Jaecoo J5 vs Ssangyong Tivoli

What's the difference?

Yet another Chinese-branded EV has arrived on our shores and if the name Jaecoo doesn’t ring a bell, that’s understandable. It’s a relatively new offshoot of Chery, making its presence felt with a growing line-up aimed squarely at everyday buyers. Think mainstream, built around accessible pricing and a decent spread of features.

Offered in a single grade, the Jaecoo J5 EV is a small SUV entering an already crowded segment. It goes up against familiar names like the BYD Atto 2, Chery E5 and MG S5 EV, all offering broadly similar promises on paper. The real question, then, is whether the J5 EV manages to carve out an identity of its own, and whether its appeal stretches beyond the price tag.

Did you know SsangYong translates to ‘Double Dragon’?

How friggin’ cool is that? Far cooler, at least, than the Korean brand’s history, which the word ‘tumultuous’ barely begins to cover.

After years of ownership woes and a near-bankruptcy, the brand came out the other side with enough stability to field a range of new vehicles, courtesy of its ambitious new owners - Indian giant Mahindra & Mahindra.

The Tivoli small SUV is the first car to launch under the new, cashed-up leadership and when it landed in Korea in 2015 it was solely responsible for the ‘Double Dragon’ brand turning its first profit in nine years.

Fast forward a few years, and a re-booted SsangYong is again confident enough to enter the Australian market, with a four-pronged, all-new SUV assault.

So, does the Tivoli have what it takes to break into our highly competitive small-SUV scene and help SsangYong pull a miraculous Korean turn-around, a-la-Hyundai?

I spent a week in the mid-spec Tivoli ELX diesel to find out.