Watch: Tivoli XLV brings style but features come at a price

Packing an extra new option in the mid-size SUV market is the brand new SsangYong Tivoli XLV. This is an extended version of the Tivoli SUV and the good news is that it is now also available with a brand new and economical 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine.

The Tivoli XLV was my chariot of choice for a few days recently and I took it around the country for some lengthy test drives. This was a two-wheel-drive version, so as you can expect, it is far more fuel economical than its four-wheel-drive equivalent.

I needed to be a little cautious about its off-road ability and I was. I ventured into a silage field at Ballyduff in Waterford, where Michael Connelly took a break from baling and watched with as much apprehension as me. The Tivoli XLV drove capably on the drying out meadows on the floodplain of the Blackwater River, but we didn’t try anything too adventurous.

True, the new SsangYong 1.6-litre engine is lively at 115bhp and has good torque performance at 300Nm. That compares well with the competition being a match in size for the likes of the equally new Renault Kadjar, Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage.

It is also almost a match for them in terms of performance, acceleration and pace. The engine power and torque are both impressive, even if it is a little noisy. The auto gearbox is not as smooth as some others that I have driven and it is noticeably 30% heavier on fuel than the manual version. And it is noticeably more expensive at €4,500 extra.

The SsangYong Tivoli is lighter than some of the competition and that helps it to achieve a reasonably good fuel economy figure of 21.3km/litre (4.7l/100km or 60mpg). The CO2 rating is also low for this two-wheel-drive SUV adding to the low running cost feature of the car.

I was driving the six-speed automatic version of the car and that was equally as thrifty as the manual version. The car’s 47-litre tank, while smaller than the competition, gave me a good range, more than 100km in excess of what I had expected.

The Tivoli has marginally better towing ability than the three aforementioned at 1,500kg and it has better boot space when all five seats are in use. Lower the rear seats and while the space looks impressive at that point it has the smallest capacity, giving the impression that rear legroom is not the best, even if it felt comfortable when I sat in there.

This XLV version of the Tivoli shares the same platform and 2,600mm wheelbase as the original Tivoli. It has a longer body, however, from behind the C pillar and that is what gives the impressive 720 litres of load capacity in the boot. The new, longer Tivoli XLV is also comfortable and easy to drive, with just a little bit of noise from the Nexen 215/45R18 grey tyres on the new alloy wheels. There was also some wind noise, but overall the car is easy to drive.

This is a modern car with lots of digital features, including keyless starting. I found the trip meter to measure my driving performance to be especially easy to use. The radio and phone were both easy to set up and while the seats were a shade on the light side, seat adjustment was very adequate with plenty of legroom front and rear.

The Tivoli has not completed a Euro NCAP crash test and that needs to be rectified. That is because the safety specification is high with up to seven airbags. SsangYong claims that the vehicle body structure is stronger than previous models. The safety deal includes a multi-function electronic stability programme (ESP), active rollover protection, brake assist, hill start assist and emergency stop signal (ESS), tyre pressure monitoring system and a warning reminder for seat belts on all five seating positions.

The entry price is competitive at €21,495 or £18,250 in Northern Ireland. That helps with depreciation costs to some extent and I have chosen a 30% rate over three years. That depreciation figure can never be guaranteed and as it creeps up, so too does the cost of owning a car like the SsangYong Tivoli XLV. Changing like for like in three years is the only way that you can be guaranteed a reasonable depreciation cost and that means stay with the brand.

This new SUV looks modern and stylish and is keenly priced relative to the competition in the form of the Renault Kadjar, Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage and it needs to be.

Stepping up from the entry model is expensive, however, at €4,500. That is the painful bit because you need to go to the more expensive EL to look at a true comparison on terms of features. And that is where the Tivoli XLV is just too expensive for an emerging brand, competing against the sector leader and now Ireland’s top-selling car, the Hyundai Tuscon. The SsangYong team has a good car in the Tivoli, but the prices need to be keener and they surely can be.

Nissan’s new Serena ProPILOT makes autonomous driving easier

Nissan’s new Serena, due to go on sale in Japan later this month, will come equipped with the company’s ProPILOT autonomous drive technology, offering convenience and peace of mind for highway mobility.

