Chery Tiggo4 Cross Lit CVT

We recently had a Chery Tiggo 4 Cross Lit CVT in our care and share with you some thoughts after driving the small crossover.

Chery made local history in April of 2026 by becoming the first Chinese automaker to lead the passenger car sales charts for a given month. That honour went to the Tiggo 4, a perennial best-seller for the brand, and the model that knocked the VW Polo off its perch. The Tiggo 4 has spearheaded Chery’s assault on the local market. New buyers to the brand have bought the little crossover by the thousands over the last five or so years.

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The exceptional sales stats are, in part, due to the fact that Chery SA groups the sales of the Tiggo 4 and Tiggo 4 Cross into a single total. While treated as two separate models, these are near identical vehicles from a mechanical point of view. There are some difference, which we will go into below. The Tiggo 4, as we know it, has been replaced in most markets by the (what we call here) Cross version. Selling the slightly order version probably helps to keep pricing competitive. However, it could be that Chery is slowly phasing out the ‘original’ 4 to mirror the international offering. In fact, we wonder when Chery will pull the plug on the ‘regular’ 4 and offer just the Cross version in SA.

Five Things We Learned About the Tiggo 4 Chery Cross Lit CVT

We had a Tiggo 4 Cross Lit CVT in our care. Chery added ‘Lit’ versions to the range as a more ‘wallet-friendly’ option for potential buyers who preferred the Cross’ appearance.
The Cross derivative of the Tiggo 4 range looks very much like a scaled down version of the Tiggo 7. That is not a bad thing as it gives buyers the feeling as though they have bought something quite premium, but at a budget price. The LED headlamps, vertical DRLs and body-wide taillamp strip do really differentiate the two versions of the Tiggo 4.
There are two versions of the Lit: a manual or a CVT version. Both are equipped with a 1,5-litre inline four cylinder. The non-turbo engine does need a fair few revs to keep it on the boil. Something worth keeping in mind if you live at altitude or prefer more oomph from your ride. Using more revs than a turbocharged engine may need to maintain speed, adversely affects fuel consumption. As a result we could not get anywhere near Chery’s claim. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) is one of the better versions of the type that we have experienced from any Chinese automaker.
The cabin feels more premium, and spacious, than its price suggests. Faux leather seats, a push-button start function (and contactless locking/unlocking), dual digital screens, wireless mobile phone mirroring and voice control are just some of the niceties. In addition there are rear parking sensors and a rear-facing camera, cruise control, tyre-pressure monitors and a multi function steering wheel. Again, all items that belie its price.
Although the alloys shod with plump tyres may look a little less than sporty, this combination helps provide a ride quality is quite impressive. Even gravel tracks are simply soaked up by the comfort-biased rim/tyre combo. This may prove a real benefit in areas that a riddled with potholes and road works (we’re looking at you Gauteng).

The rationale to offer the Tiggo 4 Pro and Cross at the same time may have seemed like an odd one. However, the net result has been a massive number of monthly new car sales and associated market share for the brand. Now that Chery is a real player and people have been exposed to its (cheapest) product in their thousands, it will be easier to convince them to step up into the likes of the Tiggo 7 or 8.

From that perspective, it was a clever play. And now that the 4 Pro is at the very end of its life, it can bow out and hand the baton to its Cross (soon to be just 4 Pro and Lit) sibling having served its purpose well.

Model: Chery Tiggo 4 Cross Lit CVT
Price: R309 900
Engine: 1,5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: CVT, FWD
Max power: 83 kW
Max torque: 138 N.m
0-100 km/h: n/a sec
Top speed: n/a
Fuel consumption: 6,5 L/100 km (8,2 during review period)