Thousands will want this

The Tivoli is set to be a game charger for Ssangyong on a massive scale, as reports

Stop what you’re doing and give the next sentence your full attention. Ssangyong has built a car that thousands of people really will want to buy – if only they give it a fair chance. The Korando aside, the Korean manufacturer has stuck to using robust but outdated tech to build capable cars at knockdown prices. But the Tivoli is not so much a step up as a catapult-aided flight right into the mainstream. Don’t believe me? Go and sit in one.

You’d be forgiven for saying there’s rather a lot of Kia about the Tivoli’s shape and front end. Bad thing? Au contraire. Image is still a problem, of course, but it wasn’t that long ago we weren’t buying Kias because they were so undesirable and now look at them. All it takes is a great-looking, well-equipped and cheap car to overcome prejudice and that car is the Tivoli.

Space in the compact SUV has been biased towards the passengers, so behind an average height driver you’ll find more than average legroom. Buy a mid-range EX or the lux-spec ELX and you’ll get soft, thick leather upholstery, too, which wipes clean easier than cloth. The boot is adequate rather than exceptional and you’ll want to watch those large wheels when you venture near kerbs, but the Tivoli has sizeable door mirrors that let you judge This car summed up in just a single word: what’s around – and below – you easily enough.

You can’t fail to notice the high quality of leather and stitching – better even than many of the hard, scratchy leathers you find in entry-level executive cars costing twice the price. The large central screen puts the car right on par with the standard for the sector. The 1.6-litre petrol engine is sweet, the gearbox smooth, precise enough and light. At less than £15,000 for a mid-range model with leather, lots of luxury kit and the media screen, the Tivoli is a true bargain. You can pay a little more for the extra aesthetics and navigation of the ELX, and you’re still thousands better off. Ssangyong has fixed threeyear residual values at 47%, making it one of the sounder investments in the segment. It’s marvellous to everyone but badge snobs.