium over the Tiggo 9 ($59,990 plus on-roads) it sits above, because it might just be the perfect antidote to automotive buyer’s remorse in Australia.
