On the road: Ssangyong Tivoli – car review

This is the new way of things, I start to realise: cars that are cute like Minis or Beetles, but the size of something larger. Such a car – my first encounter was the Fiat 500X, now it’s Korean brand Ssangyong’s Tivoli – may discombobulate you for a while. You think you’re in a city runabout, and you’re not. If you have a very visual imagination, you might crash it a few times. Then one day, you’ll be used to it.

The Tivoli is a relentlessly cheerful car, not only because it is flaming red (their description; not my archaic swearing). Its demeanour is bouncy, despite its square, bossy nose and trad interior. There’s a lot of zing in the middle gears; in third, it holds its speed and responds smartly. It’s always ready with a bit more push than you expect, and sometimes feels a bit like flying. It has neither a wild top speed – 107mph – nor a particularly impressive zero to 62mph – 12 seconds – but it feels like it should have: passengers, especially young, stupid ones, were constantly asking me to floor it. It is more fun in the city than on a motorway; the handling is fine but a bit monotonous, and the ride isn’t completely smooth. That said, acceleration was never any bother and if it was a little bit whiny in sixth, well, aren’t we all?

The screen, binnacles and steering wheel controls all look as though they belong to a more expensive car. It has a stick parking brake, which I prefer by far to the newfangled button arrangement, while the engine goes on with a start-stop button, which I prefer to sticking a key in a hole. The satnav is a bit of a pest – verbose, pedantic, not very responsive. There are also far too many alarms – an overanxious lane discipline beep, melodramatic front and rear parking noises, constant fussing about speed and seat belts. It’s like having a back-seat driver built into the car, which itself is like getting a kettle which has been pre-limescaled. But I only say all of that the way you would complain about a person who was basically cool but sometimes a little bit loud: it is the only Ssangyong you would ever buy for emotional reasons – the others are all big, boxy and characterless.

My worry is that it’s a bit like one of those splashy, toothsome indie songs: you absolutely love it, then one day you wake up and absolutely hate it (specifically, I’m thinking of I’m Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Star). But even if you do fall out of love, unlike an indie song, you will be left with considerable practical and thrifty benefit.

Ssangyong Tivoli: in numbers

Price £17,250
Top speed 107mph
Acceleration 0-62mph in 12 seconds
Combined fuel consumption 65.7mpg
C0₂ emissions 113g/km
Eco factor 8/10
Cool factor 8/10