Overview

SsangYong is a bit a left-field choice in the UK. It’s a Korean brand that made its fortune building rugged off-roaders for tradesmen – and, more recently, it branched out into passenger cars. The Tivoli is the company’s rival for the Vauxhall Mokka, Dacia Duster and the ever-popular Nissan Juke, although it aims to undercut the established competition on price.

The Tivoli has been around since 2015, and SsangYong has released a steady stream of updates to keep it competitive. The SUV’s last big refresh was in 2020 – SsangYong reworked its styling, added a better infotainment system and fitted more standard safety equipment. More recently, the firm tweaked the trim-levels and ditched diesel from the line-up.

Now, you have a choice of three specifications and two petrol engines. The cheapest Ventura model comes with an impressive amount of standard equipment that includes automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, air conditioning, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and keyless entry.

You also get an 8.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You’ll have to make do without a built-in sat-nav system, though. Rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, lane-keeping assist and autonomous emergency braking round off the standard kit list.

Above that, there’s the Ultimate model. Upgrades over the Ventura variant include 18-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone air conditioning, power-folding door mirrors and a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster. At the top of the range, there’s the flagship Ultimate Nav model, which features a nine-inch infotainment system with TomTom navigation.

The cheapest Ventura cars are only available with SsangYong’s 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. It produces 128hp and 230Nm of torque – and it’s only available with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Ultimate and Ultimate Nav cars feature the company’s more powerful 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which develops 163hp and 280Nm of torque. You can also specify it with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox. Bear in mind, if you opt for the latter, maximum torque will be lowered to 260Nm – important info if you plan on using the Tivoli as a tow car.

Click through the rest of this review to find out whether the SsangYong Tivoli could suit your lifestyle. Over the next few pages, we’ll pass our judgement on the SUV’s practicality, interior technology, build quality, fuel economy and performance before letting you know whether it’s worth spending your money on in our verdict page.