At long last, the 2023 Chery Tiggo 8 Pro has launched in Malaysia. Sold in the sole Luxury variant, this three-row SUV is priced from RM 159,800. It's locally-assembled (CKD) at Inokom's facility in Kulim, Kedah.

The price comes with a 7-year warranty and a 5-year free servicing package. However, the first 3,000 customers of the Tiggo 8 Pro will get a more comprehensive 10-year engine/1,000,000 km engine warranty as well.

Powertrain

Perhaps the star of the segment's pick, the Tiggo 8 Pro has quite a gutsy engine with big numbers: a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with 256 PS and 390 Nm, coupled to a 7-speed wet-type dual-clutch automatic (DCT). Claimed fuel consumption is 7.4 litres/100 km.

Put against the Proton X90 and the ineveitable Toyota Innova Zenix, it's the most powerful of the three. It's also the only one among these that isn't electrified.

Dimensions and exterior features

As established in our first impressions post a couple of weeks back, the Tiggo 8 Pro has its sights trained on the X90, though conversations will invariably pull in the Innova Zenix as well. For greater clarity on that, here's how they measure:

Meanwhile, the Tiggo 8 Pro comes with automatic LED headlights (with LED DRLs) up front and on the tails, roof rails on top, and Chery's new 'galaxy grille'; which as it sounds, is a star-studded shiny chrome affair.

Also read: Chery says Tiggo 8 Pro and Omoda 5 are superior to Japanese SUVs, will win hearts of Malaysians

Rolling stock are 19-inch wheels, and you can have your car in any colour as long as its in Dark Black or Khaki White.

Interior features

Moving in is where most of your money goes. All-round leather seats (not named Nappa or anything, but impressively plush if we might add), replete with heating and ventilation for the driver and front passenger start things off up front.

Turn it on and the dual 24.6-inch screens spring into vivid colour; the dials are clear and customisable, while the infotainment touchscreen comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. Audio is chimed through a 8-speaker Sony Premium Audio system.

If you so choose, you can speak to it too. Hey Chery...

Also read: Chery sells record 1.2 million units in 2022, remains top Chinese passenger car exporter for 20 years straight

Then there's a panaromic glass roof, fast-charging wireless charger (50w), and dual-zone automatic air-conditioning up front; though the third-row gets their own independent air-cond controls.

Completing the aesthetics of the cabin are multi-coloured customisable ambient lighting.

Safety features: Full ADAS

Besides the customary stuff, the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro comes with an impressive 9 airbags, and the full range of ADAS features:

• Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
• Blind Spot Detection (BSD)
• Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK)
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
• Adaptive Cruise Control with Low Speed Follow (ACC w/ LSF, 0-180 km/h)
• Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
• Lane Departure Prevention (LDP)
• Integrated Cruise Assist (ICA)
• Traffic Jam Assist (TJA)
• 540-degree camera (with underfloor cameras)

Conclusion

Besides the Tiggo 8 Pro, don't miss out on the fact that Chery also introduced the Omoda 5 too. But these aren't the only two cars we'll get of them: plenty more are in the pipeline, including some plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as well.

Also Read: Priced from RM 109k, CKD Chery Omoda 5 launched in Malaysia: 2 variants, 1.5 turbo, full ADAS