SSANG YONG TIVOLI 2015

Don't think about you, however when I consider SsangYong, the first thing that strikes a chord is the god-like Musso. It had fitting rough terrain looks and a Mercedes-Benz soul, however tragically, it went out of generation in 2005, leaving the automaker with no substitution in the "great" office. That is as of not long ago, on the grounds that SsangYong now fits in with Mahindra & Mahindra and it's getting a new beginning with the 2015 Tivoli hybrid. 

The all-new SsangYong Tivoli has been made particularly for the European business sector and you can see that even in its name. The automaker purified through water their new auto after the Italian town Tivoli, but at the same time it's "i lov it" spelled in reverse. That is a really precise articulation, on the grounds that you'll wind up adoring it toward the day's end. That is in case you're not into force and rushes in the driver's seat, but rather we'll mind that somewhat later. 

Also, much the same as Roman sovereign Hadrian's slope top town, the SsangYong Tivoli is truly a decent thing to take a gander at. Intended to engage more youthful purchasers, the auto has an offbeat new outside with two-tone shading mixes, sharp points, cumbersome shapes and a smiling front sash which is conditioned down a touch just by some bumped wheel curves. By and large, it looks extreme, planted to the ground and it disposed of that "shoddy plasticky Chinese toy" look the recent SsangYong models had. 

Actually, a non-auto gentleman companion of mine said that from a separation, you could botch it with a Range Rover Evoque, which says a great deal in regards to a Korean model that tries to enter the European market. 

Measurement insightful, the SsangYong Tivoli is only a bit littler than the financial backing Dacia Duster, coming in at 4,195 mm (165.2 in) long, 1,795 mm (70.7 in) wide and 1,590 mm (62.6 in) high. Ground freedom comes at an average 167 mm (6.6 in) which permits you to mount most city checks and assault some rough unpaved streets. Remember that the bash plate under the motor sits lower than the auto's gut, so don't get excessively energized. , so don’t get too excited.

Needless to say, the interior room is among the best in class. Four passengers can be easily accommodated inside, with enough head and legroom to enjoy a longer trip. A fifth person can sit in the rear middle seat, but personally, I wouldn’t want to be there for too long. It’s not the end of the world though, since most of the cars in this segment were designed to better suit four people rather than five.

Trunk space measures 423 liters (14.9 cu-ft), which is also a bit over the segment average, and you also get some elastic cords in there to secure things such as bottles, the first aid kit and whatnot. You also get a full-size spare tire instead of a repair kit, but because of that, luggage space will shrink to 327 liters (11.5 cu-ft) if you also opt for the all-wheel drive version, since then a differential has to live down under the trunk. 

No trouble, however, since the interior comes with a lot of cubby holes to fit your things. The ones on the doors, for example, can each hold a medium-sized water bottle plus a pack of biscuits, while the central armrest can swallow your iPad, wallet and a banana with ease. You also get some neat elastic strings on the rear of the front seats to hold other thin stuff, and the best part is that they can be arranged in different patterns.Speaking of the interior, everything apart from some buttons on the doors looks and feels quality made: nothing rattles, there are no squeaks and the general fit and finish encourages you believe the Tivoli is actually a strong competitor on the market. You get two-toned leather/textile combo upholstery, soft plastics, aluminum scuff plates on higher end models and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. 

You also get glossy black surfaces in places you’ll touch quite often, namely the central console and the door armrests. Those palm-grease streaks and fingerprints might give you the heebie-jeebies if you have an obsessive compulsive disorder with squeaky clean surfaces, but, hey, these are the trends now.

Anyway, in my opinion, cabin design is a bit over its competitors', and I would be happy to sit here surrounded by Korean materials, than looking at the dull shapes inside a Renault Captur or the weird surfaces in a frog-faced Nissan Juke all day long. The only interior in this class that delivers better eye-candy is the one in the Mazda CX-3, if you ask me.

Depending on which country you live in, the SsangYong Tivoli can be had in up to three trim levels, with standard equipment including 16-inch alloy wheels, LED taillights, 2-DIN audio system with USB, AUX and Bluetooth connectivity, steering-wheel shortcut buttons, a multi information display system in between the main gauges, manual air conditioning, keyless entry, electric mirrors, cruise control, 7 airbags, height adjustable driver’s seat and weight-adjustable electric-assisted steering system.

I would like to deviate a little here and talk you through the decently sized multi-information display system on the dashboard, because I found it rather special in a way. You see, the automaker found fit that the controls to operate the little thing - namely two simple buttons - should be located on the central console, rather than on the steering wheel, like many other automakers do.

This only leads me to think it’s a safety feature rather than a niggle: you don’t have the buttons at hand – therefore, you don’t keep messing around switching through screens to see this and that, so you keep your eyes on the road, where they belong. 

