Slated to be launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March and to go on sale in Europe this summer, the all-new 2015 SsangYong Tivoli is the pluckiest of the B-segment crossover lot. Why plucky? That is because of the Korean automaker’s background.
To make a long story short, the SsangYong Motor Company of yesteryear made a lot of dreary cars, including contraptions such as the fugly Musso and Rodius people carrier. But since the India-based Mahindra conglomerate acquired the South Korean manufacturer in August 2010, SsangYong stepped up its game both styling-wise and powertrain-wise.
But the real icing on the cake comes in the form of the SsangYong Tivoli, the model that will put the brand back in the game, especially in Western Europe. An official told us that production will commence this March, with deliveries to start this summer.
There are also plans to bring it to the United States of America in 2016, albeit with a new brand name.
In its home market, the 2015 SsangYong Tivoli will be available with either a 1.6 petrol or a 1.6 turbo diesel four-cylinder lump. Although the oil burner’s specifications are not known at the moment, we do know that the petrol-fed mill churns out 126 horsepower and 157 Nm (116 lb-ft) of torque.
Mated to either a 6-speed manual or an automatic transmission, the petrol promises to return 8.1 l/100 km (28.9 US mpg) on the combined driving cycle (for the front-wheel drive, manual, Korea-spec Tivoli).
Even though the automatic is 30 kilos heavier than the 1,270 kg (2,799 lbs) stick shift-equipped Tivoli, a neat detail worth mentioning is that the boot can swallow 423 liters (14.9 cubic feet) of luggage, a lot more than the Tivoli’s main rival - the Clio-based Renault Captur and its 377-liter (13.3 cu.ft.) trunk.
It is worth mentioning that the B-segment crossover original - the Nissan Juke, is also behind. However, compared to the Juke, the SsangYong Tivoli will be offered at first exclusively in front-wheel drive guise.
Be it the manual or the 6-speed Aisin auto, the all-new SsangYong Tivoli (Korea-spec) is equipped as standard with a configurable Smart Steer electric power steering system, a 7-inch touchscreen media system with a 6-speaker audio system, automatic air con, parking sensors and smart key entry.
The safety front is also pretty impressive thanks to seven airbags, ESP and a tire pressure monitoring system. Automatic wipers and headlights, cruise control and a sunroof come as optional extras.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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