South Korean manufacturer SsangYong has lifted the veil on its latest compact SUV, the Ssangyong Tivoli. It was unveiled at a special event in Seoul.
The first completely new model to be designed and manufactured following a takeover from Mahindra & Mahindra is a critical turning point for the company, with a lot of time and money invested into creating it. SsangYong CEO Yoo il Lee said that the SUV marked a new journey for the company.
“Tivoli is a strategic global model in SYMC and has been developed with great devotion in the last four years since the acquisition. It will be a cornerstone for the company to become a global SUV maker,” he said.
The Tivoli develops 93kW of power and 157Nm of torque from a fresh 1.6-liter e-XGi 160 petrol engine. It’s matched up to either a six-speed automatic or manual transmission. Claimed economy figures from SsangYong put the Tivoli’s consumption at 8.1L/100km for the manual version and 8.3L/100km for the auto.
Underneath it all, the Tivoli rides on McPherson struts and springs at the front, while the rear gets a torsion beam setup. SsangYong is also offering Smart Steer, which is an electronic power assist with three different steering modes, including Normal, Comfort and Sport.
In terms of design, we think it looks pretty good. According to Ssangyong, the Tivoli “features a dynamic, urban look with a contemporary silhouette, and embodies the rhythmical motion of SsangYong’s design language, ‘Nature-born 3 Motion’ – Rhythmical, Dynamic and Dignified”.
In comparison to Ssangyong models of the past, the Tivoli almost has the design credentials of a DB9. This is in part thanks to the design cues borrowed from the XIV Air and XIV Adventure concepts shown at the Paris Motor Show in 2014. Highlights include newly designed bumpers, wheel arches and LED running lights.
Inside, the Tivoli is modestly equipped and safe, with seven airbags, dual-zone climate control, a rear-view camera, a touch-screen display with infotainment and Bluetooth connectivity. There’s also a double-skin insulated bulkhead between the engine bay and cabin to minimise external noise entering the cabin.
SsangYong Motor Company has invested US$915 million into production over the next three years, with a third of this allocated to the research, design, and production of the Tivoli. The company is banking on selling 100,000 units of the Tivoli in the first year of sale, and is aiming to raise overall sales by 14 per cent in 2015.
