Chery Tiggo 8 Pro is a lot of SUV for reasonable money
There is a foible or two, but they don’t detract from its usefulness as a large and affordable family crossover
The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro is aimed at customers primarily looking for a seven-seat SUV.
Size wise it easily competes with large family SUVS such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, but at a lower price. The Tiggo 8 Pro Distinction on test is R496,900 while the more luxuriously equipped Executive retails for R574,900 — prices that challenge smaller five-seaters in the sector.
To its credit the Tiggo 8 Pro looks smart. It has a huge, jewelled grille and it packs digitalage features including smartphone compatibility. It allows for the easiest connection to music streaming I’ve experienced.
Inside, the driver’s seat and steering column are height adjustable, and at 4,722mm long this large Chery is a paragon of family practicality.
There is good room up front and in the second row with notso-easy access to the rearmost seats through middle seats that have little adjustability. Here, space for adults can be negotiated with second-row passenger seats that move fore and aft, but like any seven-seat SUV, rear-load capacity increases with the seats folded down.
The cabin has a vibe of satisfying quality, and Distinction-grade luxuries coalesce around the digital outlay and sensory functions.
Walk close to the Tiggo 8 Pro with the remote key in your pocket and it flashes lights and the doors unlock automatically. Walk away and it self-locks. The top-tier Executive model benefits from a panoramic sunroof, active cruise control, highbeam assist and lane departure warning as standard.
The engine is a 1.6l turbocharged petrol four-cylinder with 145kw and 290Nm on tap mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. You’d expect a small capacity motor lugging a fairly sized SUV to be sluggish, but it’s not. It’s a vigorous little motor, though Chery could have refined it in other areas, too.
This Chery has driving modes of Standard, Eco and Sport, but it can be plagued by overeager engine responses that at times leads to spinning its front wheels. You learn to moderate the throttle, and, like its smaller siblings that are known for being thirsty, it consumed a relatively high 10.5l/100km average.
On the move, the turn signals prompts an active graphic of the vehicle superimposed on live images of the car’s surroundings captured by cameras. It also has a fairly good turning circle for its sheer size, and its high-speed turning is decent, too. The Tiggo 8 Pro does not lurch much through fast or slow bends.
The drive feels confident on varying surface conditions while sitting in a commanding, reasonably comfortable position with a good all-round view.
A word of advice though, and especially in this season of rain and adventure travel, it’s not a 4x4 by any means. It only has hill descent control as an offroad tool of sorts. Stick to tarmac and dry gravel roads to avoid getting stuck.
Another foible was the wideangle interior rear-view mirror. It has a magnifying effect that made it hard to look at. Chery needs to address this issue. But, in a nutshell, the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro is a lot of SUV for the money and it’s impressive to see how far the brand has come in upping its ante from the previous Tiggo models it sold in SA.
The spacious cabin for seven is a big plus and it’s packed with feel-good creature comforts for a fraction of the cost commanded by similarly sized alternatives from Europe, South Korea and Japan, and it benefits from Chery’s enticing 1-million kilometre engine warranty for the first owner. It’s really worth a look. – Bdlive
TECH SPECS
Engine
Type: Four-cylinder petrol turbo Capacity: 1.6l
Power: 145kw
Torque: 290Nm Transmission
Type: Seven-speed auto Drivetrain
Type: Front-wheel drive Performance
Top speed: 190km/h 0-100km/h: 8.6 seconds (claimed) Fuel consumption: 7.0l/100km (claimed), 10.5l/100km (as tested)
Emissions: 165g/km
Standard features
Six airbags, ABS brakes, traction control, stability control, auto on/off lights, rain sensor wipers, electric tailgate, cruise control, electric folding mirrors, auto dim exterior mirrors, voice control, touchscreen infotainment with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, USB ports, remote central locking, leather upholstery, daytime running lights, camera park for distance control, climate control, electric front seats, tyre pressure sensor.
Cost of Ownership
Warranty: Five years/150,000km vehicle, 10 years/1,000,000km engine for the first owner
Service plan: Five years/60,000km
Price: R496,900
COMPETITION
(Chery Tiggo 8 Pro 1.6T GDI 290T Distinction)
Kia Sorento 2.2CRDI EX+ — 148kw/440nm
— R813,995
Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2D Executive, 148kw/440nm
— R839,900
Hyundai Grand Creta, 117kw/191nm
— R509,900
Mahindra XUV500 2.2CRDE W8 auto, 103kw/330nm
— R488,999