At the moment, the only right-hand drive (RHD) market to sell the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro is South Africa and said model is priced between ZAR 496,900 (~RM 129k) to ZAR 574,900 (~RM 149k), comfortably undercutting rivals like the Tiguan Allspace (ZAR 619,900 or ~RM 160k to ZAR 756,100 or ~RM 196k) and Hyundai Santa Fe (ZAR 839,900 or ~RM 218k to ZAR 945,900 or ~RM 245k).
Although prices of the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro are able to undercut its core rivals in South Africa, it may not be applicable here in Malaysia as local assembly (CKD) plans for Chery is still unclear. As such, it is doubtful if the Tiggo 8 Pro can match the CX-8, Santa Fe, and Tiguan Allspace’ price in Malaysia.
Similar to the earlier mentioned Chery models, the Tiggo 8 Pro was part of a preview event held by Chery Malaysia, the new entity responsible for the brand’s revival here.
Being Chery’s flagship SUV, being stately is its theme, with tasteful amount of chrome applied to its exterior. There’s a rounded-off octagonal front grille, flanked by a pair of LED headlights.
Towards the rear, there’s a pair of smoked LED tail lights and Chery’s name emblazoned across the tailgate. Being the flagship model, the Tiggo 8 Pro is the only model to feature proper exhaust tips; the rest of the line-up get faux exhaust tips.
The opulence continues inside – while the dashboard design is largely similar to the lower rung Tiggo 7 Pro, its seats are the main highlight here, being plushiest and comfiest of its line-up.
The easiest way to differentiate the Tiggo 7 Pro and the Tiggo 8 Pro, apart from the brown leather upholstery, is its climate control display. While both SUVs offer a digital climate control, the one on the Tiggo 7 Pro is a monochrome display, while the Tiggo 8 Pro offers a full colour display. Fancy? No doubt.
The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro’s flagship positioning is further cemented by its powertrain. Unlike the 1.5-litre turbo and CVT-type auto transmission that powers the Tiggo 4 Pro and Tiggo 7 Pro, the larger Tiggo 8 Pro gets a turbocharged 2.0-litre unit mated to a 7-speed DCT.
Power output is 250 PS and 390 Nm, with power routed either to the front wheels or all 4 wheels (AWD). This output figures put the Tiggo 8 Pro on par with the Mazda CX-8 (230 PS, 420 Nm) and VW Tiguan Allspace R-Line (220 PS, 350 Nm).
Behind the wheel, it certainly behaves like a flagship model. Acceleration, be it from standstill or in-gear acceleration, is brisk and linear. There’s no hesitation when the need arises, making the Tiggo 8 Pro the most effortless of its trio to putter around.
That said, despite being Chery’s top-of-the-line model, based on out brief 10-minute drive with the SUV, we noticed that the Proton X70 may have a slight edge in terms of ride comfort and NVH levels. It’s not to say that the Tiggo 8 Pro is uncomfortable or noisy by any means, but the Proton does feel like it has a slight edge.
Also, we noticed that the rear-view mirror is of the wide angle type, which creates a nausea-inducing fish-eye effect.
Another feature worth mentioning is the Tiggo 8 Pro’s infotainment system. Like the Tiggo 7 Pro, the larger Tiggo 8 Pro features a 10.25-inch free-standing infotainment display with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Setting it apart from its siblings is the inclusion of a Sony 8-speaker sound system, which offers pretty decent audio quality.
Granted, more seat time is needed to properly assess the Tiggo 8 Pro, and that will be arranged upon the launch of the Tiggo 8 Pro in Malaysia.
Started from the IT industry but somehow managed to find his way into the automotive industry. If he’s not gaming, he’s constantly tinkering with his daily/weekend car.
