Car Review Chery Tiggo 5 2018

Review

I bought this car in 2020 because I needed a big family vehicle, and my budget was tight after selling my old Hyundai Tucson. I read reviews, saw that for the money it was almost a crossover — high, roomy — and decided to take the risk: the Chinese aren't what they used to be. Plus, there are plenty of them in Ukraine, service centers exist, and parts are readily available.

First impressions — I won't say wow, but I was pleasantly surprised. Got in — tons of space, you sit high like in a proper SUV, my previous car felt cramped afterwards. The dynamics seemed nice at first, pulls decently until you really get going. But after a week I realized that on the highway it hesitates before every overtake, the CVT whines, and there's not much gain. Compared it to the Tucson — that one felt livelier, but here the cabin is bigger and it doesn't shake as much over speed bumps.

In the city it's fine, parking is convenient despite the size, and the ground clearance saves you often on our roads. On the highway I keep 110-120 km/h, beyond that it gets scary — wind noise picks up, steering feels too light. Everyday use is convenient — my wife, two kids, and we drive to the sea every year, everything fits without issues, even the dog comes along. City fuel consumption is 12-14 liters, highway 9-10 if you don't push it, but I add oil every 3-4 thousand km, which is starting to annoy me.

Recently my mother-in-law came, sat in the back and immediately said "oh, it's like a bus in here, so much space", the kids rule back there, watching cartoons. But a couple of months ago we hit a pothole on the highway near Odesa — the suspension banged so hard we thought a ball joint had gone, but it was just the strut rattling, replaced for pennies.

This CVT really drives me nuts — it hesitates terribly on climbs, I have to manually switch to sport mode, and it still screams like crazy. Plus it steadily consumes oil, I've gotten used to carrying a liter with me. Paint is peeling on the arches, rust is slowly appearing, even though I wash the car regularly. Road and wind noise — you sit there thinking you're driving an old Lada.

I'm still driving it because replacing it is expensive right now, but if I were choosing today — I'd go for something Japanese or Korean, used but older and more reliable. For the dacha and family it's acceptable for the money, but it does get on your nerves quite a bit sometimes. Oh well, at least nothing major has broken yet.