Review: 2024 Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max Ultimate AWD

Chery has added another model to its range with the latest release expanding its offering to larger families with the seven-seater family SUV, Tiggo 8 Pro Max.

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max continues Chery's emphasis on providing stylish and upmarket design, along with feature-packed variants, all at an exceptionally affordable price point.

We recently took the top-of-the-range Ultimate AWD trim for the weekend to experience the new model in action.

Check out our thoughts.

Initial Impressions

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max is a great representation of subtle yet captivating style, carefully balancing understated elements to create a visually appealing aesthetic. Its confident and stable stance exudes strength, while the elegant muted Technical Grey exterior paint, adorned with chrome accents, adds a touch of sophistication and refinement to the overall design.

The premier experience continues on the interior with high-quality materials used throughout. Of note are the synthetic leather seats and steering wheel, as well as the brushed metal dashboard inserts with capacitive touch climate control buttons, and faux wood grain centre console.

Driveability

The Tiggo 8 features a punchy 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch sports auto gearbox with power and torque numbers of 180kW and 375Nm respectively. The drivetrain is pretty sensitive at lower speeds so getting the step at the traffic lights isn't an issue. The all-wheel-drive system of the Ultimate trim offers a grip advantage here to ensure you remain locked to the bitumen.

Fuel economy figures seem to sit somewhere in the middle amongst its closest competitors. The 2WD Urban and Elite trims offer combined fuel economy of 8.1 litres per 100 kilometres, while the Ultimate AWD sips a touch more at 8.7 L/100km.

The full Tiggo 8 range includes Eco, Normal, and Sport driving modes, however, if you opt for the Ultimate AWD, you'll get a few more adventurous modes including Snow, Mud, and Off-Road.

Liveability

Everyday life is where the Tiggo 8 earns its stripes. From comfort and convenience to safety and technology, every trim of this seven-seater is packed to the brim.

Comfort

The standard features we loved the most in terms of comfort were the heated and ventilated front seats and the power-adjustable driver's seat with position memory. Along with the tilt and telescopic steering wheel, it made setting up my preferred driving position pretty simple.

The multi-colour ambient lighting was great fun and added some extra flair and beauty to the cabin, especially at night. The N95 air purification system and the negative ion/ozone air freshener function were interesting. Although it's hard to tell if they're making a difference, the peace of mind they provided was enough to make us feel like we were breathing cleaner air.

Convenience

The standard convenience features offered across the range include a wide range of charging options such as a 50W wireless charging station and fast-charging Type-C outlets in both the front and rear. It's not uncommon to find pretty ineffective wireless chargers that seem to heat up your phone more than anything, but the considerable output of the Tiggo 8's charger means that it's quite an effective tool.

Other standard features of convenience include the iconic Hello Chery intelligent voice command, passive entry and start, power tailgate, and auto locking when you walk away from the vehicle.

Safety

The Tiggo 8 boasts a 5-Star ANCAP Safety Rating, thanks to its comprehensive safety suite. This includes 10 airbags, autonomous emergency braking for cars, vulnerable road users, junctions, crossings, backovers, and head-ons, as well as a lane support system with lane-keeping assist, emergency lane keeping, and lane departure warning, along with the advanced speed assistance system.

Technology

When it comes to standard technology across the range, we are impressed by the dual 12.3-inch LCD instrument cluster and the integrated multimedia touchscreen with built-in navigation. One feature that particularly stood out to us was the ability to move the navigation screen from the multimedia display to the digital instrument cluster simply by dragging your finger.

The rain-sensing windscreen wipers were very useful, and the front and rear parking sensors worked well with the 360-degree around-view monitor. Other standard features included Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Sony sound system, and projector-type LED headlights.

Pricing

The most eye-catching part of the Tiggo 8 Pro Max is without a doubt the price range with the entry grade, Urban, starting from a tantalizing driveaway price of $41,990. The mid-spec Elite is an extra $2,000 on top of the Urban, while the top-of-the-range Ultimate is available at just $47,990 driveaway.

These prices put the Tiggo 8 at the very forefront of price leaders in the seven-seater market. The only competitors that beat it in price are also far behind in added value. Features that take the entry-level Urban a step above are things like the 360-degree monitor, front parking sensors, more airbags, power-adjustable seats, in-built sat-nav and higher power output figures.

The Tiggo 8 range is available in eight colour options with the Aurora Green offered at no extra cost. The other seven colours are available for an additional $600.

Recap

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max represents the next step in Chery's successful market strategy in Australia. This strategy entails offering feature-rich models from the base trim level, which began with the Omoda 5 and continued with the Tiggo 7 Pro. The Tiggo 8 Pro Max is the latest development in this approach, introducing a seven-seat model to the lineup.

In Australia, there is a growing demand for seven-seat SUVs, presenting Chery with a significant market opportunity. Chery has strategically crafted an approach aimed at ensuring that each of their vehicles bears a unique appeal that caters to many consumers.

If you're interested in exploring all the features of the brand-new Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max, reach out to the team at Motorama Chery to organise a test drive.