Ssangyong is now offering the Tivoli compact SUV in the European market with an AWD system. The new version of the India-bound vehicle uses a 1.6-litre diesel engine and is available with both the automatic and manual transmission.
The Mahindra-owned Korean brand is offering the AWD only with the diesel engine tuned to produce 112bhp and 300Nm of torque. The engine is mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox. Under normal driving conditions, the AWD system sends all the power to the front wheels and only when the SUV detects loss of traction, it splits the power between the two axles. There is also a differential lock that distributes the power between the front and rear equally up to the speed of 40kmph.
The AWD version is priced starting at 17,100 Pounds (Rs 17.25 lakh) with the top-end automatic priced at 19,500 Pounds (Rs 19.70 lakh). The Tivoli is expected to be launched in India next year to compete with the Renault Duster and the Hyundai Creta, though the chances are that it won’t carry the same configuration as that of the European model.
Mahindra will have to build the Tivoli in India, if it aims at competing in the compact SUV segment. If the car is brought to India as CKD from Korea with the current configuration, it will cost over Rs 20 lakh due to customs duty and rival the Skoda Yeti. The company will aim at positioning the Tivoli between the Scorpio and XUV500, as the entry-level model from Ssangyong.
The built in India Tivoli will share components with the Mahindra XUV500. The automatic gearbox on the car is already same as that of the recently launched Mahindra XUV500 AT. Initially, the compact SUV will be launched only with front-wheel drive option. Ssangyong has imported a couple of Tivolis to India in October for R&D purpose and we should get a glimpse of the Indian version at the Auto Expo in February, with the launch in the latter half of 2016.
