Ssangyong Tivoli XLV vs Honda Civic

What's the difference?

The SsangYong Tivoli XLV is about as unknown to Australian customers as cheeseburgers are to the tribespeople of the Amazon.

That is to say, if I asked your opinion of the SsangYong Tivoli XLV, you’d probably have no idea what I was on about. You may be unsure of its origins, unclear of its intentions, and generally baffled by the concept of it. The Amazonians may well feel the same way about burgers.

However, if Korean SUV specialist SsangYong has its way, the Tivoli XLV will become as hip and desirable, as Instagrammable and indulgent as the most clickable cheeseburgers out there. Geez, I’m hungry.

The Tivoli XLV is essentially a longer, taller version of the shorter, lower Tivoli, which is also coming to Australia. It keeps the Tivoli part of the name because it’s largely very similar, but the XLV has some points of difference: it’s all-wheel drive only, it’s diesel only, and it’s clearly one of the most practical small SUVs in the class. 

What does XLV stand for? According to SsangYong, the acronym represents “eXciting smart Lifestyle Vehicle”. 

Scratch that. Think of it as the 'eXtra Large Version' of the brand’s smallest vehicle, and you’ll be most of the way to understanding just what this big small SUV is all about.

I’m just going to cut to the chase here. This Honda Civic hybrid is a good car. A great one, even.

But for some reason, nobody is really buying it. And it’s not just because it’s not an SUV – it has been outsold in its segment this year by the the BMW 1 Series, the Mercedes A-Class, the MG4 EV, and the VW Golf. Premium and non-premium alike, they’ve all got the little Honda licked.

So, what’s going on? A CarsGuide investigation is required. Stick around and we’ll try to figure this out together.