By Prashirwin Naidu
As sweet as a decadent chocolate cake, the new Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max is a mouth-
watering delight. It offers everything you need at an appealing price of R731,900. While still a significant amount, it’s impressive compared to its more established competitors, where you pay extra for additional features.
The Tiggo 8 Pro Max looks impressive in person. Ours came in a pomegranate-like, dark purple colour. It’s larger, sharp, and well-proportioned. To my surprise, I noticed four exhaust pipes at the back, even though it’s not a performance SUV. A cool feature purely for aesthetics – in my opinion.
The Interior
The interior is a lovely space with quilted leather seats throughout and a neat, uncluttered cabin. It features two virtual screens: a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The 10- speaker Sony sound system was a blast. It comes with USB-A and USB-C charging ports, wireless charging, a panoramic sunroof, and electronically adjustable front seats with heating and cooling. The automatic two-zone climate control includes an upgraded air quality sensor, ensuring N95-certified clean air, plus a fragrance system with three scents – a refined and thoughtful touch.
Standard driver assistance features include Chery’s smart driver monitoring system,
emergency lane keeping with lane departure prevention, and an intelligent evasion system. The constant beeping from the safety features was nerve-wracking, and my heart could only handle so much panic, especially when merging in peak traffic. It felt like a paramedic was passing by repeatedly through the Chery’s speakers. But enough complaining—it does get better, I promise.
The interior is a lovely space with quilted leather seats throughout and a neat, uncluttered cabin. It features two virtual screens: a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The 10- speaker Sony sound system was a blast. It comes with USB-A and USB-C charging ports, wireless charging, a panoramic sunroof,
and electronically adjustable front seats with heating and cooling. The automatic two-zone climate control includes an upgraded air quality sensor, ensuring N95-certified clean air, plus a fragrance system with three scents – a refined and thoughtful touch.
Standard driver assistance features include Chery’s smart driver monitoring system,
emergency lane keeping with lane departure prevention, and an intelligent evasion system. The constant beeping from the safety features was nerve-wracking, and my heart could only handle so much panic, especially when merging in peak traffic. It felt like a paramedic was passing by repeatedly through the Chery’s speakers. But enough complaining—it does get better, I promise.
The Drive
For a great feel of the car on the road, I headed out to the Mabuza farm in Randfontein on the West Rand—a perfect 80-kilometre stretch to test it. The hour-and-a-half journey included freeway, backroads, pothole-filled sections, and a few kilometres of dirt roads—essentially, all types of terrain to put a car through its paces.
Surprisingly, the Chery handled well on sandy roads, though it felt a bit jittery in rougher conditions, and I noticed one or two squeaks, as if some bolts were loose.
At a decent speed and with a tap of the foot, the steering felt a bit unsettled, despite the powerful 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. While it ticks all the boxes with its relaxed temperament and comfortable ride on highways and backroads, the drive didn’t quite meet my expectations. In terms of fuel consumption, it wasn’t disappointing; I achieved 8 litres per 100 km.
Final Impressions
My fondness for the Chery Tiggo 8 grew, perhaps because I was in love and took a date around town in it. It’s a smooth cruiser that handles relatively well, though it could benefit from some subtle enhancements, as the transmission can be jerky at intersections.
The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace and Mahindra XUV700 immediately come to mind as rivals, thanks to their additional third-row seating. Other competitors include the Honda CR-V and Haval H6 GT. Unlike Chicken Licken, it didn’t stir the soul, but it offered a good amount of features with a sense of abundance. I believe the manufacturers should have kept it simpler. The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max is decent for what it is, but there’s still room for improvement. I think they’re onto something, and the future looks bright. As my uncle Johnny says, keep moving forward. It’s a solid family car in terms of safety, earning a 5-star NCAP safety rating. Mighty
impressive, Chery—well done!
Price: R731,900
