How the CVT helps motivate the Chery Tiggo 5x

Chery might not have invented it, but one may call the Chery Tiggo 5x’s CVT gearbox as “Chery’s versatile transmission.” 

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“CVT,” of course, stands for Continuously Variable Transmission. It’s a relatively new form of automatic transmission that eliminates the traditional automatic’s three major weaknesses: poor fuel economy (compared to a manual), high manufacturing costs (due to much more complicated internals), and power loss (due to the power-robbing torque converter). CVTs don’t have clutches or torque converters.    

Unlike automatics that have anywhere from four to as many as 10 forward speeds, a continuously variable transmission changes gears seamlessly through a continuous and infinite range of gear ratios.

A CVT offers approximately 88 percent power transfer efficiency, which, while lower than the almost 100 percent efficiency of a manual transmission, can be offset by lower production cost and by enabling the engine to run at its most efficient rpm speed consistently (for greater fuel economy) despite varying road speeds. 

When power is more important than economy, the ratio of the CVT can be changed to allow the engine to turn at the rpm at which it produces greatest power (typically higher than the rpm that achieves peak efficiency). This means that cars equipped with CVTs can still deliver responsive performance.

This is why the CVT is one mechanical feature that has one of the fastest adoption rates among a fast-growing number of major car brands from Asia, Europe, and America. 

And it’s the transmission of choice for the Tiggo 5x, a subcompact crossover from Chery, which just celebrated a major relaunch in the Philippine market under the stewardship of Top 10 auto distributor, United Asia Auto Group Inc. (UAAGI).

The Chery Tiggo 5x’s state-of-the-art CVT is connected to a 114ps/141Nm 1.5-liter Borg-Warner D-VVT Euro 5-compliant twin-cam 16-valve EFI gasoline engine. It rides on a MacPherson strut front/torsion bear rear suspension with 215/65R-16 all-terrain tires and boasts four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and EBD. It also has electric power steering.

Luxury and convenience touches include leather seats and electronic parking brake (on the CVT variants), a 10-inch UHD touchscreen Bluetooth/MirrorLink infotainment system, a 7-inch LCD instrument panel, touch controls for the A/C, USB charging ports, Smart Key entry, push-button start, panoramic sunroof, soft-touch dashboard and console, front and rear DRLs and taillights, headlight-off delay, cruise control, multi-function steering wheel, 6-way power-adjustable driver’s seat (for the top-of-the-line Luxury variant), among many others.

Safety features include dual front airbags, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Hill Descent System (HDS), tire pressure monitoring system, a reversing camera with monitor, and ISOFIX seats.         

The Chery Tiggo 5x starts at P818,000 for the manual transmission version. The CVT models start at P860,000 and top out at P950,000 for the 1.5 Luxury variant. 

All Chery models come with an industry-leading 10-year/1 million-km engine warranty, a 5-year general warranty, and a free full preventive maintenance service (PMS) for 3 years.

Follow Chery Auto Philippines on social media: Chery Auto Philippines (Facebook) and @cheryautophilippines (Instagram) for more updates. You may also call the 24/7 Chery Auto Philippines hotline at (0917) 552 4379 or email chery@uaagi.com for more inquiries.