SPIED: Chery Tiggo 5x facelift sighted in Malaysia

Is Chery making its way back to the Malaysian market? It certainly looks so, with the sighting of the brand’s Tiggo 5x in the country suggesting that it is. Two camouflaged examples of the SUV have been sighted in recent days, in different locations.

Reader Adrian Thum snapped a number of photos of a unit on the road in Puchong, heading in the direction of Bukit Jalil, while Facebook user Foxtrot Mike sighted a different unit up north, in Jitra, Kedah, posting his image in the paultan.org Automotive/Car Discussion Group.

The Tiggo 5x (also known as the Tiggo 4 in some markets) has been around since 2017, but the car has undergone two revisions since then. The first facelift came about in 2019 and introduced a new front end as well as minor changes to the interior around the central dashboard and centre console, as well as with the steering.

A second refresh for China came about last year, which saw the front end being updated once again and the interior also receiving a slight overhaul through a new dashboard design. The centre infotainment screen has moved up the dash to become a free-standing unit and the AC switchgear is now placed at an angle, integrated to the console, which has yet again been revised.

The Tiggo 5x being evaluated locally is the 2020 facelift, as denoted by the double LED daytime running light array on the bumper and chrome pin grille seen in the first spyshot set.

As for available powertrains, there are two for the Chinese market, a 114 hp/143 nm 1.5 litre normally-aspirated unit and a 1.5 litre turbo, which currently is listed with a 154 hp and 230 nm output for China. This is a slight increase over the 1.5T application seen on the 2019 facelift Tiggo 4, which offered 145 hp and 210 nm. Available transmissions are a five-speed manual and a CVT with seven virtual speeds.

In the region, the Tiggo 5x is currently on sale in the Philippines, where it is available in its 2019 FL guise and with the 1.5 litre NA powertrain. Do you think the Chery Tiggo 5x has what it takes to compete here? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.