Chery marks its first year in South Africa with the launch of its new flagship SUV, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max. Upgraded on several fronts, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max represents a highly compelling offer from the Chinese automaker, and showcases Chery’s ability to go toe-to-toe with the best from Japan and Korea.
At the end of 2022, Chery celebrated its first anniversary back on South African soil with the release of a new flagship model, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max. Since opening its doors as a wholly owned subsidiary of Chery in November 2021, the brand has welcomed more than 10,000 customers, became a top 10 best-selling brand, and grown its network of dealers to over 70 facilities.
With a 2.0-litre engine (other Tiggo 8 models carry a 1.6-litre turbo mill) and a host of additional luxury features, the Max muscles its way to the top of the Chery range offering, where it is set to compete with established rivals such as the Kia Sportage, Toyota RAV4, and in a more direct onslaught, the Haval H6 GT.
Introducing their new headliner at a glittering evening event, Tony Liu, Executive Deputy General Manager of Chery South Africa, described the brand’s new flagship as “the perfect birthday gift for our fans. It offers more power, safety, and features than ever before, and as such, it is the perfect personification of the Chery value promise.”
And he is spot on. The Tiggo 8 Pro Max is a gift, but not only for Chery dealers who celebrated a stellar year in 2022. Chery customers are likely to be the biggest winners as the brand grows in stature and reputation, with this car leading the charge.
ENGINE AND PERFORMANCE
Powered by a 2.0 TDGI turbo petrol engine delivering 187 kW at 5,500 rpm and 390 Nm between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max ups the ante on the performance front, and applies a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to send power to the front wheels. Boasting a small diameter turbine and new fully floating bearing technology, the Max delivers a quicker response time than similar turbochargers, contributing to the car’s claimed acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in just 7.3 seconds. Fuel consumption is rated at 7.0 l/100 km in combined usage.
For perspective, the Max’s closest rival, the Haval H6 GT 2.0GDIT 4WD Super Luxury, delivers 155 kW and will run to 100 km/h from standstill in a claimed 8.4 seconds.
UPGRADES ON THE FEATURE FRONT
As the range flagship, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max has been upgraded with privacy glass in the rear passenger compartment and thicker sound-dampening glass in the windscreen and front side windows. This benefits the overall drive experience by creating a magnificently quiet environment with minimal road and wind noise.
The black leather interior (with heating and ventilation in the front seats) adds another layer of sophistication to complement the high level of standard technology included in the Max. It is equipped with a wide range of features, including adaptive cruise control with emergency brake assist, multi-colour ambient lighting, Chery Voice Control, a large panoramic sunroof, a 12.3” digital instrument panel for the driver, a 10.25” floating infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an additional 8” touch screen for the dual-zone climate control.
On the safety front, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max features advanced assistance systems such as forward collision warning, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, and blind spot monitoring. To further enhance the passenger experience, the driver seat is six-way electrically adjustable (four-way on the passenger side), an eight-speaker SONY system delivers crisp sound, and a large wireless mobile phone charging pad will keep your devices juiced up.
LAST WORD
With more than 500,000 sales globally, the Tiggo 8 Pro has become the first Chinese medium-sized SUV and the first seven-seater SUV to reach this milestone. This is an astonishing achievement for a brand that would not have been on the radar of the luxury SUV-buying public just a few years ago. For peace of mind, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max comes with a standard seven-year/90,000 km service plan and a 10-year/1 million-kilometre mechanical warranty.
Report by BERNIE HELLBERG JR | Images © CHERY SOUTH AFRICA