And that’s not all. SsangYong engineers made sure you will still receive all the information you want from the system, because it keeps cycling through the different available screens by itself. So you might be seeing the fuel consumption right now, but next time you stop at a traffic light, you might get the tire pressure, range, traveled distance or the clock.

Ticking the boxes for more stuff will get you nice features like glossy black 18-inch alloy wheels, tinted rear windows, LED daytime running lights, a roof spoiler, fog lamps, heated steering wheel, auto headlights and wipers, dual zone automatic climate control, heated/ventilated front seats, parking sensors, 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, HDMI connectivity as well as a rear facing camera with dynamic grid to aid you with parking.

And since we’re talking about choices, you can only get two engines for the Tivoli, both displacing 1.6 liters, with one running on gasoline and the other on diesel. The first makes 128 PS and 160 Nm (118 lb-ft) while the latter does with 115 PS, but a hefty 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque.

Each engine can be had with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed AISIN automatic one, both sending power to the front wheels by default. As I mentioned earlier, there is also an optional all-wheel drive system, but that would make more sense for the diesel powered version, since the petrol-fed engine lacks torque.

We tested the gasoline version fitted with a manual six-speed box and front wheel drive, coming with almost all the toys you can get. Sadly, the big infotainment system was not among them, but even so, the standard audio equipment sounds good, and who needs an expensive sat-nav system (about €500 in this case) when your smartphone comes with things like Google Maps or Waze anyway?

Driving around town is a piece of cake thanks to the raised seating position, light steering and suspension setup that makes it feel very light, despite tipping the scales at almost 1.3 tons without the driver. Rear window visibility is a bit better than, say, the Juke, and those big side mirrors make sure you’ll see everything behind and around the vehicle. However, combined with those thick A-pillars, they might hide pedestrians from your field of view, but I think that’s a common problem these days, so you might have to be extra careful when approaching intersections and crosswalks.

Standard suspension for the FWD version comes in the shape of McPherson struts at the front and a classic torsen beam at the back. It does a pretty good job, but it feels like it has a mind of its own, soaking up some of the road irregularities and making sure you’ll feel others right in your spine. The AWD version, however, comes with a multilink rear suspension that makes things better.

Another upsetting experience was the clutch, which fully engages towards the upper end of the pedal’s travel, a zone where you really need to concentrate if you don’t want the car to jerk forward. And I should also mention here that, despite feeling precise, the gearbox tends to clunk when swapping cogs, especially when shifting between first and second gear.

Otherwise, the Tivoli feels planted and corners without significant roll. The chassis is well balanced and the ESP kicks in to keep you on track even when you really want to push it beyond reasonable driving limits.

Take it out of the city, and you’ll soon discover it’s a bit out of its habitat. The lack of sound insulation lets the wind and engine noise in, while the gasoline engine kills the sport-driving mood with its lack of mid-range torque. If you’d really want to push it and drive sporty, you’d have to keep the rev needle so high, there are solid chances your wife sitting right next to you would file a divorce.

  That is a disgrace, in light of the fact that those front seats glass you in really useful for horizontal Gs, while the controlling can be placed in game mode by means of a catch on the dash. I'm confounded... Perhaps they bode well on the diesel form that gives twofold the oomph at just 1,500 rpm.The recent will likewise serve you better in the event that you favor going go 4x4 romping more than twice every year, while additionally keeping the fuel utilization lower, shaving 2 l/100 km all things considered contrasted with its gas partner. 

On the other hand, driving out in this present reality, we got 10.3 l/100 km (23 mpgUS/27 mpgUK) around the city, 8 l/100 km (29 mpgUS/35 mpgUK) on the roadway and a normal of 9.6 l/100 km (24 mpgUS/29 mpgUK). Also, more often than not, we really took after the auto's on-screen guidelines to upshift at around 2,000 rpm and get into 6th apparatus as quickly as time permits. 

Thus we achieve the most obnoxious part, in particular the cash you need to spend on it. For lower trim levels, the SsangYong Tivoli appears to be pretty intensely estimated, yet completely preparing it uncovers something rather fascinating. 

For instance, in Germany, the essential 1.6 Tivoli FWD begins at €15,490, which is around €4,400 not exactly a comparable Renault Captur, €3,710 not exactly the Nissan Juke and €2,510 not as much as a Mazda CX-3 partner. Be that as it may, at €29,600, you find you're completely stacked Tivoli is €5,800 more than the Captur, €2,000 more than a Juke and even €1,400 more than a top-spec CX-3. What the heck isn't right  with you, SsangYong?

In the end, if you need a fancy crossover without all the bells and whistles, it’s safe to go for the 2015 SsangYong Tivoli. If you want them all, just buy the Mazda CX-3 and save the extra money for insurance or gas. If all else fails, grab a Dacia Duster and learn how to live with the cheap plastic.