The improved flagship Tiggo 8 Pro still offers a lot of tech and specs for the money but is equally still in need of sorting out in a few areas.
Seated behind the wheel of the left-hand-drive, facelift Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max days after the Shanghai Auto Show in April came with the notion that it would soon find its way to South Africa no matter what.
As such, getting a first-hand experience would lead to a significant advantage once it eventually arrived. That, though, wasn’t the case.
For one, foreigners are not allowed to drive in China. Secondly, sampling the Tiggo 8 Pro Max took place on a gymkhana course laid out in the parking lot of a Chinese theme park not far from the automaker’s main factory in Wuhu.
It meant that getting to grips with the Max and forming an opinion came to nothing. The course was too short and not exactly set up to test certain criteria.
Related: Want to know more about the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro and it’s price?
Still part of blossoming Chery
Waiting for it to launch in South Africa presented the only real way to carefully scrutinise it in detail, which happened when Road Test Editor Mark Jones got behind the wheel in Durban two months ago
While it would appear natural to drone on about Chery’s meteoric rise to success and incredible turnaround since returning to South Africa in 2021, for not wanting to sound repetitive, the focus here is placed squarely on the Max. Like the rest of the Tiggo 8 Pro range, it accounts for the least of Chery South Africa’s local sales.
Of course, the reasons are easy to fathom as the Tiggo 8 sits atop Chery’s range with a starting price of R609 900 for the entry-level 290T Executive versus the R279 900 of the newly added Tiggo 4 Pro LiT and R422 900 for the most accessible Tiggo 7 Pro, the Distinction.
At R669 000, the Max is the priciest model Chery currently sells locally in the Tiggo 8 range (check out their prices here). This is likely to rise significantly before year-end by the already confirmed all-wheel-drive derivative.
In typical Chinese vehicle fashion, the front-wheel-drive Tiggo 8 Pro Max’s asking price presents an incredible proposition given not only the range of tech but also seven seats and a groundbreaking 10-year/1 000 000 km engine warranty.
Visually appealing Chery
The mixed signals provided by the 290T Executive tested last year were, therefore, the sole point of reference when the Max arrived. Our test car was decked out in the same stunning purple hue known in other markets as Rodent Purple.
Excluding the colour, the Max’s visual changes, since passed down to the Executive but not the entry-level Distinction Chery has opted to discontinue, are minor and need careful studying when viewed from the front.
These include a thicker grey border around the grille and model-specific diamond-cut 19-inch alloy wheels. Plus a special start-up sequence for the Matrix LED headlights and an illuminated Chery logo.
At the rear, the makeover has been more extensive. Besides quad exhaust outlets, Chery has restyled the faux diffuser and fitted a full-width LED light bar.
The restyling is completed by the Chery name badge moving below the thin illumination. The tweaks certainly do not diminish the Tiggo 8 Pro Max’s visual presence as a stylish and aggressive-looking SUV.
Hugely improved interior…
Open the door; Chery has been more thorough as the previous black leather, Audi-esque climate control panel, combination of the 10.25-inch infotainment system and instrument cluster, and piano key black centre console have all been dropped in one foul swap.
Taking their respective places is a brown leather upholstery option and a completely new floating centre console with imitation-grained wood. And a new dashboard complete with touch-sensitive climate control buttons and a new dual 12.5-inch instrument cluster and infotainment system. The latter is still with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as the Hello Chey voice recognition system.
The facelift expanded to include a new steering wheel and a combination of type-A and type-C USB ports. Plus new air vents and a wireless smartphone charger at the base of the console.
In addition, Chery also upgraded the materials and fitted the mouse-pad-like gear lever from the Omoda C5. The speakers for the eight-speaker Sony sound system, meanwhile, have been moved from the A-pillar to the doors.
…but not perfect
Almost akin to a new model instead of a facelift, the interior, is still not without its foibles. The last is the brown colouration, which not everyone will appreciate, especially considering the Max versus the classic Chery Tiggo 8 price.
Besides the trip computer still lacking a memory function, resulting in all driving data being lost every time the ignition is switched off, the driver’s seat is still positioned rather high. Even when dropped to its low setting, the view of the instrument cluster is obscured no matter how high the steering column is.
As Mark explained, the digital rear-view mirror also requires more than a few days to get used to projecting an image closer than what it really is.
About the Chery tech…
It isn’t all bad, though, as the new centre console has lifted the interior’s aesthetics in a way the previous setup did not.
Despite being the top-spec model, Chery has thrown more spec into the bargain. The Max comes with electric, heated and ventilated front seats. It also has a panoramic sunroof, a hands-free electric tailgate and integrated satellite navigation. Plus a 50-watt wireless smartphone charger and a dashcam.
Above the already present features that will take up the rest of this article, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max’s seat comfort is good, and space is supreme.
While the third row remains admittedly skewed towards junior members of the family, adjusting the backrest of the second row does allow a trifle more space, although in general, trips in the outer row will have to be quick.
Boot space varies from 193 litres with all seven seats up to 892 litres with the third row down. Dropping the third turns the Tiggo 8 Pro Max into a van with a total luggage capacity of 1,930 litres.
What about the engine?
The biggest sensation is the 2.0 T-GDI engine that rectifies the sluggish 1.6 T-GDI the Executive uses. Still hooked to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the engine develops 187 kW and as indicated by the 390T badge on the bootlid, 390 Nm of torque.
Unchanged from the pre-facelift Max, the combination is explosive. As one friend bluntly put it in the passenger’s seat after a few minutes, “die ding [insert expletive of choice] of”.
That is sure as unlike the 1.6 T-GDI, the 2.0-litre spools up so quickly and without the low-down turbo-lag that the Max feels even faster than what the outputs claim.
The incredible surge, punch and rapid acceleration aren’t without a few pitfalls though as too sudden throttle inputs will result in wheelspin when setting off, something the all-wheel-drive is likely to rectify when it debuts.
For its part, the dual-clutch box’s shifts are smoother. But not 100%, as on a few occasions, it would hesitate and shift down abruptly.
That being said, it is nowhere as erratic as on the 1.6, which makes the continual lack of paddle shifters even more disappointing.
Dynamics still not polished
The Max’s dynamic prowess goes the other way as the steering is still devoid of feel and only improves with the selection of Sport mode.
Selecting this also means a sharper throttle response. This has the knock-on effect of considerable torque steer and sure wheelspin if overexuberant with the loud peddle.
Comfortable on smooth surfaces, the suspension doesn’t take kindly to imperfections, unlike in the Executive, which rides on 18-inch wheels.
Given the extra grunt, the soft brakes, as on the 290T Executive, remain a worry as more than the usual foot input is required to bring the Tiggo 8 Pro Max to a stop.
Finally, the topic of fuel consumption continues to hamstring most Chinese vehicles. Whereas the 1.6 T-GDI registered a high 10.5 L/100 km, spending more time with the Max on the highway saw the instrument cluster register an impressive 7.8 L/100 km.
Back to town driving and the daily commute saw the readout plummet to as high as 12.1 L/100 km at one point.
Conclusion
More accomplished but still not perfect, and in some cases overcomplicated, the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max shrugs off its deficiencies by appeasing what most buyers immediately look for from a new vehicle: value for money.
As mentioned with the Executive, the level of tech and kit, seven seats and punchy engine, makes its sticker price a bargain no comparative rival can match like-for-like.
Through the engine warranty, a seven-year/90 000 km service plan and a five-year/150 000 km warranty, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max speaks for itself as a package that cannot and won’t be ignored easily.
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Source: https://www.citizen.co.za/motoring/
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