The ProPILOT is claimed to be a revolutionary autonomous drive technology designed for highway use in single-lane traffic. Nissan is the first Japanese automaker to introduce a combination of steering, accelerator and braking that can be operated in full automatic mode, easing driver workload in heavy highway traffic and long commutes. The car’s ProPILOT system claims to understand road and traffic situations and executes precise steering enabling the vehicle to perform naturally. ProPILOT technology is claimed to be user-friendly, thanks to a switch on the steering wheel that allows the driver to easily activate and deactivate the system.

Kadjar pushes Renault’s SUV sales past Ford

Renault’s new Kadjar SUV is making as big an impression across Europe as it is here in Ireland. The new SUV, based on the Nissan Qashqai platform, has overtaken the Ford Kuga in Europe for the first six months of 2016 to become Europe’s number two brand by unit sales. Renault has two SUVs in the market – the Captur and the Kadjar – and the French brand has benefited from the increase in SUV sales.

In 2014 Renault said that it aimed to be Europe’s second best-selling brand by 2017. It may well achieve that target one year earlier than planned if its positive sales trend continues on the back of SUV sales. Renault car sales across Europe increased by 15% so far this year, while Ford sales increased by 5% and Volkswagen increased by 0.7% despite the emission rigging scandals, according to motor industry data.

Suzuki to unveil new Ignis crossover

The new Suzuki Ignis compact crossover will make its European debut at next month’s Paris Motor Show. The Ignis exterior design gets a fresh new look and the car will go on sale in January 2017.

The new Suzuki Ignis comes with a new rigid, lightweight new-generation platform, as well as the option of a compact and lightweight Smart Hybrid Vehicle (SHVS) by Suzuki. The hybrid version gets extra assistance through the electric motor and provides efficient battery recharge to help achieve fuel efficiency without sacrificing good performance.

Suzuki will be introducing an SX4 S-Cross face-lift with revamped front exterior design and interior quality changes. The face-lifted model comes with the option of a one-litre and 1.4-litre Boosterjet direct-injection turbo engine that replaces the existing 1.6-litre petrol unit. The 1.6 DDiS diesel engine continues to be available and the new S-Cross model range will be launched in mid-October.

Volkswagen freshens up the iconic Beetle

Volkswagen has refreshed the iconic Beetle car with some subtle changes to the design of the car. Prices start at €22,490 for the Beetle 105bhp 1.2-litre TSI and €25,080 for the Beetle 110bhp two-litre TDI.

The most obvious change is that the car has redesigned bumpers that are flatter and sportier in the Beetle and Design models. The Beetle Sport has now been replaced by the Beetle R-Line and this has a unique bumper design with additional ventilation openings above the bumper. There are now tinted LED rear lights and a range of new alloy wheels and colours.

The model lineup for Ireland consists of the 1.2-litre 105bhp TSI petrol engine (six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG), the 1.4-litre 150bhp TSI petrol engine (six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG) the two-litre 110bhp TDI diesel (5-speed manual or seven-speed DSG) or the two-litre 150bhp TDI diesel (six-speed manual or six-speed DSG).

BMW adds more economy to 3 Series Gran Turismo

BMW engineers have upgraded the 3 Series Gran Turismo car with new engines, subtle changes to the exterior design and the use of new interior materials to give the car a more quality feel. The new engine range claims to give lower emissions and lower fuel consumption. The car remains expensive, with prices starting from €47,580.

The overall dimensions of the 3 Series Gran Turismo remains unchanged. The car comes with four doors with frameless windows, the coupé-style, gently sloping roofline and a large tailgate. The front-end design includes new twin circular headlights with LED headlights for dipped and high beam now fitted as standard. The front fog lamps are also now LEDs. The rear of the new BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo retains the active aerodynamic system, including a spoiler that extends automatically at higher speeds to generate the necessary down force. At lower speeds, the spoiler slides back into the car’s silhouette.

Fiat launches limited edition 500 in Ireland

Fiat in Ireland has launched the new Fiat 500 Collection with a limited run of just 24 cars. Based on the new Fiat 500 Lounge, the latest special edition offers a number of styling and equipment enhancements for just €150 more than the Fiat 500 Lounge on which it is based. Prices start from €16,250 and all cars now come with a five-year warranty.

The car is powered by the 69hp, 1.2-litre petrol engine. The cars are available in white or red with contrasting detailing. White models, for example, have a red dashboard, red key cover and a chrome-finished gear shifter, as well as red mirror caps, red side mouldings and larger 16in alloy wheel with centre caps with red detailing.