Driven: 2024 Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max Ultimate

It’s surprisingly good and with change back from $50,000, is arguably the best bang for buck SUV on the market today. Step inside the 2024 Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max Ultimate and you immediately get a sense of German-level luxury.

From the door trims to the two large expansive screens across the dash, it all looks good. The diamond stitched seats finished in brown synthetic leather only add to that. They’re comfortable and snug, with 6-way power adjustment for the driver and 4-way for the passenger.

Heating and ventilation is provided for both, and the luxurious panoramic sunroof with power sunshade provides an abundance of lighting throughout the cabin. There’s an abundance of technology, including a 12.3-inch LCD instrument cluster, and identically sized touchscreen infotainment system.

There's a 10-speaker Sony sound system providing crisp, sharp audio. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay feature. USB-A and C ports are provided in the front and rear, along with a 50W wireless charging dock beneath the infotainment system, and two 12V sockets. 

Dual zone air conditioning includes air purification, with a fragrance system available with the optional brown interior. Touch sensitive AC controls are located beneath the dashboard. The flat bottom steering wheel provides a sporty look, feels light and responsive, and makes driving the vehicle a pleasure.

The lack of paddle shifters is, however, disappointing. The interior is lit with ambient lighting and illuminated front door sills, while welcome lighting and puddle lamps are activated upon opening the door. It’s spacious too, with sufficient headroom for all passengers, including those in the second and third rows.

With all seven seats in use, there is 117-litres of cargo space, which expands to 739-litres when you drop the third row. Ample storage is available throughout the cabin, including in the door pockets and beneath the centre console.

Under the hood is a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine providing 180kW of power and 375Nm of torque, and paired with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. Despite weighing in at 1,731kg, it doesn’t feel sluggish, but rather, responsive and torquey.

Thanks to its 57-litre fuel tank, you can expect around 627km in range from the 95RON petroleum that goes in. Fuel economy is a claimed 9.1-litres/100km. Sitting on 19-inch alloy wheels, the ride is comfortable and firm, with road noise kept to a minimum.

There’s a stop/start function to conserve fuel, but it’s a little slow to respond, and is one of very few faults. That aside, the 3D-view 360-degree camera provides excellent vision when parking. Three driving modes, including Eco, Normal and Sport, provide a range of tunes for various situations.

AWD adds Snow, Mud and Off Road. On the outside, there are eight colours to choose from, including the somewhat bland Lunar White. You can opt for Aurora Green, Loran Violet (the boss’s personal favourite), Mercurial Grey, Rhine Blue, Space Black, Star Silver and Technical Grey. 

The Tiggo 8 comes with LED headlights and taillights, a large front grille and quad exhaust tips. A shark fin antenna and privacy glass is fitted on the AWD model, which is priced from an incredible $47,990 drive away. There’s a lot included for that money too, including a swag of safety technology.

Boasting a 5-star ANCAP safety rating, the 2024 Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max Ultimate comes with adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and prevention, traffic jam assist – which works a treat, driver monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.

You’ll also find blind spot detection, front collision warning, cruise assist, autonomous emergency braking, rear cross traffic braking, emergency lane keeping and speed control assist. The Tiggo 8 is backed by a 7-year unlimited kilometre warranty, 7-years capped price servicing, up to 7-years roadside assistance.

You can find out more on the Chery Australia website, or by talking to your local dealership.

Our test vehicle was provided by Chery Australia for independent review purposes. This story was originally pubished on Exhaust Notes Australia.

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